The Hammer of Thor

As per usual, it was a fun read. I'm giving it an extra star for representation, and I hope I won't change my rating this time.

Alex Fierro is undoubtedly one of the best characters Rick Riordan has ever come up with, and although Magnus does still sound like an extra Percy Jackson, I was waiting for it this time, so I don't think it bothered me nearly as much. We also got to know more about Sam's family, including her husband-to-be, Amir Fadlan, who has brought to the story an interesting perspective (a common mortal getting to know the Nine Worlds) which I hope will play a bigger part in the sequel. Oh, yes—and Magnus had his hair cut, finally!

Like typical Riordan this book is hilarious mix of adventure and Norse mythology in a engaging and entertaining story

I especially liked the trans character Alex. It's so refreshing to have characters from the GSRM community included in the story without a direct in your face about it.

Rick Riorodan effectively weaves the characters sexuality and gender identity with the prejudices of others and the challenges Alex must deal with in a way that does not impact the primary plot and story arc.

Although Rick Riordan eased up on all the Percy Jackson allusions (my blood pressure thanks ye), that ending...it...it was so...AKSEILDFHAGSKDHFLJAHSGJDFKLASDF. I think it's safe to say that the ending was my most favorite part of the whole book. The contents weren't terrible or anything. And there were certainly plenty of adrenaline-pumping adventures to spare. However, none of that compared to the shock I received upon...that fated ending.

 Okay, I love Alex!! They're such a fun character! I still feel like I don't understand a lot going on story wise, but I really enjoy all the characters and how they all interact. Jack, the sword, is so funny, especially for an animate object. I'm looking forward to the third book, even though it's the last in the trilogy.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Thor's hammer is missing, so not only can he not stream Netflix (I'd forgotten that was a thing in this series) on it, he can't intimidate the giants into not invading. You can guess which bothers him more. The Valkrie Samira and her pal Magnus have to go find it before things get out of hand.

I didn't like this one as much as the first book in this series – but I didn't dislike it. It's still the same outline that Riordan is following with these books – there's a quest; the hero and his friends have to go find the whatever to stall doomsday a little longer; to get the X the group has to beat a series of mini-challenges and then they'll have a shot at the X. Since this is a book 2, they'll get X, but many other things will go wrong, forcing the series into another book. For the most part, the minor challenges worked better for me than I expected.

I enjoyed Magnus' friends – Samira in particular; although I'm pretty torn about the new character added to Magnus' group: Alex Fierro – a child of Loki. I understand what Riordan was trying to do with this character, but I'm not sure he succeeded. I'm not convinced that Alex was a person, and not just a conglomeration of traits. But I have hope. Alex's presence, I thought, ended up short-changing some of the other characters when it came to action and involvement in the plot, which I wasn't crazy about.

I really enjoy seeing different authors' take on the same mythological characters. Comparing/contrasting Kevin Hearne's and Riordan's Thors and Lokis would make for a very entertaining piece (I think Riordan's Thor is more comical, but his Loki just might be more sadistic), and I will admit I got distracted a couple of times listening to this by thinking about the differences.

The best part of this was seeing how the problems Magnus, etc. are dealing with intersect some of what Percy, Annabeth and Apollo are going through in Riordan's other series, and the strong hint that we'll see some sort of cross-over soon. We'd understood that the Egyptian gods were threatening the earth about the same time that the Problems with Camps Jupiter and Half-Blood start up, but this was a much more explicit description. I like thinking that the various pantheons are having troubles at the same time, and that Earth could be doom in any number of ways simultaneously.

I bought this in hardcover the week it came out (last October, I think), but haven't been able to find/make the time to read it. When I saw it as available on my library's audiobook site, I figured I'd jump – just to get that TBR pile a little smaller. I hadn't listened to Riordan on audio before, and was curious ow it translated. I was surprised to hear Kieran Culkin's name (and voice) at the beginning of this – he didn't strike me as the kind of actor who'd do audiobooks. I'm glad that he did, though. I really enjoyed his work throughout the novel – the narration, the characters – he just nailed it. That's how Magnus Chase should sound.

It was entertaining enough to keep going, and I trust that Riordan knows what he's doing, I'm just not convinced that he did all he could to make this book as good as it could be.

most of what i said in the first book's review applies to this book as well. i will say there were some moments where it really felt like riordan was like an older guy trying to be supportive but not really understanding. some of the lines (most regarding alex) come off a bit like someone who has no idea what theyre talking about but i appreciate the effort (and i think alex is funny).

blitz and hearth are even more gay married in this one so its even better than the first book

Short review: The Magnus Chase series is back to the good, funny, fast moving, but still paying attention to character development, types of books that Percy Jackson series was. The Heroes series got distracted by overly complicated story arc and extended the story way beyond where it should have gone. The Kane Chronicles was just not that good.

But the Magnus Chase story is good. Changing the area of the Gods, but still having a relationship to the Greek/Roman gods I think is fascinating. Putting in a practicing muslim character that has to deal with the fact that these ancient gods exist while she continues in her faith is interesting. Making the main character the son of a god of healing instead of a warrior god I think is a good way to mix up the story and moves it away from one battle after another.

It is still a middle grade/younger end of young adult book. So it is not overly complex story line. You can speed through it and enjoy it. I just wish I didn't have to wait another year for the next book in the series.

my full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/hammer-of-thor/