⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
Magnus Chase has seen his share of trouble. Ever since that terrible night two years ago when his mother told him to run, he has lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, staying one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.
One day, Magnus learns that someone else is trying to track him down—his uncle Randolph, a man his mother had always warned him about. When Magnus tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls right into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Magnus’s birthright: a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.
The more Randolph talks, the more puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories about the gods of Asgard, wolves, and Doomsday bubble up from Magnus’s memory. But he doesn’t have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents. . . .
Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.
A demigod teenager, a dwarf with fashion sense, a deaf elf, and a middle eastern Valkyrie walk into a bar… Okay, they didn’t walk into a bar until later but they have had some ridiculous adventures while trying to stop Ragnarok from happening. The Magnus Chase series is a spinoff of Rick Riorden’s Percy Jackson series. The difference is that Percy Jackson is embroiled with the Greek gods and Magnus Chase has been pulled into the world of the Norse gods.
I really didn’t care for the narrator for this audiobook. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I think it’s because he sounds like he’s trying too hard. He voices the teenage main character and females at the same high pitch. He tries to make all the other male characters have deep voices and it comes out exactly like a woman that’s joking around trying to imitate a deep male voice. I had a hard time looking past all that to enjoy the story.
As for the story, all I can say is what the crap?! It is completely absurd and insane which is off-putting but also what keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen next. The world building is the strangest I’ve ever encountered. Weird doesn’t begin to describe it so you will just have to see what I mean for yourself.
I only gave it 3 stars because of the narrator and how it makes fun of and twists the character of the gods. I can see this being very entertaining for young adults but not so much for us stuffy grown-ups 😉 Happy reading! 📚
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