Queen of Deception: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel by Anna Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Queen of Deception depicts an unusual scenario where one of Queen Elizabeth’s chief advisors acquires strange magical artifacts. The primary magical artifact is a book that requires a gem (no, not an infinity gem or infinity stone) to understand and comprehend the tome’s contents. The gem is the key to understanding and unlocking whatever powers and knowledge the text has locked inside. However, as soon as the queen’s advisor uses the item, the magical signature is detected by the Queen of Hel, Hela herself (a strange disturbance in the force?)
The curse makes Hela curious, and she leaves Hel and travels to Midgard (Earth) to find the source of this magical disturbance. Once she travels to Earth, Hela is shocked to learn that her magic is somehow constrained, and she suspects it’s somehow because of the magic she sensed on Earth. Meanwhile, in Asgard, the Asgardians also notice the magic disturbance coming from Midgard. Lady Sif and Brunnhilde are tasked with traveling to Earth to discover the source of this magic.
The book’s main plot is the attempts to get possession of the book and the Gem. I felt this part of the book was not as action-packed as it should have been, and the scenes feel to contain a lot of filler, i.e., are a bit drawn out. Maybe that is part of a pre-expectation, as when it comes to Marvel and stories of Asgard and Midgard, Thor and Odin are usually centric to the story along with Loki or some other villain. However, Thor and Odin are not central to the plot in this tale.
Another aspect of this plot that I felt was a bit of an overused trope was the dampening effect of the book’s magical powers. It has this nullifying effect like Superman and Kryptonite or Terrigen and Mutant power suppression, or even more simply, a prolonged magical EMP-like effect.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, and we get to experience some of the non-central characters of Asgard and, of course, Hel, the Realm of the Dead, which turns out to be desirable. In addition, it turned out to be a delightful difference from a Thor/Odin-centric tale as we learn more about Helena, Lady Sif, and Brunnhilde.
Candles, Wine, and a Book 