Jayson’s Reviews > The Hammer of Thor > Status Update
Jayson
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I enjoyed the first book, on the whole. I did find stretches of it rather tedious and the characters without much personality. I'm not too concerned about it here. In my experience, Riordan's very good at noticing what doesn't work and promptly course correcting. Though I don't know if he writes magic well. It was the same way with "The Kane Chronicles" where magic was tantamount to a cheat code, all deus ex machina.
— Sep 18, 2019 04:30AM
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is on page 398 of 459
I'm about sixty pages to the end, and will probably finish this book later today. I'd put it in the lower half of Riordan books, but that's still a four-star rating for me. Compared to The Sword of Summer, there was a lot more to this one, but the flaws were also more acute. I think I like them about the same. I wish the series would take more chances, compared to other series, it's playing things really safe.
— Oct 05, 2019 04:30AM
Jayson
is on page 372 of 459
I know I'm meant to like Alex, being one of the hero trio, but I just don't. He/she doesn't add anything to the narrative other than being a colorful and rude third-wheel. If you look at other third-wheel characters from previous Riordan books, Grover and Leo, they were both interesting and great sources of energy and optimism along the journey. All Alex seems to do is get salty and irritated. I mean, that's not fun.
— Oct 04, 2019 04:30AM
Jayson
is on page 315 of 459
Thoughts:
(1) I've not made as much progress as I'd like. There's no particular issues with the book itself, I'm actually in "just one more chapter" territory and have to stop myself from going on. It's just that real life stuff has left me with very little time to read. A side-effect of having to deal with the world outside your books.
(2) Okay, Samirah being an info tease is definitely a recurring bit. So annoying!
— Oct 02, 2019 04:30AM
(1) I've not made as much progress as I'd like. There's no particular issues with the book itself, I'm actually in "just one more chapter" territory and have to stop myself from going on. It's just that real life stuff has left me with very little time to read. A side-effect of having to deal with the world outside your books.
(2) Okay, Samirah being an info tease is definitely a recurring bit. So annoying!
Jayson
is on page 291 of 459
I'm not fond of revisiting Jotunheim (giant world). It's just plain boring. First of all, the scale is wildly inconsistent: sometimes relatable and other times pure hyperbole. That a shoelace can be as thick as a tree branch does not jive with bent knees the height of mountains. Secondly, there's nothing there. It's generic forest-scape and generic medieval castle. Elf world and dwarf world are much more interesting.
— Sep 30, 2019 04:30AM
Jayson
is on page 207 of 459
A couple things:
(1) I legitimately thought Blitzen and Hearthstone were a gay couple. Now Hearthstone sort of has a lady love-interest. Though the interest there seems very one-sided, and perhaps unrequited. So, my instincts may well be correct.
(2) Hearthstone and his father's relationship is giving me Tyrion/Tywin vibes. Not only are both sons blamed for family deaths, but they also suffer humiliating punishments.
— Sep 28, 2019 04:34AM
(1) I legitimately thought Blitzen and Hearthstone were a gay couple. Now Hearthstone sort of has a lady love-interest. Though the interest there seems very one-sided, and perhaps unrequited. So, my instincts may well be correct.
(2) Hearthstone and his father's relationship is giving me Tyrion/Tywin vibes. Not only are both sons blamed for family deaths, but they also suffer humiliating punishments.
Jayson
is on page 177 of 459
The pace isn't as brisk as I'd like, even compared to the first book, which was pretty slow. I remember "The Lightning Thief" going at a breakneck pace. On the flip side, "The Red Pyramid" was an absolute chore to finish. This is a different kind of slow. I feel like this would be faster paced, were there not frequent breaks for instructive social commentary, which while not in itself bad, grinds the story to a halt.
— Sep 26, 2019 04:30AM
Jayson
is on page 139 of 459
Thoughts:
(1) I used to think Blitzen and Hearthstone were like Bert and Ernie, but now I'm thinking they're more like Bunsen and Beaker. Still Muppets, though.
(2) This story is sort of a spin on George and the Dragon. But instead of saving a princess from a dragon, it's saving a Valkyrie from wedding a giant.
(3) Loki's a bit too present in the story. It's like the Jaws shark, it's more scary if you rarely see him.
— Sep 24, 2019 04:00AM
(1) I used to think Blitzen and Hearthstone were like Bert and Ernie, but now I'm thinking they're more like Bunsen and Beaker. Still Muppets, though.
(2) This story is sort of a spin on George and the Dragon. But instead of saving a princess from a dragon, it's saving a Valkyrie from wedding a giant.
(3) Loki's a bit too present in the story. It's like the Jaws shark, it's more scary if you rarely see him.
Jayson
is on page 74 of 459
There's this new character: Alex, the green-haired trans-gendered child of Loki, who dresses in pink and green preppy-wear. Sounds interesting! Though I'd prefer Riordan lean less on surface-level traits and actually give these kids personalities. Magnus looks like Kurt Cobain, Samirah wears a green hijab... that's really all you know about them. All the Percy Jackson kids had personalities... well, all except Jason.
— Sep 22, 2019 04:30AM
Jayson
is on page 53 of 459
A few things:
(1) Samirah continues to annoyingly withhold crucial information, insisting it doesn't matter, when it actually does. This shows some personality, at least, where the was otherwise none. Though, if this is her shtick now, her scenes are going to be super-aggravating. Don't be such an info tease!
(2) I'm enjoying the murder-mystery premise so far. The temporary absence of goofy sidekicks is also welcome.
— Sep 20, 2019 04:30AM
(1) Samirah continues to annoyingly withhold crucial information, insisting it doesn't matter, when it actually does. This shows some personality, at least, where the was otherwise none. Though, if this is her shtick now, her scenes are going to be super-aggravating. Don't be such an info tease!
(2) I'm enjoying the murder-mystery premise so far. The temporary absence of goofy sidekicks is also welcome.