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Harbinger of the End

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A reluctant bride. A trickster groom. The lineage of a god comes to an end.
Long ago, Loki and Odin swore an oath of brotherhood. Since then, Loki believes that it is enough to love one soul, and wreak havoc on all else, until he learns that he is the one who will be responsible for bringing about the Twilight of the Gods. In a desperate attempt to forestall Ragnarök, Odin betrays his brother and forces him to take a bride. A Valkyrie, someone who will be loyal to Odin, and doubtless keep the god of lies in line. But if Odin believes that Loki will be controlled by the whims of one woman, then he is terribly mistaken.
Sigyn has never regretted the decision she made to leave behind her life as a mortal princess to serve Odin as one of his Valkyries, until now... When Odin orders her to marry Loki, Sigyn feels trapped by her duty and the oaths she swore. Even worse, to marry means that she will no longer be a Valkyrie, and she will lose all immortality that comes with it.
Tricked during his wedding vows, Loki finds himself exiled to Midgard and bound to a mortal. Now he must keep his new bride alive long enough to find her a new form of immortality or risk being dragged into death with her. Sigyn seeks to find a new purpose after everything that she once believed in betrayed her. Allying themselves to great mortal heroes, they set out to slay a dragon, claim a legendary treasure, and unite kingdoms. All the while, seeking to discover the truth to the question that could change their lives forever-what makes one worthy of becoming a god?
This standalone is perfect for romantic fantasy fans and readers of Emma Hamm and Sylvia Mercedes, who are looking for a new slow-burn, swoon-worthy story. It's a sweeping tale of love, betrayal, and dragon fire set in a world of Vikings, witches, and gods.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2022

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About the author

Nicki Chapelway

37 books329 followers
Nicki is a twenty-something author of swoony romantic fantasy. She has been writing since she was eleven and has since published several works. She enjoys creating stories with twisty-stabby faerie romances, retellings that take a darker turn, and epic fantasies in worlds full of monsters and magic.

Nicki lives in Ohio where she spends far too much time watching TV, playing video games, and sleeping. She listens to music basically all the time, and adores obsessing over mythologies, her shows, and her slew of fictional boyfriends. When not writing, she can usually be found at her desk with either a paintbrush or a pen in her hand.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Nicki Chapelway.
Author 37 books329 followers
February 4, 2023
One of the most annoying things about being eternally labeled as a trickster is that there are so many misconceptions about you, and most of them are your own doing.

I suppose I should start off this review by saying what you can expect from this tale.

This story IS a retelling of Norse Myths and the Nordic epic the Volsunga Saga
It IS about Loki and his wife from the myths Sigyn
It DOES follow the myths very closely
It IS a low spice adult marriage of convenience story
It DOES contain Valkyries, Vikings, Dragons, Shapeshifting, Jotunn, Dwarfs and other really cool elements
It's KINDA a fantasy in that there are many fantasy-esque elements, including gods and dragons, but in truth it takes place in a far more magical version of Medieval/Viking Era Europe
It IS a tragedy, but expect a hopeful ending

It IS NOT at all connected with Loki from Marvel (although if you want to imagine my Loki as looking like Tom Hiddleston then by all means...)

He is Loki, the god of lies, the bringer of the end. He will someday father monsters, if the tales are to be believed. He is full of trickery and deceit, but he is also the guardian of the outcasts. He is the bringer of laughter and merriment. He is fearless and knows his worth. He is no blind follower, but instead challenges assumptions. And occasionally, if it suits his fancy, he will even help those in need and ask for nothing in return.
If I am to be his wife, I suppose I must accept all of who he is and come to terms with the fact that he is as unpredictable as the sea, as tamable as a tempest, and only as good as he chooses to be.


There were a lot of firsts with writing this book. This is my first book existing in its own world, with no continuations or spin-offs. It was my first time writing a book off of an already established character. When it came to my retellings, Elisabeth (my Snow White character from Winter Cursed and Alicia (based off of Alice in Wonderland from A Certain Sort of Madness, were only based off the caricatures of the characters of the original stories I was retelling/reimagining. They were however their own individual characters, they had different names and different backstories and were not THE Snow White or THE Alice who went to Wonderland. But this was THE Loki from the myths and as such I felt I had to walk a fine line between remaining true to his person and taking creative liberties.

It was also my first time writing a tragedy.

Yet, as most tragedies go, this went terribly wrong.

I can't say I'll repeat the experience. But with the ever-looming threat of Ragnarok it could be argued that all Norse myths have a little bit of tragedy in them. After all, everyone, even the gods die in the end. So, I would say that this story definitely has more hope than was given in the original myths, but it still has its fair share of tragedy and death.

“I am Sigyn, steadfast and loyal. That is who I am and I cannot pretend to be otherwise. You may be the sea, but I am a rock at the shore. We are two separate entities, but we are still destined to meet.”

I won't go into too many details of what myths or what variations of them I chose because that would be too many spoilers. So you're going to just have to read the book to find out. I did include an author's note at the end of the book. It's my first time adding an author's note, but I'm too big of a mythology geek to NOT discuss the stories that inspired Harbinger of the End.

Loki straightens, frowning. “You are not alone, nor could you be. And while you may not be able to trust me to never lie to you, you can trust me to never leave you.”

I am the author of this book and my views are 100% biased.
Profile Image for Millie Shepherd.
Author 9 books62 followers
February 20, 2023
I typically don't read fantasy, but after following Nicki on Instagram for a while and seeing the love and passion she puts into her work, I knew I had to read one of her books. I had my eye on this one for a bit, and an opportunity appeared for me to get it, so I dived in.

It took me a little to get into it, but after the first few chapters and Loki and Sigyn met, I was sucked into the story! They had great chemistry and by the time the book was coming to a close, I didn't want to see their relationship end. I love it when a book makes me want it to continue instead of ending.

I've never read a tragedy before, and I think Nicki did a really good job with this one! It was emotional, gritty, with just the right amount of humor to it. And I really appreciate it when a book has deep emotions and humor.

There was something else about this book was different than anything I've ever read before, and that was how the POVs were dealt with. This story is duel-POV, but it's in what I'm guessing would be called a storyteller tense or POV since the characters are telling you what happened instead of you being in their head as they experience it. At first it threw me off since I wasn't expecting it, but it quickly grew on me, and I really enjoyed it.

If you'd like a fantasy based off mythology, closed door romance, fun characters, love potions, and dragon slaying expeditions, then you'll like Harbinger of the End: A Tale of Loki and Sigyn!
Profile Image for Jes Drew.
Author 87 books530 followers
August 19, 2022
I was extremely fortunate to get to be an arc reader for this gem, and let me tell you, this book has everything you could possibly want from a Loki and Sigyn romance meets Norse saga. Including . . .

The "man":

Loki: He was definitely an entity entirely comprised of chaos, but in a lovable way (excluding his violent tendencies toward small rodents). Even when he was trying to be good, he was still chaotic. His nature was unavoidable, but there was more to him, too. He was cunning with a strange sort of innocence. And as the protector of outcasts, he was an outcast himself, but one who never wanted anything more. But Odin knew there was something he needed . . .

Sigyn: She's just a former mortal making her way among the immortals, losing herself in her position as a Valkyrie. But Odin has seen a different future for her than his warrior. Sigyn is unapologetically herself, but in a way that lets others, even Loki, be themselves. And she is so different in the way she reacts to a situation, taking control of only that which is within her control: herself.

The myth:
Nicki Chapelway did her homework about Norse mythology. The first few chapters really take you into the worlds of the tree of life. I learned more about the subject reading this book than I did in school, and it was a LOT more compelling than any textbook.
The legend:

But Norse mythology isn't the only part of this epic tale; the legends of several Norse heroes are also included as Loki and Sigyn are forced to work together to secure her divinity so they don't both get dragged into the afterlife. And it's against this backdrop that their unorthodox romance shines. She's bound by duty, and he's destined for chaos. Yet somehow, it is because of these things that they are so perfect.

My favorite quote:

"I don’t see how this man who blushes if his wife looks at him for too long can be the malevolent being who is going to bring about the end of the world. I simply cannot wrap my mind around such a notion."

Note to more sensitive readers: this book contains violence. It also touches on some grittier Norse myths and legends, but with tact and grace.

Anyway, this book is perfection, and its only failing is that it was too short. So, if you can properly gird yourself against that disappointment, you will most certainly enjoy this rare gem of a story that is so close to the source material, but in the most original way.

To summarize:

❤️Loki (he is true to the legends and also very similar to a certain Marvel character of the same name . . .)
❤️Loki and Sigyn- one of the most compelling Norse mythology couplings if not the MOST compelling.
❤️ An arranged marriage NEITHER of them want.
❤️ Forced proximity because Odin saw that coming.
❤️An immortal bard
❤️ DEEP Norse mythology lore
❤️ VIKINGS
❤️ Only one bear rug ;)
❤️ Learning to be true to another without being false to yourself.

Review first posted on my blog: https://agencyofbooksandspies.blogspo...
Profile Image for Lorelei Jensen.
Author 4 books27 followers
August 23, 2022
This was a solid 4.5 ⭐️.
Vikings? Check
Arranged marriages? Check
Loki? Check
Funny banter? Check
I so enjoyed this book. The writing was pretty solid and fun, but the characters blew me away. Loki was so fun and whimsical even though he was a total jerk, but it really wasn't his fault. Sigyn was strong and fierce with a heart full of compassion and kindness. Their relationship was amazing, funny, and cute.
My only issue was the ending felt so rushed. Like a ton of things happened and then it ended without enough time to develop each individual events. The ending could have used a 100 pages of fleshing out, but that really didn't affect my enjoyment of the story overall (which is unusual).
12 reviews
November 17, 2022
Harbinger of the end (A Tale of Loki and Sigyn)

by Nicki Chapelway

[Shared from a post in my instagram account]

🌟 5 Stars

What can I say about this book? I've loved it even more than I had been expecting!

The novel is based on Norse mythology and it tells us about Loki (whom I have always found really interesting and intriguing) and Sigyn's marriage, as well as about some other events in which they are involved. Many of the legends included in the story were new to me, so I have learnt a great deal with it 😄

I have read other books written by Nicki Chapelway, and I have loved all of them, but in this one I have specially noticed the great improvement and maturation of her writing style and technique. The pace is perfect and, together with the dialogues, it makes the story flow so well. Furthermore, the characters are magnificently portrayed.

I have adored the romance parts in this novel (the ones from secondary characters too). Moreover, I have been on the verge of tears in certain moments of the story, and I have also laughed while reading other scenes, which were comical. It has been a very intense read overall and I was sad when it ended.

Looking forward to reading more books by Nicki Chapelway in the near future 😄
Profile Image for Amelie.
339 reviews65 followers
February 1, 2024
He is Loki, the god of lies, the bringer of the end. He will someday father monsters, if the tales are to be believed. He is full of trickery and deceit, but he is also the guardian of the outcasts. He is the bringer of laughter and merriment. He is fearless and knows his worth. He is no blind follower, but instead challenges assumptions. And occasionally, if it suits his fancy, he will even help those in need and ask for nothing in return.


Did I envision this Loki as Tom Hiddleston the entire time I was reading? Yes, yes I did.

Loki's voice is great and strong throughout: snarky, imperious, and teasing. Sigyn is also such a wonderful, sympathetic character: brave, fiercely loyal, longing to grow more in her convictions so she can stand up and speak out. The plot winds a bit, but it's still addicting, fascinating, and quite easy to binge. It was also so interesting to me to see the gods themselves wrestling with questions common to mortality and with fate, with the knowledge that there are powers above them, however abstract they may appear to them. And the illustrations! I loved them!

There were places where I had to suspend my disbelief, and I was confused sometimes about certain reactions the characters had or choices they made. A few character choices and plot events felt quite abrupt to me, and the story resolution felt a little quick, too. I also would have loved to see the themes really woven into the story more, since I felt like they were mostly touched on. But other parts of the themes, especially dealing with unconditional love and loyalty...ahhh. Beautiful and moving.

There are several things involved in the mythology threads themselves that are...rather disturbing, to say the least. Most mythology is disturbing by nature, I suppose. But I love what the author says in her acknowledgements: To Jesus for being so much more than these temperamental changeable "gods" from myths. You are the reason I have hope.

That's truth, and it's glorious.

This is a tragedy for certain, and my heart palpably ached so often towards the end. In many ways, though, that's a good thing, proving I was attached to the characters and cared about their fate. (And it's not nearly as tragic as the original, unabridged Völsunga saga, so I'm appreciative of that. I'm not sure if I could handle that same level of darkness from the original.)

I enjoyed this book a lot. I really did. I certainly recommend it with caution, because there's plenty of content here just by the nature of the myths it's drawn from. But there's a lot of fun, enjoyment, and poignancy to be found here, too. If you love Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, low-spice arranged marriage tales, stories of love and loyalty, tam(er) retellings, or just mythology in general, Harbinger of the End is a perfect choice.

🐍 content: Drunkenness. Magic. Some men objectify women. Odin sacrifices his eyeball to gain wisdom. At Thor's wedding, Loki notes that couples are seeking to display affection "in the most disgusting ways imaginable." Nornagesta flirts with Sigyn after she's wed. Loki disguises himself as a maid at one point. References to marital intimacy. Kissing. Other intense, disturbing violence and frank sexual references/content that are included in much Norse mythology. 🐍
Profile Image for Miranda Sylvester.
64 reviews8 followers
August 23, 2023
I had a fun time. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but still I didn't see THAT coming.

Trying a different format with this review because I'm finding it hard to gather my thoughts together into my usual style (maybe because I just finish this book and still processing everything that just occurred). So not only it will be shorter, but also more concise (hopefully).


I can't decide if this book was too short or too long. It felt like both in different parts of the story, so now I'm confused which was true. I would literally read more, but also felt like it was dragging, especially in the middle. I got a little tired in the middle but may be because I wasn't enjoying those scenes between two certain characters as it made me uncomfortable. But the third act was so epic and PAINFUL that it gained my interest again.

Also I wished there were more focus on the romance between Loki and Sigyn. It was more like a small subplot that comes up here and there when it intertwines with the main plot, and I would have preferred if it was more part of the main plot. Now I didn't want it to take over the story, just enough that the romance doesn't feel like a plot taking the back seat. But at the same time though, I still enjoyed having Loki and Sigyn having their own individual journeys for most of the story, so I can't say it was a bad choice to have the romance so little in the overall story. Just something to be aware of.


Things I liked:
- THE CHARACTERS. especially Loki (duh, this is why I read this in the first place), Sigyn (she become the perfect representation of what unconditional love is like and I LOVE her for that. also her undying loyalty so admirable. I felt like she was always loyal, even when she didn't intent to, even when she despised her situation), and Sigurd (I don't know how to explain why I love him, I just do. he's precious, I'm telling you, and he didn't deserve A SINGLE BIT of what happened to him *sad grumpy noises*).

- Loki's narrating voice. honestly wished more chapters were from his POV, just because it was SO entertaining. especially at the beginning. I usually don't find humour in books amusing, but his was PURE AMUSING.

- The myths. clearly the author did her research with these. I've read a little about Norse gods (for some reason I don't remember) and in general know enough about gods in mythology that they are weird and do crazy, messed up things. I love how the author didn't shy away from the weird dark stuff but also kept it tame at the same time. overall, this story feel like a real, breathing myth of its own. (NOTE: I am happy that I recognised so much from mostly just watching the Marvel Films about the Norse gods. who knew that they will use so much lore and characters from the original myths into those films? yeah, there are A LOT of changes but still I was familiar with them. which made the reading experience extra more enjoyable.)

- THE PLOT TWISTS. the stabs to my heart were fun. SO MUCH PAIN. like I knew going in that this story was going to be a tragedy of some sort, like it's basically about how Loki is going to cause the end and all that, but I still didn't expect THAT MUCH TRAGEDY. the ending was kind of bittersweet because of that.

{disclaimer: just to be clear, at the time of writing this review I was feeling very passionate about the events since I just finished the book, and I was rushing to get this review out too because the deadline for the ARC review was on the day I wrote a bunch of this. Because of those two things, I may come across as mean and rude to the author, though that I wasn't my intention at all. I respect the author and her work so much. I wanted to add this because in hindsight I feel like I didn't show the respect and kindness about the things I didn't enjoy as best as I can. Authors work super hard on their books. As a writer, I know even bad books are hard to write (to be clear, I am not saying this book is bad. Actually I think it's good. I am making a point about how writing in general is difficult, even the stuff that shouldn't see the light of day but did and you are questioning why. Blood, sweat, and tears are probably in those words). So I hope you find this section helpful anyway, just ignore my brief aggressiveness. Because I'm basically too lazy to rewrite this part. *hides*}

Things I didn't liked:
- I'm usually fine with any kind of writing style, but I do have this writing pet peeve with seeing the same word so close together to each other. and this story literally used the same word twice in the SAME SENTENCE or the next sentence. I have a hard enough time with the next paragraph so you can imagine it drove me a little nuts. now if it only happened a few times, I wouldn't mention at all but it was so frequent that I need to.

- Going to be vague with this one because it will run into spoilers otherwise. it really bothered me that a certain character wasn't respecting other character's boundaries, harassing them even, and yet they were a little tempted to cheat on their spouse because somehow this character was charming?! I don't know if it is because I am outside the story and was easy to see through the charm to the bad behaviour, or the character just didn't care about that in the end because they felt seen and loved with them, unlike what they felt around their spouse. either way, I was really confused and uncomfortable. fortunately, this didn't last long.

- Can't talk about this one without spoilers so you are warned.

- The ending. WHY ISN'T THERE A SEQUEL. excuse me, I NEED more about Loki and Sigyn, please and thank you. you can't just LEAVE those loose ends. I'm going a little nuts not knowing if their predicted future is still going to happen or not. I know it was intentional, but I still DON'T LIKE IT.


Overall, if you want a more true to the myths Loki, an arranged marriage with a good balance of duty and hate (I personally dislike stories, especially YA, always painting arranged marriages as just plain horrible so if you feel the same way you should try out this book), and an adult fantasy that isn't too violence or sexual, then I highly recommend this!

Content warnings: violence, death scenes, a mention of an animal's brain spilled out over a rock, sexual references, a mention of a character getting a rumour about having a horse as their offspring, descriptions of blood, intense kissing, two characters kiss each other passionately and fall into the grass together, slight graphic moment of a wolf tearing into a boy, a mention of someone being tied up by "the remains of their son", a character shred to pieces by a shockwave.
Profile Image for Bekka.
11 reviews
September 7, 2022
Delicious and amazing! Harbringer of the End was such a beautiful and fun read!

Right from the start, Loki was a fabulous narrator. He had all the snark, cockiness, and charm that I'd hoped for (and honestly expected). Nicki Chapelway did a fantastic job of making him a well-rounded character: he was charming, hilarious, self-centered, chaotic, and oddly innocent, but overall, he was complicated. He kept surprising me. He was flawed, oh so flawed, but I couldn't help but love him. Also, he broke the fourth wall on occasion and I was 10/10 down with it.

Sigyn is one of my all-time favorite heroines now. I love this girl so much. She was strong and determined without being the arrogant "strong woman" stereotype. She had so much integrity, loyalty, and a strong devotion to duty. Also, her decision to love Loki, regardless of his feelings towards her was incredible. I want to love like her. *Throws heart-shaped confetti.* I'm just so happy. So happy. And she's a valkyrie!

The plot itself was really good. There were slow portions and times I was almost bored, but it did pick up. The last quarter of the book was the best, btw. The parts where I wondered where on earth it was going ended up playing really important roles.

I have mixed feelings about the end. Not everything is tied up in a cute little bow, and it's slightly bittersweet, and I have questions. But it is really really good. 10/10 would recommend.

*I received a free ARC copy from the author/publisher, but was not required to write a positive review*
Profile Image for Jenessa.
121 reviews
August 12, 2022
I was in a slump when I started this, but I think it got me out of it. This is one of the most humorous books I’ve read in a while. Also it’s about Vikings!! How could I pass that up? I have always had a love for Norse mythology. I loved Lokis personality. His humor was on key. I also admired Sigyns choice to love her husband, despite everything. It shows how love is a choice, not a feeling or an emotion. That ending though! It was so romantic! I definitely need to read more books by this author. I received an eARC from the author, I was not required to give a positive review.
Profile Image for Grace Morris.
Author 6 books1,518 followers
October 17, 2022
4.5 Stars!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I won a signed paperback copy from the author. (Thank you!) The author did not pay me for a review and all the thoughts here are my own honest opinion.

Reread: 10/2/22 - 10/16/22

Already knowing the twists and turns that this book had to offer made my second read-through as enjoyable as the first! =D Also, this second read-through was from the paperback copy I won and the formatting and everything was just so pretty! =D

First Read: 8/7/22 - 8/13/22

Full Review:

“Harbinger of the End” is based on the “Volsunga Saga” but told in the eyes of Loki and Sigyn. For those who are not familiar with that tale, it’s basically about one of Odin’s descendants. He fights a dragon, gets some treasure (including a cursed ring), and saves a maiden from an enchanted sleep. “Harbinger of the End” also has a few other tales thrown in, such as Thor’s and Sif’s wedding, little of Loki’s and Sigyn’s story (of course), and the infamous Ragnarӧk. I tremendously enjoyed the tale, it was pretty clean, especially how mythology can go, it was sometimes humorous, and I was brought to tears more than once (how dare you, Nicki! Melting my icy heart XD)

Over the years we have gotten different forms of media that have been inspired by Norse mythology. Such as the “Marvel” universe, “The Lord of the Rings”, and even some “Stargate” episodes (I’m pulling stuff from the top of my head, lol). And while there are probably other books that also stay close to the source material, “Harbinger of the End” retold the tale in a clean and sometimes humorous manner. Not only that, but when reading I felt swept up in an epic tale in the fictional lands of Asgard and Midgard, as most of this book takes place. It had familiar characters while giving them their own little twists and giving them a new take.

I’ll be honest, I am not extremely well-versed in Norse mythology. I know enough to be dangerous. “Harbinger of the End”, though is not only about Loki and Sigyn, it is mostly about the “Volsunga Saga” (but told in their eyes). Which is a tale I’m not familiar with. In this tale we have a dragon quest, saving a fair maiden (which was very fairytale-ish), and a cursed ring.

I honestly couldn’t think of a better writer for writing something in Loki’s POV. Mischief often translates as both sarcastic and chaotic in my mind. With knowing the previous characters that Nicki had created I knew that her writing style would fit with these bunch of characters right off the bat.

I was a little worried about how the romance is going to take shape because of Loki’s nature. However, one of the things that Loki is described as having in this book is childlike innocence, and he definitely had it. Oftentimes, he just wouldn’t think about the consequences of his actions and that he wasn’t always trying to be malevolent and devious. It showed that he was indeed capable of love and that this wasn’t going to turn out to be an abusive relationship. I think that Loki’s character actually built Sigyn’s character.

Speaking of Sigyn, she was awesome! She was dutiful, but also with a mind of her own. She wasn’t afraid to voice her thoughts but in the end, she was steadfast. Her POV was one of my favorite parts of the book. Getting to see her life as a Valkyrie and then getting married was interesting for both worldbuilding and showing her character.

Odin was Odin. Sometimes I think he might have been worse than Loki. That he, himself, brought on some of the chaos. But he was an interesting character to be Loki’s friend and how he presented himself to Loki that he didn’t toward anyone else.

Freyja was scary, that’s all I have to say about her.

Thor only had a small part in the story, but I think his brain was all caught up in the thunder.

Sigurd was the BEST! Definitely a true hero. Sure, he needed a little help on this quest, and he made some mistakes, but this guy knew how to care for the other people around him. I just liked him. As well as his half-brother Helgi and Helgi’s wife Svafa.

My Critique:

The first four chapters felt like it was a lot of info dumping. It felt very telling. I kinda wished that these earlier tales were explored a little more but in a way that showed us the story. I know that this book would’ve been quite a bit longer if it did that. And that the story was trying to set up the world and give us some exposition for later, while trying to skip to the main storyline as soon as possible. I also know that you couldn’t really get rid of these first few chapters either. But, I don’t know, it was a lot of: “this is when I started being the kind of guy I am, this is how Odin lost his eye, and this is how the meeting with the dwarf king went.” And while it did show some stuff, I felt that it just briefly touched on it and that it was more just a monologue from Loki. Some of this might have to do with the time jumps, but it could have been just the book going “here, take this info for later”.

After the book got to Sigyn (about chapter 5), the story picked up and read a lot better. It showed things better, I started to get very invested, all around, I began to really enjoy the story.

Content in Book:

I would classify this book as being amidst the new-adult friction. Those who know about Norse mythology know that it can get a little violent or sexual. I thought that this book did a wonderful job with toning it down but still being able to retell the source material. The romance is pretty much fade to black, it does imply what happens and does show a little of the kissing and there is a scene or two where the character is naked, but never gets carried away. As for the violence, it never bothered me in this novel, though some parts may be a bit sensitive for some readers. I recommend this book for later teens to early twenty-year-olds.

1.Other gods. (This is a story about the god of mischief and Norse mythology, so yeah, there are other gods in this story.)

2. Sex. (Nothing is explicitly shown, but there are a few indications of what is happening.) (Mentions of people having affairs or sleeping around and having children with other women other than their wives. Rumors of a shapeshifter having sex with a horse, only rumored, never actually happened in this novel. There is a scene of a man, half-naked, kissing a woman and then collapsing on a bed with her, this is as far as it goes, though it does mention the woman having his children later. A man kisses a woman and slips his hand under her dress, as far as it goes. A woman is pregnant. When a man is injured a woman takes off his shirt and he makes an off-comment about wanting answers before they go to make “love”, they don’t actually have sex. Some hard kissing. Sleeping with each other, nothing happens. Etc.)

3. Violence and gore. (Taking out an eye, hey, the guy did to himself, sooo. Smashing an otter’s brains with a rock. Filling said otter’s skin with gold. A guy is crushed by a pillar. A dragon might have eaten the guy. Killing the dragon and getting his blood all over the place. Getting shot by an arrow. Getting stabbed with a dagger, sometimes with blood. People dying, really emotional. Killing people with swords. Battlefields. Burning the dead. Talks about the afterlife. A wolf eating a child. Getting tied up with a child’s* innards (*could have been an adult’s, just said it was a son’s innards). Getting a viper’s venom drip in a guy’s eyes. The end of the world. Etc.)

4. Magic. (Witches, gods, people blessed by the gods. Hexes, runes, shapeshifting, teleporting, living long lives, magic potions, sacrifices (pigs, ravens, foxes) with blood, knowing the future, making people love another or crazy love, a cursed ring, curses, etc.)

5. Suicide. (Technically it was almost murder but the way the people were acting it may have been also attempted suicide. Though, one of the people walked into a sword that another guy was threatening with. So maybe suicide.)

6. Big black spider crawling on people. *Shivers* I am now forever traumatized from this, lol.

Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:

Those who like Norse mythology and the “Volsunga Saga” (this is a retelling of that!). This book had a slight “Lord of the Rings” feel to it, (of course, it would, as Tolkien took inspiration from Norse mythology), it had a cursed ring, a dragon with treasure, and dwarfs, so if you’re in that kind of thing, you might like this book. People who like love stories (this book is romantic). People who like dragons, dwarfs, shapeshifters, fairytale-ish vibes, you know, that kind of thing. People who want a story about Loki and Sigyn. Those who like epic fantasy.

Review first seen on my blog here (with fan art of Sigyn when she was a Valkyrie with her winged horse that I drew) (https://gracemmorris.wordpress.com/20...)
Profile Image for Mary.
1,584 reviews18 followers
November 20, 2024
2.5 stars
• Told directly to the reader, which I don't love
• Bored by the beginning stories from Loki
• 45% in and I’m still so bored
• Don’t like anybody
• I cannot bring myself to care so I’m just gonna DNF at this point
DNF @ 52%
272 reviews
May 29, 2025
Pages📄: 346 pages (kindle)
Tropes: Arranged marriage💍, Norse Mythology🧙🏼‍♂️, Slow burn🔥
Spice: Tame - Lots of tension👀
Ending: Happily ever after❤️
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, wow, wow.

I knew I would like this book after reading the description, but I didn't know I'd love it as much as I did.

Loki and Sigyn's story was amazing to say the least.

I was instantly in love with Loki and Sigyn the moment they were introduced. The way the story was told from both their point of views was extremely entertaining and unique. I loved the humor and honesty in each and every chapter that was told from both Loki's and Sigyn's POV

Watching their relationship bloom was beautiful. I was eating up every interaction between our main characters.

The story was told in such an amazing and unique way, I struggled to put the book down when I had to.

The other characters in this book, besides our beloved main characters, were also great. Especially Nornagesta and the role he played in Loki's shapeshifting...👀

I also immensely enjoyed the fact that everything in this book was connected. The stories that are told in the first few chapters are important and brought up in the rest of this book - which was great.

The only reason I gave this story four stars and not five was because of a few things:
- There were certain parts of this story where I got bored/wasn't as interested (and it was always the parts that didn't have anything to do with Loki and Sigyn)
- Our main characters didn't get married until 25/30% into the book.

Except for this, I wholeheartedly loved this book.

The last two chapters almost broke me, but Nicki Chapelway pulled through and didn't leave me heartbroken - Thank you for that!

I was devastated when the book ended, already missing Loki and Sigyn. I would have LOVED to get a little epilogue - it would have healed me completely after the scare in the last two chapters...

An extraordinary and unique book, I am so happy I had the opportunity to read it.

Looking forward to read more from this amazing author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Alejandra Guerrero.
1,717 reviews5 followers
August 15, 2025
DNF 16%
I hated the writing style. Loki's chapters meander all over the place, he talks in circles, constantly deviates from the story to circle back to the beginning and start it again, and was overall obnoxious.
Sigyn’s chapters weren't much better. Most of everything is told, minimal dialogue, and it was confusing because it's written as if she's telling the story but then we have a line of dialogue and all of the sudden is like we're in the moment, just to go back to telling the past in the next paragraph. The same happened with Loki's chapters. I just didn't want to continue, it is very boring to read four chapters of meandering exposition followed by yet more exposition, just slightly less convoluted.
Profile Image for Amanda.
Author 14 books16 followers
November 30, 2024
Finally got to read "Harbinger of the End" and really enjoyed it!!! :D I've been wanting to read this for a while being a huge fan of Loki and since this gave a new story to his wife Sigyn, as she has no backstory in the original Norse myths. Nicki did amazing giving her one and how they got together. Also mixes in a lot of other Norse myths together, and at times reminded me of the LOTR books, which were partly based off Norse mythology too. Very happy with how it ended and how Loki and Sigyn's relationship was done too.
Profile Image for Elle.
55 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2023
There are not enough books that revolve around Norse Mythology and definitely not enough about Sigyn and Loki!
I'm happy to have found this book! Definitely recommend to anyone interested in Loki and Sigyn or just Norse Mythology in general. It was very entertaining and I think even if you don't have a TON of knowledge about the stories of Loki, you'll still enjoy this.
Plus strangers to "enemies" to lovers is always fantastic.
1 review
October 8, 2022
Before I say anything I will start off with that it was definitely a fun tale. I read the book in two days but let's start off with the things I like and there will be a few spoilers.

There is an abundance of Greek myth retellings out there and often the Norse pantheon gets left out, so finding one centered around two of my favorite couplings, Sigyn and Loki, already has my full attention. Their story is a fountain of untapped potential overflowing with creative ideas to pull from and this book definitely plays around with them in a way that I really liked. The dialogue oftentimes had me laughing, especially from the perspective of Loki, but such is to be expected from the God of trickery, and the comedic timing always hits its mark. The relationship dynamic is believable with a push and pull that is to be expected from an arranged marriage, especially between a devoted Valkyrie and a God who, whenever overwhelmed, his solution is to morph and run a way to brood for a bit before collecting himself, but more on that later.

Where my disappointment lies is just how short the story is! Which is massively disappointing considering I genuinely had a fun time and desperately wished there was more to read! There were too many times where there were big time jumps or large gaps between written scenes that I feel could have been fleshed out more to maybe fluff the story up a bit. I understand the need for a slow burn but all the same, I feel like we also don’t get enough time alone with our main pairing even at the very end when they finally come to accept each other, or rather Loki finally warms up to Sigyn, there’s hardly any story left to be read. We get much more time fleshing out the journey but not enough with the couple which should be a parallel endeavor. It just feels like there are massive chunks of the story we are missing. Some scenes feel rushed with missing details and descriptions, especially early on in the book when Sigyn briefly mentions her being too stunned to process the loss of her old life to really feel anything towards it, opting to focus on the mission at hand instead, and it is never brought up again. Hundreds of years of her life changed overnight only to have it be lampshaded to move the story forward.
I really wish she and many other characters were given a moment to really reflect, and perhaps during these moments could have even been an opportunity to have them open up and understand each other more. The ending suffers this same problem; it felt massively rushed especially considering what prefaced it. Again I can’t help but feel like a lot was missing. It just left me longing for more and considering this book came out recently, at the time of writing this, this could very well be all we get, which is just disappointing. I want more and I had fun and there were moments I was extremely engaged. During the end when one of the Norns pays them a visit on behalf of Freya was probably one of my favorite scenes with them simultaneously having visions of their potential future, Loki being relieved and happy to see that Sigyn was true and would stick by him to the bitter end, compared to Sigyn who only watched all Loki would have in store for her in a heartbreaking way, it brought me to tears, truly. We know the lore of our couple, but in the lore of the story we don’t know if what they saw was true, a prophecy possible to happen, or a trick by the Norn on behalf of Freya to once again try to dissuade Sigyn. A brilliant scene in my opinion. But I’m on the fence about whether it would have been a good idea to have a dialogue between the two discussing what each other saw, was it better left unsaid? Was it worth talking, understanding, and lamenting about? That I can’t say.
The author has proven to know what she is doing and is good at it, we just need more of it, that is my only major critique about this book.
To nitpick, I wasn’t too fond of the portrayal of Freya in the story, she just didn’t feel like Freya to me and was more like a jealous sort of Aphrodite archetype but that part isn’t too important. More time in Asguard, I would have liked to see how Chapelway depicts the realm and all its gods and inhabitants. More time with the Valkyrie sisters and their way of life, we get a decent amount of it and what is necessary to the story but ending both these points could have come back into play.

It just boils down to more, the book could have benefited from so much more; some scenes needed more time to be written and described, others perhaps for the sake of world-building. I am a fan of Chapelway’s writing, she is really good and I would just love to see more from here.

Overall I love what I got. Four stars for the fun and actiony parts of the story and a fascinating couple for the legends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shannon Marie.
Author 1 book6 followers
March 15, 2024
This was the best slow burn enemies to lovers, villain-turned-hero (with “I hate that I have morals now” vibes) myth retelling I’ve ever read! I love how the author wove so many myths together in ways that felt authentic but also imaginative and new. I love how there wasn’t any vulgarity or lewdness (even though myths tend to have all that and more). She tastefully documents the exploits of these gods and mortals. No swearing either! The amount of guts and glory though is aboooout what you’d expect from a Norse myth retelling (so if death and dying and torture bother you, skip this one). What surprised me most was how the author wove this tale, where I know how the myth ends and the author alludes to it many times in many ways, so that the ending wasn’t the tragical ending that the original myth was…but left room for that to still come to pass much later down the road. Honestly slow clap for Nicki because that was absolutely amazing!
Profile Image for Amelia Crider.
160 reviews3 followers
February 28, 2024
While I wouldn’t have picked up this book on my own, I am so glad that it was a part of my book club because I loved it! It’s all about redemption, transformation, and loyalty. And of course the god of mischief. :) I am so excited to read more by this author!

“You may be the sea, but I am a rock at the shore. We are two separate entities, but we are still destined to meet.” ❤️

I listed to the audiobook! And the narrator made Loki sound just like Tom Hiddleston. So that was definitely a bonus!
Profile Image for Ilona Nurmela.
689 reviews16 followers
June 25, 2023
Loki’s reports from the field - hilarious if you read the beginning in Tom Hiddleston’s voice

I can totally hear this being narrated by Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki in the Marvel movies. That dry delivery with a crooked smile to boot. Reminded me a little of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. Essentially, it’s a captivating mashup retelling of the stories of heroes in the Poetic Edda and the Song of the Niebelungs (the book being considerably easier & more fun to read than the epics). The brill addition being Loki insinuating himself into these epics as the story is told from POV of Loki and his wife, Sigyn.

Plotline: Loki is at a loss why everyone hates him & the book is his conversations with various gods & goddesses & heros as well as heroes while the latter have twisty-stabby adventures with disguised Loki as a sidekick. The secondary plot is Loki’s and Sigyn’s love story, but as both are forced into the marriage, most of the book is them being sour about it.

What I absolutely adored:
- Idea of dwarves as shapeshifters - that was new compared to epic fantasy I’ve read so far (and I haven’t read a lot);
- Loki’s and Odin’s brotherly love - from Loki’s side only tho - that was awwww…
- The notion of how friendships change when one becomes king of the gods;
- Retelling of the Loki & Sigyn myth - little is know of this female goddess and I loved the author’s version of things;
- In fact, I loved how the author weaved Loki into the heroic tales of the Poetic Edda, even assuming the identities of some heroes like Nornagensta;
- Awesome Nordic Viking wedding traditions described and explained - I didn’t know they traded swords not just rings;
- The chess moves Odin pulls to avoid Ragnarök;
- Sigyn’s despair over having to follow Odin’s orders because that’s what she’d pledged to do as a Valkyrie - there’s no escaping duty or if, then only with dire consequences;
- The idea that if Loki was treated with love and respect, perhaps he would have been less unpleasant;
- Discovering that the Sleeping Beauty fairytale has its origins in the Eddas (800-1100AD) - in the tale of Sigurd waking Brynhild;
- Very clean on the romance subplot - 1 kiss, no hanky-panky whatsoever

A veritable pageturner and humongously underhyped book, read it!

Loki: “Predictability is the death of humour, and I would never want to be accused of being dull. But sometimes you look around and realize that no one knows you for who you truly are and that makes you feel… lonely.”

Also Loki: “I am not hiding. I am fooling everyone. There is a vast difference between the two things.”

Odin: “To become worthy of becoming a god, a mortal must do that which no mortal before has managed to accomplish.”

Recommended for you if you’re a lover of Nordic epic fantasy or of LOTR and want easy-to-read mythology which Tolkien drew from. If you like Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, you’ll like this one.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,944 reviews
May 25, 2023
I was interested in this because of the arranged marriage trope and that this is a retelling of Loki.

This was hard to get through, it is told in first person switching between Loki and Sigyn. Loki felt like he was trying too hard, I liked Sigyn but I just didn't buy how they start out hating being wed to one another and how that changes. This is quite clean with a kiss or two and doesn't focus much on the sexual aspect. There were plot points and decisions made that didn't make sense.

The part about how everyone hating Loki for what he could do in the future cause an interesting point in shaping how the person behaves. Is it fair to blame him for the future? The way his supposedly best friend and brother in arms, Odin manipulates him and those around them also made me think about how greek gods and goddesses meddle and cause harm. Are they really caring for those they claim to are for?

Tropes: Arranged marriage, forced proximity
Profile Image for Hunter.
493 reviews22 followers
July 20, 2023
I’ve never wanted read anything about Loki, and I am not really an avenger fan, but the snippet I listened to on audible drew me in, and it was on kindle unlimited, so I gave it a chance! I regret nothing! It was a fun read.

Loki’s POV particularly was a treat! He’s so chaotic and humorous. I enjoyed his and Orin’s relationship too.

Sigyn was admirable with her determination to stay faithful, but you didn’t really get to see her Valkyrie skills.

I loved the authentic Norse Mythology vibes.

I absolutely loved 3/4 of this book. But the last 4th seemed a bit rushed in the relationship department. Sigyn got lovey real quick.

3.75 rating. I could prolly read another 100 books from Loki’s POV, 5 stars for Loki. If the relationship and ending wouldn’t have been rushed this prolly would have been 5 stars for me.
Profile Image for Cortnie Delaney.
100 reviews
April 8, 2023
Wowwwwwww....! Just spent this cold, rainy Saturday curled up by the window to finish this book. Let me tell you, I am not usually a fan of romance, but Nicki Chapelway has won me over with her slow-burn approach. The story is somehow warm, rollicking, humorous, and at the end...the last few chapters were utterly heartrending. My boyfriend kept looking over at me in concern as I read it and asking if I was okay...I guess it showed on my face how the story touched me! I love how the author switches between points of view; she is a pro at character voice and I was always able to tell who was speaking, even if I missed the chapter headings. Nordic lore is masterfully woven throughout the story...it was lovely and I can't wait to read other titles by this author. Support indie authors!
714 reviews15 followers
March 6, 2023
I really like reading stories about Loki where he is not portrayed as just “evil” and it shows that he has a good side to his mischief. It was fun to read about Sigyn and Loki.

The author took an interesting approach by weaving together some of the myths from both the Norse and Germanic sources and then put her own take on them. There was only one other story I have read that Sigyn played a major role with Loki. So reading another was really great.

This story was well told and the characters, all of them, came to life on the page. It was an interesting take on the Valkyries and seeing their view of the world. All in all, a very good story that keeps you turning the page.
Profile Image for Alexis.
31 reviews
December 15, 2022
Oh. My. Gosh. I feel like I just got off the craziest rollercoaster. I can't believe I finished it. I need more!!!! I am baffled how the author crafted Loki's thoughts and dialog in such a way that I can hear his voice as I read.

While this was good, I was so wishing for more to happen between Loki and Sigyn. Yes there were some sweet moments, but I really wanted to see more of their relationship bloom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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