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frantic_vampire's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really loved this one! Magnus is honestly so relatable. He’s so sarcastic, funny, and a total dork. It also helps just a little that he’s my birthday twin! And he is the quintessential Capricorn. I feel like we would get along so well. I’m pretty sure that Magnus is one of my top favorite of Riordan’s characters.
I loved that this book focused on Norse mythology. There were a few name drops that were familiar from the show Vikings, but there were also a bunch of new things that I didn’t know about Norse mythology thrown into this. It was just such a fun read. One of the other things I really liked about this book was that we got to see Annabeth again! I loved all the little nods to the other series. And the fact that Magnus was also being so salty when references were made to the other books, it just made me giggle.
All in all The Sword of Summer was just such a fun read. I can’t wait to read Magnus’s next adventure. This one is getting a solid four and a half stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Islamophobia and Gaslighting
Minor: Misogyny, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
jstarshine16's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
kaneli's review against another edition
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
fiveredhens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia and Death of parent
hannahmayhere's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Grief
Minor: Ableism and Islamophobia
liteartha's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, and Grief
Minor: Islamophobia
aria_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
January 24, 2021:
This was my third time reading this book, and I feel like every time I read it it just gets better. The Magnus Chase trilogy is an amazing series, and The Sword of Summer is a great first book! Magnus is amazing, and Hearth and Blitz are the best. The plot is really entertaining and fast-paced, and the writing and narration are absolutely hilarious!! There is so much that happens in the book, but it never really feels rushed. (This is probably because the book is almost 500 pages, but still.)
----------------------------------------
Reasons why I love this book: (and I was careful to not put any spoilers so read on)
actually, I did put in some spoilers but they're hidden so don't worry my friends
-I'm descended from Vikings
-my cat when I was one was named Tooskie, short for Ratatosk
-Annabeth appears more than once, and when am I going to not enjoy that?
-Valhalla is literally hilarious and awesome and also terrible at the same time
-Gunilla sort of reminds me of Reyna from HOO. Am I the only one?
-Thor haha
-Are any of these actually related to the plot? Not really. I'll give you one:
-Sam is awesome (and I just love the name Samirah)
-Also FALAFEL
-Junior is a jerk but hehe he gets what he deservesand Sam shapeshifting into a horsefly is wonderful. she kinda blows her cover though. Oops, that black eye sure gave her away.
-Thor is so hilarious and unhelpful and kinda gross at times
-I feel so bad for Otis. That poor goat!!
-If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean: Jack has such a great personality
Thanks for reading my wonderfully professional sounding review and have a great day :)
Also, I think I'm going to start doing some reviews in list format because it seems fun. And this was fun to write, even if a whole lot of those points don't make any sense.
But really, my grandfather was from Denmark and my cat who I had when I was a baby was named Ratatosk/Tooskie. He was much nicer than the evil squirrel though. I mean, that's what my parents have told me. I don't remember him at all. There is this video of me when I was a baby with him and I think I was pulling his tail which is mean but don't worry I love cats and I was just a baby.
So if you're this far into my review-ish thing then sorry for blabbering and stuff. Also, I just realized that I didn't actually say anything about Magnus Chase the main character of the book. Oops! Well, he's a great narrator, and I had so much fun reading about him.
Hearth and Blitz are great too. Actually more than just great. I kinda want to finish this up though.
TL;DR you should definitely read this book because the Norse mythology is great and there are any fantastic characters. I'm very glad that I reread it and will be continuing to reread the trilogy.
This was my third time reading this book, and I feel like every time I read it it just gets better. The Magnus Chase trilogy is an amazing series, and The Sword of Summer is a great first book! Magnus is amazing, and Hearth and Blitz are the best. The plot is really entertaining and fast-paced, and the writing and narration are absolutely hilarious!! There is so much that happens in the book, but it never really feels rushed. (This is probably because the book is almost 500 pages, but still.)
----------------------------------------
Reasons why I love this book: (and I was careful to not put any spoilers so read on)
actually, I did put in some spoilers but they're hidden so don't worry my friends
-I'm descended from Vikings
-my cat when I was one was named Tooskie, short for Ratatosk
-Annabeth appears more than once, and when am I going to not enjoy that?
-Valhalla is literally hilarious and awesome and also terrible at the same time
-Gunilla sort of reminds me of Reyna from HOO. Am I the only one?
-Thor haha
-Are any of these actually related to the plot? Not really. I'll give you one:
-Sam is awesome (and I just love the name Samirah)
-Also FALAFEL
-Junior is a jerk but hehe he gets what he deserves
-Thor is so hilarious and unhelpful and kinda gross at times
-I feel so bad for Otis. That poor goat!!
-If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean: Jack has such a great personality
Thanks for reading my wonderfully professional sounding review and have a great day :)
Also, I think I'm going to start doing some reviews in list format because it seems fun. And this was fun to write, even if a whole lot of those points don't make any sense.
But really, my grandfather was from Denmark and my cat who I had when I was a baby was named Ratatosk/Tooskie. He was much nicer than the evil squirrel though. I mean, that's what my parents have told me. I don't remember him at all. There is this video of me when I was a baby with him and I think I was pulling his tail which is mean but don't worry I love cats and I was just a baby.
So if you're this far into my review-ish thing then sorry for blabbering and stuff. Also, I just realized that I didn't actually say anything about Magnus Chase the main character of the book. Oops! Well, he's a great narrator, and I had so much fun reading about him.
Hearth and Blitz are great too. Actually more than just great. I kinda want to finish this up though.
TL;DR you should definitely read this book because the Norse mythology is great and there are any fantastic characters. I'm very glad that I reread it and will be continuing to reread the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Islamophobia
kaylamoran's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really enjoyed it! Not as much as his Greco-Roman books, but still good. Uncle Rick's sense of humor is perfect for me, gets me every time. Can't wait to keep reading the series to find out what happens next!
I'd say my biggest complaint is that Magnus' personality feels pretty much exactly the same as Percy's. And don't get me wrong, I love Percy. One of my fave book characters period. But I guess I just wish Magnus was different? Like a new lead character should have a more unique personality? Idk.
Also, Gunilla felt a lot like Clarisse, Jack like the Arrow of Dodona, and Blitz like Grover. Idk, some characters just felt recycled.
Anyway, will continue reading. I'll never like it as much as the demigod chronicles because I'm obsessed with those characters SO MUCH and of course they aren't here, but I definitely want to keep going.
I'd say my biggest complaint is that Magnus' personality feels pretty much exactly the same as Percy's. And don't get me wrong, I love Percy. One of my fave book characters period. But I guess I just wish Magnus was different? Like a new lead character should have a more unique personality? Idk.
Also, Gunilla felt a lot like Clarisse, Jack like the Arrow of Dodona, and Blitz like Grover. Idk, some characters just felt recycled.
Anyway, will continue reading. I'll never like it as much as the demigod chronicles because I'm obsessed with those characters SO MUCH and of course they aren't here, but I definitely want to keep going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood
Minor: Ableism, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia