Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

The modern day melding with Norse gods and goddesses in Boston is just too much fun to not enjoy this book.  The team has expanded with a new member, Alex, who is another child of Loki.  Sam and Amir are still in love, and their relationship takes a few turns in this book.  Magnus is growing into his powers and starting to figure out his new life when things change on a dime for him.  Blizten and Hearth are still trying to protect each other and Magnus, while being willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save the other.  The team goes through some tough times, but the five main characters realize that even if they are mad at each other they are a team.  Even Odin’s raven know the five of them are a team, and “the team” to save the day.

Alex is a child of Loki who Sam brings to Valhalla and has an interesting relationship with everyone on floor 19.  While trying to stop a marriage that Loki arranged for Sam to a giant named Thrym the team goes on a series of adventures, or misadventures.  Amir learns that there is more to Sam than he thought and with Magnus’s help he manages to stay sane enough to process what is going on and support Sam.  Blizten and Hearth each deal with hardships and manage to survive, while supporting Magnus and being unsure of Sam and Alex.  Magnus develops an interesting relationship with his new floormate and teammate.  Jack the singing sword adds comic relief whenever he is unsheathed.  The story had laughing out loud moments, moments of worry, and and great ending (at least for now).

The ending of the book gives me high hopes of an amazing cross-over
Later in this series.  Rick Riordan does an amazing job of keeping his worlds touching at just the right moments and allowing his loved characters to interact with each other without it seeming forced, or that you must read the other series.  I do recommend reading other books by this author Magnus Chase Book 1 , the Percey Jackson series, and The Heroes of Olympus are all amazing and highly recommended.  The Kane Chronicles are on my to be read pile and The first book of Trials of Apollo seem good too.

Characters (and some more story summary):

Magnus Chase = (demigod, child of Frey) had been homeless, wolves killed his mom, lives on floor 19 of Hotel Valhalla, Annabeth Cases’s cousin, can heal and glows when he does

Jack = Magnus’s sword, real name Sumarbrander (Sword of Summer), when not a sowrd is a pendant marked with Fehu (ruin for Frey) on Magnus’s necklace, 30″ double edge bone forged steel

Hearthstone = (Elf) disappeared, meets Sam and Magnus in Cape Cod, is deaf, uses ASL, can work ruin magic (is up to 2 or 3 ruins before he passes out), had to return home for one of the missions and at the end realizes he will have to return home again for the ruin he left behind

Blitzen = (Dwarf) turns to stone if he is exposed to sunlight, very fashion conscious, meets Sam and Magnus in Cape Cod, uses Jack to sew magic into a bowling bag to help on one of their missions

Samirah al-Abbas (aka Sam) = (Valkyrie) goes to King Academy, wants to be a pilot, is taking flying lessons, is a Muslim and betrothed to Amir

Amir Fadlan = Sam’s betrothed, gifted her flight lessons, loves her, helped Magnus when he was homeless, comes to rescue Sam when he thought she was in trouble and learns the truth about Sam’s other part of her life.

Alex Fierro = Sam’s brother/sister, child of Loki, new to floor 19 and Hotel Valhalla, wants to be called she some days and called he other days, agrees to be Sam’s male chaperone when she and Amir need one as they go on one of their adventures

Thor = God of Thunder, his Hammer is missing, the giants are growing suspicious and want to attack because they think Thor is weak

Frey = God of Fertility and Health, Magnus’s Dad

Loki = God of Deceit and Trickery, Sam and Alex’s parent

Ran = Sea Goddess, hints that there will be problems with her in the next book and/or later in the series.

Helgi = Manager of Hotel Valhalla, tells the team (Magnus, Sam, Blitzen, Hearth, & Alex) that they are the team for the mission to save the world

Hunding = Bellhop at Hotel Valhalla, Magnus’s friend

Thomas Jefferson (aka TJ) = Magnus’s hallmate, wears a blue Union Army Uniform, is one of the demigods to come in at the end and help

Mallory Keen = Magnus’s hallmate, Irish, flaming red hair, dating Halfborn, one of the demigods to come in at the end and help

Randolph = Magnus’s uncle, lost his family on a boat trying to look for a Norse artifact, working for Loki, or is under his spell due to a promise of getting his family back

Thrym = Earth Giant that Loki promised could marry Sam in exchange for the Hammer of Thor and a special sword that could release Loki from his prison

Thrynga = Princess of the Earth Giants, wants to kill Thor because Thor killed her family

Gellier = Prince of Danes (Zombie), has a sword named Skofnung, Son of Thorkel, burried with his 12 body guards, tries to kill Magnus, Sam, Blitz, and Hearth

Heimdall = has really good eyesight and hearing, controls the bifrost, loves to take selfies

Sunspot & Wildflower = Police officers in Alfheim who find Magnus and Hearthstone and bring them to Hearthstone’s father

Mr. Alderman = Hearthstone’s father, 7′ tall, wants Hearth to cover the skin of the animal that killed Hearth’s brother with gold

Inge = (forest spirit) works for Mr. Alderman, Hearth releases her from working for his family when Mr. Alderman goes crazy from a cursed ring, professes her love for Hearth

Andiron = Hearth’s dead brother

The Careful One = Dwarf with enough gold to pay Hearthstone’s wergild, named Andvaril, lives under water

Big Boy = (Powerful Giant Sorcerer) Utgard-Loki, challenges the team and tells them Loki’s plan, claims he doesn’t want Loki to succeed, but the team is not sure that is true

Tiny = one of the smaller giants, said he would vouch for Magnus if the team did him a favor

Sif = Thor’s wife lives in Bright Crack Palace (Goddess of Earth)

Sigyn = Loki’s wife, holds a bowl that keeps all of the snakes poison from dripping onto Loki, but never enough to stop it completely

Vidar = (God of Vengeance) helps Thor and Heimdall, the silent one, uses ASL

Huginn and Muninn = Odin’s ravens (Thought and Memory), help Sam understand what is going to happen next, tell the team (Maguns, Sam, Alex, Blizten, and Hearthstone) that they are the team to save the world

Annabeth Chase = Magnus’s cousin, Percy Jackson’s girlfriend, daughter of Athena, graduating from high school before Magnus must make his way to find and stop Loki from making a ship and setting sail on the summer solstice.