Book Review: Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief
Loki (brother of Thor) is considered an iconic character in the Marvel universe for a variety of reasons. He has a compelling backstory as the jealous adopted brother and arch-nemesis of Thor, giving him complex motivations and a tragic perspective. Loki has also played a pivotal role in the wider Avengers storyline, serving as the main villain in the climactic Battle of New York that brought together the Avengers team for the first time.
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Over time, the character has evolved from a straightforward villain into more of an antihero and complex figure who sometimes reluctantly joins forces with his brother Thor against greater threats. I really think this complexity plus being portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in the MCU only adds to the character’s appeal.
Finally, Loki’s distinctive visual look, with his golden horned helmet and green and black attire, makes him instantly recognizable and iconic when appearing on screen. Loki’s shape-shifting abilities and illusionary powers allow him to be a uniquely unpredictable trickster and manipulator, providing an interesting contrast to the more direct and blunt Thor. In many ways, from his personality to his visual design, Loki represents a unique and quintessential Marvel character. That manipulation and trickery is cheekily captured in Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief , part instructional part storytelling book by Robb Pearlman.
Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief shows Loki revealing the secrets behind 35 of his most popular magic tricks. The premise of this book is interesting, author Robb Pearlman translated all of Loki’s secret magic tricks from Norse to English and the instructions coupled with illustrations are a fun twist on a classic Loki story.
Children won’t find Loki’s origin story or a summary of some of his latest betrayals but they will find some magic tricks that range from easy to complicated all using items you would find around their house! Items include dice, glue, utensils, dollar bills, crayons, and coins.
The first magic trick is a super easy one that my daughter and I tested, which is basically making a fist and snapping a rubber band between your two hands so that the audience thinks the rubber bands disappear, they just can’t see them! Each magic trick has a paragraph or two introduction with green and gold (classic Loki colors) illustrations showing step by step on how to complete the trick.
I love that Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief has classic Loki art from various artists sprinkled throughout the book. The book is separated into sections that range from easy tricks to more complicated ones. While this book is marketed to all Loki and MCU fans, children will especially love the stories behind the simple tricks and the fact that most of the instructions use items that they can access around their homes.
Genre — Young Adult Fantasy
Rating — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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