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meisteralbrecht's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gun violence, Violence, Self harm, and Emotional abuse
kaikai1618's review against another edition
This book was amazing I loved it. I think this was a great last book and that Rick has grown so much as a writer over the years. His writing is still fabulous but he's really expanded as a writer in my opinion. I loved the way that Rick has made his characters so distinct and diverse. Each character has a strong presence in the team and holds a place in my heart. I love how this book, which is by a very influential author has represented so much of what I'm not really exposed to such as a gender fluid character and a character who communicates through ASL. I got to experience more of the beauty that is Alex Fierro who I missed while waiting for a whole year. And Magnus definitely. And Hearth and Blitzen and T.J and halfborn and Mallory and Sam of course. Whoops basically everyone. When I read his book I read and listened to the audiobook. If you're thinking about using the audiobook I definitely recommend it. The audio really added a lot of life and humor that was just so entertaining. The voice for Loki was great, and all the voices were distinct. A very well put together audiobook for sure.
Now it's spoiler time
*****WARNING SPOILERS*******
I felt like I didn't see that many reviews with full length spoiler thoughts. I did see a lot of stuff from boings an youtubers though. I'm not any of those things I'm just a fan so these are my honest opinions and thoughts.(not that youtuber and bloggers aren't honest ever) I'm not a harsh analyzer of books though just saying but I hope you can relate to my opinions.
Alex and Magnus are AMAZING.
I'm honestly so happy.
What I love is the way the Magnus can tell when Alex switches genders, and the way that Rick portrayed gender. It was so interesting with how Alex in general is a fluid person with some shifting and with gender in the way that Loki is as a god.
Alex has always been one of my most favorite characters. Alex can pull off all types of fashion and she (I'll just say she since at the time when this memory was shown she was a she) went through a lot with her father in how he wanted Alex to take over a business that wasn't for the art, but the business and the money. Even in that time Alex wasn't someone who was scared and unsure before, she was still strong and defiant. She still knew herself and knew she was normal and worthy even though her father bought different. His loss. We know all the horrible things Alex has had to face, and yet here he was at the beginning of the book teasing Magnus. There she was training Sam to be stronger and to defy the controls of Loki. I love how Alex can make art and cares for the craftsmanship of it. That scene with Pottery Barn (love the more representation with how they were non-binary) where they fought hard after Alex worked for hours on end to make her creation and then told them they had fought well. It was great scene. Alex has taught me more about being gender fluid and was never scared. Alex was always a confident role model and was always matter of fact with his/her gender. And I loved how it wasn't a big issue or anything in the book even if some people were confused. I'm so grateful for learning more.
Can I just say WOW for Sam and how dedicated she is. She didn't want to break fasting for Ramadan even though she was freaking fighting giants and trying not to die. It's insane, and amazing. It was great learning about traditions of being muslin that she chose and honestly I have no idea how she does this stuff. She's in school studying like crazy, and a Valkery helping to bring souls to Valhalla. HOW.
I think that Hearth taught me more about gestures in books. So many things are going on and yet, in his silence he says so much in ASL. When he shows gratitude I can visualize it and I think he makes me feel more that so many characters have with words. I think my favorite moment was when Alex gave Hearth a new scarf since he lost his old one, and he looked at it like it was treasure. It was only about a paragraph, but one of the sweetest moments in the book for me.
Blitz is amazing with how he freaking beats giants with NECK TIES. I love how he uses his strengths in combat and how he stood up to Alderman in dragon form. He was strong and yelled at him, making him back down. No one messes with the team.
Mallory would scare me, but she was strong. She's not someone you mess with, and even when we found out about her mother I think that the way she reacted was true to her character. She was resistant and still angry about it, but later learned to accept it. What surprised me in the end though is how she ended up crying, something I though I would never see.
Halfborn I think grew more over the trip. His character had a humorous aspect to it, but we also got to see him eventually become very patriotic on Fläm. There was a lot of fighting over the trip with Mallory, but he was there with her again later and seemed to be okay. I think when he accepted and took in where he came from, he regained a piece of himself and later a lot of his anger to rest.
T.J is honestly a great voice in the team. After those slave giants were slain, he's one to really talk about how wrong he felt it was. In all this Norse and Viking culture we see all this horrible stuff from Literally every new encounter with someone being one where they say they have to kill them, to Loki being imprisoned in the intestines of his sons and having poison dropped in his face. Jeez. But T.J just reminds me of someone positive who thanks people on the streets. No one does that, but T.J does, and he just reminds me of such goodness.
And of course Magnus. I loved Magnus as our narrator. His POV was always hilarious and light heart to soften how everything is crazy and includes death and toe nail boats. And yet Magnus was a character with a lot of depth too. He had a lot of hardships from dying all the time, losing his mom, beings homeless, and then learning about this new world and managing to stay alive. All of them staying alive is impressive. Magnus cares for all of his friends and he's made his own bonds and family. I really hope that we see his again and get more books.
Oh and we can't forget Jack. He would be mad at me. Jack was hilarious with his singing and how he kept trying to go after magical weapons to date. It was hilarious when he hit on riptide haha. Seeing Percy and Annabeth at the beginning made me feel nostalgic and I want to read all the PJO and HoO books again.
"Try it again. This time with less dying"
--Percy
I love the way this book ended. I think that the way that Magnus won was very smart and was a true way of expressing thanks to everyone on the team. I love them all from Hearth, who I think is the silent soul of the group, to Alex with a fiery soul and someone who won't take crap.
Anyway now to THAT part
So
Alex
Kissed
Magnus
That was pretty amazing. I did a little dance in my seat when it happened since I didn't see it coming. Rick never ceases to surprise me. Even with this possible relationship that MUST happen and is definitely officially canon, nothing changed in a bad way. I mean sometimes the characters change a lot when they find themselves wanting to be in a relationship. What I liked about this book is how they stayed to their characters. Magnus and Alex aren't the most touchy feely and Magnus is always great with emotions, but they know what they feel. And I really liked that. These days there are so many rushed relationships in books to keep up entertainment. I do find those entertaining, but Rick has plenty to entertain with. Yes, I wanted them to get together, but I think that going through those journeys together really strengthened their relationship. I actually don't think they were ready for that relationship from the kind of people they are, getting close in that way needed time. And I think that now after all those vulnerable moments they're ready.
On that note I'll leave with this
"I don't date just any einherji with a pretty face and a nice haircut" --Alex
"No. Yeah. Pretty face?" --Magnus
They're adorable
*****END OF SPOILERS*********
I loved this book and I highly recommend it. I don't really read middle grade anymore but these books will always be ones I go back to. I need to re-read Ricks past series again, but I think these books are definitely very high up there for me even if his past books have childhood memories attached to them, I will always read whatever Rick writes.
Now it's spoiler time
*****WARNING SPOILERS*******
I felt like I didn't see that many reviews with full length spoiler thoughts. I did see a lot of stuff from boings an youtubers though. I'm not any of those things I'm just a fan so these are my honest opinions and thoughts.(not that youtuber and bloggers aren't honest ever) I'm not a harsh analyzer of books though just saying but I hope you can relate to my opinions.
Alex and Magnus are AMAZING.
I'm honestly so happy.
What I love is the way the Magnus can tell when Alex switches genders, and the way that Rick portrayed gender. It was so interesting with how Alex in general is a fluid person with some shifting and with gender in the way that Loki is as a god.
Alex has always been one of my most favorite characters. Alex can pull off all types of fashion and she (I'll just say she since at the time when this memory was shown she was a she) went through a lot with her father in how he wanted Alex to take over a business that wasn't for the art, but the business and the money. Even in that time Alex wasn't someone who was scared and unsure before, she was still strong and defiant. She still knew herself and knew she was normal and worthy even though her father bought different. His loss. We know all the horrible things Alex has had to face, and yet here he was at the beginning of the book teasing Magnus. There she was training Sam to be stronger and to defy the controls of Loki. I love how Alex can make art and cares for the craftsmanship of it. That scene with Pottery Barn (love the more representation with how they were non-binary) where they fought hard after Alex worked for hours on end to make her creation and then told them they had fought well. It was great scene. Alex has taught me more about being gender fluid and was never scared. Alex was always a confident role model and was always matter of fact with his/her gender. And I loved how it wasn't a big issue or anything in the book even if some people were confused. I'm so grateful for learning more.
Can I just say WOW for Sam and how dedicated she is. She didn't want to break fasting for Ramadan even though she was freaking fighting giants and trying not to die. It's insane, and amazing. It was great learning about traditions of being muslin that she chose and honestly I have no idea how she does this stuff. She's in school studying like crazy, and a Valkery helping to bring souls to Valhalla. HOW.
I think that Hearth taught me more about gestures in books. So many things are going on and yet, in his silence he says so much in ASL. When he shows gratitude I can visualize it and I think he makes me feel more that so many characters have with words. I think my favorite moment was when Alex gave Hearth a new scarf since he lost his old one, and he looked at it like it was treasure. It was only about a paragraph, but one of the sweetest moments in the book for me.
Blitz is amazing with how he freaking beats giants with NECK TIES. I love how he uses his strengths in combat and how he stood up to Alderman in dragon form. He was strong and yelled at him, making him back down. No one messes with the team.
Mallory would scare me, but she was strong. She's not someone you mess with, and even when we found out about her mother I think that the way she reacted was true to her character. She was resistant and still angry about it, but later learned to accept it. What surprised me in the end though is how she ended up crying, something I though I would never see.
Halfborn I think grew more over the trip. His character had a humorous aspect to it, but we also got to see him eventually become very patriotic on Fläm. There was a lot of fighting over the trip with Mallory, but he was there with her again later and seemed to be okay. I think when he accepted and took in where he came from, he regained a piece of himself and later a lot of his anger to rest.
T.J is honestly a great voice in the team. After those slave giants were slain, he's one to really talk about how wrong he felt it was. In all this Norse and Viking culture we see all this horrible stuff from Literally every new encounter with someone being one where they say they have to kill them, to Loki being imprisoned in the intestines of his sons and having poison dropped in his face. Jeez. But T.J just reminds me of someone positive who thanks people on the streets. No one does that, but T.J does, and he just reminds me of such goodness.
And of course Magnus. I loved Magnus as our narrator. His POV was always hilarious and light heart to soften how everything is crazy and includes death and toe nail boats. And yet Magnus was a character with a lot of depth too. He had a lot of hardships from dying all the time, losing his mom, beings homeless, and then learning about this new world and managing to stay alive. All of them staying alive is impressive. Magnus cares for all of his friends and he's made his own bonds and family. I really hope that we see his again and get more books.
Oh and we can't forget Jack. He would be mad at me. Jack was hilarious with his singing and how he kept trying to go after magical weapons to date. It was hilarious when he hit on riptide haha. Seeing Percy and Annabeth at the beginning made me feel nostalgic and I want to read all the PJO and HoO books again.
"Try it again. This time with less dying"
--Percy
I love the way this book ended. I think that the way that Magnus won was very smart and was a true way of expressing thanks to everyone on the team. I love them all from Hearth, who I think is the silent soul of the group, to Alex with a fiery soul and someone who won't take crap.
Anyway now to THAT part
So
Alex
Kissed
Magnus
That was pretty amazing. I did a little dance in my seat when it happened since I didn't see it coming. Rick never ceases to surprise me. Even with this possible relationship that MUST happen and is definitely officially canon, nothing changed in a bad way. I mean sometimes the characters change a lot when they find themselves wanting to be in a relationship. What I liked about this book is how they stayed to their characters. Magnus and Alex aren't the most touchy feely and Magnus is always great with emotions, but they know what they feel. And I really liked that. These days there are so many rushed relationships in books to keep up entertainment. I do find those entertaining, but Rick has plenty to entertain with. Yes, I wanted them to get together, but I think that going through those journeys together really strengthened their relationship. I actually don't think they were ready for that relationship from the kind of people they are, getting close in that way needed time. And I think that now after all those vulnerable moments they're ready.
On that note I'll leave with this
"I don't date just any einherji with a pretty face and a nice haircut" --Alex
"No. Yeah. Pretty face?" --Magnus
They're adorable
*****END OF SPOILERS*********
I loved this book and I highly recommend it. I don't really read middle grade anymore but these books will always be ones I go back to. I need to re-read Ricks past series again, but I think these books are definitely very high up there for me even if his past books have childhood memories attached to them, I will always read whatever Rick writes.
heidewitzkaa's review against another edition
4.0
"typical. someone says fruity edge and immediatedly my name comes to mind." magnus, honey, i love you
chelseamh98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
lermonysnickers's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rainingchaos's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.75
rlgros26's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
meganemarshall's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Good ending to the trilogy. I liked that Magnus wasn't the best warrior and that his skills weren't physical skills. He was a healer, and that saved the day. Ragnarok was stopped because everyone worked together and had a different skill that had it's time to shine. The found family and the diversity still makes this series one of Riordan's best. Overall, I really liked this whole series.
takey's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
tsukibunny68's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
5.0