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Runelight (Runemarks #2)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 202 ratings · 37 reviews

The squabbling Norse gods and goddesses of Runemarks are back! And there's a feisty new heroine on the scene: Maggie, a girl the same age as Maddy but brought up a world apart - literally, in World's End, the focus of the Order in which Maddy was raised. Now the Order is destroyed, Chaos is filling the vacuum left behind... and is breaching the everyday world.

A chilling p...more

Kindle Edition, 572 pages

Published (first published 2011)

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The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

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Dec 13, 2012 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: train-read, other-fantasy, ya-of-note

It got a bit whiplashy towards the ending but it's still leagues ahead of any YA I've read so far. (Except maybe Seraphina.)

I don't know how I feel about these series. Normally, one would want author to continue. But would it be a good idea? What will be there to say, besides the resolving the problem of the baby? Will things simply come full circle again?

Can the circle be broken? Can Whisperer truly be destroyed? Will whatever cosmic force that imposes it allow such a thing?

Part of me that hate...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Ariel added it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, recommended, mythology, 2012

I wanted this book to be the Maddy and Loki Show. I really, really did. Instead, it's the Maggie, Maddy, and Loki Show, and I am so okay with that it hurts. Though I was hesitant about the character of Maggie, I trusted Joanne to do her justice, and oh, did she. Maggie is prickly, clever, stubborn, and powerful (sound familiar?), but instead of being a Maddy clone with a coat of pious paint thrown on, she's her own fully-realized, independent character. A product of her environment, she has been...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Barb Middleton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Yabba dabba doo! While there is no Fred Flintstone some of the Norse gods are painted in a cartoonish way. While I found the ravens with their Scottish accent enduring, the anachronistic wolfmen with their dude-speak was quite annoying. You'll have to read the book to decide for yourself who ye like and who ye dinnae like verra much (raven-speak). Actually you need to read the first book before this one because the author doesn't spend much time explaining the world she created in book 1. I had...more Yabba dabba doo! While there is no Fred Flintstone some of the Norse gods are painted in a cartoonish way. While I found the ravens with their Scottish accent enduring, the anachronistic wolfmen with their dude-speak was quite annoying. You'll have to read the book to decide for yourself who ye like and who ye dinnae like verra much (raven-speak). Actually you need to read the first book before this one because the author doesn't spend much time explaining the world she created in book 1. I had forgotten how the runes worked and who the Whisperer was before getting some glimpses on page 200 to jar my itty-bitty memory. But I like Norwegian mythology so inspite of the flaws, I did enjoy the tale and the author's twist on the creation story.

Maddy, the protagonist from book 1, Runemarks, is back and discovers that she has a sister, Maggie. The two have new runemarks that the gods want to use to build Asgard once again. As Maggie is used by one powerful god, Maddy is used by another. Neither blindly follow the gods and as they make friends they learn that trust can always be betrayed.

Maddy doesn't show up in the story until page 100 and like a dip I didn't figure out that Maggie was not Maddy until then. I have not read book one in a couple of years and had problems putting two and two together. Maggie's character is not as engaging as Maddy in book one and that was my biggest problem. I just couldn't buy Maggie and Adam as a couple. I kept thinking her strict upbringing would not have caused her to act as she did, although the author tries to show that it was loneliness that made her act as she did. Perhaps if the Whisperer had revealed some flaw or some hint of a love in his past, then I think I would have enjoyed the character development more. The threesome was a bit flat and I never got sucked into their story like Maddy's tale in book 1.

Loki is the most interesting character for me and again I found him fascinating. The author does a great job making him a complex web of good decisions and bad decisions. I found his wife annoying at first but her unconditional love is used in an interesting twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The Loki/Maddy interest in each other is dropped completely in this book.

The prophecy was yabba dabba dumb. I'm not usually that harsh but it was a lazy Fred Flintstonish way to not foreshadow the plot and with the rock-a-bye baby nursery rhyme I found myself gritting my teeth and skimming it so I didn't have to read it. I realize mythology is full of oracles and prophecies, but I wish the author had handled it differently. The ending suggests a sequel but I'm not sure. It would be just another reworking of the same plot. Book 1 and book 2 are basically saving the world from destruction. Book 3 would be saving the world from Maggie's Bamm-Bamm. Or would it?<

Young Adult(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Reece rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Reece by: Lancashire Book Of The Year

Two girls, Maddy and Maggie live six hundred miles apart, but as the end of the world comes closer and ancient prophecies are deciphered, they are drawn together. They are the twin children of Thor, the thunder god and each bear on their skin a Runemark, a sign of magic. Both have their part to play in this great battle

What I thought about this book (my likes/dislikes and feelings):
At the start of this book I really struggled to understand what was happening so I found myself skim reading and s...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maddy, child of Thor, the Lightening Ash is torn between her new, adoptive family, the Aesir and the new revelation of her twin sister, Maggie.

Maggie, raised in World’s End, a child of the Order, has strict, unflinching beliefs that have not relaxed as World’s End succumbed to chaos and disorder. She knows what is right and has strong beliefs – including in the rune-marked demons that once plagued the world. The same rune marked demons that are her family. Her world turned upside down by the dis...more Maddy, child of Thor, the Lightening Ash is torn between her new, adoptive family, the Aesir and the new revelation of her twin sister, Maggie.

Maggie, raised in World’s End, a child of the Order, has strict, unflinching beliefs that have not relaxed as World’s End succumbed to chaos and disorder. She knows what is right and has strong beliefs – including in the rune-marked demons that once plagued the world. The same rune marked demons that are her family. Her world turned upside down by the discovery of her rune and her power, she becomes caught up in the plotting of Mimir the Wise, the Whisperer and his quest for power and grudge against the Aesir.

The Aesir and the Vanir must make a strange deal with the forces of chaos that once brought them down in Ragnarok and make the long and difficult trip down to Worlds End with very little time to do it in.

And the end of days are coming again. The freeing of Sleipnir has caused the river Dream to overflow it’s banks and Malbury is in danger of falling to its waters. Three riders must ride forth, Carnage, Treachery and Lunacy, signalling the end of the world – again.

If everything goes according to plan, Asgard will rise again – but who will be its master? Or will chaos consume everything?

There was so much about this book I loved.

I love Norse mythology. I’ve said before that I’m a mythology geek and seeing the Aesir and the Vanir in all their glory in a story is always going to hook me in. And not just the Aesir and the Vanir – but Mjolnir personified? Fenris, Hati and Skol with human aspects? Hunin and Munin? This book was designed to hook me in.

Throw in an epic quest to rebuild Asgard, a prophecy and a world that has been turned on its head and you have a great story to tell with it. A lost child coming to terms with her power, Maddy, our hero from the last book, torn between her sister and her new family. The Dream unleashed, Sleipnir walking the skies, chaos stalking everything, ready to destroy all. New runs, new powers, new gods and, of course, the intricate and crafty plans of the gods themselves. I do love some cunning plotting.

And there’s Loki. There’s always a lot to be said for Loki. And this is a very unique take on Loki – not Loki the deceiver or even Loki the manipulator. This is Loki the unlucky, poor Loki the often put upon, Loki the trickster with a brilliant and quick mind but without a great many fans – and Thor always ready to hammer him.

The problem with this book is how very long it took to tell that story. We had several storylines: Maddy and Perth; the Aesir and the Vanir; Maggie, Adam and the Whisperer and always poor Loki. But they took a long long time to get anywhere. This book is over 500 pages and covers a span of about 10 days and a lot of that time is spent being rather repetitive. The Aesir and the Vanir are bickering (I wanted to see more of the Aesir and the Vanir, get a greater sense of them – especially since I’m a mythology geek and just loved having them all around – including members we don’t often see. But it was just one long argument). Maggie is torn between her beliefs, Adam and her family and Maddie torn between her long lost sister and her loyalty to the Aesir. All interesting concepts, but we return to them time and again to find them wandering endlessly in circles each in their own storyline, thinking on it, but not developing it. It felt like a lot of passing the time was going on.

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Jun 20, 2012 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, teenage

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 21, 2012 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Runelight is a rather convoluted sequel to Runemarks, so it’s definitely a good idea to read the first book (which I did not, lesson learnt).
Simply put, the story of Runelight follows two magical girls, six hundred miles apart, who both have a runemark on their skin, a symbol of the Old Days when the Worlds were ruled by the gods from their sky citadel, Asgard. However, the famed citadel of Asgard now lies in ruins and the gods’ power has been destroyed. Or so everyone thinks...

The most complic...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

You know from my review yesterday that I enjoyed the first book in this series, Runemarks but this one really blew me away. I LOVED Runelight. This book totally absorbed me like a Venus fly trap, then spat me out at the end after controlling my mind for the whole journey. After reading it, I couldn't help but feel that with Runemarks the author was testing the waters, but with Runelight she swam the Channel - unaided!

We find ourselves returning to World's End, which has basically taken a noise...more You know from my review yesterday that I enjoyed the first book in this series, Runemarks but this one really blew me away. I LOVED Runelight. This book totally absorbed me like a Venus fly trap, then spat me out at the end after controlling my mind for the whole journey. After reading it, I couldn't help but feel that with Runemarks the author was testing the waters, but with Runelight she swam the Channel - unaided!

We find ourselves returning to World's End, which has basically taken a noise dive in the most beautiful places to live guide. No one seems to be able to forget the events that occurred at the end of Runemarks and the clearing up operations seems to still be going on.

It was lovely to be reacquainted with some friendly old faces and it was interesting to see how they had developed in the three years since the previous events. Many alliances and friendships were in need of rebuilding, which resulted in a group of argumentative and nit picking Norse Gods, who were still having issues with past misdemeanours . The humour in this book really has gone up a notch and it really reminded me of the Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett, where humour is carefully hidden within the high drama.

Just to show you what I mean, here is a scene that could have come straight out of a comedy.
'So protecting me was just a ruse to ensure I survived to cement your deal.' Loki appealed to the party of gods. 'You're really going along with this? You're going to watch them sacrifice me? Sif, we've had our differences, but...'
The goddess of grace and plenty smiled. 'You bet I'm going to watch,' she said. ' I only wish we had popcorn.'
Fabulous! Now imagine 572 pages with humour like this.

I absolutely adored Loki! He is like the Derek Trotter of the Nine Worlds, wheeling and dealing his way out of ever death threat he can. My favourite scenes in the book revolved around the freak show they labelled a circus. In order for the gods to travel unnoticed, he creates a travelling show that will be noticed but won't be believed. Always fond of the weird and wonderful, I couldn't help but become attached to Jormundgand, the World Serpent, who could only think with his stomach.

Some interesting new characters join the cast of many and some of the secondary characters from the previous book step forward to take their moments in the spot light. I found it much easier to keep track of all the characters in this book which I believe is due to the detailed descriptions provided by the author.

The book goes from strength to strength, finishing with an epic battle where the End of the World is at stake. Again. An apocalyptic climax, via a kaleidoscope of varying powers. Asgard - well I am lost for words as to describe how beautiful and wonderful it sounds. You will just have to read it sigh in wonder with me.

Joanne Harris is one of the most versatile authors I have ever come across. With each book she writes, it is like hopping on a magical mystery tour, where you never know where you will end up. She has such a uniqueness to her writing voice, that each book is like a surprise gift. This author cannot be labelled or categorised to fit into one genre. She has the ability to take any subject or genre and make it her own, marking it with her individuality.

This is a tale of epic proportion that will bring to life the Norse myths which so often get over overlooked. (less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

I borrowed Runelight from the school library ages ago ( a month ago = overdue book) and FINALLY finished the book today.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book Runemarks and was ecstatic when I saw Runelight.
So first things first, the reason why it took me so long to finish the novel was the first boring chapters. Personally, I was bored at the start. Harris's writing is fantastic and is of a proper author's talent, but it was literally exhausting to read the beginning pages.
HOWEVER...
Further in t...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Helen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, action-and-gore, best-character-or-charachters, funny, historical-fiction, parties-fesivals-and-circuses, paranormal-and-myth, romance

I loved Runemarks quite a bit. Runelight... not so much.

I still love Maddy - she's still my Little Ninja, even though she's 17 - and I grew to like Maggie. I can understand how confused she was. In the middle of the book, I was even starting to doubt who the good guy was! (view spoiler)

Thor was a surprise for me. I didn't exp...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Alicia Papp rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Runelight is the second book( begun in Runemark) in the continuing adventures of the now 17 year old Maddy Smith. In the previous book she discovered that she is one of the new gods, daughter of Thor and a demon, and granddaughter to Odin. This story follows her continuing attempts to control and develop her magical powers, whilst trying to avert the end of the world, being brought about by the disgruntled and insane Mimir, aka the Whisperer. Her newly found family, which are the dysfunctional r...more Runelight is the second book( begun in Runemark) in the continuing adventures of the now 17 year old Maddy Smith. In the previous book she discovered that she is one of the new gods, daughter of Thor and a demon, and granddaughter to Odin. This story follows her continuing attempts to control and develop her magical powers, whilst trying to avert the end of the world, being brought about by the disgruntled and insane Mimir, aka the Whisperer. Her newly found family, which are the dysfunctional remnants of the pantheon of Norse gods, are not helping with their continual bickering and undermining of each other. Having lost most of their own powers in the other "End of the World" 500 years previously, and having formed an uneasy alliance with demon-kind and the Vanir, it falls to Maddy to bring all these disparate forces together. She is never sure who to trust or put her faith in, and when she discovers the existence of a sister, she finds herself conflicted in her loyalties.
Set in an alternative, vaguely mediaeval universe, not unlike Terry Pratchett's Discworld, this book is peppered throughout with anachronisms which add to the enjoyment. This is an amazingly intricate, rich and funny book. It includes secrets, lies, betrayals and wonderful descriptions of the Nine Worlds and the incredible creatures that inhabit it. Not to mention Loki, The Trickster; a truly memorable character. The only quibble I have with this book is its complexity. I got a bit impatient with the breath taking speed that the story switches between characters and storylines, making it hard to keep up, but once I got into the rhythm of the storytelling, that all fell away (and the list of characters is useful! ) This is a minor criticism, more than made up for with the invention, humour, imagination and beautifully realised characters and situations.
Though completely different in tone, I enjoyed this book as much as Melina Marchetta's Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles. Wonderfully written, a joy to read.
(less)

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Dec 31, 2011 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, norse-fantasy

Joanne Harris has utterly upped her game since writing the wonderful Runemarks. Runelight is bigger, better and more magical than ever. There are the old favourite characters of Loki and Thor and to this mix she adds new characters of the three famous wolves Fenris, Skoll and Hati and even Odin's (One-Eye) ravens Hugnin and Munin but each with their own quirky names and personalities.
What make's it extra special is the massive trail of secrets that is woven throughout all the events and adventur...more

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May 15, 2012 Peregrine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

AAAAAAH! Why did I not know that this was out yet??? I'd nearly given up on there being a sequel!

TO AMAZON!!!! CHAAAAARGE!!!

*waves credit card wildly*

(Might I just add that I'm glad everyone else here loves Loki as much as I do?)

***

What can I say? I loved this book just as much as the last one. There were sections I found boring (Maggie's), just as in the last book. Loki was his usual charming self. Maddy was pretty much a ninja. The other gods (Thor, Heimdall, Freyja, etc.) were fun to read ab...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Keturah Kemp rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would suggest definitely reading runemarks before this other wise you will be lost. Even though I have read the first book a lot of time has passed since then and I still struggled at points to know what was going on.

However, this book is still a good read. You still love the characters and I think every reader will have a favourite that they root for and empathise with.

A good story left open for a possible sequel which I would love to read.

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Oct 26, 2012 Skye rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 11, 2012 Leyton cave rated it 5 of 5 stars

i think this book is amazing also i love the chapters with loki in they made me laugh because of his wit and sarcasm i also found my self enjoying the maggie and adam chapter and i dont why haha one of my other favourite characters was jorgi he just sounds so awsome

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May 26, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mythology

Very fun sequel to Runemarks. Loki is just as fun in this book as before, and it was nice to see Maddy a little more grown up and get to know her sister, Maggie. Maggie does some things that seemed a bit stupid for the sake of the plot, but I am definitely curious to see where Harris takes this story in the next book. Although I think if there is another book, it will crossover from young adult to adult since Maddy and Maggie are already 17, and I imagine Maggie's baby will most likely play a bi...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Orla rated it 3 of 5 stars

This dragged and then the ending was a bit of a let down. Shame, I was so in love with the story itself, just the way it was written.

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Mar 04, 2012 Alex George rated it 5 of 5 stars

I bought Runemark the prequel years ago, it still is one of my favourite books and I only just found out it had a sequel that by the reviews looked like it was even better than the first.

Runelight is a brilliant tale of Norse mythology that I've always loved, whilst I preferred Runemark to Runelight personally the actual story is very engrossing, as I hadn't read Runemark in a while it took me a couple of chapters to remember what had actually happened even with the summary at the front but ther...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Jae rated it 5 of 5 stars

my beloved loki is back again , our heroine faces a choice i acn not wait to read this to my daughters

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Apr 10, 2012 Skyla marked it as to-read · review of another edition

It has been almost 8 years since I read the first book in this series (I know it says it was published in 2008 but I write the year I got books on the first page of a book and my book says 2004 in it). I hate when series do this.

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Dec 27, 2011 Archer marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Managed to find a signed copy of this on Dec 27.

Signed... available to buy for £7.99... score.

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Nov 21, 2012 MNLO rated it 3 of 5 stars

Much of the previous book, but still entertaining. Complete review at http://recenseernogeenkeer.wordpress....

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Mar 11, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Worth the anticipation! Great story, full of humour. Can't help but hope for a third book to follow this up. Loved it and shall enjoy reading it again!

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Apr 20, 2013 M.h. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: myth-fantasy

On the whole, I must confess that I was slightly disappointed. I read the first part few years ago and somehow, in my memory, that story seemed far more exciting. The sequel felt a bit...predictable?
Also, I did not really like the new character of Maggie, at times she was pretty unbearable.
But then again, I couldn't help loving the Norse gods (although maybe slightly cartoonesque): especially Loki and Odin are very charming indeed. I liked the twist with the old woman getting a big role. Hugin a...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Bethan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My thoughts:
1) Joanne, you're a genius.
2) Loki, you're a babe.
3) Maggie, you're an idiot. However, I forgive you because this book is amazing.

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Dec 04, 2011 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-hero-to-die-for, adventure, gods, conspiracy, demons, half-blood, loki, norse-gods

Я считаю задачу на уикэнд выполненной с блеском :)

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Nov 02, 2011 Sem marked it as to-read

*dances* Finally!

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Jan 10, 2012 Fi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, library, mythology, pub-2011, read-in-2012, series, young-adult

Any book with a character called Ethel is great but this one was fantastic. I could have quite happily read another 500 hundred pages.

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Dec 21, 2012 Saskia Yssennagger rated it 5 of 5 stars

omg, this is probably my favorite book about norse mythology now, I'm a big fan of thor and loki, and have read a few thor comics,and seen the movie, but to read a book about it was really interesting aswell as it gives a whole new dimension to it- and i love books! It is amazing.

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About Joanne Harris

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Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels; The Evil Seed (1989), Sle...more

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Runelight (Runemarks #2)

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