The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton

Published: June 25th, 2013

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 369

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Fans of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and Holly Black's "The Curse Workers" will embrace this richly drawn, Norse-mythology-infused alternate world: the United States of Asgard. Seventeen-year-old Soren Bearskin is trying to escape the past. His father, a famed warrior, lost himself to the battle-frenzy and killed thirteen innocent people. Soren cannot deny that berserking is in his blood--the fevers, insomnia, and occasional feelings of uncontrollable rage haunt him. So he tries to remain calm and detached from everyone at Sanctus Sigurd's Academy. But that's hard to do when a popular, beautiful girl like Astrid Glyn tells Soren she dreams of him. That's not all Astrid dreams of--the daughter of a renowned prophetess, Astrid is coming into her own inherited abilities. 

When Baldur, son of Odin and one of the most popular gods in the country, goes missing, Astrid sees where he is and convinces Soren to join her on a road trip that will take them to find not only a lost god, but also who they are beyond the legacy of their parents and everything they've been told they have to be.

Review

Oh my goodness, how much I enjoyed this book.  It picked me up within a few pages and carried me through the story to the very end.  The United States of Azgard became real to me and I was travelling through the center of them along with Soren, Astrid and Baldur.  

A short while ago I reviewed a book (the name of which escapes me right now) where I commented that although an alternate version of our world, everything had the same names and the characters spoke the same and it was hard to tell the difference between universes. In The Lost Sun, Ms Gratton has created a world that has developed alongside ours at the same pace, but is in its own way totally different.  People use the interweave, not internet, have televisions, but watch the Gods live.  The states are just slightly different Mizizibi/Lafloride/Montania - they eat a ham LT or Arnold chips. This world is complete in every way and was so easy to believe.

As were the characters - Astrid and Soren were so real, with their wonderful personalities and so full of doubts and laughter.  True to themselves and each other and always growing in knowledge.  Soren's boon from Odin was so right it gave me shivers.  Theirs was a true love story -  I laughed and yes, I cried too.  A perfect mystery that needed to be solved.  The Lost Sun is a beautiful coming of age story that shows us the power of belief in ourselves and other.  If you're in the mood for a perfect love story with a difference, try The Lost Sun.  Maybe you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

In Case YOu Missed It - Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

 

Published: July 2012, May 2011

Publisher: Bluefire

Pages: 408

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything.

Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.

Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s parents and the spell book, Nick and Silla will have to let go of everything they believe about who they are, the nature of life and death, and the deadly secrets that hide in blood.

Blood Magic was an interesting read.  It took me a little while to get through, but really that was more circumstance than lack of enjoyment.  The story is -of course - about blood magic and how the discovery of it affects Silla and her brother Reese after the death of their parents.

Silla was a slightly different character, who tries to hide her true feelings behind masks.  I was a little confused about these masks, because at first they appear to be real, but in fact they are masks of her imagination.  Thankfully, towards the end of the book we find out where these masks fit into the picture - confusion gone! No love triangle in this one, but there is a romance and the hunk in question is Nick who, it turns out, is aware of the magic.  His connection with Silla is powerful and effective, and I loved the way he was always there for her.

Oh, and there is lots of blood, and magic - some interesting story development with that one. There are interesting diary entries from an older witch that help to bring the story to an exciting conclusion.  But not a final one.  Book 2 of the trilogy(?) came out in August 2012, so you may have missed it too, like I did.  I am positive that the reason I missed catching this one first time around was the cover.  The original cover was very blah and did nothing to excite me, but when I saw this new version, for the paperback, I loved it and picked it up immediately.  It is much more indicative of what the story is actually about.  Try it out for yourself.

I also found out there is a third book Crow Memory, which is tagged as The Blood Journals 1.5, I might have to find that one too. I can't find a title for a third (fourth) book so if you know of one, tellus about it.