The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan and read by Kieran Culkin

Summary from Goodreads:

Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer's return is the gods' worst enemy, Loki--and the price he wants is very high.

Review:

Rick Riordan books make for excellent audiobooks. The pace is just fast enough that I’m constantly involved in the story and always want to get back to it. And his books are so formulaic that when I occasionally zone out, or pay more attention to traffic, I can easily find my way back into my listening.

I am growing quite fond of Magnus. He reminds me a lot of Percy, yet almost nicer. He’s not a big figher –his powers are all about healing. And he cares so strongly for people, family, and friends that it’s hard to not like him. He’s a softie.

I love how diverse Riordan’s books are getting. Though, I wish his main character would be some one other than a white male. It’s nice having the main girl character be a practicing Muslim and a new character be gender fluid. The other two main characters are a deaf/mute elf and a dwarf with a high fashion sense (who may or may not be a couple).

The formula of this book was very familiar. Basically, the characters had to get Thor’s hammer back from the giants in order to prevent the end of the world. And along the way, they had to accomplish other smaller tasks –not the least of which is Sam’s fiancé learning she’s a Valkyrie, and saving a certain dwarf from a life of being a statue.

I like the background on Hearthstone. Wow, did he have a bad family! I also loved getting all the scenes that took place in Thor’s mansion. The giant wedding was terrifying. Loki was pretty terrifying too. And while, I kind of knew how it was going to end (how could Sam end up with a giant?), I still found everything to be pretty suspenseful.

I also now have a ship. I kind of like the idea of Magnus and Alex. I felt like Riordan kept trying to show scenes where Magnus not only understood and respected this character, but that he was falling for this character too. Please let this ship happen! Please. I find Alex to be so interesting. He/she is definitely a more prickly character and I want to know why he/she is the way she is. I also loved watching Alex get a little softer in the presence of Magnus.

The ending was maybe the best part. There were so many hints of joining these characters with those of Camp Half-blood. And there’s at least a possibility of Percy, Annabeth, Magnus, and his crew all going on an epic boat journey together soon. All in all, I give this an 8/10.