4/5 stars
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013
350 pages
YA Mythology Paranormal
Source: Received an ARC from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
Though this book was released at the end of June, I haven't seen much buzz for it. I find this surprising as I know the author has had popular releases before, it features Norse gods in an intriguing paranormal/alternate history story, and because I really enjoyed it so why wouldn't others?
I will try to keep my plot summary as simple and straightforward as I can. In an alternate history, the United States of Asgard seems to cover what is known as the United States of America in our world and is based on worship of Norse gods who came over. One of those is Baldur who dies at the end of every summer and comes back to begin summer; he is associated with sun (hence the title). To solve the mystery of his disappearance stunning prophet Astrid enlists our narrator berserker Soren to go on a road trip to find him based on the information in her visions. Soren is reluctant as he has been fighting his fate to become a bloodthirsty warrior but succumbs to
My summary above isn't that good but I wanted to try to describe it differently from the official publisher synopsis and I think I did that well! For me, the best part of this book was the writing. I fell very easily into this world and did not want to leave until it was concluded. The plot moved at a fast clip, surprising to me as road trip books don't tend to be among my favorites. I also loved all the bits of mythology incorporated. Though I'm not familiar with most of the aspects, I suspect a lot was modified for this story. I would love to know more about what was changed, o knowledgeable readers!
As for the characters, yes there is a bit of a romance. I have a soft spot for guy who falls for the seemingly unattainable girl and just adores her so this played well for me. I have read some reviews mentioning the romance wasn't very well-developed and I honestly can't argue with that other than to say that for some reason it worked for me but it might not work for you.
One last piece of information to know: though this is the start of a series, it does not end on a cliffhanger. The main conflict of this book (where is Baldur?) is resolved though there are still lingering threads of tension to explore as the series continues; I will definitely be returning! I also want to check out Gratton's other books since this outing was such a success.
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Miss Print
4/5? after the bad reviews of her previous books i stayed away from this author. hmmm... maybe i'll give this series a chance.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen those bad reviews-I think I might really click with her writing so I'll still want to give them a read.
DeleteI always like when the boy falls for the "unattainable" girl (or vice versa), especially when it's well done. And yay for no cliffie!!
ReplyDeleteYay someone else agrees with me! I was so glad about the cliffhanger while also still eagerly anticipating book 2.
DeleteI might have to pick this one up, I love that there is mythology in it. Great review.
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool to read-I don't know much about Norse mythology but I definitely want to read more now.
DeleteNow I'm even more excited that I'm getting this one! I love it when the first book has a complete story, just like books are supposed to.
ReplyDeleteHope you get it soon-looking forward to your review!
DeleteI got this one because of the author but like you said, I haven't heard much about it. I know she writes good, so why isn't this one getting much press? I really need to read this one this week so you have me much more excited to pick it up now. :)
ReplyDeleteHope you get to it this week-I definitely want to know your thoughts!
DeleteOoh, Norse mythology! I like it when books explore different mythologies--mostly because I know so little about them and it's my way of learning without reading nonfiction (which I avoid like the plague). What I think I know about Norse mythology comes from my reading of Going Bovine (where Baldur is a lawn gnome) and the more recent Loki's Wolves. Oh, and Thor.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know this hidden gem is out there, though I'm as surprised as you are that it hasn't gotten much buzz if it's really that good. Didn't Tess Gratton write Blood Magic?
I love using fiction to learn more too-the writing tends to be much more engaging than non-fiction.
DeleteShe did write Blood Magic, which is on my to-read list, soon hopefully.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it :D I still need to read my copy, but I'm really excited for it. <3 A bit worried about the romance that you mention.. But I hope that like you, I will enjoy it :) Thank you for sharing your honest review. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my blog. <3
Love, Carina @ Carina's Books
I hope you read and review this soon-I'd love to see more opinions about it!
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