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James Grant Goldin
Author, Illustrator
978-0985455330
In this exciting sequel to THE AESIR KIDS, the father-daughter team of James Grant Goldin and Charlotte Goldin send the children of Asgard to camp -- in the realm of the other Norse gods: Vanaheim, a land supposedly dedicated to the wonders of Nature. But camp isn't all hiking and playing games; there are mysteries to solve, monsters to fight, deadly dangers to overcome, and a war to stop. And, at the heart of it all, the godlings of Asgard must find the key to great power, or maybe the greatest peril of all... the long-hidden secret of THE 18TH RUNE
Reviews
Reader's Favorite

Review #1: Review by Erika Grediaga

Reviewed By:

Erika Grediaga

Review Rating:

5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! Get your free 5-star seal!

Reviewed By Erika Grediaga for Readers’ Favorite

"In one part of the old Norse poem Hávamál, Odin lists eighteen magic spells, or runes, and explains what each rune does... except for the last rune, the eighteenth. For centuries, people have tried to guess what the Eighteenth Rune is and does. But nobody knows."

That is the beginning of The Eighteenth Rune, the second installment of the Aesir Kids series by father-daughter writing combo, James Grant Goldin and Charlotte Goldin. That piece of mystery is the best way to kick off the new adventure of our young gods, who this time are going off to camp in another world in the realm: Vanaheim. The problem comes when only the older kids are allowed to go, leaving the younger ones behind: Noss, Skade and Hela are to remain in Asgard. However, as our little heroes are willful and resourceful too, the younger girls manage to stow away and make it to Vanaheim. In this new world, our adventurers have to confront several challenges, starting with the Vanir people and their world being very hostile to the kids: in this land trees move, fish bite, and plants can attack with poisonous thorns. And our heroes are not allowed to bring their weapons, as the Vanir are dead set against steel of any kind. Trying to survive camp, and keep the little goddesses a secret from the camp counselors, the kids end up stumbling on the underground world of the Groblins, and almost creating a war between races in the land -- but there's a secret puppeteer behind the whole scheme, pulling everyone's strings.

The Eighteenth Rune is a wonderful fantasy adventure that plunges deep into Norse mythology, creating a vast and rich world of adventure. I feel the main quest takes a long time to get going, but as the establishing of the world and the conflict between races is so detailed, the read doesn't feel slow or cumbersome. Each Aesir kid has a very distinct voice and fun personality, and we're introduced to two new characters that deepen the mystery of the overall series: Ice, a giantess that does not look like a jotun; and Gersemi, a Vanir girl who claims to be Noss's twin sister. If you have children who love mythology, Vikings and D&D, this series is a fabulous fit for them.

The Feathered Quill

Monday, October 9, 2017

#BookReview - The 18th Rune @JamesGGoldin

 

The 18th Rune: (The Aesir Kids, Volume 2)

 

By: James Grant Goldin & Charlotte Goldin
Illustrated by: Treehouse
Publisher: Basiliak Books
Publication Date: June 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9854553-3-0
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: October 7, 2017

 

The children of the Norse gods have done well in all of their training in their home city of Asgard, but now they face an even greater challenge. They will travel to Vanaheim and attend a camp where they can work on strengthening their skills. There is one catch to this adventure, the gods of Vanaheim and the gods of Asgard have had disagreements in the past and do not get along well. Many times those disagreements have turned into destruction and war, so it is not surprising that the Aesir children are feeling a bit apprehensive about their trip.

Among the children going on this trip are Thrud, daughter of Thor, her brothers Magni and Modi, Fire, who has amazing abilities with flame, Ull, who is an expert with skis, and Forseti, an expert archer. There are also two mortals that serve Thor who are allowed to go as well, Tjalfi, who has the ability to run at amazing speeds, and his sister Roskva, who has the ability to hear even the faintest sound. Even though this is usually a camp strictly for children of gods, both Tjalfi and Roskva are thrilled with being allowed to go. However, it does not take long for trouble to start...

When the children reach camp in Vanaheim they are greeted by the head camp counselor, Skogurvegg, and his assistant Tryggvin. From the beginning, all of the Aesir children could tell that something was wrong about the way Skogurvegg treated them while getting settled into camp. The first thing he has them do is play a game with the Vanir campers and it did not take long for the game to become violent. For starters, it seemed as if the entire forest, including the grass, trees, and roots, were working against the Aesir team as they used all of their skills to try and win. However, what started out as a simple game became terrifying when Roskva got pulled into a lake by a vicious looking vine and nearly drowned before being saved in the nick of time by Thrud. Utterly surprised that the camp counselors were not more concerned with this attack against their teammate, all the Aesir children agree that everyone should be on guard while they are at the camp.

Unbeknownst to all of them, the playing of a game will be the least of their worries, as a dark evil resides under the land of Vanaheim and it is waiting for its chance to escape. With all of their strengths working together, will the Aesir children be courageous enough to defeat this evil or will it be too much for them to handle this time?

This is a book that will thrill any adventure or fantasy enthusiast, as I could not put it down after I started. Every chapter had suspense and action in it that had me turning pages as quickly as I could. The authors do a great job of developing each of the characters as well, and that creates a bond between those characters and the reader. I will definitely be looking for the next book to come out and will snatch it up when it does!
 

Quill says: Loved this book from the beginning, and could not ask for a better adventure story!

 

For more information on The 18th Rune: (The Aesir Kids, Volume 2) , please visit the book's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/TheAesirKids

 

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