Reviews

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

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karen_the_baroness's review against another edition

5.0

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan shows us that Mr. Riordan knows what he is good at. He is excellent at writing about a hero with everything against him but the odds.

Can Magnus stop the end of the world?

Magnus Chase

Right off the bat, I feel bad for Magnus as he's thrust into this world that he never knew existed because people were looking for him, and oh hey, it happens to be his birthday. Magnus has to run for his life while figuring out how to dodge his uncle. Well, that same uncle catches him, and he unearths the sword that has been lost for at least two thousand years, which is probably not wise.

I have to say that I did enjoy this book and had a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Magnus is a great character with humongous character growth. As he does end up changing from the kid we met at the beginning to what he becomes at the end. I only hope that Magnus can handle the long haul of keeping the end of the world from happening.

The Story

Magnus Chase finds out, not only on his birthday but the same day that he died, that maybe the Norse myths aren't just myths after all. He ends up on his own adventures and quests. Of course, he isn't alone but has a group of people to help him. I can't exactly say who, except I love how each of them brings something that ultimately helps out. This group of motley heroes is precisely what the Aesir and Vanir need to help win this battle. I can't wait to see what happens in the other books.

Five Stars

Mr. Riordan has a great formula on his hands, especially his way of writing, which keeps the feel of it being a middle grade book despite the characters being older. I am giving The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan five stars. This book deserves a massive recommendation to all who love a good mythology book.

I love learning about the different myths that Mr. Riordan uses in his books and how he uses the knowledge of the myths to create his characters in a way that seems to benefit his tales.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan.

Until the next time,

Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

miss_marvel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

4.0

the middle was a little slow - most of the scenes are veery detailed but exept for the middle part i still enjoyed reading it (especially the last 150 ish pages)
loved the diversity (muslima, deaf, dwarf) even though the main charakter was a white guy
humor on point as always

fictionalkate's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer. Rick Riordan has a wonderful touch when it comes to mixing ancient mythology and the modern day world. Magnus Chase is his newest series which combines Norse legends with a teenage boy just trying to get by.

Sword of Summer begins on the day Magnus dies. Instead of that being the end for him, it's only the beginning of his story as he finds out his father is a Norse god and it is Magnus' destiny to stop evil forces from starting the end of the world. No pressure, right?

I adore Norse myths and I'm so glad that Riordan decided to feature them in this series. Magnus is a great character to follow as he discovers his father's world and a different take on demigods. But I think what I liked most about the mythos he used was how he integrated it with the Roman and Greek legends he has used in his previous series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. There are cameos by characters from Camp Half-Blood as well as the occasional tongue-in-cheek reference to moments from the other series. This is a book which both adds to the universe as a whole as well as working perfectly as a standalone series opener.

One of the first things you'll notice about Sword of Summer is how funny it is. There is a touch of the ridiculous to the proceedings which only seem to add to the hilarity. His two best friends, a magical elf Heath and a fashion conscious dwarf Blitz, help Magnus navigate the new world he's been thrown into. They are great sidekicks to have and reminded me of the Blues Brothers for some reason. Samirah al-Abbas is a Valkyrie who works alongside Magnus on his mission but her motives are not entirely clear. I loved Sam and her interactions with Magnus and the rest of the cast. She's resourceful and down to earth. She's also one of the few Muslim characters I've read about in YA fantasy. Her ethnicity was a part of her and not just a play at creating ethnicity diversity. We need more characters like Sam in books! I also enjoyed the flow of the book. I had problems with the first few Percy Jackson books as they read young and I felt disconnected from them. That was not the case with Sword of Summer. This book is one of those great YA quest novels which will appeal to all ages.

I loved meeting the gods and goddesses of Norse myths as Magnus met them. Much like with Percy Jackson, these deities are not quite how we may have imagined them and yet it all works so well. I'd never even considered how a goddess may become like a bag lady of the sea but it just makes so much sense to me now. And then there's Magnus himself. Being thrust into the mythological world like he was after living on the streets for a few years, Magnus is a different kind of hero. He's got street smarts and is incredibly humble compared to Percy. I felt he was a lot more down to earth and reasonable - just one of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much! Magnus is a character I wanted to follow as he embarked on impossible quests and tried to outsmart gods in the hope of saving the world.

There is so much happening in Sword of Summer. It's full of action and adventure with never a dull moment. There are a lot of little side adventures on the way to completing the main quest and I enjoyed where those little treks would take Magnus' odd crew of characters. I can not wait for the next book in this series.

IF you have ever wanted to see what all the fuss concerning Rick Riordan is about - check out this book. Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer is fun and silly but also one of those books which will entertain young and older readers alike.