General Comment
This is a swords and sorcery series with a twist which I will get to shortly. While ostensibly young adult fiction like what one may find from the likes of Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling, the series begins with young people who are dealing with bad parents, puberty, sexuality, insecurities and the tortures of school and their peers plus magic, monsters and mythological figures come to life. Personally I think the series is OK for ages 14+ but you may want to read all these reviews before you decide for whom some parts may be too adult. I will say out of the gate that the author was new to the genre and to fiction writing generally when the series began and there is evidence of this. She regularly breaks the first rule of good speculative fiction which is this: To obtain willing suspension of disbelief the author must take pains to provide realism and verisimilitude wherever possible, and that the fantastic magic or technology is set against this backdrop. However, whatever the author lacks in technical story telling skill she makes up for in her knowledge of Greek and Norse mythology and appreciation for the best of Western culture in all times, especially music both sacred and profane. But what is best about the series is its luminous treatment of true love, sex and beauty as gifts from God. And that brings me to the truth in advertising portion. This is a Christian story told by a person who became a more ardent Christian during the time she wrote it, and this shows, especially in the final book. If this is your thing you will love it. If it is not I suggest you keep an open mind because there is much here worth enjoying and thinking about. If that is not possible for you for whatever reason then this series is not for you. If you are involved with a church youth group it might be worth considering developing a lesson plan around these and reading them together.
Book Two: The Cloak of Freya
Peter and Val, whose real name is Eir, and the other god friends fight more baddies and she still doesn’t understand that the annoying kid who is now mostly missing is anything more than a stupid brother to the hero she likes. Meanwhile, Peter meets Freya, the Norse goddess of love. Without giving up too much, what passes between them, and between Peter and Val/Eir, is some of the hottest yet still not vulgar or fully consummated sex I’ve ever read. This is where some might want to shield their young people’s eyes but consider this: what is happening here is a lesson in love much milder and yet more wholesome than most of what kids get bombarded with constantly these days from the time they are very young. The battles are great fun too, as is the sexual tension between Peter and Val; but what one can see happening amidst a lot of fabulousness and grown up situations is the two falling deeply and meaningfully in love. Believe me, it’s beautiful.
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