Runed

Runed by Kendall Grey is fantastically funny and fabulously fantastic. I was smirking by the end of the first page, smiling by the end of the first chapter, and giggling aloud often enough that people in the airport were giving me strange looks. What a delightful read!

There are three things going on with this book that you need to be aware of. First, there is a meta-textual bit of mythological appropriation, which is wonderfully done. Grey has a lot of fun with Norse mythology, updating it for the twenty-first century, and inviting us to view both past and present through Loki’s eyes – which is twice as much fun as you might expect, owing to a Game of Thrones/Vikings style TV drama about Odin and family that leaves Loki rather unsettled.

Second is the fish-out-of-water theme that, despite having been exhaustively explored is comedies both literary and cinematic, works wonderfully here because of Grey’s deft touch. Loki is lost in a new body . . . a new world . . . and a new time. Everything – language, transportation, communication, entertainment, culture – is either foreign or alien. All the misunderstandings you might expect are exploited, but it is those that you do not see coming that are the most fun. Forget cell phones and airplanes, if you really want to overwhelm an ancient Norse deity, drop a vibrator in their lap. I laughed out loud!

Last is the very element that hooked me from the start – the gender-swap, which goes far beyond trickster shapeshifting, leaving Loki a “full-blown, V-card sporting lady” with “two no-need-to-stock-up-on-sheep’s-milk-I’ve-got-you-and-the-rest-of-the-village-covered breasts” and “a great arse.” The initial gender discovery is a lot of fun, and the little details along the way keep that aspect from getting tired or stale. Even when the story is being laugh-out-loud humorous, though, Grey still manages to sneak in some wonderful observations about how women – both transgender and cisgender – are treated. There is a simple bathroom scene that surprised me with how tasteful and triumphant it played out.

Short enough to be read in one sitting, and entertaining enough to make the time fly by, Runed was so much more than I had hoped it might be!

A very funny twist on Asgard personalities as Loki wakes up to find himself a woman and in modern times. With some unexpected help he tries to find his runes to return his powers and immortality but Odin has other ideas...

Loki is a very funny narrator. I loved the interaction with the chicken. One drawback was too much attention to his male parts (before he even realizes that they are missing). It just felt forced. Another drawback was I didn't buy Loki's somewhat abrupt change from malicious chaos bringer to a softer version who still likes chaos but isn't so murderous just because he is now a woman. I like where it is going but it seemed too abrupt for me.

There are a lot of whacky adventures and more to come in further books. We need more laughs in our lives at the present moment and this delivers. Hail Loki and more books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my favorite reads this year. I was slow getting into it since I was not previously familiar with Viking mythology but I fell into the rhythm of the characters and the gripping romantic comedy of the plot the more I read. I was hooked a quarter of the way through. Loki is not only clever but very relatable as a character. I was hestitant to like her at first as the first chapter felt like it was focused on her missing testivles but the more she connected with her female qualities the more I felt I could imagine myself as her. There were definitely a few scenes where I burst out laughing, like when her stolen skull suitcase full of vibrators burst open and came to life in front of Gunnar and Freddie. I was pleasantly surprised by the author’s humor and knowledge of appropriate moments when the humor would be acceptable. Some authors stick funny scenes in nonstop and drown out the sex appeal and adventure. This was not the case here. I thoroughly look forward to this being a series with character development and a meaty plot. One thing I would like to see is for this kick-ass female to grow more into her job title by becoming a truly powerful God/Goddess. I loved this book and look forward to the next.

This first book in the Asgard Awakening series is such a fun, queer and totally hilarious retelling of the Norse mythology set in the 21st century. Waking up about a thousand years after Ragnarok, Loki can’t feel his balls... because, it turns out, he’s been reborn as a woman.

But not only has Loki been reborn as a woman, he’s also lost his runes and is no longer a God. With the help of Icelandic archeology student Gunnar Magnusson he sets off on a journey to the west (America) to retrieve them. In their wake they have a chicken spy. Yes, chicken spy! It’s Odin’s raven Huginn who has been reincarnated as a chicken and commanded by Odin to spy on Loki and stop them from getting the runes back. Huginn was such a wonderful side kick, and the banter between Loki and Huginn made me laugh out loud at times. I also loved the sweet, strong and handsome Viking Gunnar Magnusson and how he followed Loki on the crazy adventures even though he was sure that she wasn’t playing with a full deck of cards… There’s also a great secondary character in Gunnar Magnusson’s queer friend Freddie, a lot of twists and surprises, and a cliffhanger that will make you crave for the second book.

Starting to read this book I had no idea what to expect, but it really blew me off. The story is a completely unique urban fantasy comedy. It’s well-written and very fast-paced (I read the whole book in just a couple of hours!) and the humor is hilarious.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook copy and the opportunity to find this new author and unforgettable book!

Highly recommended to anyone, also those who don’t normally enjoy fantasy books!

My first book by Kendall Grey, but definitely not my last. This book was HILARIOUS. The idea of Loki being the opposite gender wasn't a stretch for me, because in the version of mythology that I'm familiar with he's been known to shapeshift between the two as he pleases. I really like how it wasn't forced, and they explored the idea of having the physical identity of one gender and the mindset of another. The chicken in this story is hilarious and without question one of the best characters in the book. Anyone on an adventure like Loki's definitely needs a chicken on their team. 10/10 would recommend.

The plot twists are both unexpected and attention-grabbing. I'm really interested to see how the story plays out in the next books in the series, Gilded (Book 2) and Dragged (Book 3).

I am always on the lookout for new, fun paranormal books, and yay for me it looks like I hit the jackpot on this one! Runed was fantastically hilarious. If you love the funny, foul-mouthed, hilarious paranormal exploits of any of the Shelly Laurenston/ G.A. Aiken books, you'll love this!

Loki wakes naked and frozen in a snowdrift with his last memories of fighting in Ragnarok. Did he die? Did he win? Why was he so cold? And naked? And a woman... with giant...lady pillows? And where are his runes? As Loki searches for answers he is constantly saved by the delicious knight-in-shining gigantic metal horse. Odin and his deranged chicken are behind all this and by gods, he will find his previous rune babies.

I enjoyed the Hel out of this book. I mean seriously, Norse gods being reincarnated (and sometimes not back to their traditional gender or species), a strange television show, sentient artifacts, and more... Umm, yep! Sign me all the way up. I will warn that Runed seems to be a continued journey type deal. But, I'm so all about it. More, please!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This was just an absolute fun and enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the story. I really liked following Loki around! Such a break from the one I associate with the MCU. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

***I was provided the ARC for Runed by Kendall Grey from Net Galley & Publishing in exchange for an honest review. These are my thoughts and of my opinions. Thank you for allowing me access to this ARC***

I met Kendall Grey at the 2019 ApollyCon before I was approved of this ARC. She was delightful and super excited over her books, as she should be! I found Runed to a refreshing and hilarious.
What if Loki, the god of mischief, was born a girl in our modern times? What if she likes wearing leather and the world’s tallest high heels? What if Loki befriends a chicken- Huginn? The modern world is not quite ready to handle this witty sharp-tongued girl. There are so many times that I laughed out loud. I cannot recommend this book more!
The battle scenes with the baddies were exciting and I liked the other characters in the tale.
I did not like that Loki seems to be so backwards in our modern world. I believe that he/she would not bumble around so often. Loki would quickly adapt and be curious at everything.
If you are looking for a book that will keep you laughing and is quite an easy read, then I would recommend Runed as your next read. You, just like me, will be enthralled by everything Kendall Grey writes!

A very nice book with great characters that I really liked after no long time. And what I really enjoyed was that there was funny moments that made the story even better. The writing style is really great and I think the plot had something unique and was really nice.