shreyaspadhy's review against another edition
2.0
It's formulaic, it's repetitive, and the humor's the same as Percy Jackson, but it's still a pretty good book. I think the sheer craziness of Norse mythology carries the book, and moments that were otherwise boring are drowned out by demon squirrels and giant armpit sweat... Over the years, I feel Rick has settled into a groove of pumping out books with stereotypical characters and interesting chapter titles, and this came close to being a miss. However, characters like Blitz and Hearth remind me why I fell in love with the ridiculous brand of mythology and storytelling that he peddles. I'd definitely recommend it, if only to gawp at the names, and try to wrap your head around Loki's family tree.
lissajean7's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed it. I'll read the next one. Magnus is delightfully irreverent. His companions are wonderful. At times the plot felt a little too contrived, but it was a fun ride.
ge0rg1e'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? No
4.25
shreeyasbookshelf's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
tiana_598's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
meagan_kay's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun, interesting book! The characters were so great as was the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor throughout the story (those chapter titles though)....I would definitely recommend this book!
amyark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
kalypsowolf's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
3.75
I remembered nothing of this book despite definitely having read it in my teen years. By the time this came out I had pretty much fallen out of love with reading but I still picked up pretty much any Riordan book that came out. Maybe because I wasn't actively reading a ton is why I didn't retain anything, and maybe my memory is just hot garbo who knows.
I decided to annotate this and made notes and tabbed whenever the first instance of a mythological god, creature or place came up and like....maybe don't do that if you don't want like 100 tabs in your book lol. It was super fun though.
As for the book itself, I enjoyed it a lot. I love mythology of all types, but unfortunately never got super into Norse mythology, so teaching myself as I read was such a fun experience. Magnus as a character is quite fun to follow, if not a bit annoying at times, but so is nearly every 16 year old boy I've ever met, so I suppose it gets a pass. The writing isn't anything special. Honestly I don't think Riordan is a particularly good writer, he is just such an expert at crafting the world and story that you just end up not really caring that the writing is a bit more on the basic side.
I remembered nothing of this book despite definitely having read it in my teen years. By the time this came out I had pretty much fallen out of love with reading but I still picked up pretty much any Riordan book that came out. Maybe because I wasn't actively reading a ton is why I didn't retain anything, and maybe my memory is just hot garbo who knows.
I decided to annotate this and made notes and tabbed whenever the first instance of a mythological god, creature or place came up and like....maybe don't do that if you don't want like 100 tabs in your book lol. It was super fun though.
As for the book itself, I enjoyed it a lot. I love mythology of all types, but unfortunately never got super into Norse mythology, so teaching myself as I read was such a fun experience. Magnus as a character is quite fun to follow, if not a bit annoying at times, but so is nearly every 16 year old boy I've ever met, so I suppose it gets a pass. The writing isn't anything special. Honestly I don't think Riordan is a particularly good writer, he is just such an expert at crafting the world and story that you just end up not really caring that the writing is a bit more on the basic side.
ajteyn's review against another edition
3.0
The middle of this book was a bit of a slog to get through, but I enjoyed the beginning and end (as well as the - reasonably well attempted - representation) so I'm hoping that it's worth persevering with the series.
freyabarton's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
finally after 4 decades i’ve finished this book !! hooray ! this is absolutely what i was needing after becoming completely and utterly consumed by the loki series. live laugh love loki