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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
**3.5
I don't know if it was just because I haven't read middle grades in quite awhile or what but I didn't connect with this book like I wanted to. Picking it up, I was so excited especially since Mayan Mythology is one of my favorite subjects, however, the story kind of fell flat.
I thought there were some incredibly cute moments and there was some dialogue that got a chuckle out of me but, for the most part, I just didn't vibe with the story.
I don't really have a beautiful critique for this one. Just that it was hard for me to get through due to pacing and lack of connection to the characters. I felt like I didn't truly know them beyond the surface level and there was a lot of telling the audience not showing.
I don't know if it was just because I haven't read middle grades in quite awhile or what but I didn't connect with this book like I wanted to. Picking it up, I was so excited especially since Mayan Mythology is one of my favorite subjects, however, the story kind of fell flat.
I thought there were some incredibly cute moments and there was some dialogue that got a chuckle out of me but, for the most part, I just didn't vibe with the story.
I don't really have a beautiful critique for this one. Just that it was hard for me to get through due to pacing and lack of connection to the characters. I felt like I didn't truly know them beyond the surface level and there was a lot of telling the audience not showing.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
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:
No
adventurous
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Zane enjoys hiking and exploring the dormant volcano in practically his backyard with his dog Rosie far more than going to school where all his peers make fun of his leg difference and he gets in trouble for sticking up for himself. Zane doesn't know that the volcano is the resting place of an imprisoned god, and Brooks, a new student at his school, forewarns him that he is destined to bring the god back unless he helps her get to the artifact first.
Big warning the dog does die but it isn't permanent. This is a middle-grade novel so I found that surprising since I would have thought that too much for most kids but I don't know. Zane and Brooks are alright characters but none of the settings or characters feel fully realized. This is Mayan myth-inspired and I enjoyed navigating that world but it felt a little weird at times because Mayans still exist but there isn't any mention of them. Also, Zane is not very nice to himself and his disability and it wasn't challenged as much as I would have liked. I don't know 2.5 kids might like it more though.
Big warning the dog does die but it isn't permanent. This is a middle-grade novel so I found that surprising since I would have thought that too much for most kids but I don't know. Zane and Brooks are alright characters but none of the settings or characters feel fully realized. This is Mayan myth-inspired and I enjoyed navigating that world but it felt a little weird at times because Mayans still exist but there isn't any mention of them. Also, Zane is not very nice to himself and his disability and it wasn't challenged as much as I would have liked. I don't know 2.5 kids might like it more though.
Star Rating: 4 stars
Like most young people, Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors, and when I found out that he was starting a publishing imprint for diverse middle-grade authors writing books similar to his but about their own mythos/culture, I got very excited and immediately put all of them on hold, and I just got and finished The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes. This book tells the story of Zane Obispo, a 13-year old boy who walks with a limp and has to use a cane, as he discovers that he is descended from the Maya Gods and that the mythos he has been reading about for years is true, and that he is destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy. This discovery leads to him going on a road-trip with a mysterious girl that shows up on his doorstep claiming she is there to help him named Brooks and his wrestling-obsessed Uncle Hondo across the Southwest with feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants popping in to irritate and waylay at every turn.
I really liked the main character of this story, Zane Obispo as he is spunky, smart, and resourceful. Because of his aforementioned physical issues, he doesn’t have many friends and spends most of his time reading or exploring. Although, I don’t have any physical disabilities (I do, however, have type 1 diabetes), I do have a similar personality type to Zane- asocial bookworms unite☺, mostly because I am into things that most people in my town don’t even known exist (Asian dramas, epic, complex, classic fantasy, and video games ☺). Because of this connection that I felt to him, I could really relate to a lot of his inner monologues, even if I haven’t had exactly the same experience as he’s had. I appreciated hearing from a voice that we don’t get to hear from often, although that is the point of this imprint☺. All in all, I am really excited to read more from Zane when the next book comes out.
The thing, however, that I think this book does the best is show readers how small our world really is. Most people think that individuals from different cultures lead very different lives from us, however, if I have learned anything from books like The Storm Runner and required reading from college (I am studying world literature as well as ancient history as my major.), it is that various cultures are actually a lot similar than you think they are, and a lot of them have similar motifs that appear in their mythos such as there being a World Tree in both Mayan mythology and Norse mythology or there being a set of four brothers, or two sets of “hero twins” in Mayan mythology and four hero Pandava brothers in Indian mythology. If more individuals were to take the time to learn about other cultures, our world would be a much better place. I hope that the readers who choose to pick up this book and others in this imprint will learn to appreciate people different than them.
Although this book had some pacing issues and some of the humor and cultural stuff went over my head a little bit (I really don’t have any experience with Maya mythos or Hispanic culture so this is entirely my fault and not the fault of book or author), I did still really enjoy, and I am looking forward to reading the next one in this series. 4 stars overall!!!
Like most young people, Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors, and when I found out that he was starting a publishing imprint for diverse middle-grade authors writing books similar to his but about their own mythos/culture, I got very excited and immediately put all of them on hold, and I just got and finished The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes. This book tells the story of Zane Obispo, a 13-year old boy who walks with a limp and has to use a cane, as he discovers that he is descended from the Maya Gods and that the mythos he has been reading about for years is true, and that he is destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy. This discovery leads to him going on a road-trip with a mysterious girl that shows up on his doorstep claiming she is there to help him named Brooks and his wrestling-obsessed Uncle Hondo across the Southwest with feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants popping in to irritate and waylay at every turn.
I really liked the main character of this story, Zane Obispo as he is spunky, smart, and resourceful. Because of his aforementioned physical issues, he doesn’t have many friends and spends most of his time reading or exploring. Although, I don’t have any physical disabilities (I do, however, have type 1 diabetes), I do have a similar personality type to Zane- asocial bookworms unite☺, mostly because I am into things that most people in my town don’t even known exist (Asian dramas, epic, complex, classic fantasy, and video games ☺). Because of this connection that I felt to him, I could really relate to a lot of his inner monologues, even if I haven’t had exactly the same experience as he’s had. I appreciated hearing from a voice that we don’t get to hear from often, although that is the point of this imprint☺. All in all, I am really excited to read more from Zane when the next book comes out.
The thing, however, that I think this book does the best is show readers how small our world really is. Most people think that individuals from different cultures lead very different lives from us, however, if I have learned anything from books like The Storm Runner and required reading from college (I am studying world literature as well as ancient history as my major.), it is that various cultures are actually a lot similar than you think they are, and a lot of them have similar motifs that appear in their mythos such as there being a World Tree in both Mayan mythology and Norse mythology or there being a set of four brothers, or two sets of “hero twins” in Mayan mythology and four hero Pandava brothers in Indian mythology. If more individuals were to take the time to learn about other cultures, our world would be a much better place. I hope that the readers who choose to pick up this book and others in this imprint will learn to appreciate people different than them.
Although this book had some pacing issues and some of the humor and cultural stuff went over my head a little bit (I really don’t have any experience with Maya mythos or Hispanic culture so this is entirely my fault and not the fault of book or author), I did still really enjoy, and I am looking forward to reading the next one in this series. 4 stars overall!!!
A fun young adult fantasy adventure. I loved the infusion of Maya myths but the plot and characters just didn’t resonate with me as much as I was hoped they would.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated