The Red Sun, Thor is my uncle

The Red Sun (Legends of Orkney) - Alane Adams

Sam is just a regular kid going to middle school. Nothing interesting ever happens until a fight with a bully and a new teacher arrives. Sam finds out that he is a descendent of Odin and a witch. He is catapulted into a world that has a cursed sun and a war ready to erupt between both his heritages. He must pick where he stands and what path he wants to live. 

 

Pro:

 

- The book had a really face paced. There was no instance where I was bored or had to drag myself through it. I liked that there was a constant stream of action and drama going on. It made the book seem to go by fast. 

 

- I dont know much about Norse mythology so this book held my attention. I like books in which i learn new things such as mythology. I have a shallow understanding of Norse gods and the history behind them. I mean I do live in the US and have seen the Thor and Avenger movies. What the book brought was a richer understanding of this rich history. There was a steady flow of how the mythology was given to the reader. As in any book that has to do with Mythology there where plenty of characters to keep straight but Adams did a good job of introducing them and keeping them fresh in the readers mind by reminding who they where. 

 

- This book was advertised for readers that enjoyed the Percy Jackson series which I am a fan of. At first it was hard to see a difference in the two books. I mean a boy left by his father, his mother has to raise him. He has trouble in school. But Adams makes The Red Sun a completely different story line. Breathing life into a different mythology characters. 

 

Con:

 

- Sam is really young for the storyline in this book. I feel if Sam and his friends where at least 15 than the story could have been a little more believable. I know that he is a son of Odin and part witch but there is still a great deal of growing up to do. I would yell at him and then have to reign myself in because he's young. He really does not know any better. But instead of his age helping the plot I feel that it brought it down at time. How characters treated him warranted a more mature protagonist. 

 

- As much as I enjoy a fast paced novel, I need character development. I wanted to get to know Sam and Keely more than Adams gave me. There are instances about his anger and loyalty are brought up but not anything that is solid and say to my self yeah thats Sam. Keely we only briefly meet and a romance seems to maybe there... maybe not. Its hinted at but as i stated the age gets in the way. The lack of development for Keely often had me wonder why she was involved in and not saved for later. 

 

 

 

Quotes: 

 

- To understand the present, you have to start in the past

 

-A fire does not burn without fuel

 

Im hoping that this series continues and some of the cons with be worked out. Because I really did enjoy the pace and writing. On a side note at the end of the book, the author encourages readers to let Adams know what they thought of the book; both good and bad. So I sent my review to her and got a respond back. Thought that was pretty cool of Adams...... slow clap......slow clap....