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Crafted from the Ashes of Roses #1
Crafted from the Ashes of Roses
25-year old Monika Hagen from Svalbard is chosen for her strength, agility, and resilience to slay the monsters surrounding Loki's prison and clear the frozen forest of giant wolves and venomous serpents for his future bride... The one prophesized to stop Ragnarök. But Loki is stone-cold and reserved, haunted by a past darker than the harshest of winters and hardened by a lost love. Monika wants nothing to do with him and his damn curse. She vows to escape Loki’s castle and his cruelness. But even as she pushes her body to the very limits to survive her escape, she finds herself drawn to him. And Loki’s growing attraction for her fierceness and bravery might be just the thing to break the curse of Ragnarök's endless cycle...Or trigger it sooner.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2023
136 people are currently reading
913 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 17, 2023
I LOVED this! That freaking cliffhanger!?!? WTH! Haha
Now just gonna twiddle my thumbs until we get book 2.
And the shape shifting scenes 👀….and all the book bf references…I was screaming and kicking my feet and blushing like an idiot! 😅 I hope we get even more of that in book 2.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where the story goes🖤
Now just gonna twiddle my thumbs until we get book 2.
And the shape shifting scenes 👀….and all the book bf references…I was screaming and kicking my feet and blushing like an idiot! 😅 I hope we get even more of that in book 2.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where the story goes🖤
July 2, 2024
Honestly, I feel like I should write an apology to Loki for even wasting the time to read this. I was so hopeful after reading the TikTok hype but this was just… not good.
It’s another Beauty and the Beast retelling- shocking. And the FMC is “different” than everyone else. It’s a cheap dupe of the Phantom of the Opera and instead of a phantom we get a god that has been reduced to a straw man. It has some of the Norse mythology sprinkled in and you would think that would lend some credibility to the story but it does not.
This feels like a lazy fanfic that made its way off the screen and onto the page.
It’s another Beauty and the Beast retelling- shocking. And the FMC is “different” than everyone else. It’s a cheap dupe of the Phantom of the Opera and instead of a phantom we get a god that has been reduced to a straw man. It has some of the Norse mythology sprinkled in and you would think that would lend some credibility to the story but it does not.
This feels like a lazy fanfic that made its way off the screen and onto the page.
March 6, 2024
The title came from a freakin sex toy that can manipulate itself to whatever the MFC wants….. like do I need to say more
November 6, 2024
The title meaning took me out…and then there was the fucking Haunting Adeline reference. Just open ao3, I’m begging.
December 10, 2023
♡NO SPOILERS♡
★I did receive an arc a day before release. My following review is genuine and completely my own.
-Where to start! I have never read any Norse mythology books. So I was extremely excited to read this book about Loki. I was hooked from the start. Such a unique story with elements of magic and tension. The characters won my heart over. Monika is an influencer whose whole life changes when she’s taken to help stop Ragnorok by fulfilling a prophecy. She must become Loki’s bride. So obviously has no intent on marrying him let alone falling for him. The banter and spice was delicious. I really loved that the spice didn’t overpower the plot of the story.
-If you love:
-Witty banter
-Fighting creatures
-tension
-Betrayal
-Norse Mythology
-And are in search of a new book boyfriend!
Then this is the book for you.
-THE ENDING THOUGH!! I shall be waiting impatiently for the next book…
★I did receive an arc a day before release. My following review is genuine and completely my own.
-Where to start! I have never read any Norse mythology books. So I was extremely excited to read this book about Loki. I was hooked from the start. Such a unique story with elements of magic and tension. The characters won my heart over. Monika is an influencer whose whole life changes when she’s taken to help stop Ragnorok by fulfilling a prophecy. She must become Loki’s bride. So obviously has no intent on marrying him let alone falling for him. The banter and spice was delicious. I really loved that the spice didn’t overpower the plot of the story.
-If you love:
-Witty banter
-Fighting creatures
-tension
-Betrayal
-Norse Mythology
-And are in search of a new book boyfriend!
Then this is the book for you.
-THE ENDING THOUGH!! I shall be waiting impatiently for the next book…
June 13, 2024
This book literally had such a chokehold on me it was insane. The slow burn was deliciously slow & the spice was well worth it I mean who wouldn't want a man who could shift into your favorite book boyfriend while railing you
However, the author did take quite a bit of creative license with the mythology of both Loki & Ragnarok which is why it only got 4 stars from me. I just couldn't wrap my head around Fenrir & Jörmungandr having once been human but were cursed by Odin to be their respective beast for all eternity as punishment for Loki killing Baldr. Or there being no mention of Hel or Sleipnir having any sort of familial relationship to Loki. With one being just a goddess residing in Helheim while the other was essentially relegated to being Loki's mount that Odin stole.
I will say though, that I like the fact that the book is set in modern times with the FMC being a popular content creator who ends up in a controversy that causes her fan base to brutally turn on her
However, the author did take quite a bit of creative license with the mythology of both Loki & Ragnarok which is why it only got 4 stars from me. I just couldn't wrap my head around Fenrir & Jörmungandr having once been human but were cursed by Odin to be their respective beast for all eternity as punishment for Loki killing Baldr. Or there being no mention of Hel or Sleipnir having any sort of familial relationship to Loki. With one being just a goddess residing in Helheim while the other was essentially relegated to being Loki's mount that Odin stole.
I will say though, that I like the fact that the book is set in modern times with the FMC being a popular content creator who ends up in a controversy that causes her fan base to brutally turn on her
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2024
Really enjoyed this book, I found it on TikTok and gave it a chance and was very satisfied with how it went. Definitely was not expecting the twists that occurred, it had me on the edge on my seat for sure. Can’t wait for book 2 because you cannot leave this on that kind of cliffhanger, it’s not fair.
November 7, 2023
I was pulled into Monika and Lokis world right away and I didn’t want to leave. This was such a sweet and sexy love story that I have a little book hangover now that I’ve finished it. Such a solid enemies-to-lovers Norse mythology romance. I am already anxiously awaiting a sequel.
December 20, 2023
“You don’t need to become a goddess for me to want to fuck you.”
~~~
Rating:🐺🐺🐺🐾
Spice:🌹🌹
So I started following Juliet on Booktok and when this book was just coming to life.
Now being able to read it, it was an awesome quick, spice Norse/modern day inspired book!
Characters had great personalities for each one. And the spice was nice🥵
Absolutely stoked for the next one and to continue where that cliffhanger left off 😜😜
~~~
Rating:🐺🐺🐺🐾
Spice:🌹🌹
So I started following Juliet on Booktok and when this book was just coming to life.
Now being able to read it, it was an awesome quick, spice Norse/modern day inspired book!
Characters had great personalities for each one. And the spice was nice🥵
Absolutely stoked for the next one and to continue where that cliffhanger left off 😜😜
December 22, 2023
Omg absolutely amazing i loved every minute of it and that ending tbat me shook i cannot wait to read book two
January 10, 2024
So so good, the spice was 🔥🥵 Loki is hot AF and makes sure Monkia is very happy. The storyline was good and it brought character building to both of them.
January 9, 2024
Love,love this book!!! And the CLIFFHANGER!!!! It is in my top 3. If you love Loki, you’ll love this book.
July 19, 2024
This is Loki fanfiction.
December 3, 2023
This book was amazing. 🤩 definitely kept me on my toes and the ending 👀
December 10, 2023
interesting
I found this to be a fast read. I enjoyed it. It felt like a beauty and the beast retelling with Norse gods.
I found this to be a fast read. I enjoyed it. It felt like a beauty and the beast retelling with Norse gods.
July 30, 2024
The premise is very enticing, especially for those on BookTok, we're drawn in by the idea of a sensual CNC romance with the god Loki, the forward even has warnings for BDSM. These draw the reader in with promises that are unfortunately never really given.
The most BDSM in this book is a single scene of hands being tied. Cool... beans...
Several times it feels like the book started off as a fanfic, especially as this Loki has the dark hair and obsessions with green that we've come to expect from the Marvel Loki.
Honestly if it were just a fanfic I would have rated it higher because then instead of trying to empathise with a wholly unlikable female main character, these sorts of things are usually written with YOU as the MC.
That being said, at NO POINT do we receive a physical description of the MC, all I can tell you about Monika Hagen is that she is from Svalbard, is physically fit enough to do extreme sports and has hair long enough to braid. Don't know her eye colour, her hair colour, or even her skin colour. Height? Dunno. Weight? Who fuckin' knows!
This would be far less egregious when you are the MC, but having a character never receive a description outside of that her pussy hairs are neat and trimmed a month into her captivity or the odd indication of a physical trait like another character braiding her hair, or Loki appreciating her physicality makes it very hard to picture anything.
The two handmaidens that serve Monika receive more description than she does. Besides Loki the only other character that receives a description is Odin. We get a vague idea of the sizes or hairstyles of other characters but they are left entirely up to your imagination otherwise.
Which is a shame considering how much effort is put into the descriptions of locations like the castle, and Asgard are all painted with a level of detail that tell you the impossibility of god built design. The scale, size and detail in it is wonderful.
It is just such a shame that same love isn't given to the characters.
The book is also RIDDLED with spelling and gramatical errors. Which is funny considering the afterword contains a thanks for someone beta reading and editing the book. And its even worse when the spelling of the word is correct, but it is just the WRONG word.
"His cloak swirled around his teeth"
Pretty sure that would have been feet not teeth. But I spent a good moment trying to picture what they meant by that phrase. But then later, another correctly spelled but wrong word phrase comes along and I start to realize that someone has just thrown the script into auto-correct and not checked if it is actually correct.
It is sad because the premise and setting are so beautiful but we get this mess of a fiction that feels like a hastily transformed fanfic. Loki has abilities and enthusiasm in the bedroom but we get sex that is samey and so often just feels like Loki transforming into other francise sexymen - at one point I SWEAR he turns into Venom.
But being this isn't a Marvel fic it's supposed to be one of the MC's book love interests from her horny novels. These also don't get any physical descriptions outside of the abilities they use. So buggered if I know what these tumblr sexymen from mysterious book land look like.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though the whole time I had to pause to wrap my head around what was trying to be conveyed which doesn't help the reader stay emersed.
I would say give it a read if you are patient, or really need to fill your Loki in a straight relationship hole. But I'm sure there are better options for that void on AO3....
I don't write book reviews, so the fact that I HAD to write one shows how frustrated I was reading it. I will have to read the next one - and there will be a next one, the book ends on a cliffhanger - and hope that the author and their respective editor have grown more by the time it is here.
The most BDSM in this book is a single scene of hands being tied. Cool... beans...
Several times it feels like the book started off as a fanfic, especially as this Loki has the dark hair and obsessions with green that we've come to expect from the Marvel Loki.
Honestly if it were just a fanfic I would have rated it higher because then instead of trying to empathise with a wholly unlikable female main character, these sorts of things are usually written with YOU as the MC.
That being said, at NO POINT do we receive a physical description of the MC, all I can tell you about Monika Hagen is that she is from Svalbard, is physically fit enough to do extreme sports and has hair long enough to braid. Don't know her eye colour, her hair colour, or even her skin colour. Height? Dunno. Weight? Who fuckin' knows!
This would be far less egregious when you are the MC, but having a character never receive a description outside of that her pussy hairs are neat and trimmed a month into her captivity or the odd indication of a physical trait like another character braiding her hair, or Loki appreciating her physicality makes it very hard to picture anything.
The two handmaidens that serve Monika receive more description than she does. Besides Loki the only other character that receives a description is Odin. We get a vague idea of the sizes or hairstyles of other characters but they are left entirely up to your imagination otherwise.
Which is a shame considering how much effort is put into the descriptions of locations like the castle, and Asgard are all painted with a level of detail that tell you the impossibility of god built design. The scale, size and detail in it is wonderful.
It is just such a shame that same love isn't given to the characters.
The book is also RIDDLED with spelling and gramatical errors. Which is funny considering the afterword contains a thanks for someone beta reading and editing the book. And its even worse when the spelling of the word is correct, but it is just the WRONG word.
"His cloak swirled around his teeth"
Pretty sure that would have been feet not teeth. But I spent a good moment trying to picture what they meant by that phrase. But then later, another correctly spelled but wrong word phrase comes along and I start to realize that someone has just thrown the script into auto-correct and not checked if it is actually correct.
It is sad because the premise and setting are so beautiful but we get this mess of a fiction that feels like a hastily transformed fanfic. Loki has abilities and enthusiasm in the bedroom but we get sex that is samey and so often just feels like Loki transforming into other francise sexymen - at one point I SWEAR he turns into Venom.
But being this isn't a Marvel fic it's supposed to be one of the MC's book love interests from her horny novels. These also don't get any physical descriptions outside of the abilities they use. So buggered if I know what these tumblr sexymen from mysterious book land look like.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though the whole time I had to pause to wrap my head around what was trying to be conveyed which doesn't help the reader stay emersed.
I would say give it a read if you are patient, or really need to fill your Loki in a straight relationship hole. But I'm sure there are better options for that void on AO3....
I don't write book reviews, so the fact that I HAD to write one shows how frustrated I was reading it. I will have to read the next one - and there will be a next one, the book ends on a cliffhanger - and hope that the author and their respective editor have grown more by the time it is here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2024
I was kind of excited to read this book especially since it started somewhere I wasn’t expecting a nice little cozy urban fantasy romance…. Well it quickly turned…. The FMC is actually really annoying because she would say she was stubborn with her decisions but then 4 pages later she would flip on a dime and it was the same for Loki’s character as well. The romance wasn’t fleshed out enough for me nor was the angst of it.
Then we get into some plot stuff which was pretty good with the little plot twist until suddenly FMC cares and loves Loki so much for absolutely no reason other than the fact she almost got him killed. Then they get together or whatever and all of a sudden… he wants to turn into one of her “book boyfriend” (UH ZADE… absolutely not instant cringe/also when did it say she liked reading a lot did I miss that?? Because she never looked to raid his library when she first knew about it) and turn her into a ✨ goddess ✨ after marrying her. Which also seemed super abrupt.
If the build up was doing its thing then maybe I’d be happy for them but this honestly reads like a self insert loki fanfiction. And I’m sorry the amount of times he calls her his goddess or the amount of times they are suddenly confessing their undying love??? “I love you more than the air I breathe…” can we come up with anything more cliche???? And also the scene where she introduces him to her family???
Oh yeah and the whole sex toy he made for her and it’s the book title??? I didn’t get that other review at first until I actually got to the page and just stared at it for 5 minutes in contemplation of how we got here and why it was even relevant…
Idk maybe it’s because I’ve read so many mind blowing stories with Loki in it that I’m just over analyzing everything but it just all fell flat for me.
Then we get into some plot stuff which was pretty good with the little plot twist until suddenly FMC cares and loves Loki so much for absolutely no reason other than the fact she almost got him killed. Then they get together or whatever and all of a sudden… he wants to turn into one of her “book boyfriend” (UH ZADE… absolutely not instant cringe/also when did it say she liked reading a lot did I miss that?? Because she never looked to raid his library when she first knew about it) and turn her into a ✨ goddess ✨ after marrying her. Which also seemed super abrupt.
If the build up was doing its thing then maybe I’d be happy for them but this honestly reads like a self insert loki fanfiction. And I’m sorry the amount of times he calls her his goddess or the amount of times they are suddenly confessing their undying love??? “I love you more than the air I breathe…” can we come up with anything more cliche???? And also the scene where she introduces him to her family???
Oh yeah and the whole sex toy he made for her and it’s the book title??? I didn’t get that other review at first until I actually got to the page and just stared at it for 5 minutes in contemplation of how we got here and why it was even relevant…
Idk maybe it’s because I’ve read so many mind blowing stories with Loki in it that I’m just over analyzing everything but it just all fell flat for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2024
It was a very slow read and didn't suck me into the story at all. I was hoping for more from a book that has Loki in it.
May 12, 2024
This book is absolutely amazing! This has some accuracies to the Norse Gods, locations, etc. but also has romance to it. Warning: it does end on a major cliffhanger!
This book follows Monika, who is a streamer about some activities in the wild she does. She is facing backlash due to doing one of her videos in CGI, and because one was done that way, everyone is claiming she did them all that way. She had returned home, from traveling for a short movie, to Svalbard.
Desperate to not lose followers, she goes for an ice bath in the tundra. When she is recording and in the water, a polar bears approaches her. As the polar bear approaches her, two men show up and stop the polar bear.
Throughout the story, she becomes friends with the two men (Torsten and Lukas) and the polar bear (Bjørn).
They end up showing up to Loki’s castle, under the guise he needs help with fighting some monsters… but someone she is close to betrays her and tries to kill her, only for Loki to save her.
Will she help Loki and mate with him to save him and prevent Ragnarok?
This book follows Monika, who is a streamer about some activities in the wild she does. She is facing backlash due to doing one of her videos in CGI, and because one was done that way, everyone is claiming she did them all that way. She had returned home, from traveling for a short movie, to Svalbard.
Desperate to not lose followers, she goes for an ice bath in the tundra. When she is recording and in the water, a polar bears approaches her. As the polar bear approaches her, two men show up and stop the polar bear.
Throughout the story, she becomes friends with the two men (Torsten and Lukas) and the polar bear (Bjørn).
They end up showing up to Loki’s castle, under the guise he needs help with fighting some monsters… but someone she is close to betrays her and tries to kill her, only for Loki to save her.
Will she help Loki and mate with him to save him and prevent Ragnarok?
December 19, 2023
I don't want to take my rating too much to heart because I read this during a very hard book hangover in hopes for it to cure it, and unfortunately, it didn't cut it. There were a few times I wanted to just DNF and try again later, but I pushed through and finished.
This book is incredibly fast-paced and a little hard to keep up with at times. I also felt like there was such a fast build-up for a lengthy sex scene (trust me, I love all the smut) and then sprinkled a little extra for another spicy scene then boom, done, cliffhanger. Minimal world building until the very end, which may be why I felt like it was fast-paced?
I LOVED the idea of Loki, the shape shifting, the mating link, and the bond. The spice was fantastic, and the idea of a Gothic castle with a phenomenal library sounds top tier.
I would like to attempt to give this book another chance when I'm not in a horrible book hangover, and the former book was all I could think about.
This book is incredibly fast-paced and a little hard to keep up with at times. I also felt like there was such a fast build-up for a lengthy sex scene (trust me, I love all the smut) and then sprinkled a little extra for another spicy scene then boom, done, cliffhanger. Minimal world building until the very end, which may be why I felt like it was fast-paced?
I LOVED the idea of Loki, the shape shifting, the mating link, and the bond. The spice was fantastic, and the idea of a Gothic castle with a phenomenal library sounds top tier.
I would like to attempt to give this book another chance when I'm not in a horrible book hangover, and the former book was all I could think about.
March 3, 2025
This book was a huge disappointment. I was exited to read something inspired by Norse mythology, but there was nothing interesting about the characters or the plot...or the spice. After learning all the other characters in the book are just versions of one of the main characters, you lose any connection you had with them. The love between the main characters feels unfounded and I don't understand why a random girl would be good enough with a sword and bow to survive any fight at all. I also don't see why she doesn't understand the backlash from her fan base after using CGI and not disclosing that information after publishing a video? Take at least some responsibility? I skipped though most of the story after the whole mating ceremony. It ends in a very bad cliffhanger, which was very unexpected and which should not have been there at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2025
The Tiktok girlies made this "thing" seam like it was a delicious Loki inspired work of art, but it's just a cheap shot at a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling I felt truly deceived after meeting the MMC. He had nothing that even remotely resembled the god of mischief except the name and the shapeshifting abillity, and don't even get me started on the FMC... she is the worst written character that I've ever come accros, almost DNF-ed it a few times because of her. Such a shallow story should stay somewhere among the forgotten blogs, and yet it became a book... If I could have rated it less than 1 star, I would have.
June 14, 2024
I loved how new age it was. Enjoyed Monika being an influencer on YouTube. The stores was great, sometimes it was a bit confusing in timing but I figured it out. A couple of grammar/spelling errors that tripped me up but overall the story is great and uh.. I need the second book. That ending , dang girl!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2024
I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting at work. It was amazingggggggggg. The only thing is WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ENDING JULIET. You cant just do that ma'am i need the rest like yesterday. Anyways it was amazing you should definitely read it but be prepared to be pissed at the cliffhanger at the end.
September 24, 2024
A literal dream man
I absolutely loved the tension between Monika and Loki.. It was a great build up to the relationship. Its a quick read compared to most books but a great book if you're doing too much reading of one genre. Can't wait to see where everything goes. I can't help but want more.
I absolutely loved the tension between Monika and Loki.. It was a great build up to the relationship. Its a quick read compared to most books but a great book if you're doing too much reading of one genre. Can't wait to see where everything goes. I can't help but want more.
March 6, 2024
Loki, my love
This kept me on the edge of my seat. Nothing was ever predictable and I loved every moment of reading this. And that cliffhanger *chef’s kiss*. I can’t wait for the next book!
This kept me on the edge of my seat. Nothing was ever predictable and I loved every moment of reading this. And that cliffhanger *chef’s kiss*. I can’t wait for the next book!
May 18, 2024
Amazing for Norse mythology fans, I simply love it it was very easy and very well explained. I love the interaction between Monika -FMC and Loki the MMC and he’s a shapeshifter 🫣🫣😂 definitely wasn’t expecting that but make things even more fun
September 20, 2024
This book was amazing! I could not put it down. If you like Norse romance or any kind of spicy book then give this a read. I really hope that there will be more books added to this it ended on one hell of a cliff hanger.
August 14, 2025
UGH
this book was MADE for the loki lovers. so detailed, so amazingly written. the description of the settings and the amount of detail it goes into, i was truly amazed. my jaw was wide open during parts.
juliette, you are TRULY amazing!
this book was MADE for the loki lovers. so detailed, so amazingly written. the description of the settings and the amount of detail it goes into, i was truly amazed. my jaw was wide open during parts.
juliette, you are TRULY amazing!
January 18, 2024
This book was so good!!! The twists and turns and plots twists. This book splintered my heart. And I’m not one for slow burn but it was definitely worth it!!! This book is well worth a read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews