Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan (Adventure, Fantasy, Myths)

This is the last book of the Magnus Chase trilogy. Although Magnus and his crew were able to get Thor’s hammer back, they couldn’t stop Loki’s real plan: his freedom. As the title suggests, Loki will launch Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead in a short time. The ship houses giants, zombies, and other mythological monsters ready to destroy the world. To counter this, Magnus will launch his own ship with his own crew to go on a quest to stop them. But how? Magnus, son of Frey, will have to do everything he can to stop Loki, or the world may just end. But is there anything he can do? Unlike most other heroes, Magnus isn’t suited for fighting. As a son of Frey, his ability ranges from healing other people, to talking with an animated sword. Not very heroic. This book will also feature some history on Magnus’s friends. Who is Mallory Keen? What is her godly heritage? And what were the past lives of Thomas Jefferson Jr. and Halfborn Gunderson like. As you read through the book, it will give you their histories and origins. This book also gives the final part of the battle between Hearth and his greedy father. As the final chapter of Magnus’s journey, it will encourage the crew’s bonds to get stronger, so that they can fight Loki one last time.

Frankly, I thought the book was a little repetitive. Although we got to see some new mythological people, gods, and monsters, the way that it was formatted was very similar to the first two books. Magnus has a big quest to do, Magnus meets living myths every two pages, and completes the big quest. Very repetitive. Yes, the involvement of the different mythological creatures was exciting, but no matter how many new living myths appeared, the whole framework itself did not change, making it seem a little boring. On the other hand, I thought the book had a unique ending. I honestly did not expect this ending. Although I did anticipate an ending where bonds and friendship will prevail over evil, like the Percy Jackson ending, this ending was completely different from the Percy Jackson one. I guess that that was to be expected, because while Percy’s father, Poseidon, is a very battle-oriented god, Magnus’s father, Frey, is a very peaceful god. This probably resulted in the different endings. In conclusion, I would give this a 7/10. I liked the story paralleling that of Percy Jackson and loved the part where Magnus and Percy met in the first chapter. A character saving the world and meeting a veteran who has. The ending was nice too, but the paths leading to it were as I said, a little boring. However, I would still recommend if you read the first two books.

Reviewed by Rintaro O. Grade 11