Book: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book #1) by Rick Riordan
Cover Design by SJI Associates, Inc.
Cover Illustration by John Rocco
Edition: Paperback
Description:
Magnus Chase has seen his share of trouble. Ever since that terrible night two years ago when his mother told him to run, he has lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, staying one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.
One day, Magnus learns that someone else is trying to track him down—his uncle Randolph, a man his mother had always warned him about. When Magnus tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls right into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Magnus's birthright: a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.
The more Randolph talks, the more puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories about the gods of Asgard, wolves, and Doomsday bubble up from Magnus's memory. But he doesn't have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents. . . .
Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
The Sword of Summer is an interesting, exciting and action packed underdog story that follows 16-year-old Magnus Chase as he stepped into the world of Norse mythology. Two years ago, his life was tragically changed after the death of his mother and since then he had been homeless and living on the streets of Boston. His only two best friends were Blitzen and Hearth who were also homeless and had been trying to help keep Magnus safe. Trouble would soon find him after he wanted to know why his Uncle Randolph Chase had been looking for him. After getting in contact with his uncle, Magnus was told some startling news about his father and his connection to the Norse Gods. But that wasn't the only thing, Randolph convinced Magnus that he was the only one who could find a special artifact, a sword, that was supposedly at the bottom of the Charles River.
With something dangerous tracking them and the approaching unstable weather being the visible sign of it. Retrieving the sword may have been the easiest part of this ordeal because as soon as he got it, Surt, the lord of Muspelheim, was there to claim it. A quick yet deadly battle cost Magnus his life but that's not the end of the story, in fact it's more like the beginning. Magnus may have died but thanks to the Valkyrie Samirah al-Abbas, taking him to Hotel Valhalla, the afterlife for warriors of Odin, he was given a sort of second chance at life.
Magnus' arrival would bring with it confusion and mistrust especially in regards to Samirah who is although a Valkyrie was also the daughter of Loki. Magnus was told he shouldn't trust her, but should he? Outside of Valhalla, a terrible plot was underway to hasten Ragnarok but could the plan be stopped? Magnus would soon learn a lot of things not only about the world of Norse mythology but about himself, Samirah and his two best friends Hearth and Blitzen who were more than meets the eye.
Who knew the impending doom of Ragnarok and the plan to try to stop it could be such a good read? Magnus, Blizten, Samirah and Heath despite being truly at a disadvantage, their unofficially sanctioned quest was a chance to prove that they were every bit as worthy of being the heroes that they truly were. They didn't set out to be heroes their main focus was on to further the delay of Ragnarok. What I like is that they deciphered clues which had them world-hopping their way around and unfortunately meeting various gods who always seemed to need the group to do something for them (which was usually dangerous) in order to get the information they needed to further their quest. The author has written such a fun and interesting story that's full of twists and turns that I hoped would never end.
This was a fantastic story with interesting characters and like any quest worth embarking on, what the heroes (and the reader) find along the way is far more interesting than what we ever could have expected with this story. As much as I didn't want the story to end, it does, however it also perfectly sets up the story to continue in the second book.
No comments:
Post a Comment