The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Summary from Goodreads:

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Review:

This was even better than I was expecting it to be! Seriously, what a fun, hilarious, Norse adventure. I have to admit that I was getting a little tired of the Percy Jackson formula. And while there are things in this book that are in the past formulas (quests, mini quests, deals with the gods, etc.) there were also some truly unique aspects to this new series that I was not expecting at all.

To start, the main character is homeless. He also (in the very beginning – I promise I’m not spoiling anything) dies. The main character is dead. How cool is that? He even gets to witness his own funeral. Also, in the very first pages, there is Annabeth (my favorite character from past series)! So, right away, this book had a lot of things going for it.

Also, I loved the Norse mythology. I have to admit that I don’t know a ton about Norse mythology, besides some probably wrong things from certain superhero movies and the inspiration I know that lead to the The Lord of the Rings, so a lot of the stories and myth were brand new for me.

I loved the side characters, like the fashion obessed dwarf (Blitz) and the deaf, magic learning elf (Hearthstone). There’s also Sam, the Valkyrie who brought Magnus to Valhalla. She is so cool. She reminds me a little bit of Thalia Grace from the past series. Though, she’s certainly not afraid of heights.

All the details about Valhalla, the tree that goes to all the worlds, death, the end of the world, the Norse gods, and magical objects (like Magnus’ sword) were just so amazingly fun to read. This is Rick Riordan at his best. And of course the book is action-packed. From sea journeys, to battling giants, to helping Thor, to dreaming of Loki, to learning about Odin, to battles with hallmates, to confronting Valkyries, there is never a dull moment.

Also, the humor was so good. It was a little more sarcastic and a little less cheesy than the humor of the earlier books. Magnus is a lot darker and wittier than Percy, Leo, or Jason. And I actually routinely found myself laughing out loud. The chapter titles alone had me laughing.

And Riordan dedicates the book to Cassandra Clare! He thanks her for sharing the name, Magnus! How cool is that?

I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series. There was quite an interesting end there with Loki. And I’m curious to see how the different mythologies (Greek, Roman, and Norse) might possibly connect. All in all, I loved this. I give it 10/10.