The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

It has been a while since the last time I followed a series as it was actually being written. My usual modus operandi is to wait until and author's finished and then read the thing in one big gulp. Reading that way, those little tricks an author uses to remind the reader what happened in the previous book were annoying because I'd just read the previous book.  However, I read book 1, Sword of Summer, in January. It's been close to a year because I had to wait for Riordan to write the next book. It was an interesting experience. I found myself floundering around a little trying to remember how things left off. Definitely a different way of reading.

So, Magnus Chase has had six glorious crisis-free months off, but alas all things end. A mysterious goat killing assassin interrupts a coffee appointment with Samirah the Valkyrie and he's off again battling with giants and assorted elves, gods, and dwarves to find the Hammer of Thor and stop Loki.

Alex, the new character, is another child of Loki like Samirah is a somewhat enigmatic figure in the beginning. Violent and angry, she/he walks around with a virtual keep away sign on her forehead.  However she/he is an interesting exposure to the idea of gender fluidity.

All in all it's a good read. It seems like Riordan is trying to use his books to promote tolerance on some real world issues which is a good thing. Downsides, this was a hefty book and the narrative wasn't as tight as in previous books. It came in at around 450 pages and could have, should have probably, been 350. This is why good editors are important kiddos.