The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan - 471 pages
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - book 2

Magnus must team up with Sam, Blitz, Hearthstone, and Alex to stop Loki's plan to marry Sam off to a giant.
I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since finishing the first one last fall.  It's been a long wait but worth it.  I loved the blending of the various cultures -- Norse, Muslim, etc.  The only thing is that occasionally I felt the book was a little preachy in its explanations of gender-fluid persons.

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan - 499 pages
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Book 1

Magnus has lived on the streets since that terrible night two years ago when his mother was killed by wolves.  Nobody in his family has looked for him since then . . . until now.  Now his Uncle Randolph wants him to find the Norse Sword of Summer.  And finding the sword is just the beginning of Magnus' adventures.

This is the first book in Rick Riordan's new Norse mythology trilogy.  I really enjoyed the book.  It was immediately engrossing even though I am not as familiar with Norse mythology.  I did feel a little idiotic that I didn't put together that Magnus Chase was related to Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson books until the second chapter -- especially as his name is very prominent on the cover.