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lavendermarch's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun reread. Gavyn is a fun protagonist, as a reluctant hero with intriguing dreams and lots of snark. And some dumbassery. This book is a good start to the series, and I'll reread book two as well. 4 stars.
novelbloglover's review
4.0
Book Review
Title: Sword of Secrets
Author: S. M. Schmitz
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Rating: ****
Review: So, when I read that this was Norse mythology I was looking for something like the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan. We are introduced to our protagonist Gavyn and his best friend Hunter as they watch a football game which is interrupted by a breaking news report claiming gods have come to Earth. The so-called gods claim that if the heroes don’t hand themselves over then the human will die. Gavyn is convinced this is a hoax until 2 women called Gunnr (the younger) and Badb (the older) turn up on his doorstep telling him he is one of the heroes Ninurta – the god - is looking for and they only have 3 days until the deadline passes. When Gavyn refuses to leave the freakish strong Gunnr just drags him and Hunter along for the ride.
From what I can gather the boys decide to nickname their abductors making Badb, Agnes and Gunnr, Keira after Gavyn’s ex-girlfriend. Keira tells the boys that she is a Valkyrie although they have no idea what that means and that they are being taken to Iceland where they will get answers. However, there is a lot of humour in these scenes almost making the serious stuff seem jovial in comparison but so far, I was getting Magnus Chase/Percy Jackson vibes from this novel. On the flight to Iceland Agnes and Keira are joined by Cadros and Tyr and they give Gavyn a book on Norse mythology to try and get him to understand his role but all it succeeds in doing is confusing him even more. I also found it very funny when Gavyn threatens to kill Agnes and Tyr tells him to read up on Irish mythology if he wants to kill her making me think that there will be more than one kind of mythology in this novel, which might be a bit difficult to keep up with.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Gavyn begins to have strange dreams after arriving in Iceland and one stands out about an unnamed god and a mortal woman Arnbjorg who becomes his mistress to save her father’s life. Upon waking Tyr tells him to talk about the dreams as there are people who can understand what the dreams mean. He also says that Hunter might be more than he appears otherwise Agnes wouldn’t have brought him but being British he is more likely to be like Agnes than anyone else. The next morning, he and Tyr discuss some Gods of war and Tyr claims to be one of them and they also begin discussing Ragnarok or the end of days which Gavyn brushes off because he doesn’t believe in the gods at all. However, he and Hunter are soon dragged off to meet the other heroes and their keepers. Gavyn does take a liking to Rota but believes she is taken by another keeper, but they begin to discuss how he is involved in all this and it seems to be directly connected to his mother who died of cancer when he was only 12.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Gavyn isn’t taking to the mythology stuff easily and even attempts to run away from them by knocking out Tyr and running with Hunter, while this doesn’t last long before they are arrested and taken back into the custody of Tyr and Keira, it does highlight some lovely things for us. Tyr being a God is very hard to hurt let alone knock out, so this is an astounding feat for Gavyn and Tyr is actually very impressed by it. It also highlights Gavyn’s physical abilities, as he is much faster and stronger than someone ordinary like Hunter. One thing that did wind me up was Gavyn is always asking for answers and when Keira and Tyr try to give him some he refuses to listen but we do learn the Seer that told the group of the heroes couldn’t offer up much information about Gavyn other than he was be the greatest hero but also the hardest to convince which is turning out to be true but I was looking forward to seeing him train and how he stacks up to others like Tyr and Keira.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we see more of the mysterious dreams Gavyn has been having and we learn the mysterious God’s name is Havard. Havard is one of Odin’s sons and when he returns to Asgard with Arnbjorg he is determined to get her to love him. However, Freyja interrupts this as she makes fun of Arnbjorg, upsetting her but we learn this is because she desires Havard but he won’t sleep with another man wife and risk ending up like his father and he tells Arnbjorg this, but it doesn’t do anything to ease the pain of being separated from her family. We see the beginnings of Gavyn’s training, but this is overshadowed by Freyja and the fact that Frey is her brother as she is the only one they can ask about Havard. While she can’t remember specifics, she does have the ring Havard supposedly gave her she still has and is going to take it to get it inspected. The deadline the Sumerians gave them has also passed and they begin terrorizing people to get their attention and although he isn’t mentioned by name they want Gavyn handed over in the next 48 hours. I also really liked the hints towards a romance between Keira/Gunnr and Gavyn as it would make a nice pairing as Keira is down to earth while Gavyn in very up in the clouds.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Havard makes another appearance but this time with his brother Yngvarr as they head to confront their half-brother Leifr over the death of Havard’s horse and the peasant he was supposed to murder. It turns out that Leifr had lost the horse and blamed the peasant almost sending an innocent man to his death, consequently the brothers kill Leifr as they are justified to do which seems rather harsh. However, because her father is innocent Arnbjorg could go home but Havard has no intention of letting her leave until he is sure of her affections but his has a strange feeling that might never be possible. The more we see of Havard and the Gods in the past we can begin to draw parallels between Havard’s life and what is happening to Gavyn in the present but the mystery these dreams are should to unravel are still as mysterious as they were at the beginning of the novel. After being pulled into this memory the group contact Freyja and Yngvarr who also doesn’t remember Havard but the most interesting thing in this scene is what happens to Gavyn.
The second he hears Yngvarr’s voice he feels a sense of love and admiration that you would for a sibling despite not being related to Yngvarr directly. It is beginning to seem more like Havard is taking over Gavyn rather than trying to help him, but this doesn’t stop the budding romance between him and Keira and I especially liked the first kiss scene as it is over halfway through the novel. We then jump back into Havard’s story and the jumps are becoming more frequent now. This time we learn more about the romance growing between Havard and Arnbjorg, and more about Asgard itself. When we return to the real world we get a ton of information on different things. The first between the romance between Gavyn and Keira, after their kids Gavyn is hopeful for more but after being ignored he is tempted by Freyja’s flirtation. However, when he and Keira argue about it he ends falling into bed with the Goddess making him feel terrible and he must think of a way to show Keira that he still cares about her, but a lot of prophecies are getting in the way. We also get more development between Gavyn and Yngvarr’s relationship, as an only child Gavyn always wanted an older brother and Yngvarr was forced to forget his however, Gavyn doesn't want to turn into Havard. Despite all this character development it is swiftly forgotten when Gavyn agrees to go to Asgard with Freyja and Yngvarr despite refusing several times before. This is also made worse when Gavyn learns that the Sumerians are in Baton Rouge, his home town meaning, they’d discovered who he is.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel Gavyn’s journey to Asgard didn't what he elected but it seems like Freyja and Yngvarr are treating him like someone who doesn't exist anymore, and Keira has to remind him of this. When they arrive at the Palace that one belonged to Havard Gavyn is almost overcome with feelings that aren't his. It was interesting to see some favour names appear like Odin, but I have the feeling we won't be seeing Thor or Loki. However, they aren't in Asgard long before Tyr is calling them and that could only be that the Sumerians have started the war they threatened almost a week before. Despite this we do see Gavyn try and start making things up to Keira with his trademark wit, humour and often stupidity. When they arrive back on earth everyone quickly heads to New Orleans to search for the Sumerians and end them, but they quickly learn it isn't going to be easy. While Gavyn isn't afraid he kills a demigod to help Keira but then really freaks out and as he is about to leave they learn that the Sumerians have taken his father. Obviously, Gavyn wants to surrender immediately and go to the Sumerians to fee his father and it takes a lot of effort to convince him otherwise.
As we cross into the final section of the novel I felt that desire everything else that has gone on in the novel it has only now got serious and while it makes for an interesting experience I felt his father should have been taken earlier. For example, in Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, Percy's mother is taken by Hades very early on in the novel and this fuels his actions throughout the novel and Gavyn as a character could have benefited from this. In the final pages of this novel Gavyn has one final vision from Havard and heads out to find his father but realises that Havard’s sword might be the key to unlocking the mysteries that have baffled him for entirety of this novel. However, before he can do anything they face another battle in which Gavyn is kidnapped by the Sumerians who want him dead.
Overall, I felt that this was a very good first novel despite the few faults I found with it, the ending being the main one because I felt it was too abrupt. However, I would recommend this novel to fans of the Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus and Magnus Chase series but for a slightly more nature audience.
Title: Sword of Secrets
Author: S. M. Schmitz
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Rating: ****
Review: So, when I read that this was Norse mythology I was looking for something like the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan. We are introduced to our protagonist Gavyn and his best friend Hunter as they watch a football game which is interrupted by a breaking news report claiming gods have come to Earth. The so-called gods claim that if the heroes don’t hand themselves over then the human will die. Gavyn is convinced this is a hoax until 2 women called Gunnr (the younger) and Badb (the older) turn up on his doorstep telling him he is one of the heroes Ninurta – the god - is looking for and they only have 3 days until the deadline passes. When Gavyn refuses to leave the freakish strong Gunnr just drags him and Hunter along for the ride.
From what I can gather the boys decide to nickname their abductors making Badb, Agnes and Gunnr, Keira after Gavyn’s ex-girlfriend. Keira tells the boys that she is a Valkyrie although they have no idea what that means and that they are being taken to Iceland where they will get answers. However, there is a lot of humour in these scenes almost making the serious stuff seem jovial in comparison but so far, I was getting Magnus Chase/Percy Jackson vibes from this novel. On the flight to Iceland Agnes and Keira are joined by Cadros and Tyr and they give Gavyn a book on Norse mythology to try and get him to understand his role but all it succeeds in doing is confusing him even more. I also found it very funny when Gavyn threatens to kill Agnes and Tyr tells him to read up on Irish mythology if he wants to kill her making me think that there will be more than one kind of mythology in this novel, which might be a bit difficult to keep up with.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Gavyn begins to have strange dreams after arriving in Iceland and one stands out about an unnamed god and a mortal woman Arnbjorg who becomes his mistress to save her father’s life. Upon waking Tyr tells him to talk about the dreams as there are people who can understand what the dreams mean. He also says that Hunter might be more than he appears otherwise Agnes wouldn’t have brought him but being British he is more likely to be like Agnes than anyone else. The next morning, he and Tyr discuss some Gods of war and Tyr claims to be one of them and they also begin discussing Ragnarok or the end of days which Gavyn brushes off because he doesn’t believe in the gods at all. However, he and Hunter are soon dragged off to meet the other heroes and their keepers. Gavyn does take a liking to Rota but believes she is taken by another keeper, but they begin to discuss how he is involved in all this and it seems to be directly connected to his mother who died of cancer when he was only 12.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Gavyn isn’t taking to the mythology stuff easily and even attempts to run away from them by knocking out Tyr and running with Hunter, while this doesn’t last long before they are arrested and taken back into the custody of Tyr and Keira, it does highlight some lovely things for us. Tyr being a God is very hard to hurt let alone knock out, so this is an astounding feat for Gavyn and Tyr is actually very impressed by it. It also highlights Gavyn’s physical abilities, as he is much faster and stronger than someone ordinary like Hunter. One thing that did wind me up was Gavyn is always asking for answers and when Keira and Tyr try to give him some he refuses to listen but we do learn the Seer that told the group of the heroes couldn’t offer up much information about Gavyn other than he was be the greatest hero but also the hardest to convince which is turning out to be true but I was looking forward to seeing him train and how he stacks up to others like Tyr and Keira.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we see more of the mysterious dreams Gavyn has been having and we learn the mysterious God’s name is Havard. Havard is one of Odin’s sons and when he returns to Asgard with Arnbjorg he is determined to get her to love him. However, Freyja interrupts this as she makes fun of Arnbjorg, upsetting her but we learn this is because she desires Havard but he won’t sleep with another man wife and risk ending up like his father and he tells Arnbjorg this, but it doesn’t do anything to ease the pain of being separated from her family. We see the beginnings of Gavyn’s training, but this is overshadowed by Freyja and the fact that Frey is her brother as she is the only one they can ask about Havard. While she can’t remember specifics, she does have the ring Havard supposedly gave her she still has and is going to take it to get it inspected. The deadline the Sumerians gave them has also passed and they begin terrorizing people to get their attention and although he isn’t mentioned by name they want Gavyn handed over in the next 48 hours. I also really liked the hints towards a romance between Keira/Gunnr and Gavyn as it would make a nice pairing as Keira is down to earth while Gavyn in very up in the clouds.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Havard makes another appearance but this time with his brother Yngvarr as they head to confront their half-brother Leifr over the death of Havard’s horse and the peasant he was supposed to murder. It turns out that Leifr had lost the horse and blamed the peasant almost sending an innocent man to his death, consequently the brothers kill Leifr as they are justified to do which seems rather harsh. However, because her father is innocent Arnbjorg could go home but Havard has no intention of letting her leave until he is sure of her affections but his has a strange feeling that might never be possible. The more we see of Havard and the Gods in the past we can begin to draw parallels between Havard’s life and what is happening to Gavyn in the present but the mystery these dreams are should to unravel are still as mysterious as they were at the beginning of the novel. After being pulled into this memory the group contact Freyja and Yngvarr who also doesn’t remember Havard but the most interesting thing in this scene is what happens to Gavyn.
The second he hears Yngvarr’s voice he feels a sense of love and admiration that you would for a sibling despite not being related to Yngvarr directly. It is beginning to seem more like Havard is taking over Gavyn rather than trying to help him, but this doesn’t stop the budding romance between him and Keira and I especially liked the first kiss scene as it is over halfway through the novel. We then jump back into Havard’s story and the jumps are becoming more frequent now. This time we learn more about the romance growing between Havard and Arnbjorg, and more about Asgard itself. When we return to the real world we get a ton of information on different things. The first between the romance between Gavyn and Keira, after their kids Gavyn is hopeful for more but after being ignored he is tempted by Freyja’s flirtation. However, when he and Keira argue about it he ends falling into bed with the Goddess making him feel terrible and he must think of a way to show Keira that he still cares about her, but a lot of prophecies are getting in the way. We also get more development between Gavyn and Yngvarr’s relationship, as an only child Gavyn always wanted an older brother and Yngvarr was forced to forget his however, Gavyn doesn't want to turn into Havard. Despite all this character development it is swiftly forgotten when Gavyn agrees to go to Asgard with Freyja and Yngvarr despite refusing several times before. This is also made worse when Gavyn learns that the Sumerians are in Baton Rouge, his home town meaning, they’d discovered who he is.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel Gavyn’s journey to Asgard didn't what he elected but it seems like Freyja and Yngvarr are treating him like someone who doesn't exist anymore, and Keira has to remind him of this. When they arrive at the Palace that one belonged to Havard Gavyn is almost overcome with feelings that aren't his. It was interesting to see some favour names appear like Odin, but I have the feeling we won't be seeing Thor or Loki. However, they aren't in Asgard long before Tyr is calling them and that could only be that the Sumerians have started the war they threatened almost a week before. Despite this we do see Gavyn try and start making things up to Keira with his trademark wit, humour and often stupidity. When they arrive back on earth everyone quickly heads to New Orleans to search for the Sumerians and end them, but they quickly learn it isn't going to be easy. While Gavyn isn't afraid he kills a demigod to help Keira but then really freaks out and as he is about to leave they learn that the Sumerians have taken his father. Obviously, Gavyn wants to surrender immediately and go to the Sumerians to fee his father and it takes a lot of effort to convince him otherwise.
As we cross into the final section of the novel I felt that desire everything else that has gone on in the novel it has only now got serious and while it makes for an interesting experience I felt his father should have been taken earlier. For example, in Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, Percy's mother is taken by Hades very early on in the novel and this fuels his actions throughout the novel and Gavyn as a character could have benefited from this. In the final pages of this novel Gavyn has one final vision from Havard and heads out to find his father but realises that Havard’s sword might be the key to unlocking the mysteries that have baffled him for entirety of this novel. However, before he can do anything they face another battle in which Gavyn is kidnapped by the Sumerians who want him dead.
Overall, I felt that this was a very good first novel despite the few faults I found with it, the ending being the main one because I felt it was too abrupt. However, I would recommend this novel to fans of the Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus and Magnus Chase series but for a slightly more nature audience.
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