Land of Loss by Katherine Applegate

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the dark past, Zeus and Odin, Huitzilopoctli and Ra, and the other gods of myth decided to abandon the real world. They created another universe where magic rules, where all the mystery and terror of these capricious immortals holds sway. It is a place where Vikings still sail in the name of Thor, where the Aztecs still make human sacrifices to Huitzilopoctli, and where Merlin still weaves his subtle webs.

For 1,000 years and more, Everworld has existed apart from the real world. But now Everworld is in trouble. The cozy universe created by Earth’s ancient immortals has been invaded by the creatures of myths that are no part of human tradition. The gods are under attack, divided, and terrified. And in this moment of supreme danger, Loki, Norse god of evil, reaches across the barrier between Everworld and the real world to seize a new power: Senna Wales.

Senna carries with her four ordinary high school kids from the Midwest. David, the insecure hero and Senna’s love; Christopher, the joker Senna spurned, who hides his own anger and bigotry beneath a glib veneer; Jalil, cold, calculating and so devoted to rationality he can’t even acknowledge his own strange tie to Senna; and April, Senna’s half-sister, actress, flirt, and Senna’s most dangerous enemy.

Is Senna good or evil or some combination of the two? David, Christopher, Jalil, and April may die trying to find out.

“Lesson Number One in Everworld: There’s them, and there’s us. And any day we can keep them from destroying us, that’s a victory.”

The important facts:

1. There are four main characters, David, Christopher, Jalil and April
2. Everything that happens is because of Senna
3. There is another universe
4. There are gods in said universe who want them dead

Book two picks up right where the first ended – Huitzilopoctli’s shadow is scaring the crap out of everyone.

This book’s POV is from Christopher Hitchcock, the funny jock (oxymoron?). He, unlike David, just really wants to go home. He’s tone of voice is very different from David’s so if, like me, you started reading this right after the first book, the first two chapters are a little jarring. He’s a very brash young man and has delusions of being a hero. He ends up being more heroic for his lack of trying. You can see him struggling to mesh his two worlds and when he finally does sleep, instead of rushing off to plan he decides to be normal for as long as possible.

That being said and without giving too much away – although if you’re on book two then I would imagine you’ve read book one – the group finds themselves trying to get away from yet another crazy, evil god. They meet some aliens, yes that’s right, aliens! (I can’t even decide whether I’m upset about this or whether I think it’s perceptive of Applegate to assume that there are other gods in other planets/universes.) The foursome part ways with an object that might come back to bite them in the rear (this is just me thinking long-term about the plot), they meet a wizard (yeah…you’ll never guess), a dragon…

And finally, Senna, herself. Can we say Bitch? I had my more unsavory suspicions of her, but its now cemented. I do not like Senna, not one bit.

Again, this book ends in a cliffhanger, just not as great as the first one. Fair warning.

I recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a short, young adult, sci-fi book that is gritty and based on mythology (of any kind).

These books are definitely must reads and I am moving on to book number three: Enter the Enchanted. This book is the one that I actually read some ten or twelve years ago.

Safe reading!

View all my reviews

Related articles

• Book Review: Search for Senna by K.A. Applegate (saytaina.com)