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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Ableism
(Review of copy received from Netgalley)
Zane Obispo is not happy when his mother tells him it’s time to go to private school after being homeschooled for a year. He’d rather study at home and explore the extinct volcano in his back yard in New Mexico with his beloved three-legged dog Rosie. But mom insists, so Zane prepares to go to school, hoping he won’t be bullied about his mismatched legs and his cane. The night before he’s due to start, a small plane crashes into his volcano under mysterious circumstances, and Zane is sure he saw a monster in the pilot’s seat. Soon, Zane meets an intriguing girl and learns that there is more to his neighbors than he ever knew… and that there is a very big reason he doesn’t know much about his father, who’s from Yucatán. In a whirlwind, Zane saves his friend, loses his dog, and unleashes a demon onto the world.
Presented by Rick Riordan, this story will please fans of Riordan’s books, where ordinary kids become heroes. People who are into Mayan myths will enjoy the integration of the myths into Zane’s adventures, while his adventures will introduce the ancient gods to new readers. At the beginning, the story feels slow, despite all of the events that take place, but the pace does pick up about halfway through. The conclusion leaves room for sequels without making the reader wait for the next book to see how the character’s main problems are resolved.Most importantly for the readers who love dogs, Rosie the dog’s storyline is resolved in a satisfying way.
Zane Obispo is not happy when his mother tells him it’s time to go to private school after being homeschooled for a year. He’d rather study at home and explore the extinct volcano in his back yard in New Mexico with his beloved three-legged dog Rosie. But mom insists, so Zane prepares to go to school, hoping he won’t be bullied about his mismatched legs and his cane. The night before he’s due to start, a small plane crashes into his volcano under mysterious circumstances, and Zane is sure he saw a monster in the pilot’s seat. Soon, Zane meets an intriguing girl and learns that there is more to his neighbors than he ever knew… and that there is a very big reason he doesn’t know much about his father, who’s from Yucatán. In a whirlwind, Zane saves his friend, loses his dog, and unleashes a demon onto the world.
Presented by Rick Riordan, this story will please fans of Riordan’s books, where ordinary kids become heroes. People who are into Mayan myths will enjoy the integration of the myths into Zane’s adventures, while his adventures will introduce the ancient gods to new readers. At the beginning, the story feels slow, despite all of the events that take place, but the pace does pick up about halfway through. The conclusion leaves room for sequels without making the reader wait for the next book to see how the character’s main problems are resolved.
This was so much fun! If you love Percy Jackson, definitely check this out!
3.5 stars
i’ve been following rick riordan presents ever since it got announced and i was so excited to see more mythology-inspired middlegrades being published by own-voices authors, but this is only the second novel i got my hands on, and i have to say: they are a tiny bit too similar to percy jackson.
the storm runner follows zane, who uses a cane because one of his legs is shorter than the other, and other kids bullied him because of that, so he has been homeschooled for a while until he gets into a prestigious school. he mostly spends his time hanging out with his dog and exploring the volcano in their backyard, and one time, when he is doing exactly that, a creature straight out of a myth book crashes into the volcano. soon, he meets a mysterious and very pretty girl named brooks and learns that he is involved in a prophecy.
so, i have to say, that even though i have a few complaints, storm runner isn’t a bad book and i’d still recommend it if you are interested. let’s see some of the things i liked:
»interesting mythology and world. i didn’t know anything about mayan gods and stories, so i was completely clueless going into it and i found it pretty fascinating.
»at times, it’s a charming, cute story, but nothing crazy.
»the setting was really cool and vivid, i enjoyed reading about it.
»zane’s relation to the prophecy and the gods kept me interested the whole time, so there is that.
»the ending was gooood.
but some of the things i wasn’t the biggest fan of:
»sometimes it tried to be funny, but i didn’t work, fortunately though, that was rare.
»the characters were bland, which is something i find often in middlegrade but it still lessens my enjoyment.
»as i said, it felt like too much rick riordan books.(e.g. it was prohibited for the gods to have children with humans bc of the prophecy, the postscript format and the message for other godborns at the end, a sweet thing that heals supernatural but would kill humans-›this time hot choco, and probably other things i can’t remember)
»the story isn’t that exciting and i lost my focus a couple of times, which isn’t a good sign.
overall though, the book had potential and the way it ended piqued my interest, so i’ll probably give a chance to the second book eventually, but i’m not in a hurry.
“If you wait long enough, your destiny will come knocking. Take it from me—someday, when you least expect it, the magic will call to you.”
i’ve been following rick riordan presents ever since it got announced and i was so excited to see more mythology-inspired middlegrades being published by own-voices authors, but this is only the second novel i got my hands on, and i have to say: they are a tiny bit too similar to percy jackson.
the storm runner follows zane, who uses a cane because one of his legs is shorter than the other, and other kids bullied him because of that, so he has been homeschooled for a while until he gets into a prestigious school. he mostly spends his time hanging out with his dog and exploring the volcano in their backyard, and one time, when he is doing exactly that, a creature straight out of a myth book crashes into the volcano. soon, he meets a mysterious and very pretty girl named brooks and learns that he is involved in a prophecy.
so, i have to say, that even though i have a few complaints, storm runner isn’t a bad book and i’d still recommend it if you are interested. let’s see some of the things i liked:
»interesting mythology and world. i didn’t know anything about mayan gods and stories, so i was completely clueless going into it and i found it pretty fascinating.
»at times, it’s a charming, cute story, but nothing crazy.
»the setting was really cool and vivid, i enjoyed reading about it.
»zane’s relation to the prophecy and the gods kept me interested the whole time, so there is that.
»the ending was gooood.
but some of the things i wasn’t the biggest fan of:
»sometimes it tried to be funny, but i didn’t work, fortunately though, that was rare.
»the characters were bland, which is something i find often in middlegrade but it still lessens my enjoyment.
»as i said, it felt like too much rick riordan books.
»the story isn’t that exciting and i lost my focus a couple of times, which isn’t a good sign.
overall though, the book had potential and the way it ended piqued my interest, so i’ll probably give a chance to the second book eventually, but i’m not in a hurry.
The Storm Runner follows Zane, a middle-schooler, who suddenly sees himself involved in a terrifying and unbelievable adventure to save the world. Part of the Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint focus on ownvoices mythological series. I was so excited to pick this one because 1) Mayan mythology !!! and 2) Zane is a disabled, Latinx kid !!!
I have such conflicted feelings about this book, that’s why when this ended up as the first pick for Latinx Book Club, I thought a reread would clear up my head. It did not end well for the book, friends. Many things I could forgive and let pass in my first read were impossible to look away from this time. And here I am, more conflicted than ever.
My expectations were not wrong, the story has potential, but the execution is all wrong. This an adventure story with a main character who doesn’t know everything and makes mistakes along the way, he also deeply cares about his family and friends. Family is such an important part of the story and it’s clear the love Zane feels for his mother and uncle. The world-building is fascinating and the tiny bits of Latinx culture we get to see are very satisfying.
Now, I just have a huge problem with the disability rep here. Zane uses a cane and this a very painful thing for him. He has so much internalized ableism. He’s always belittling himself and constantly is reminding us how different and unwanted he is… And I get it, I’ve also had internalized ableism that I had to work on. Being disabled in an able-bodied world is not easy, I know that. But here, all this hate just made me sad and uncomfortable.
Keep reading about my problems with the book on my blog, Cande Reads.
I have such conflicted feelings about this book, that’s why when this ended up as the first pick for Latinx Book Club, I thought a reread would clear up my head. It did not end well for the book, friends. Many things I could forgive and let pass in my first read were impossible to look away from this time. And here I am, more conflicted than ever.
My expectations were not wrong, the story has potential, but the execution is all wrong. This an adventure story with a main character who doesn’t know everything and makes mistakes along the way, he also deeply cares about his family and friends. Family is such an important part of the story and it’s clear the love Zane feels for his mother and uncle. The world-building is fascinating and the tiny bits of Latinx culture we get to see are very satisfying.
Now, I just have a huge problem with the disability rep here. Zane uses a cane and this a very painful thing for him. He has so much internalized ableism. He’s always belittling himself and constantly is reminding us how different and unwanted he is… And I get it, I’ve also had internalized ableism that I had to work on. Being disabled in an able-bodied world is not easy, I know that. But here, all this hate just made me sad and uncomfortable.
Keep reading about my problems with the book on my blog, Cande Reads.
Hm. I was super excited to get a bunch of Riordan Presents books from the library but ended up being disappointed by the two I read. The Storm Runner is based on Mayan mythology and tells the story of a young boy who releases the god of death and goes on a quest to fix it. He is accompanied by his uncle and a shapeshifting girl called Brooks. Hijinks ensue.
PROS:
+ All the Mayan mythology influences were really interesting. I learned a ton about something that seemed completely separate from Roman or Greek mythologies, and it felt really different from the Riordan books. (Side note: why are all the interesting quests with gods based on death and the underworld?)
+ I loved a lot of the side characters. Even though Hondo, Zane's mother, Pacific, and Ixtab get marginal roles in the story, they were still incredibly interesting to read about.
+ The ending was well-done. Not the 'actual' ending, with the big fight and climax, but the one on gray pages at the end of the book.
CONS:
- Serious pacing problems. A lot of the book dragged on and on, without taking the time to keep readers interested in side quests or character bonding. In comparison, the finale felt as though it went way too quickly.
- Brooks. I think the shapeshifting dynamic is really overplayed and never used well, but she just wasn't an engaging character. She was extremely one dimensional and flat-out annoying. It's unfortunate that she was the only female main character.
- Blatant ableism. The entire narrative surrounding Zane's 'bum leg' is absolutely terrible.It is so played up as his big flaw that magical clothes erase his limp entirely, which I felt extremely uncomfortable with. I also think the idea of his disability being linked to being god born was interesting in theory but did not play out well at all. I'll link some reviews that articulate this problem better than I can. This one articulates it well.
- Zane makes a lot of ridiculous decisions, especially in the beginning of the book, to propel the plot. This ties into my greater issue with his often immaturely childish narration, which had me staring at the page in disbelief and saying "come on! Kids are smarter than that!"
On the whole, I really didn't enjoy this book. I plan to read Race To The Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse next, and I hope it will be an improvement.
PROS:
+ All the Mayan mythology influences were really interesting. I learned a ton about something that seemed completely separate from Roman or Greek mythologies, and it felt really different from the Riordan books. (Side note: why are all the interesting quests with gods based on death and the underworld?)
+ I loved a lot of the side characters. Even though Hondo, Zane's mother, Pacific, and Ixtab get marginal roles in the story, they were still incredibly interesting to read about.
+ The ending was well-done. Not the 'actual' ending, with the big fight and climax, but the one on gray pages at the end of the book.
CONS:
- Serious pacing problems. A lot of the book dragged on and on, without taking the time to keep readers interested in side quests or character bonding. In comparison, the finale felt as though it went way too quickly.
- Brooks. I think the shapeshifting dynamic is really overplayed and never used well, but she just wasn't an engaging character. She was extremely one dimensional and flat-out annoying. It's unfortunate that she was the only female main character.
- Blatant ableism. The entire narrative surrounding Zane's 'bum leg' is absolutely terrible.
- Zane makes a lot of ridiculous decisions, especially in the beginning of the book, to propel the plot. This ties into my greater issue with his often immaturely childish narration, which had me staring at the page in disbelief and saying "come on! Kids are smarter than that!"
On the whole, I really didn't enjoy this book. I plan to read Race To The Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse next, and I hope it will be an improvement.
Rating: 4/5
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**HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for providing me with an advance copy for review!**
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More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
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Review
This book gave me way too many emotions and I was not prepared. As many of you know, I just lost my dog at the of September, so the plot point with Rosie had me in tears. Lots of tears. Like I just thought she would be kidnapped, but no. So fair warning for all you animal lovers out there.
Dog-related sadness aside, this book was actually super fun. I have a pretty non-existent knowledge of Mayan mythology, but I've seen a few specials on it and I'm actually quite interested in learning more. Getting to learn more about this mythology with Zane made for an incredibly enjoyable experience.
I also love Zane as the main character! He was funny, relatable, and though he made some dumb decisions there wasn't anything that was outside of the realm of believability for a teenager. I also liked the disability rep that was in this book. Zane walks with a cane due to one of his legs being shorter than the other. I liked how this played into the plot once we found out who Zane's father was, but I also liked how Zane wasn't only charactered by his disability. We really got to know about him, his family, and how he views his situation.
I think one of the best parts of this book was the ending. Wow, I did not think it was going to end the way it does (at first), but I do enjoy the sequel hook. I can't wait to see how this continues. Though Zane, buddy, please no stupid choices.
Um, as for cons, since I do need to include a few (I guess). Some of Zane's choices has me screaming at my radio. For his age, they seemed pretty logical and in good faith, but wow that boy had me screaming.
Also, some of the phrasing in the ARC copy was, a bit much. The synonyms were a bit aggressive. However, some of the stuff that I had an issue with was removed in the final copy.
Oh, and the audiobook was a great way to experience this story. It was helpful for me to see hear how the names were pronounced while seeing the spelling. Also, the narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life!
Final Thoughts
Once again, another hit from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint! I love how we got to learn more about Mayan mythology with Zane and I can't wait for more books so we can continue to learn more. I also loved some of the moments when Zane was talking to the reader. Getting his insight allowed for some great comic relief.
Lovers of other Rick Riordan or Rick Riordan Presents will love this one too!
----
**HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for providing me with an advance copy for review!**
----
More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
----
Review
This book gave me way too many emotions and I was not prepared. As many of you know, I just lost my dog at the of September, so the plot point with Rosie had me in tears. Lots of tears. Like I just thought she would be kidnapped, but no. So fair warning for all you animal lovers out there.
Dog-related sadness aside, this book was actually super fun. I have a pretty non-existent knowledge of Mayan mythology, but I've seen a few specials on it and I'm actually quite interested in learning more. Getting to learn more about this mythology with Zane made for an incredibly enjoyable experience.
I also love Zane as the main character! He was funny, relatable, and though he made some dumb decisions there wasn't anything that was outside of the realm of believability for a teenager. I also liked the disability rep that was in this book. Zane walks with a cane due to one of his legs being shorter than the other. I liked how this played into the plot once we found out who Zane's father was, but I also liked how Zane wasn't only charactered by his disability. We really got to know about him, his family, and how he views his situation.
I think one of the best parts of this book was the ending. Wow, I did not think it was going to end the way it does (at first), but I do enjoy the sequel hook. I can't wait to see how this continues. Though Zane, buddy, please no stupid choices.
Um, as for cons, since I do need to include a few (I guess). Some of Zane's choices has me screaming at my radio. For his age, they seemed pretty logical and in good faith, but wow that boy had me screaming.
Also, some of the phrasing in the ARC copy was, a bit much. The synonyms were a bit aggressive. However, some of the stuff that I had an issue with was removed in the final copy.
Oh, and the audiobook was a great way to experience this story. It was helpful for me to see hear how the names were pronounced while seeing the spelling. Also, the narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life!
Final Thoughts
Once again, another hit from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint! I love how we got to learn more about Mayan mythology with Zane and I can't wait for more books so we can continue to learn more. I also loved some of the moments when Zane was talking to the reader. Getting his insight allowed for some great comic relief.
Lovers of other Rick Riordan or Rick Riordan Presents will love this one too!
3.5 stars.
I only took half a star off my review because the main character would refer negatively to his shorter leg with ableist language which is fairly harmful to actual disabled people to frequently have a disability be referred to as the "bad leg" or "gimp". That said the character did eventually come to have a better view of his leg as he learned it was the source of his power but it did take a while to get there.
Moving on, the characters were fun and enjoyable. Zane was hilarious and it was refreshing take to have the grown ups in his life, even the normal ones like his uncle and neighbor Mr. Ortiz, play a role whether small or large in his adventure and journey to save the world. It was fun to see Hondo be there for Zane throughout their quest when normally the adults would just be ditched or made to disappear or whatever as it gave the story a more original take on how these kinds of stories could go. I also liked how Zane's dad took a bit more active role as a parent to Zane comparitive to other stories from Riordan or his Riordan Presents label as he not only assisted Zane when he could but also called on his friends, even ones who were in hiding, to help out his kid and claimed Zane in front of the other gods even though they would imprison or even kill him for having a child (though I suppose one could argue it was to give Zane a power up needed to defeat the villain) and unlike other versions of demigod stories where the gods stay out of their kids' lives because they're just general deadbeats, Zane's dad was more clearly presented as staying away mostly, if not only, because it would bring too much attention to Zane and get the both of them killed by the other gods.
Overall, the story was wonderful and the only reason I didn't give it a 5 star review is because
1) the ableist language mentioned before and
2) 5 stars tend to be reserved imo for books that make me cry and while this was definitely a fantastic read I don't recall it quite hitting that point. To be fair I don't cry much at books or shows or anything, hence why me crying would be a good estimate for what makes a 5 star book.
So, pros:
humor
characters
refreshing take on adults in middle grade adventure novels
refreshing take on having a godly parent
plot
action
Cons:
ableist language
wasn't enough to make me tear up (again it's difficult to get me to tear up so maybe someone else would've idk)
I only took half a star off my review because the main character would refer negatively to his shorter leg with ableist language which is fairly harmful to actual disabled people to frequently have a disability be referred to as the "bad leg" or "gimp". That said the character did eventually come to have a better view of his leg as he learned it was the source of his power but it did take a while to get there.
Moving on, the characters were fun and enjoyable. Zane was hilarious and it was refreshing take to have the grown ups in his life, even the normal ones like his uncle and neighbor Mr. Ortiz, play a role whether small or large in his adventure and journey to save the world. It was fun to see Hondo be there for Zane throughout their quest when normally the adults would just be ditched or made to disappear or whatever as it gave the story a more original take on how these kinds of stories could go. I also liked how Zane's dad took a bit more active role as a parent to Zane comparitive to other stories from Riordan or his Riordan Presents label as he not only assisted Zane when he could but also called on his friends, even ones who were in hiding, to help out his kid and claimed Zane in front of the other gods even though they would imprison or even kill him for having a child (though I suppose one could argue it was to give Zane a power up needed to defeat the villain) and unlike other versions of demigod stories where the gods stay out of their kids' lives because they're just general deadbeats, Zane's dad was more clearly presented as staying away mostly, if not only, because it would bring too much attention to Zane and get the both of them killed by the other gods.
Overall, the story was wonderful and the only reason I didn't give it a 5 star review is because
1) the ableist language mentioned before and
2) 5 stars tend to be reserved imo for books that make me cry and while this was definitely a fantastic read I don't recall it quite hitting that point. To be fair I don't cry much at books or shows or anything, hence why me crying would be a good estimate for what makes a 5 star book.
So, pros:
humor
characters
refreshing take on adults in middle grade adventure novels
refreshing take on having a godly parent
plot
action
Cons:
ableist language
wasn't enough to make me tear up (again it's difficult to get me to tear up so maybe someone else would've idk)
I liked this one, although not as much as Aru Shah. I mean, a disabled Latinx kid story? I had high hopes. I wonder if reading another Mayan Mythology story not that long ago influenced me, but it just didn't capture my attention as much. However I do think kids will love it, and it fits the Riordan formula well.