Neal Chase

I'm going to be quick about this because I really don't have the time with my exams going on this weekend.

This was like a weird, and rather failed, Percy Jackson story - with Norse mythology, though (and no, Magnus Chase doesn't count as something like that because that's actually enjoyable). We get the child with the divine parents, who at first doesn't know his heritage, and then he tries to help and save said parents. Honestly, it would have been much better, but Stian ruined it all by himself. I seriously have seen only a handful of main characters like him - and I hope they remain as many as that, really.

I would have liked to say that I view it this way because I'm no longer a child and this is obviously fiction for children, but in all honesty, I think me being an adult is actually what kept me reading this book until the very end. My teenage self would have stopped midway. My 10-year-old self would have "gifted" it like she was oh so generous to some unfortunate classmate pretending to want them to enjoy it, only to bask in the secret knowledge that the other kid really had no clue they were reading low quality fiction - unless they were as fanatic readers as I was, in which case they would have found me after they started reading it to throw it at my head (yes, I was a mean and snobbish bookworm brat, I'll admit as much).

So, no more Stian for me, thank you very much - and no Dahlia, too, because she was even worse than him at times...

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***… (més)

Worthy of Song and Story
By: Neal Chase

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

If you love Rick Riordan's books of Norse gods and their demigod children then you will find this book engaging and enjoyable!

Characters:
The best part of this book is that the characters have depth. So often, in this sort of book, characters can be slightly one-dimensional. Our main character (Stian) is Loki's son. Mythology paints Loki as cunning and out to create mayhem (even a bit of evil). The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. Thus, Loki is a bad guy and his son must also be bad and kind of dark. That is not the case in this book. Stian is an interesting guy who has a mischievous streak and some amazing powers but is basically a very good person. The reader sees Stian morph from an unsure boy into a confident person. I can't wait to hear more of his story!

If I have one complaint about this book it is that the other characters are less developed. For instance, Thor and his sons are slightly one-dimensional (strong but not over burdened with brains). They are so easily manipulated by the clever son of Loki that it downplays the fun a bit. Give Stian a worthy opponent!

Another component that I love is the witty dialogue. This makes the book so much fun to read. I read lots of books and this sort of easy, fun language flow is rare.

Plot:
Clever, clever, clever. I loved this little book (my copy came in at 164 pages). Stian is a young (12 year old) Viking who discovers that his Dad is really Loki! Kind of a shocker. Loki has been inprisoned by Odin (per a familiar story about Loki). Stian sets out to find a legendary sword in order to free Loki from the unbreakable bonds which keep him captive. Stian has to use his new found powers, a bit of careful sword work and lots of imaginative plotting

There are lots of really vivid descriptions in this book. For instance, at the beginning, when Stian is part of a Viking raiding party, the descriptions felt very real. It was almost visceral as the author described Stian's fear and each attack. Likewise, when Stian begins to morph into animals, the suthor's description of these events was vividly narrated. The process sounded painful and the reader felt each detail.

Overall:
This is a very fun, clever, and quick moving book. I can't wait to read more of this series!… (més)

Worthy of Song and Story by Neal Chase is the first book of the Stian the Viking series. Twelve-year-old Stian wants to be the best viking ever. He wants to prove this by going on a raid with his father, but ends up being saved, but by whom he doesn't know. He is then captured by a dark elf named Dahlia, on her mother's command. Stian finds out his father isn't who he thought, and that Loki is his real father. Stian and Dahlia set off on a quest to free Stian's Loki from the prison that Odin has thrown him into.

This story is set in viking times, but the dialogue is in the present. Preteens will get a kick out of Stian and Dahlia's banter. This story has a bit of action and humor with a bit of feels thrown in.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.… (més)