An urban fantasy about honor vs. duty, trust, redemption, fear of failure, learning who you really are, and power and responsibility. Mist is loyal, protective, and responsible, but too trusting and willing to fling herself into danger even though she is outmatched. I hated how Dainn lies to her, however unwillingly, and how her own mother has never acknowledged her and now plans to use her. The Norse mythology is refreshing. The villain Loki feels flat and unfocused; ironically Freya is a more complicated villain, because she is supposed to be on the side of the “good” gods. Susan Krinard has embarked on a series with “Mist” (Tor, $13.99, 382 pages). Hers, though, is a mixture of urban fantasy, Norse legends and her extensive background as a romance novelist.As Krinard is a professional writer, she makes the complex plot easy to follow, but basically it’s the fantasy staple of good (Mist, the protagonist, who is a Norse Valkyrie) vs. evil (Loki, the Norse trickster god). “Mist” is plenty of fun in its own right, but basically is a table-setter for what looks to be at least a trilogy.At this point, as with most series in volume one, I’d hold off laying down real money until things become a little clearer – but it’s certainly fair to say that Krinard is off to a promising start.
