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Apr 30, 2013

My Thoughts: Loki's Wolves by KL Armstrong & MA Marr

3.5 yummy frosted ginger cookies.

Cover Love:
Yes!  The action, the shield, the wolves.  So much of the story is here on the cover.  And it's very eye catching.  Excellent for a middle school library!

Why I Wanted to Read This:
This seems  like a good series to get into when you are all done with Percy Jackson!  Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:
In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters—wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds—all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history—because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt’s classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids—led by Matt—will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen’s lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.
Romance?:  No, but I think there is a crush brewing between Matt and Laurie.

My Thoughts:
First off, kids will love this one.  Most middle school readers are not as jaded as adults.  They get really excited when a book is very similar to one they really enjoyed because if they liked one, they would like another.  So, this book has got two HUGE attractions for middle school readers--it is similar to Percy Jackson and it features Norse legends, which we all know are very popular due to Thor and The Avengers.  I am planning on buying three copies for my library because I know it will be popular when I booktalk it!

I liked Matt as a hero.  He already knew he was descended from Thor, but he really had no idea of what part he was to play in Ragnarok.  Or his powers.  I really liked that the authors had him use his powers a lot and had him work on controlling them.

I also liked Fen.  He was a good frenemy for Matt.  I still worry that he could go either way, even though he has proven himself to be firmly on Matt's side.  I just think it would be too easy for the other side to sway him over, especially when you look at his devotion to (and protection of) Laurie.

There were some good additions to the team,  I felt the twins became part of the group a little too easily.  They were really suspicious of everything but then they just followed along.  It makes me suspicious of them.  Of all the characters I feel like they were the least formed.

The villains were very good, but we haven't met a "big" bad yet.  I think that reveal will be surprising!

There was a big tragedy, which I think will drive the story in the second book.  There was a big cliffhanger.  In fact, I can already hear several kids whining about having to wait so long for the next book!

To Sum Up:  I felt this was a good set up story that will grow in mythology and action in the next book.  It is a great start to the series!

Book won from Little Brown.

2 comments:

  1. So agree that kids who are fans of Percy Jackson will love this. I really enjoyed it too. And I'm interviewing Kelley Armstrong and giving away my ARC in two weeks.

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  2. I love the cover too. I find Norse mythology fascinating and want to get to this one soon, but cliff hanger. It does sound really good though and I doubt I can wait for the next one to come out.

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