Book Review: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Series
I picked up the first book of the Magnus Chase series a while back, when I caught it on sale. I finally got around to reading it a couple of days ago, and then I bought and read the other two books in the series. Unsurprisingly, I'm having feelings, so! Here's a brief review.
Well, like the Percy Jackson books by the same author, I enjoyed this. I kind of wish the series had been longer, though. Maybe he'll do another set someday? I hope so. I liked pretty much all the characters. Magnus is a good protagonist, and a bit of an interesting change, with him not really being a warrior. I went in kind of expecting another Percy. But being the child of the god of summer, with healing magic being one of his primary powers, Magnus really isn't like that. And probably because of that, I felt the action in this series was a little lacking. Not that it was bad, but I think there were more interesting battles in the PJO books.
I liked all of the Floor 19 crew. I'd have liked to see more of them, honestly. And Alex was a fun addition in book 2. I'm always a little impressed at how progressive Rick Riordan is. I mean, we had positive gay representation in the PJO books, and then he brings in a genderfluid character in this one. And I think he handled it pretty well, honestly. One scene I liked was when Magnus and Alex are kissing toward the end of book 3, and Magnus kind of remembers that Alex is male that day, and how does he feel about kissing another guy? He then immediately decides that he's kissing Alex, and he's totally fine with that. No big drama, just acceptance. I thought it was done well.
Let's see, who else? Oh, Blitz and Hearth were my favorites. I always wanted more of them. And I was seriously waiting for them to either get together, or for someone to casually mention that they already were. They're such an old married couple, and I love them. Oh, and Samirah. (Which is such a pretty name, BTW.) I liked her, though I could have done without the religious bits. I mean, on the one hand, this is more progressiveness. Showing a positive portrayal of a Muslim girl, in a book aimed at younger audiences? That's cool. I guess I just don't particularly like seeing any religion treated as if it's a good thing. Plus, this is a series about how the old gods from other cultures are still around...so bringing in more current religions just feels weird. I don't know. I liked Sam as a person, but I could do without the religious trappings. And finally, Jack. He...is an odd duck. He can be good for humor sometimes, but at the same time, part of me feels like he's kind of a cop-out. I mean, Magnus isn't a warrior, okay. Hence the lack of decent action scenes. But having a magical, talking sword that can just fly around and do nearly anything, to make up for that? Feels a little Deus ex Machina to me. Meh.
And speaking of the action scenes, or lack thereof, the final confrontation with Loki in book 3 felt kind of anti-climactic. I will admit, the idea of insulting someone down to a fraction of their normal size is a little funny. But I guess I just wanted a decent fight. Truthfully, the whole series is a little like that. There really isn't much of a sense of urgency, most of the time. I mean, yeah, a bit. But not as much as I'd like, maybe. I don't know. I feel like I'm nitpicking a lot, but I honestly did enjoy these books. ^^;; I think maybe I was subconsciously comparing them to the PJO books, and they're just not the same. That's not a bad thing, but it is different. I might not mind the different pace the second time around, since I'll be expecting it.
Final verdict? I liked it, though not quite as much as the Percy Jackson books. Good, but could be improved a bit. Now, if only the fandom was bigger! I seriously want fic, but there's not a whole lot out there.
Well, like the Percy Jackson books by the same author, I enjoyed this. I kind of wish the series had been longer, though. Maybe he'll do another set someday? I hope so. I liked pretty much all the characters. Magnus is a good protagonist, and a bit of an interesting change, with him not really being a warrior. I went in kind of expecting another Percy. But being the child of the god of summer, with healing magic being one of his primary powers, Magnus really isn't like that. And probably because of that, I felt the action in this series was a little lacking. Not that it was bad, but I think there were more interesting battles in the PJO books.
I liked all of the Floor 19 crew. I'd have liked to see more of them, honestly. And Alex was a fun addition in book 2. I'm always a little impressed at how progressive Rick Riordan is. I mean, we had positive gay representation in the PJO books, and then he brings in a genderfluid character in this one. And I think he handled it pretty well, honestly. One scene I liked was when Magnus and Alex are kissing toward the end of book 3, and Magnus kind of remembers that Alex is male that day, and how does he feel about kissing another guy? He then immediately decides that he's kissing Alex, and he's totally fine with that. No big drama, just acceptance. I thought it was done well.
Let's see, who else? Oh, Blitz and Hearth were my favorites. I always wanted more of them. And I was seriously waiting for them to either get together, or for someone to casually mention that they already were. They're such an old married couple, and I love them. Oh, and Samirah. (Which is such a pretty name, BTW.) I liked her, though I could have done without the religious bits. I mean, on the one hand, this is more progressiveness. Showing a positive portrayal of a Muslim girl, in a book aimed at younger audiences? That's cool. I guess I just don't particularly like seeing any religion treated as if it's a good thing. Plus, this is a series about how the old gods from other cultures are still around...so bringing in more current religions just feels weird. I don't know. I liked Sam as a person, but I could do without the religious trappings. And finally, Jack. He...is an odd duck. He can be good for humor sometimes, but at the same time, part of me feels like he's kind of a cop-out. I mean, Magnus isn't a warrior, okay. Hence the lack of decent action scenes. But having a magical, talking sword that can just fly around and do nearly anything, to make up for that? Feels a little Deus ex Machina to me. Meh.
And speaking of the action scenes, or lack thereof, the final confrontation with Loki in book 3 felt kind of anti-climactic. I will admit, the idea of insulting someone down to a fraction of their normal size is a little funny. But I guess I just wanted a decent fight. Truthfully, the whole series is a little like that. There really isn't much of a sense of urgency, most of the time. I mean, yeah, a bit. But not as much as I'd like, maybe. I don't know. I feel like I'm nitpicking a lot, but I honestly did enjoy these books. ^^;; I think maybe I was subconsciously comparing them to the PJO books, and they're just not the same. That's not a bad thing, but it is different. I might not mind the different pace the second time around, since I'll be expecting it.
Final verdict? I liked it, though not quite as much as the Percy Jackson books. Good, but could be improved a bit. Now, if only the fandom was bigger! I seriously want fic, but there's not a whole lot out there.