The Father of Lies Chronicles #2: Arthur Quinn and the Fenris Wolf by Alan Early

My name is Ash, and Loki has returned to wreak havoc in the world. Our first warning was when Arthur's pendant started glowing a bright green light, while I almost drowned under the ice near my Cousin Maggie's home. Luckily, Arthur's hammer came soaring from his house to break the ice and rescue us. Now, Loki has attacked Arthur in the museum, while his warriors raided the artifacts. The objects weren't worth much, so what was the Norse trickster god after? Arthur believes a new student Ellie and her brother are okay, but I'm not so sure. We once trusted a boy named Will, but he turned out to be Loki in disguise. Arthur is suspicious of the wolf puppy we rescued at the lake, but I know his fears are wrong. A Viking soldier is watching over our homes, even though he's been dead for a thousand years, but I'm still very uneasy not knowing what Loki wants. I'm afraid we're going to find out soon.

You should probably read Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent before reading this book, since it establishes the main characters and format of the series. Arthur is a normal Irish boy other than the fact the gods have chosen him to save the world. He has an innocent attraction to Ash, as he encounters his first feelings of a boy/girl relationship. The pendant gives him the ability to understand ancient Viking language and acts as a warning when danger is nearby. The first book provided clues that his hammer was in fact Thor's hammer, and it's officially confirmed in this book. The hammer has the powers I expected from Norse mythology, although it seems almost anyone is able to hold it. Ash takes a lesser role than she did before, and she isn't on the same page as Arthur. The author does a nice job of presenting two possible antagonists (besides Loki) in the form of the wolf puppy and the new students. They are equally distrusted by Arthur and Ash, and the evil motives of one of them is revealed in the end. The role of Fenris is a bit surprising once he enters the story, not at all what I expected. His child is hidden in this book but will become a major factor in the sequel.