I loved this Marvel novel that focused on the women of Asgard. And the adventures that they get up to. I loved it being from Sif's and Hela point of view instead of Loki or Thor.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. The main character, Hela has a strong definite presence that defines her as the goddess of Death.

We follow Hela as her personal journey is intertwined with that of the Valkryie and Lady Sif as they haunt down an ancient power that has began to rise.

Queen of Deception is a beautiful story about these female characters. Their motives, desires and goals that eventually all align to stop a common greater enemy despite being enemies with each other.

"Queen of Deception" by Anna Stephens is a captivating and action-packed historical adventure that seamlessly melds the mystique of Elizabethan England with the epic tales of Marvel's Asgard. This gripping story offers readers a unique and thrilling blend of history, mythology, and fantasy.

The tale kicks off with a burst of enchantment from Midgard, which inevitably piques the interest of Hela, the formidable Queen of Hel and the Goddess of Death. Her insatiable hunger for power leads her on a journey to Earth, as she seeks to harness the newfound sorcery to fuel her grand ambitions. Hela's menacing presence in Elizabethan England sets the stage for an extraordinary clash between two realms, teeming with intrigue and danger.

Anna Stephens skilfully crafts a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. As Hela makes her grand entrance into this historical backdrop, the stakes are raised significantly, and the threat of her dominion looms large. It is this tense atmosphere that propels the story forward, drawing readers into a world where alliances are fragile, and the balance of power teeters on a knife's edge.

One of the book's standout features is its cast of characters. In particular, Lady Sif and the valkyrie, Brunnhilde, add depth and dimension to the story. These legendary heroes from Asgard bring with them their own complex histories and fierce determination, making them compelling protagonists who face off against Hela with courage and resolve.

The introduction of the Dark Elves as a formidable foe adds an additional layer of complexity to the narrative. Their presence on Midgard raises the stakes even higher, and their motivations provide a fascinating counterpoint to the unfolding conflict.

What truly sets "Queen of Deception" apart is the intricate dance of trust and betrayal that unfolds as alliances shift and secrets are unveiled. The intricate web of intrigue keeps readers guessing and adds layers of complexity to the characters' motivations and actions.

Anna Stephens demonstrates a remarkable ability to immerse the reader in the world she has created, where mythology and history seamlessly merge. Her writing is evocative and rich in detail, transporting readers to the enchanting streets of Elizabethan England and the awe-inspiring realms of Asgard.

"Queen of Deception" is a thrilling page-turner that successfully blends historical fiction with the fantastical elements of the Marvel universe. This action-packed adventure is a must-read for fans of both history and mythology, as well as those who revel in the epic tales of Marvel's Asgard. Anna Stephens delivers a gripping narrative that keeps readers engrossed from start to finish, leaving them eager for more in the realm of Midgard and beyond.

I love the marvel movies but without the actors these side stories just don't much for me. It is interesting but marvel has such a huge cannon that I am not interested in newly published material.

Queen of Deception is an action-packed novel. The Asgardians are always good for an exciting tale but I really loved how Stephen placed these powerful women in a society where everything about them was unwelcomed and set them loose. Watching them fight stereotypes and enemies alike was exhilarating. And having them win the day with only minor male assistance was beautiful.

Queen of Deception sees Queen Elizabeth I's chief magical advisor come into possession of two magical items, a book and a gem, which should allow mysteries to be unlocked. The moment he uses the items for the first time, it is sensed by Hela (Queen of Hel), who travels to Earth to find its source and finds her magical powers constrained as a result. Similarly, its use is detected on Asgard and Sif and Brunnhilde are dispatched to check it out.
There then follows some slightly clumsy attempts to find and steal the magical items in a slightly drawn-out caper with little action to speak of. This felt more like an attempt to explore these characters without Thor or Odin stealing the show. While it was interesting to consider these characters in a historical setting, the kryptonite-like effects on powers and abilities left them slightly empty as characters ("give them a bow and arrow, they're basically Hawkeye" to misquote from Deadpool 2).
I rated this book as 4 stars, mainly for the premise and the reasonable pacing of the story, despite the slight failings in the overall plot and the work needed to make the premise plausible.

I wanted to love this - the cover is utterly gorgeous and the description sounded right up my alley but unfortunately this lacked depth, any characterization, and the plot was repetitive.

Now this Marvel Novel was one I was really looking forward to and excited about, especially as someone who just started getting into the Asgardian side of Marvel Comics.

Queen of Deception sees Hela, Brunnhilde, and Lady Sif arrive in Elizabethan Era Midgard, none of them entirely wanting to, and for separate reasons that are still linked together.

Hela is a character I was really wanting to read more about, as well. Her characterization in Queen of Deception is incredibly good. Her power is strong. Her dynamic with the other characters is, as William said, funny. For me, though, the standout was Brunnhilde. Lady Sif, as well, but the Valkyrie was definitely what made me really want to power through the book. Battling with a force out of her control, trying to take over her being to get what it wants and her struggle with it was written well. The biggest fault in Queen of Deception, in my opinion, lay in the writing. I wasn’t always compelled, and often found myself needing to reread multiple sentences or paragraphs, which could entirely be my fault. But even then, it didn’t grip my attention as much as I wanted to, my main focus only being action scenes and not often much else, though here and there it was able to pull me in. Really, this book just wasn’t for me, as much as I really wanted it to be!

Thank you Aconyte Books and NetGalley for a free copy of Queen of Deception in exchange for an honest review!

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit http://marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

Queen of Deception takes place in Elizabethan England, where John Dee, the Queen’s astronomer, is sold a pair of mysterious objects in a cherrywood box by a figure whose face is well hidden inside a hooded cloak. Could the merchant perhaps be hiding because they are not human? The objects within the box, a book and a crystal, immediately take hold of him and force him to chant dark elvish words which he believes to be the language of the angels and that through these chants he is helping build a pathway between Heaven and Earth. However, the magic is actually coming from the blue-skinned dark elves of Svartalfheim, who are intent on building a pathway to England and taking over the Midgardian realm.

The magic is felt across the realms by both the goddess Hela, Queen of Hel and Brunnhilde, a Valkyrie and Chooser of the Dead. Neither can rest until they discover the source of the magic. Hela sets off to England, and her arrogant haughtiness causes some funny interactions with the people she meets there. Elizabethan attitudes towards women’s clothing, behaviour, perceived inability to fight, act in theaters or ride a horse other than side-saddle are archaic to say the least and Hela does not typically bend to fit in with other people. There was a fair amount of historical detail which was surprising in a book of this type, but very welcome. Since Hela wants to further her search, she decides to dress in a more acceptable manner and takes on an eager teenage boy called William as her servant. Someone called William in Elizabethan times, taken to spouting flowery language and referring to Hela as his ‘muse’ - I wonder who that could be? I loved this little Easter Egg. The relationship between the two of them was a treat, with Hela gradually becoming fond of someone she originally considered expendable.

Brunnhilde speaks to Odin and is sent along with Lady Sif to England to figure out what is causing the magic they are feeling, and to keep peace within the realm of Midgard.
Their camaraderie is wonderful and the fights they take part in are well choreographed. These scenes were exciting and it was easy to imagine them on screen in a Marvel movie, due to the cinematic nature of the fights’ descriptions.

The Asgardians were layered, fully fleshed out characters, and the juxtaposition of these powerful, mighty goddesses in a world in which women were mere chattels was inspired, but Hela was easily my favourite character. Her attitude stole the show. I loved how someone of her immense power was taking advice from a grubby teenaged boy.

John Dee was a weak man, greedy to have been chosen by an angel to communicate with, since he sees this as a way to enhance his standing in the eyes of Queen Elizabeth and her spymaster, Walsingham. He never once stopped to question whether he could be wrong.

Queen of Deception was a quick and easy read with plenty of action, a likeable cast of characters and just enough historical detail to bring Elizabethan England to life.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley, thank you to Aconyte Books for approving my request. My review is honest and my opinions are my own.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

Queen of Deception by Anna Stephens is a great novel for any of those who love Marvel Comics characters. With a focus on Hela, Lady Sif and Brunnhilde the Valkyrie. As Hela vies for control of Elizabethan England, it is up to Sif and Brunnhilde to save the day. However, Hela and an army of Dark Elves won't make it easy for them.

Stephens does a superb job of giving readers an abundance of action and adventure, magic and high stakes. As a fan of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This book was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed most of it. I enjoy strong female characters and Hela is no different to that. I loved her take no crap through the whole book. I did find myself a little less interested in most of the story that I didn't get full Hela context. But overall, I would definitely recommend this book.

I had a blast reading this book. When Hela starts to feel a strong magic from far away, she decides to leave her realm to learn more about it. Once a Valkyrie starts to have strange nightmares, she and Lady Sif are sent to Midgard to investigate. Seems a man has gotten a hold of magic he doesn’t understand, one that promises to bring a great evil to this realm. To stop them, it seems hated enemies might have to work together. As this book comes to a close, three Asgardians find a way to save Midgard from a powerful threat.

I absolutely love anything by Anna Stephens so when I saw this on netgalley I knew I wanted to read it. I’m currently reading a lot of mythology related books and I found the links and different perspective interesting.

The story focuses on two magical objects that have been discovered and basically sent out a beacon to those who would be interested in stealing it for their own gain. Hela, Queen of Hel decides to go on the hunt.

There is themes of a strong fmc, a heist, magic, angst, hope, popular MCU characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.

Queen of Deception is a lot of fun. I love history and I love comic books I got a treat in this one. Hela, Queen of Hel is spending a little free time in Elizabethan England and it’s a blast. Sif and Valkyrie are called to stop her. And just for giggles Dark Elves decide to join them.

Anna Stephens brings a lot of humor and action into this Historical Fiction. Real historical figures pop in and out interact with the Marvel characters in a lot of fun ways.

This book just gave me all the feels. I can’t say I am a huge fan of the antagonist or two protagonists but Stephens used all her skill bringing them to life and I was all in. The story itself and setting was everything. It’s so refreshing to read a story with comic book heroes hanging out in the past. I didn’t know I wanted this but I do and I want more.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

This was a great story that I enjoyed reading. It's great when you get a character would is only interested in gaining all the power. I loved that there was plenty of deception. I actually rated this book 3.5 stars rounded up. To get higher marks for me it needs more atmosphere and tension. This book is slightly slow at building up as the story is set. I did like all the excitement from the second half of the book. It was great that this book is mainly focused on the female characters of Asgard. I especially love Sif. I loved that there were some great unexpected twists to the story. I just loved the ending but I won't be giving anything away. It will certainly have you at the edge of your seat. I certainly recommend reading this fantastic series with plenty of excitement and action. 

Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating this great instalment to a fantastic series. I am certainly excited for the next book.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/queen-of-deception-by-anna-stephens-aconyte-3-5-stars under ladyreading365

Lots of fun and filled with moments of pure, quotable joy, Queen of Deception plops some of Asgard's finest (and evilest) into a Shakespearean farce set in early Elizabethan England. Alchemist, sorcerer and advisor to the queen John Dee has been diminished in his role and faces a complete loss of status when a mysterious stranger offers him a book and orb with unexplained power. Dee's efforts to study that power draw in Hela, Queen of Death to investigate, and then Lady Sif and Brunnhilde. The mysterious power is enough to destroy Asgard and Hel, in addition to Midgard. The Heroes and Goddess work at cross purposes, trying to prevent Dee from damning all the worlds with his hope for power. Fun, fast-paced, and a great read for casual fans as well as those who have followed the legends of Asgard series.

Thank you Aconyte Books and NetGalley for this copy of Queen of Deception by Anna Stephen in exchange for my honest review.

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

We start out in Elizabethan England where we meet a redeeming Astronomer of the Queen who obtains ancients artifacts of dark elven magic. In activation of this magic, who better to seek out this power than the powerful Queen of Hel herself, Hela. Hela travels to Midgard to reek havoc on the Midgardians and locate this power to harness it for herself and continue her conquest for the Nine Realms. Concurrently our favorite Valkyrie, Brunnhilde and Lady Sif are sent from Asgard to investigate this transmitting magic and save Midgard.

The first thing I noticed while reading this book was how easy Anna Stephens made it to visualize and absorb the setting and characters. I truly felt like I was playing a Marvel movie in my head! I also appreciated the name dropping of popular MCU characters that we know, but finally it was refreshing to have Hela, Brunnhilde, and Lady Sif as the main characters. I love when stories are like that because it is not often we get to see the stories of side characters. I think Stephens got the personality of Hela perfectly and I couldn't help to smile as I read whenever Hela bossed the Midgardians around taking no one's shit.

If you're a marvel fan, like myself, this battle thrilling adventure is for you!

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

"Queen of Deception: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel" focuses on Hela and her incessant need for more power. Hela is the goddess of death and the firstborn daughter of Odin, the king of Asgard. She is a formidable villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is constantly on the lookout for ways to undermine Odin and accumulate more power. In "Queen of Deception," Hela is attracted by a powerful magic unleashed by Lord John Dee, a courtesan in London during the reign of Elizabeth I.

The mysterious magic is the work of some Dark Elves who are attempting to take over Midgard aka Earth. While Hela isn't particularly worried about humans, she does want to harness the power for her own rule. Despite getting close to capturing the courtesan, Odin allies Brunnhild and Lady Sif make their own way to Midgard to attempt to stop whoever is using the dark magic to wreak havoc. Ultimately, the three enemies realize they need to work together to fight against the Dark Elves, who, if they succeed, intend to wage war on all of the realms.

"Queen of Deception: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel" is an exciting adventure starting off with some mysterious figures meddling in equally mysterious magic. I particularly liked the description of how Hela feels magic; it almost wraps around her ribs, vibrating through her body. Author Anna Stephens doesn't have to do much convincing to show Hela's attraction to a certain type of magic she doesn't normally have access to. Because Hela is such a rude and unlikeable character in general (she literally threatens to eat the soul of every single human she comes across), it's easy to root against her, but the Dark Elves are powerful, and so Hela quickly realizes she needs allies to survive.

The Legends of Asgard books typically delve into the rich history and mythology of the Asgardian gods, exploring their relationships, conflicts, and battles, so this particular focus on Hela is welcome. Stephens captures Hela's disgust of Midgard perfectly, from the sights and smells to the restrictive clothes. Throughout the novel, the three protagonists face numerous challenges and obstacles, all while trying to figure out if they can trust each other. "Queen of Deception" is filled with intense battles, unexpected plot twists, and a healthy dose of humor, making it a highly entertaining read for fans of the Asgardian MCU genre.

Queen of Deception depicts an unusual scenario where one of Queen Elizabeth's chief advisors acquires strange magical artifacts. The primary magical artifact is a book that requires a gem (no, not an infinity gem or infinity stone) to understand and comprehend the tome's contents. The gem is the key to understanding and unlocking whatever powers and knowledge the text has locked inside. However, as soon as the queen's advisor uses the item, the magical signature is detected by the Queen of Hel, Hela herself (a strange disturbance in the force?)

The curse makes Hela curious, and she leaves Hel and travels to Midgard (Earth) to find the source of this magical disturbance. Once she travels to Earth, Hela is shocked to learn that her magic is somehow constrained, and she suspects it's somehow because of the magic she sensed on Earth. Meanwhile, in Asgard, the Asgardians also notice the magic disturbance coming from Midgard. Lady Sif and Brunnhilde are tasked with traveling to Earth to discover the source of this magic.

The book's main plot is the attempts to get possession of the book and the Gem. I felt this part of the book was not as action-packed as it should have been, and the scenes feel to contain a lot of filler, i.e., are a bit drawn out. Maybe that is part of a pre-expectation, as when it comes to Marvel and stories of Asgard and Midgard, Thor and Odin are usually centric to the story along with Loki or some other villain. However, Thor and Odin are not central to the plot in this tale.

Another aspect of this plot that I felt was a bit of an overused trope was the dampening effect of the book's magical powers. It has this nullifying effect like Superman and Kryptonite or Terrigen and Mutant power suppression, or even more simply, a prolonged magical EMP-like effect.

Overall, the story was enjoyable, and we get to experience some of the non-central characters of Asgard and, of course, Hel, the Realm of the Dead, which turns out to be desirable. In addition, it turned out to be a delightful difference from a Thor/Odin-centric tale as we learn more about Helena, Lady Sif, and Brunnhilde.

This was an ok book
I did enjoy the focus on Hela, and loved the era it was set it with Elizabeth. I did find it hard to stay focused with this book, some things gripped me and kept me reading, but it took a while. When ever it was focused on hela herself it kind of dragged, and I felt like there was something missing in the post which I cant fully put my finger on.
In this book, 2 powerful magical artifacts are in misguard and hela feels them and wants to find out what they are and what they can do. At the same time without knowing valkyrie and Sif set out to do the same thing. Soon they find themselves back in the Elizabethen era.