hejan's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
3.75
ottiedot's review
3.0
Aaaarghh I really wanted to like this book but I don't. In the heroes of Olympus series Percy and Jason had kind of the same voice but the change in POVs highlighted just how different they were. But Magnus Chase is Percy Jackson 2.0 knock off version who desperately tries to be just as cool but fails. Magnus is literally a blond Percy with a Norse god for a dad.
I could tell that a lot of research went into this and I appreciate that but... even the Kane chronicles were better than this as they had that sibling dynamic that was new to bring to the table.
Rick awkwardly tries to be inclusive while making a character who wears a hijab and uses it for magic and wears it and removes it whenever it's convenient for the plot. However I did like the deaf elf although how Magnus and him managed to have lengthy conversations in sign language in dire situations is still beyond me.
In Percy Jackson, even though the characters acted like they disliked each other you could tell they really cared about one another. And even when they said they have the worst life ever you could tell they enjoyed it at least a little bit. With Magnus Chase... It's sort of depressing because I really couldn't tell if the characters cared about each other or not and when Magnus went off about how difficult his life as a homeless kid and a son of a Norse god was I couldn't tell just how sarcastic he was and that made me feel a little sick because I went into this wanting to care about the characters.
Annabeth's appearance was heavenly and one of the only things I was excited for in this book.
I love how people describe Annabeth as scary and intimidating and all that. I live for that ish.
I did think though that it was cheap how Rick included her in the sneak peak chapters just so that people would come at least for her.
I don't know if the reason why I dislike this book is because I'm not into norse mythology as much as i am into greek and roman.
And god forbid Reyna is about to be dragged into this mess. I probably will read the next book though, if only for the snarky chapter titles that remind me of the good old days of percy jackson and the olympians.
3 stars out of 5
I could tell that a lot of research went into this and I appreciate that but... even the Kane chronicles were better than this as they had that sibling dynamic that was new to bring to the table.
Rick awkwardly tries to be inclusive while making a character who wears a hijab and uses it for magic and wears it and removes it whenever it's convenient for the plot. However I did like the deaf elf although how Magnus and him managed to have lengthy conversations in sign language in dire situations is still beyond me.
In Percy Jackson, even though the characters acted like they disliked each other you could tell they really cared about one another. And even when they said they have the worst life ever you could tell they enjoyed it at least a little bit. With Magnus Chase... It's sort of depressing because I really couldn't tell if the characters cared about each other or not and when Magnus went off about how difficult his life as a homeless kid and a son of a Norse god was I couldn't tell just how sarcastic he was and that made me feel a little sick because I went into this wanting to care about the characters.
Annabeth's appearance was heavenly and one of the only things I was excited for in this book.
I love how people describe Annabeth as scary and intimidating and all that. I live for that ish.
I did think though that it was cheap how Rick included her in the sneak peak chapters just so that people would come at least for her.
I don't know if the reason why I dislike this book is because I'm not into norse mythology as much as i am into greek and roman.
And god forbid Reyna is about to be dragged into this mess. I probably will read the next book though, if only for the snarky chapter titles that remind me of the good old days of percy jackson and the olympians.
3 stars out of 5
slowlauris's review
4.0
I'm sure it's been said before but I thought it was cool to see a male hero with healing-based powers. Also I just like powerful non-combat magic in action stories in general.
jessicarosedarcy's review
3.0
Much to similar to all his other series, the repetitive characters are getting old. Although the mythology element is interesting as it always is!
cawleen's review
5.0
Rick Riordan has the power to make me laugh and cry all while teaching me about mythology! (Don’t worry Mark, I took in all the history with a grain of salt!)
misdawnty's review
4.0
This was fun. Totally up to Riordan's normal standard. And it had a couple cameos from Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series (she's Magnus' cousin, although they don't know each other well) and it's now totally set up for a collab in the future. That'll be good.
krisdzenite's review
4.0
This was a very fast and exciting read and it is perfect if you want a bit of thrill and fly though a book.
However, there were some issues, that didn't let me enjoy this novel to the fullest. The main problem is its similarities with [b:Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set|3165162|Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1-3)|Rick Riordan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388181482s/3165162.jpg|3197005] series. Firstly, the mythology is quite similar, which is forgivable, because myths from different cultures contain the same elements. But not only the wold building is very alike, the events and characters are almost identical. Magnus can be compared to Percy, Sam to Annabeth, etc. As a result, the novel never really astonished me.
Still, there are some characters, that I really enjoyed, such as Jack the sword, whom I found very amusing and Thor, who despite his perfect appearance and personality in movies, is quite absent - minded and impractical in this novel, not to mention a total fanboy.
Overall, this was a fun and easy read and might be a unique experience, if you haven't read Percy Jackson series.
However, there were some issues, that didn't let me enjoy this novel to the fullest. The main problem is its similarities with [b:Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set|3165162|Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1-3)|Rick Riordan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388181482s/3165162.jpg|3197005] series. Firstly, the mythology is quite similar, which is forgivable, because myths from different cultures contain the same elements. But not only the wold building is very alike, the events and characters are almost identical. Magnus can be compared to Percy, Sam to Annabeth, etc. As a result, the novel never really astonished me.
Still, there are some characters, that I really enjoyed, such as Jack the sword, whom I found very amusing and Thor, who despite his perfect appearance and personality in movies, is quite absent - minded and impractical in this novel, not to mention a total fanboy.
Overall, this was a fun and easy read and might be a unique experience, if you haven't read Percy Jackson series.
bheadley's review
3.0
Nate and I again, it was ok for me, he loved it. Didn't like it as much as other Rick Riordan series. It was an ok adventure.