I got this book via NetGalley.

I`m REALLY excited about this book, it`s tons of fun. I loved the characters, the setting, the diversity of the main cast (!!!), I`m a really big fan of these mashups that mix modern day with mythology, and this book delivered SO much fun, the interesting concepts it presented where executed perfectly. Another thing i really loved was the main character, she comes off as strong but doesn`t fall into the "strong female character" trope that kinda simplies characters into just being "badass", she comes off as a brave and strong character with flaws and the whole package.
Would probably recommend it for teens (maybe??) and young adults, it reminded me of Dianna Wynne Jones works (especially Howl`s Moving Castle, for some reason i can`t quite point??) and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. If you like those, i totally recommend this book.

Don’t you hate when you sit down for a drink at a bar and a Valkyrie approaches you to ask a favor? Ikepela Ives can relate. Ever since her parents dropped the bombshell that Ives is the world’s designated Fate Cipher--whatever that means--Ives has been trying to keep off the radar of everything supernatural. Unfortunately, Ragnarok is about to kick off and Ives might be the only one who can stop it.

Ives starts to track down Loki and his children (the central characters in getting Ragna-rocking and rolling), but the deeper she digs, the more something just doesn’t seem right. Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr don’t seem out for revenge. And Loki appears to be fighting it altogether. So who exactly wants this?

Ragnarok Unwound is a first entry in a fantasy series centered around a young woman of color. The writing and flow are a little rough around the edges, but it reminds me a lot of The Iron Druid Chronicles in that it’s a fun take on mythology-heavy fantasy. It’s less polished, though.

I struggled with some of the elements of the book. The author doesn’t spend a lot of time in exposition, which means that I am unsure if I completely grasp what, exactly, a “fate cipher” is supposed to be in the context of the story. Ives (never Ikepela!) seems to be able to undo the threads of Fate? She’s supposed to be a balancing force in opposition to the Fates, though it’s not clear if she’s attached to a particular belief system in this role--she seems like a free agent?

The pacing doesn’t quite work. The scenes often change to other characters just after I’d forgotten that there was other action. Terribly jarring. And I think I was supposed to care more about the mystery of the best friend character, but I wasn’t interested in her at all.

So, three thumbs up. The things that I didn’t care for aren’t insurmountable. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

I received a free copy from netgalley for review. If you like any the the Percy Jackson series or the Blackwell Pages, but wanted a slightly more grown up version- this is a great first in the series. This was a fun, fast paced book, with a mixed pantheon, and lots of twists and fun turns. There’s clear wrap ups from this novel, but a great clear path ahead in the story as well. My only wish would have been to get an idea where the story started (geographically speaking) as the descriptions were generic until the pantheons were starting to be discussed. I’m looking for the next of this!

I love that mythologies besides Greco-Roman are on the rise (Norse, APIDA: Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi - in this case Hawaiian, etc), but it also means the market is starting to become oversaturated and I need to stop leaping for books because of their premise. (Plus, the diversity is limited to "bronze-skinned" characters on the Hawaiian side and "inhumanly pale and attractive" on the Norse side.) I also really appreciated the strong female relationships, particularly since they took precedence over the too-convenient heterosexual romances.

This one had an interesting idea, but I found it generally underdeveloped. I wasn't quite sure what was going on in terms of worldbuilding - it's implied that all the mythologies are true, a la Riordanverse, but besides a couple of exceptions it's limited to the Norse pantheon and Hawaiian deities - and the Fate Cipher role itself seemed to be defined as "whatever keeps the plot on track," with far too many instances of perfectly-timed divine intervention and frankly illogical developments, leaning heavily on the "main character doesn't know her own strength but will somehow manage to save the world through good intentions and sheer force of will and convenient magical abilities" trope. In addition to the unnatural progression of Ives' powers, the plot development seemed a little contrived, hinging on offhand comments and random remembrances, and it was far too easy to figure out what was happening because the POV jumps gave the reader much more information than the characters could know - the villain and their plot were completely obvious.

While I've found that excellent prose can make up for a formulaic plot, that unfortunately wasn't the case here. The action was bogged down by an excess of description, ominous statements, and a lot of cliched turns of phrase; the characters were pretty archetypical and lacked nuance. I also found the attempts at modernization a little jarring, and not altogether relevant to the story.

So with all that said, it definitely wasn't for me, but if you like modern mythology with strong female leads and you're less nitpicky than me, it's probably still worth a try.

Hello, I will post the review on Instagram, blog, and Goodreads two weeks before publication date. I will also add the review to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on the publication date. I will add links to reviews once they are public, thank you.

Title: Ragnarok Unwound
Author: Kristin Jacques
Publication Date: January 8th, 2019
Rating: 3 stars

eARC received from publisher through NetGalley

Ragnarok Unwound is set in the 21st century and follows Ikepela Ives as she tries to figure out who she really is and stop the world from ending. She meets notable Norse Gods along the way as well as other mythical  beings that are sure to delight readers. 

It was a pleasurable weekend read filled with enticing characters and a fantastic world. She has a way of bringing Norse and Hawaiian mythology together that doesn't feel odd. I enjoyed how Hel was very down to earth and relatable with her personality and likes of things.

The story is fast paced from the beginning which can sometimes lead to unanswered questions as some scenes just lacked a bit. Some of the dialogue between characters felt as though they shared the same personality. 

Overall, I did enjoy the plot and the characters since I love mythology. If you are like me and enjoy a new take on mythology, give this book a try!

Thank you NetGalley and Broad Universe for this arc.

This was a fun read! It's been decades since I was last familiar with Norse mythology, and I can't claim to have ever been familiar with Hawaiian myths, so understanding the "real stories" behind the story line of this book are not necessary for enjoyment. What great characters! A great fast moving read! Loved the Los Vegas part! What an imagination Ms. Jacques has!. Mayhem and foolishness.... fun, fun, fun. A great read for a rainy weekend. When will book 2 be ready??

This book ended up not being for me. That doesn’t mean I think it’s bad or anything, I think I’m just not the intended target, and that fine. I thought I would be, but oh well. I can definitely see why people would like it, though.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For some odd reason, I didn't expect much from this novel. It didn't have a cover, I hadn't heard much about it, but I do love Norse mythology so I thought, why not.

Wow. I was completely surprised at how much I loved it! This had all the classic elements of Norse mythology as well as a nice addition of Fae and towards the end, Arthurian. The cast of characters was fantastic and I really enjoyed the author's own personal twist on them...making Fenrir and the sea monster, human with glamour was genius! The unfolding story was really engaging, simple to follow, and I just couldn't get enough.

I laughed often while I was reading this. It was just those small, personal little touches, like Hel's choice of elevator music lol (Rapper's Delight). I was sad to see this story end...but wait...there's another one in the works! I couldn't be happier that this is a series, however I want to get my hands on the next one! I need more Loki in my life!

Such a fun read, I would highly recommend, especially for those that are into Norse mythology and would appreciate a modern take on it.

Ragnarok Unwound by Kristen Jacques, a great fantasy tale. Ives is a fate cipher, someone who can look at and manipulate a persons fate. But she is untrained and when a Valkyrie shows up out of the blue and asks for her help in unwinding Ragnarok, Ives doesn't know what to do...

This book definitely wasn't for me, very heavy on the young adult/fan fiction vibe for my tastes. The writing seem to improve as it goes on, but this book was in desperate need of an editor and a second draft. Honestly, it doesn't feel ready for publication yet. The blended mythology is cool, and I feel like there are some good ideas here, but more polish is necessary.

I am so conflicted right now and that’s pretty much the feeling I had the entire time I was reading Ragnarok Unwound. I must have spent my entire reading time constantly flipping back and forth trying to decide how I feel about this book. I still have no idea but I’m going to write until I figure it out.

First, the good! I loved this storyline. I am a huge fan of mythology, be it Norse or Greek or whatever else. There is something about Gods, Goddesses and their histories that I am a complete sucker for so right off the hop I was intrigued and excited to see where this book would take me. The mix of Norse and Hawaiian mythology (which I had to look up, by the way. I had no idea who Pele was until Google) along with a bit of Scottish folklore thrown in was…different. I actually really enjoyed that diversity because it is something that you don’t see very often and I think it worked very well here.

While I really enjoyed having Norse Gods and Goddesses so involved in the action, I’m not sure I am in love with the modernization that came with them. Now, I do love the banter and there is a HUGE part of me that wants to have the Goddess of Death as my nerdy gamer friend, but I think I might prefer a little less casual-ness when it comes to immortal deities. I just think that there is a certain amount of respect and formality that comes with being a divine immortal. Maybe keep the nerdy-ness but a little less of the “bro” and “sis”? I mean, I know that the way Hel, Ives and the group interacted with each other brings more of a human quality to them but….Gods. There is a level of informality that you can take but it just went a little over in my opinion.
Let’s talk about pacing for a minute. Now, I love a book that can keep a good, steady flow. It holds my interest and doesn’t allow for boredom with parts that just drag on. Ragnarok Unwound achieves that flow…unfortunately it is in hyper speed. I would almost bet that Kristin Jacques wrote this entire book in one breath. You can almost feel the urgency to get from one action point to another and it’s a little overwhelming. It would be one thing if it was just the action that was rushed but every aspect of the book seemed to have that same “this needs to happen now” quality to it. The path of the heroine mastering her powers and destiny at an alarmingly fast pace is common enough in fantasy books but I was surprised at how quickly trust was displayed, how fast battles came and went and how easily everyone just accepted what was going on around them and who was showing up next. It blew my mind. There was so much fast jumping from one city to the next and into the In-Between and other immortal worldly places that I had no idea where we were supposed to be at any given time and had no clue what was going on. Everything just happened so fast and I could NOT keep up. I tried, I just couldn’t do it.

At the end of the day, I did find this book a really quick and enjoyable read. I do wish that I would have had more time to breathe and process what was going on as I was reading and I have a lot of questions that I need answers to (like what the hell is Jules?? Was this answered and I missed it?). I’m thinking that this is the kind of book that you have to read at least twice before really understanding everything about it. Kind of like watching Deadpool….every time I see it I find something I missed. We’ll see.

I do hope that there is going to be another book. I’m quite curious to see what’s going to happen next!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher to read and provide my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this. I can’t wait for anything else she writes. I was gripped from start to finish. You have to read this!

Finally a Ragnarok story I can get into! This is a great tale that the taps it's toes into many different cultures mythos, in a respectful manner. I love the change of pace one she is sent to Hel. The tale was woven like a fine tapestry (pun intended). I hope this book goes beyond book one, and two, crossing many myths from around the world. The character development was fast for many, or so you think, until you read on. Most are deeply developed in the end. Some are left with bits of backstory, I hope to find in book 2. There was one small error in the end where LoKi is giving into the threads of Ragnarok and close to ----. The word 'lost' is jumbled. Other than that I enjoyed the story, and saw no glaring errors. For those that love a good Norse story, this one is worth a read. Keep in mind, Gods do die, some are alive somewhere, lost, and betrayal that I though came from one, was actually another.

Energetic and delightful story of mythic. Figures transposed into psychologically motivated stories ... a little younger than I truly enjoy, it's aimed at YA ..but I can see its appeal ..

This work is an exciting and surprising amalgamation of Norse and some Hawaiian mythology. Jacques uses a simple main character that anyone can relate to as the center of real apocalypse avoiding story. She does not utilize the tired understanding of Norse mythology to advance her story but instead introduces a story around and through the typical story.

Jacques leaves us with a story that can easily continue and expand to other mythologies and people. I look forward to what I hope is a series of mixed mythology fiction.

I recently joined NetGalley, where you can receive books for free if you review them, which sounds like heaven to me! This is the first book that I've received, I read it pretty quickly, and so here is my review!

On the day of her 18th birthday, Ikepela Ives gained the power to unwind the fates of gods, goddesses, and other demi beings, and lost the woman who could have taught her how to use the power, her mother. It's been three years since then, and she has only used her powers once since then, and resisted every other attempt to get her to use them.

But now, Ragnarok has begun, and Ives is called on to help stop it. And so begins a mission to save the world, with Ives gaining allies as she goes.

This was an enjoyable fantasy story, with good pacing throughout the book, a good plot, with twists and turns, and Norse mythology liberally sprinkled throughout, and I do enjoy mythology!

I've given this book 4 out of 5 stars for it's readability, and how it draws you in (I read this in a day).

Ragnarok Unwound is due to be published on 8th January 2019, and I would really recommend you have a read!

I loved this book! It pulled me in from the beginning and wouldn't let me go!
Ives meets her destiny in a bar, and no it's not a romance. As the Fate Cipher, Ives has tried to brush off her power and ignore it; she doesn't need or want the responsibility. But when Ragnorak becomes imminent, she has no chose. Accepting her blood given gift, Ives see the whole world in a different way and makes friends she would never have imagined.
The book has dashes of Christopher Moore and a sprinkle of Rick Riodiran while being completely unique, fun, and enchanting. Kristin Jacques gives a spin on the traditional Norse lore while weaving in other religions and pantheons that all work together.
I love the characters and I love the twist on the story. I look forward to the next book and finding out what happens to these characters!

Absolutely love this book. Immortal beings, mortal heroine, and ingenious world building had me committed to one very long read through.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book. It started off a little slow but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down

It does have some issues, Ives is just a little too OP and seems to be rescued in just the nick of time and the dialogue was a bit clunky in some parts.

Ives has had a bad breakup and just wants to be left alone when a Valkyrie accosts her in a bar and demands that she help stop Ragnarok.

I really enjoyed the meshing of Hawaiian and Norse culture.

Prophesies have a tendency to make life difficult for those involved in them, but in Ragnarok Unwound by Kristin Jacques, having the job of untangling those prophesies is even more daunting. 

Fate Cipher Ikepela Ives has shied away from using her abilities to unwind people's fates, mostly because she hasn't gotten any training in doing so. Her mother, an immortal who also carried this skill, has been gone for most of Ives's life, leaving the frustrated Ives to figure out the place for these immortal skills in her mortal life. When a Valkyrie suddenly shows up in Ives' life, she becomes entangled in the mess of trying to prevent the fated Ragnarok from coming to pass. In the company of her long-time fae companion, the Valkyrie, and three of Loki's children, which includes the goddess of death Hel, Ives undertakes the massive feat of trying to save the world from a brutal demise.

The story incorporates Norse mythology well and works toward developing a complex world where various gods, goddesses, and myths coexist. Rapid-fire events kept the pace moving swiftly, although so much happened in a brief amount of time it was difficult to maintain a reasonable level of suspension of disbelief. While the story and characters have incredible potential, particularly as it was a quick and entertaining read using a topic that many people have a cursory understanding of, there were some flaws to the narrative that pulled me out of the story. For example, the ARC I read from still needed some editing for grammatical issues strewn throughout the text, such as missing punctuation and missing prepositions; plus I found it strange to have both American and British English phrases used somewhat interchangeably throughout the narrative, especially as it wasn't always ascribed to a particular character.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*Cover art is not yet available