Monster Ridge (The Prophecies of Ragnarok #2), by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan
The Book
Synopsis:
Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?
Victor and Silje thought they’d already left Hotel Fen and its horrors behind. But hunting them are Victor's godly brothers: Thor the Thunderer, Tyr the Battle-God, and Hodr, the God of Winter. Convinced that Ragnarok, the end of all things, is about to begin, they either want Victor fighting on their side — or out of their way.
With Ada the gretten katt and their dwarven weaponsmith Ivaldi, Victor and Silje set off for Vanaheim, seeking out the Vanir runemistress Freya, and a safe haven. But the more their pasts unfold, the more they realize that they’re caught in the crosshairs of an ancient feud between Odin, the King of the Nine Realms, and his blood brother Loki, the Destroyer of Worlds.
My Review
Monster Ridge is the second novel in the Prophecies of Ragnarok series, written by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan. After escaping from Hotel Fen, Silje and Victor are looking for a safer place; but when you are persecuted by several Norse gods, all of them convinced the Ragnarok is coming, finding that might be more difficult than they thought.
In the company of Ada (the gretten kat) and Ivaldi, the dwarven weaponsmith, Victor and Silje will direct their path towards Vananheim, a safe haven; however, as they are recovering memories from their past lives, the conflict starts to look more like unavoidable, the end of a long enmity between Odin and Loki. Travelling across the Nine worlds is progressively becoming more dangerous, and that will end with our characters visiting really unexpected places.
On their second novel, Benson and Sinadjan expand the world, and more importantly, change the scope of the story, greatly raising the stakes while also throwing into the mix more mythologies, something that I personally loved (adding Philippine legends was a superb touch); with Victor and Silje regaining their memories, the confrontation with other creatures becomes fairer and much more spectacular, using their powers to even the field.
While the trope of the journey might not be one of my favourites, it was well used in this book, with the authors using each single opportunity to add spice into the mix; it also deserves a mention how some of the myths are reinterpreted to give them a new significance, a new layer of depth.
Monster Ridge is an excellent continuation to Hotel Fen, upping the gears and raising the stakes, preparing all to a conclusion that will come with Mist Gallows; if you like urban fantasy and want a fresh look at some myths, you should give a try to The Prophecies of Ragnarok series.
The Author/s
Marie Sinadjan
Marie is a Filipino fantasy author, singer-songwriter, and musical theatre actress. She is the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok series, and her short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals. She mainly writes fantasy of the mythology, fairytales, and folklore variety.
When not crunching numbers for her full-time job or spending time with her family, she’s traveling, drinking coffee, reading and reviewing books, dreaming up more worlds, writing more songs, or serenading vegetables. She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her husband.
Meri Benson
Meri Benson is a Chicago-land native, and storyteller for as long as she can remember. She’s always had an extremely vivid imagination, leading to the creation of imaginary friends as a child, and characters that live in a variety of worlds of their own as an adult. Most of her characters tend to stay locked up in notebooks, their worlds spun and developed carefully until she feels that they are ready for family and close friends; though occasionally developed further into stories for writing contests and classes, including a Best Mystery win during grade school.
Her preferred writing genres are science fiction and fantasy; coming as no surprise to those aware that she’s been attending sci-fi conventions since the age of four---adorned in hand-made costumes, no less, thanks to her talented family. The artist halls of these conventions were filled with dragons, fairies, and other mythical creatures that only fueled her imagination and stories she developed both on paper and in her head. This is also her preferred choice for a quick read as well, thanks to growing up around her parents’ massive library ranging from mystery to fantasy and beyond.
While she graduated with a BA in psychology, Meri is an artist at heart and is always looking for new ways to create and has a myriad of things to keep her busy. When not writing, she is usually found behind her camera capturing the world one shutter snap at a time, or drawing it onto a sketch pad; though she’s also been known to be bent over a potter’s wheel, molding the world to her liking. Her favorite distractions from creative endeavors and writing are her two cats that enjoy ‘helping’ by settling themselves on her, or whatever project has stolen her attention away from her number one “fans”.