The bane of Asgard

The second book in the Runestone Saga further explores the forces of greed and ambition. Blond, blue-eyed Eiric, imprisoned in magical New Jotunheim for killing its council of elders, finds an ally in copper-skinned Reginn, who has "hair like spun gold and copper." She's now counselor to ambitious, powerful spinner Tyra, the mother of Liv, Eiric's half sister. Tyra wants to wage war on Asgard, the land that Eiric comes from, and she convinces Liv (who as Heidin has been elevated to the status of a god) to build an army. With Reginn's help, Eiric escapes and sails back to Asgard, both to warn Rikhard, the jarl, and to keep a bargain he made with him. In Asgard, he finds that he's actually been gone for about a decade, although he only spent six months in New Jotunheim. While he was away, Rikhard has become king, and Asgard seems more prosperous under his rule. Meanwhile, as Reginn calls up an army of the dead to fight against Asgard, she's forced to choose between Eiric and her queen. The chapters in this densely plotted story, which contains betrayal, violence, Norse mythology, and magical beings galore, as well as a healthy dose of romance, largely alternate between Eiric's and Reginn's points of view. As the plot lines unspool, nothing is as it appears, and readers will be kept guessing until the very end. Suspenseful, deeply drawn, and action-packed. (map)(Fantasy. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.