Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 03/15/2013 Norse mythology intrudes on the modern world as Ragnarök (the apocalyptic battle between gods and monsters) approaches, but no gods are left alive to fight for the world’s survival. Now their descendants, including three middle-school kids from South Dakota, must challenge the monsters in the final battle. Chosen to represent Thor’s clan, 13-year-old Matt joins classmates Fen and Laurie, descendants of Loki. After consulting the Norns and the Valkyries, they search for the other young god counterparts as well as magical weapons. The third-person narrative looks at each main character’s strengths and insecurities as they attempt to work together. Comparisons with Rick Riordan’s novels based on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology are inevitable, but this series aims at a somewhat younger audience and features characters who are, at least so far, considerably more human than godlike and more anxious than cocky. While setting up the series takes time, there’s plenty of action to quicken the pace. The first volume in the Blackwell Pages series will please many fans of mythology-based adventures. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2013 Gr 4–6—Loki's Wolves brings Norse mythology to the modern world. Matt Thorsen, the son of a police officer, lives in the shadow of his older brothers, feeling as if he can never measure up to the expectations of his family. Growing up in a small town in South Dakota surrounded by stories of Norse mythology, Matt knows about the gods, their powers, and Ragnarök, the legend of the end of the world. What he soon finds out is that as a descendant of the Norse god Thor, he has been chosen to stand in as the leader in the final battle. It is up to Matt to convince two troublemaking cousins, Laurie and Fen Brekke, who are descendants of the trickster god Loki, that they must join together and find others who will each bring different skills and abilities and help the three in their the quest to save humans. The characters move from one adventure to another, fighting trolls and unseen forces, with friendships being forged and strengthened as each obstacle is passed. The background and explanation of the legends are clear and a natural fit to the story and dialogue, bringing life to lesser-known Norse mythology. The story moves quickly from the very beginning to the end. The final chapter leaves loose ends, and readers will certainly want the sequel. Recommended for those who enjoyed Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (Hyperion), and younger readers who have not yet been introduced to contemporary adaptations of mythology.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 Even though he’s grown up with stories of his ancestor Thor, thirteen-year-old Matt never thought he’d be chosen to take the long-dead god of thunder’s place in the final battle of Ragnarök. Yet suddenly the Seer has named him Champion, a role that comes with the destiny to die while saving the world. Meanwhile, Fen’s been raised with the curse of knowing his family descends from the trickster god, Loki, and is thereby doomed to an outsider’s existence, always on the wrong side of the law. He’s always kept his cousin Laurie in the dark about their ancestry, but now Ragnarök is coming, Laurie is showing signs of the family’s magical legacy, and his family is demanding that Fen help destroy Matt and throw the final battle in favor of chaos. Fen reluctantly joins forces with Matt instead, and soon the Fen, Matt, and Laurie are making their way across the Black Hills of South Dakota on a quest to find other god-descendants to help them battle a giant serpent and prevent the end of mankind. This smart, fast-paced, action-packed novel (by thinly disguised authorial heavy hitters Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong) offers readers a solid adventure story that still manages not to skimp on character. Shifting narration gives each character a chance to tell their story and allows the various protagonists to emerge as more complex than simply the burdened child of privilege or the angry, abandoned rebel. While the boys are largely the focus of the story, Laurie often manages to steal the show as an independent-minded fighter with her own gifts who refuses to be coddled, protected, or pushed aside. An excellent what-to-read-next for Percy Jackson fans, this novel will also please young readers of Marvel’s Thor and myth-lovers already familiar with Norse lore, and its readers will eagerly await the planned sequels. Full-page monochromatic illustrations have a cartoon sensibility suitable to the zippy action. AM - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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