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brittney_tyler's review against another edition
5.0
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Note: This will not be an in-depth review due to the fact that this is the 3rd book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.
Due to the fact that I am, at the moment, no longer attending college and I don’t have a job (I have severe social anxiety so I am taking a break from college and not entering the job market until I have a better handle on it), I have been taking all the extra free time that I find available to myself to catch on all of the series/authors that I am behind on or want to start. One of those authors is Rick Riordan, and I was able to get caught up on his Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series in time to read his newest release, The Ship of the Dead, around the time it came out (I still haven’t got caught up on the Kane Chronicles or the Heroes of Olympus/Trails of Apollo, but small victories lead to bigger ones☺). The Ship of the Dead concludes the story of Magnus Chase, a Norse demigod, and his friends who are an assortment of fellow Norse demigods, Valkyrie, and mythological creatures and their epic quest to stop Loki, the Norse god of mischief, magic, and artifice from causing Ragnarok, the Viking version of the apocalypse.
At this point (I am assuming if you are reading this review, you have already read the 1st 2 books), we have all experienced how diverse the cast of characters within this book are so I am not going to go into that, however, I did like that we got to learn more about the past of some of the characters that we haven’t spent as much time with (Mallory, T.J., Halfborn, and Alex for instance). Also, as if I couldn’t love Riordan anymore, he repeatedly mentioned the fact that Norse mythos is a big part of the Lord of the Rings, going so far as to have his characters mention reading Tolkien multiple times and then there was Chapters 23-28 (If you have read Tolkien’s work or watched the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies, then you know why I am mentioning those chapters in particular). Since Tolkien’s work is one of my all-time favorites, I greatly enjoyed how he connected Magnus’s story to Frodo’s/Bilbo’s (It made me want to re-read Tolkien’s work as well☺). All in all, this was almost a prefect conclusion.
However, as previously mentioned, it wasn’t prefect entirely. There were points in the story that I felt like important scenes had been cut out and there was a problem with the pacing. This was mostly at the beginning, but it got on my nerves slightly as it felt like he had cut out too much in editing or something, and it threw me out of the story a little bit. Also, I wish there was a map to show their journey because I was getting a little confused about where they were sometimes. As a result of these minor issues, I had to take it down to 4.5 stars instead of 5(although it will read as 5 because Goodreads doesn’t allow ½ stars). In the end, if you are a lover of Riordan’s other work, then it definitely holds up and if this is the 1st time diving in, read the 1st two before reading this one, and after you finish these, go read all of his other work because they are just as good! An almost prefect 4.5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: This will not be an in-depth review due to the fact that this is the 3rd book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.
Due to the fact that I am, at the moment, no longer attending college and I don’t have a job (I have severe social anxiety so I am taking a break from college and not entering the job market until I have a better handle on it), I have been taking all the extra free time that I find available to myself to catch on all of the series/authors that I am behind on or want to start. One of those authors is Rick Riordan, and I was able to get caught up on his Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series in time to read his newest release, The Ship of the Dead, around the time it came out (I still haven’t got caught up on the Kane Chronicles or the Heroes of Olympus/Trails of Apollo, but small victories lead to bigger ones☺). The Ship of the Dead concludes the story of Magnus Chase, a Norse demigod, and his friends who are an assortment of fellow Norse demigods, Valkyrie, and mythological creatures and their epic quest to stop Loki, the Norse god of mischief, magic, and artifice from causing Ragnarok, the Viking version of the apocalypse.
At this point (I am assuming if you are reading this review, you have already read the 1st 2 books), we have all experienced how diverse the cast of characters within this book are so I am not going to go into that, however, I did like that we got to learn more about the past of some of the characters that we haven’t spent as much time with (Mallory, T.J., Halfborn, and Alex for instance). Also, as if I couldn’t love Riordan anymore, he repeatedly mentioned the fact that Norse mythos is a big part of the Lord of the Rings, going so far as to have his characters mention reading Tolkien multiple times and then there was Chapters 23-28 (If you have read Tolkien’s work or watched the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies, then you know why I am mentioning those chapters in particular). Since Tolkien’s work is one of my all-time favorites, I greatly enjoyed how he connected Magnus’s story to Frodo’s/Bilbo’s (It made me want to re-read Tolkien’s work as well☺). All in all, this was almost a prefect conclusion.
However, as previously mentioned, it wasn’t prefect entirely. There were points in the story that I felt like important scenes had been cut out and there was a problem with the pacing. This was mostly at the beginning, but it got on my nerves slightly as it felt like he had cut out too much in editing or something, and it threw me out of the story a little bit. Also, I wish there was a map to show their journey because I was getting a little confused about where they were sometimes. As a result of these minor issues, I had to take it down to 4.5 stars instead of 5(although it will read as 5 because Goodreads doesn’t allow ½ stars). In the end, if you are a lover of Riordan’s other work, then it definitely holds up and if this is the 1st time diving in, read the 1st two before reading this one, and after you finish these, go read all of his other work because they are just as good! An almost prefect 4.5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!
elfduchess's review against another edition
4.0
A clear and definite improvement over the first two books. Much more of Magnus being his own character and not Percy 2.0. No more of the general 'isn't it hilarious how much like humans this non human civilization/person is?' and some actually witty/sarcastic remarks.
Magnus' crew gets fleshed out more - with Mallory, HalfBorn and T.J. actually getting time to shine. (Which, regardless of my feels towards their character and characterization, can only be for the best.) (I also do think the blooming relationship between Magnus and Alex is cute and I love that it's not as ... forced as a certain other one was. (Percy/Annabeth.) There's a lot of room for them to grow together without me feeling like I'm supposed to feel that they are destined to be together.)
Also, to the good, is the fact that the ending feels a lot like there's more adventures Magnus and crew will go on, which is something I always love.
What I'm not thrilled with is the fact that this is set in the PJ&tO world. Look, besides my feelings on the characters from the original series, things are starting to feel very claustrophobic. We've got deities from Greek, Roman, Egyptian and now Norse all sharing a world. (A very North America-centric world at that, but I'm not getting into that now.) The Kane Chronicles wasn't as bad because it didn't cameo characters from the original series. I just don't see how these deities aren't tripping all over each other or having Greek/Norse babies. *shrug*
Magnus' crew gets fleshed out more - with Mallory, HalfBorn and T.J. actually getting time to shine. (Which, regardless of my feels towards their character and characterization, can only be for the best.) (I also do think the blooming relationship between Magnus and Alex is cute and I love that it's not as ... forced as a certain other one was. (Percy/Annabeth.) There's a lot of room for them to grow together without me feeling like I'm supposed to feel that they are destined to be together.)
Also, to the good, is the fact that the ending feels a lot like there's more adventures Magnus and crew will go on, which is something I always love.
What I'm not thrilled with is the fact that this is set in the PJ&tO world. Look, besides my feelings on the characters from the original series, things are starting to feel very claustrophobic. We've got deities from Greek, Roman, Egyptian and now Norse all sharing a world. (A very North America-centric world at that, but I'm not getting into that now.) The Kane Chronicles wasn't as bad because it didn't cameo characters from the original series. I just don't see how these deities aren't tripping all over each other or having Greek/Norse babies. *shrug*
sara_berlin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Truly just a comfort book, my favorite thing about it is that you can really tell Rick had fun writing it. Oh, and Fierrochase have my heart forever of course.
j_ace131's review against another edition
5.0
*voice cracking* I'm okay. don't worry about me i'm perfectly okay
I'm not okay. ohh it's over :(((((
I'm not okay. ohh it's over :(((((
tealbeankai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
04159's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
5.0
jadeb253's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.75
bookeatinggoose's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
livpot47's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
zgonzale's review against another edition
5.0
The Ship of the Dead was a thrilling and epic conclusion to the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy! Packed with a terrifically rich and diverse cast of unique characters, fast-paced action, and an injection of fantastic mythological figures and locations into a charming, modern young adult story. In particular, I’m a huge fan of the romantic subplot involving the non-binary Alex, which had me grinning madly throughout the course of the novel; the depth and detail with which we got to know the entire cast of protagonists (especially Sam, one of the most badass young adult characters in history); and the sweet and emotional denouement following the novel’s spectacular climax (I may or may not have shed a tear because I’m a huge sap). I really hope Rick Riordan taps back into the Norse side of his growing universe soon, because I would read more adventures about these characters in a heartbeat.
Overall, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a glowing beacon of what modern young adult literature should look like. It’s inclusive, fabulously fun, and packed to the gills with wisecracking (and often meta) humor. This is not a series to skip out on!
Overall, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a glowing beacon of what modern young adult literature should look like. It’s inclusive, fabulously fun, and packed to the gills with wisecracking (and often meta) humor. This is not a series to skip out on!