Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

The diverse cast of characters was incredible. Yeah, the main character is a basic blond, but he has a heart of gold, lived as a homeless kid for a while, and goes to an afterlife where he is the minority because of his heritage.

But the character that really made me fall in love with the series is his love interest, a gender fluid, take-no-prisoners, shapeshifting child of Loki who gives no cares on whether you like him/her or not. This character lives her/his truth and he/she will fight you if you so much as look at her/him wrong. You… show more.

Riordan had me at Norse mythology. Love it! Written in the usual tongue-in-cheek humor I’m used to with the author’s style, I loved the way he rebranded Norse myths to fit into the young adult genre he’s so famous for writing. It begins as homeless Magnus Chase (cousin to Annabeth from The Lightning Thief) is plucked from the real world (he literally dies) and taken to Hotel Valhalla, where he’s put through the gantlet over and over again (and dies many times in the process) until he teams up with an unlikely (and likable) diverse cast of characters who… show more.

Rick Riordan is a master of writing books based on mythology! His Magnus Chase series is excellent for fans of Norse mythology. It is a Middle Grade series, so it is directed at kids, but that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy it. I love a good Middle Grade book! This series is fun, snappy, entertaining, and has great, well-rounded characters.

Technically a trilogy, I know, but I can’t in good faith add the first book of the trilogy to this list, and it just seems wrong to recommend the third book without recommending the first two – especially when the third one is arguably the weakest. However, the third book also includes one of the greatest written scenes my eyes have ever perused. Drip. Drip. (If you know, you know. If you don’t, you oughtta). Also, Riordan warrants a mention for doing fun mainstream fantasy for kids that has really stepped up to try and include minority representation. If you’re… show more.