Summary: New series, new characters, a new set of gods, all of what made Percy Jackson good.
I have had a hard time finding time to read lately. With two young children, never enough time to do the work that actually pays bills and other responsibilities, reading (and writing reviews) keeps getting pushed aside. Part of the problem is that when I get less time to read, I tend to want to read ‘important’ books. But ‘important’ books are often slow, time consuming and require lots of brain power. Sometimes you just need young adult fiction.
I am a big fan of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. I am not a fan of his Kane Chronicles (I just read the first of the trilogy and really did not like it.) The follow up series to Percy Jackson (Heroes of Olympus) I am more mixed on. They just felt too long and full of filler. And I still haven’t started the last book of that series in spite of the fact that I bought it almost a year ago.
But when Magnus Chase was on sale for Black Friday I picked it up. Once I started reading it, I sped through it and finished it in just a couple days. This series is not wildly different from Percy Jackson. Magnus Chase is a homeless 16 year old. He has never known his father. Two years ago his mother died protecting him and Magnus has been living on the streets (and on the run) ever since.
This is Riordan, so it is not long before Magnus finds out that he is the son of a Norse god and that lots of people are after him because he might be the predicted fulfillment of prophesy. The structure is familiar. But the new set of mythology gives Riordian different themes and story lines to play with. What worked best for Percy Jackson was the relationships between the main characters and the gradually unfolding story and the fact that it was just a fun book. All of the best parts of Percy Jackson are present in this book too.
There is a major event early in the book that I will not spoil, but it really creates a different storyline from the Percy Jackson series. Magnus still has the buddy quest with a pressing deadline and both good guys and bad guys chasing them.
I also appreciated that Riordian has both male and female characters (although only one main female), there is not a romance between them. I think the over reliance on the various romances in the Heroes of Olympus detracted from the story. And it is also good to see a developing friendship that is just a friendship.
The second book, Hammer of Thor, came out and was reviewed in Oct 2016.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan Purchase Links: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook
- Huntress (A Grace Murphy Novel) by Nicole Hamlett
- Among the Unseen by Jodi McIsaac (The Thin Veil #3)
- 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
- I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
- The Lost Hero (Heros of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan
- The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan
- Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan
I’m glad to hear you liked this one because I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, but like you, was disappointed in the Kane Chronicles. (I also only read the first one.) So I hope that if you liked this book, it bodes well for me enjoying it also!
I hope so too