Book Review: Magnus Chase And The Sword Of Summer By Rick Riordan

A while back, I asked for some new YA recommendations. One of them (from The Mama from Poop Rainbows) was for the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I added it to my reading wish list, but before I got around to acquiring it, I was approached to review the new Rick Riordan book! I was very excited about this - it must be fate!

My review of Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

 

 

 

Blurb from the back cover

 

The first book in the incredible new series from the author of Percy Jackson, the Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus.
My name is Magnus Chase. I'm orphaned and living rough on the streets of Boston. And things are about to get much worse.
My day started out normally enough. I was sleeping under a bridge when some guy kicked me awake and said, 'They're after you.' Next thing I know, I'm reunited with my obnoxious uncle, who casually informs me that my long-lost father is a Norse god.
Nothing normal about that. And it turns out the gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Apparently, if I can't find the sword my father lost two thousand years ago, there will be doom. Doomsday, to be precise.
A fire giant attacking the city?
Immortal warriors hacking each other to pieces?
Unkillable wolves with glowing eyes?
It's all coming up.
But first I'm going to die. This is the story of how my life goes downhill from there...

My thoughts on the book

 

I think I have just found my new favourite YA author! Magnus Chase is a character everyone will love. He is a normal teenager who finds himself in this bizarre situation. I love the way Magnus is quite sarcastic and the way he adapts quickly and just kind of accepts everything that happens around him (and that is a lot of stuff!). I don't want to spoil the story, but the book follows the story of Magnus Chase, a teenager who finds out his father was actually a Norse god. Upon being killed, he finds himself in Valhalla and is thrown into the midst of Odin's army as the gods prepare for war.

Magnus goes on a quest to find the Sword of Summer, and is joined by some fellow misfits in his travels.

All the characters are well written and stay in character.

 

Conclusion and rating

 

This book grabbed me almost immediately and I'm still waiting for it to let go, two days after I finished it. At times witty, and at times utterly touching, this is the story of honour, bravery and friendship. I can't wait for the next one! 5/5

 

Available now on Amazon. Click here for more information and to buy!

 

Picture courtesy of Amazon

 

Still not convinced? Watch the video trailer below to see Magnus Chase's story brought to life!

 



 



 

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I was gifted this book in return for my review, but all opinions are my own. As an avid reader, I would never recommend a book I didn't really enjoy





Book Review: Demon Road by Derek Landy

I was really looking forward to reading this book. It's kind of a mix between horror and fantasy, although it's probably more horror, and I am a massive horror junkie! I haven't read any of Derek Landy's books before and I always like discovering a new author! I know the old saying about judging books by their covers, but I love the dark feel to the cover of this!

My review of Demon Road by Derek Landy

 

 

Blurb from the back cover

 

Amber Lamont is a normal sixteen-year-old. Smart but insecure, she spends most of her time online, where she can avoid her beautiful, aloof parents and their weird friends.

But when a shocking encounter reveals a horrifying family secret, Amber is forced to go on the run. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers and red-skinned horned demons - Amber hurtles from one threat to the next, revealing the terror woven into the very fabric of her life. As her parents close in behind her, Amber's only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be...

 

My thoughts on the book

 

So, as I said at the beginning of the post, this book is a lot horror and a bit of fantasy. I think the fantasy element comes from the journey - for some reason I always associate journey's with the fantasy genre. The book is officially categorized as YA, but it doesn't feel childish or watered down.

This is a long book, but there is more than enough going on to fill it. It gets straight into the story and never lets up!

I love how Amber, the main character, isn't a Barbie doll type. She is real and relatable. I love the characters in this book - they are all well written and I feel the author does a very good job of making the reader feel connected to them.

I really enjoyed this book, it's a definite page turner! This is the first part in a trilogy, and although I can't wait to read the next one, I still felt this book had a real ending. I hate when I feel like the book just stopped rather than ended and I didn't feel like that at all with this one.

 

Conclusion and rating

 







I think the fact this book has over 500 pages and I read it in two sittings says it all! 5/5

Available now! To buy a copy, click here!

You can find me here: Twitter Bloglovin Pinterest and Instagram Please do stop by and say hi!

 

I was gifted this book in return for my review, but all opinions are my own. As an avid reader, I would never recommend a book I didn't really enjoy!

Genres Of Fiction: Best And Worst

There are so many genres of fiction out there now it can get quite confusing. Especially when you start thinking about sub-genres too!
I try not to worry too much about categorising the books I read. If I like them, I like them, if I don't I don't!
I think a lot of people get stuck in a genre rut when choosing their next book to read. I've done this myself in the past - looked at a book and dismissed it because it's such a such genre and I probably wouldn't like it.
I try not to do that any more and consequently I have found some books I love that are in genres I wouldn't have considered based on my pre-conception of them.
I always thought YA fiction would be a bit too tame and quite childish. Then I accidentally tried it because a friend told me how much how I would love The Hunger Games so I bought it without realising it was classed as YA fiction. This is now one of my favourite genres.
Having said that, if I was forced to categorise, I thought I would share 3 of my most and least favourite genres.

The favourites

 

Crime - I love getting inside the mind of the killers and trying to work out their MIs. I like the fact the books are generally fast paced.

Horror - I like the suspense in horror books, and I particularly like the ones that genuinely send a shiver through me.



YA Fiction - I love the settings that are usually still Earth but not as we know it. I like the way the civilizations are usually forced to have some unfair condition put upon them and try to fight it. I also like that they are usually trilogies so when I find a new one, it keeps me going for longer!

The least favourites

 

Westerns - I don't think I will ever get away with these. I'm not sure exactly why, they just don't appeal to me.

Romance - I can read the odd romance book, and I don't mind a sub plot about a budding romance alongside something else, it's just every one I've ever read seem to fall into one of two categories:

1. The tragic love - You know that one of them is going to die, or be stuck in a loveless marriage with someone else.

2. Girl meets boy. Boy is hot and girl feels hopelessly attracted to him, but he is an arrogant prick. They clash. They have hot sex. They clash a little more. Girl realises that actually she loves him and they all live happily ever after.

Science fiction - There are some fantasy books I can get away with (not many, but a few) but real science fiction I just can't. I have no interest in how the space ship/time machine/any other device actually works.

 

What are your favourite/least favourite genres?

 

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)



My Top 4 YA Fiction Trilogies

Originally, I thought I would hate YA fiction. I imagined it all to be sparkly vampires, and cheesy romance. As more and more people talked about it, I decided to give it a go - that many people can't be wrong, right? In this case - right!
YA fiction has certainly outgrown where it was when I was a teenager and the section consisted of Sweet Valley High, Point Horror and The Babysitters Club to name a few. Now the books are a bit more edgy. Generally they have a futuristic utopian feel to them, but the characters are more realistic, and more relatable and the stories are a little edgier.
I'm so glad I decided to give it a go. If you've never tried it and are looking for somewhere to start, or if you have tried it and are wondering what to read next, here are my four favourite YA trilogies so far:

 

1. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

 

2. The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

3. The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner

(Although originally a trilogy, there is now a fourth Maze Runner book - a prequel to the series. I believe there is also a book set for release next year that details a time between the prequel and the first book of the trilogy.)

4. The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

(I haven't actually finished this whole series yet, but it is fantastic so far!)

 

 

I'm always looking for recommendation, so if you know of any good YA fiction, please let me know in the comments section!

 

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

 

 

 



O Is For Obsessions Of Mine

Day 15 of my A to Z Challenge. O is for Obsessions of mine.

If you don't know how this works, I've posted the link back to the rules of the challenge at the end of this, along with a link to yesterday's post. If you want to read my full alphabet, just keep following the links. Each day has a link back to yesterday's post.

For today's post, I thought I would share with you all 7 things I am obsessed with at the minute!

 

1.Pretty Little Liars

I love this show so much! I am about half way through season 5, and much as I love it, there are 3 questions I need answering:

Why are the girls (or anyone for that matter) friends with Ally? She is a truly dreadful person!

How is it that pretty much everyone in Rosewood are at least 3 steps in front of the police?

And most importantly: Are Toby and Caleb in some sort of competition to see who can have the worst haircut?

 

2.Blogging

I love everything about blogging. Writing posts, replying to comments and reading other blogs. This has definitely reached an obsessive level!

 

3.My new laptop!

My old laptop (and I mean old!) died on me on Tuesday. It had been on it's way out for about a year, but I was so attached to it, I didn't want to get a new one. Obviously I had to, so Wednesday, I did the deed and bought a new one, all set to hate it. I don't hate it, I love it! I feel like I'm cheating on my old one! I decided on the Lenovo G50, and would recommend it so far. I'm like a child with a new toy.

 

4.YA fiction

The first YA fiction I read was The Hunger Games trilogy, after that I moved onto the Divergent trilogy. I have just finished The Maze Runner series and I loved them all. I'm now a bit stumped on what to try next. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

5.Twitter

Until I started blogging, I had never bothered much with Twitter. I didn't even have an account until last March this year. Now I'm never off it! (Follow me if you want to see how much time I spend there! @randommusings29). If I'm on the laptop, I just ignore the little number that comes up on the tab header to tell me there's a new tweet. If I'm out and about I check in on my phone. It's like I'm trying to make up for the years of lost time!

 

6.Avon Glimmerstick eyeliner

Eyeliner is my "go to" make up essential. Loads of women seem to struggle with applying it though! Honestly this is so easy to use, it just glides on and is really easy to get a thin line and define the eye, or a thicker smudgy line for smoky eyes. I'd be lost without it.

 

7. My book

This one is more something I'm obsessing about rather than obsessed with. I write scenes in my head, then re-write them and play about with them, but only in my head. I need to put fingers to keys and actually write it!

 

What are you obsessed with?

 

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

 

Link to rules: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/a-z-challenge-whos-with-me.html

Link to N Is For Need Vs Want: http://www.myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/n-is-for-need-vs-want.html