This book was a perfect start to a new Norse mythology inspired series! I loved all the lore and myths that Cinda Chima was able to pack into one book, while giving us a unique plot. All of the characters are in some way connected the gods or magic, whether they want to be or not. We mainly follow Reggin's journey in this novel, but Eiric and Liv's story was woven into it, leading to an explosive cliffhanger when they all finally come to the same moment. The pacing at times felt too fast or too slow, but that did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this book.

First, thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for an e-copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Okay, overall? I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the worldbuilding so much. The world was great and engaging, the characters likeable, but the pacing is where it fell a little flat for me. Parts were hard to get through, bordering on confusing. While interesting, I felt there could have been more done, maybe cutting down the pages, to really bring it home so to speak.

3.5 rounded up.

4/5

I loved this book, and zipped right through it. Cinda Williams Chima is a wonderful writer, my students and I have loved her earlier series.

A fun and promising start to a new series. We've all read post-apocalyptic stories-- but I, for one, had never read a post-Ragnarok one before this. The barriers between realms has collapsed and magic has fled the human world. It is a desolate landscape in which our teen protagonists find themselves, first apart, and then, as their paths and fates slowly converge, together. This is a really imaginative take on a familiar genre, enlivened by the presence of Norse mythology and richly realized Scandinavian setting.

A great addition to the mythology-based fantasy genre. The characters pull you in from the beginning and keep you hooked, the story has heroes, villains, magic, mystery, and a few twists. I will definitely be adding this title to the Middle school libraries in my school district.

I received an eARC of this novel through NetGalley

I have heard of Cinda Williams Chima and have vague memories of reading at least one of her books many years ago although I cannot be certain. Thus, when I read the synopsis of this book I found myself utterly intrigued and could not wait to start reading.

While I still really enjoyed my read, it did not quite live up to my expectations. I found myself invested in the characters and their journeys but frustrated with the slow, meandering pace of the plot. Things would get revealed but then so much extra would get add on to those reveals that I found myself lost on several occasions having to backtrack to reread sections to figure out what had just happened.

On top of that, this first book in a brand new series brought a lot of world building to the table which I think was the thing that brought down my experience with this book the most even though I found myself fascinated with the world as well. I wanted to know more about the world, the characters, and the plot yet somehow even though I got so much of all those, the mix felt off. Something just felt lacking.

However, I will be returning for the sequel whenever that gets published.

I just found myself unable to get into the plot, characters, etc. Maybe it wasn't the right time or subject. Chima's books are well written and popular, just not this time for me.

The gods have died and magic has gone from the world each year farms produce less, winters are hard, and people are struggling. Hidden away on an island is the remains of the magical society. We follow Reggie a thrall who is a con artist who’s master just uses her as she discovers how to stand up for her self, and Eiric a coaster who goes on a journey to save his family farm and discovers more about his families past.

This story was a great story it was more Viking historical fiction with magical myth mixed together. Great characters with awesome development, villains that you can see and some that are unexpected.

The premise was interesting but ultimately the mythology was just too dense for me to properly enjoy it with my current headspace. I do like this author, and would probably recommend this to my teens.

Welcome to the world after Ragnarok. The gods are dead, but there are those who would like to replace them. This new epic YA Nordic fantasy from Cinda Williams Chima does not disappoint.
It has been some time since the battle that ended worlds and removed magic from the everyday lives of mortals. Life in the Midlands is beyond challenging. It’s difficult and dangerous. Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halveson and his half sister Liv have each other’s back as they do everything they can to keep the family farm.

Traces of magic come to light as we meet young Reggin Eiklund, a spellsinger and healer. She entertains and helps those in need for a price as slave to a disguised fire demon whose travels the Midlands since his world was destroyed in Ragnarok.

There is a place with magic, New Jotunheim. A place everyone believes to be a paradise, but only time will tell if that is true.

Chima is a master at creating characters and worlds that jump off the page. Runestone Saga is full of adventure from start to finish—and is not disappointing to those of us who love Nordic legends. To say more is to risk spoilers, so I will simply say this a book you won’t want to put down, but you also won’t want the story to end. Thankfully, there will be sequels!

Cinda Williams Chima has always been a hard hitter in YA fiction. Her characters are genuinely some of the BEST, well-developed, brilliant, magical fantasy characters I’ve ever read. Her plots and writing are so fantastic hat, even without some of the more New Adult plot points (sex, rape, brutality) that we see in Maas and Armentrout books, she is able to create an epic that is spell-binding.

I was SO excited that to hear that she was starting a new series based on Viking Mythology and was lucky enough to get an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. In this fantasy YA, perfect for younger students 12-16, we follow two narrators. Reggin and Eiric who are both 16-year-olds who live in an incredibly difficult world AFTER Ragnarok. The Gods have seemingly all disappeared, as has magic, and the isle is starting to feel the effects of it. Farms are failing, people are starving, monsters are roaming the woods – Reggin and Eiric are brought together after a strange twist of fate and then ripped apart immediately after.

Reggin must go on a journey to discover the source of her magic and fight a mysterious isle of wyrdspinners that can suck magic from an individual and still their energy. While Eiric is thrust headfirst into a world of Viking politics as he fights to keep his farm, save his baby brother, and protect his half-sister Liv – all while hunting for the mysterious isle of New Jotunheim.

I loved this first book and I think this is another series that I will read and re-read every time there is a new novel!

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I'm a sucker for Norse mythology and I don't think we get enough of them. Not like we do with Greek retellings so I'm here from them. This one was a quick read and a great start to a new series. I think fans of the Magus Chase series will love this series.

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication date in exchange for an honest review.

I have read other books by Cinda Williams Chima and have love them, so when I have given the opportunity to read the upcoming novel based on Norse mythology, I jumped on it. I loved both parts of the story, and was eagerly awaiting the reveal of how the storyline were going to meld together. Of course, the ending of this first book in the series frustrates me, only in that I have to wait for the next installment!

The Midlands are a dangerous place to be since the final battle at Ragnarok wiped out the rest of the 9 Worlds and most of the Norse gods. Magic is gone, refugees from the other 9 Worlds lurk in the shadows, slavery is rampant, and justice is used to serve the purposes of the unjust. The entire book feels like a slow and methodical introductory piece that sets the stage for the war brewing under the surface. It’s a brutal place; and the characters are hardened and tough, the only way to survive. As you get to know them, you begin to see each as a person just looking for purpose and satisfaction in the hard existence they must scrape out in this harsh forsaken world.

This book was a powerful novel that showed a lot of research into Nordic mythology and the history of the Vikings as people. You follow two main characters; Eiric, whose mother warns of his step father's impending attempt to steal their land, and Reggin, a thrall to an abusive man who forces her to perform at alehouses for coins. These two are immediately thrust into a world of magic and violence when Reggin performs real magic and Eiric duels his stepfather, changing their fates forever. This narrtive was more slow going than I expected, but it showed an intense level of research and respect about the history behind this novel. While it is fantasy, it felt very grounded, and at times, more graphic than I would have expected. There is a level of complexity to both the characters and the narrative as a whole so that while it took me a little while to get into this novel, once I was invested I was tearing through it. I will definitely be reading this series as it continues to come out.

*Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of Children of Ragnarok*
Wow! Just wow! Love, love, loved it! I am absolutely enamored by this book! I don't often give 5 stars but this time I do so without hesitation; this book earned every, single one. I hung onto every snippet, every word from beginning to end. I was captivated by the writing. Impressed with the accuracy and imagery of the world building. I felt the struggle of farm life and the challenge of the Vikings (coasters) era while becoming enchanted by the islands and Grove. The character development was spot on. I could see the characters and guess at their next move. But not so much as to be predictable, just enough twist and turns to keep me intrigued. The story kept me thoroughly entertained from the first page to the last. I cannot wait for the rest of the series! The downside of ARC'S... you have to wait forever for the next book. However, I'm not all that disappointed because this was such a treat, I might re-read it several times before the next installment. In fact, I might read it again now!

I'm familiar with Chima's work, so I had an idea of where I thought this was going to go, and i'm happy to say, in something things, I was definitely surprised. This book follows to main protagonists, Eiric, and Reggin, as they each set off on journeys that will change their lives and their understanding of the world they live in. Eiric is the son of a coaster, who stands to lose everything when he's wrongfully convicted of murdering his mother and stepfather. Together with his half-sister Liv, they stand to lose their family farm, and their lives, if they don't find a way out of the trouble they're in. Reggin is different, a thrall to a mysterious man named Asger, she's forced to use her magical talents to his benefit and is desperate for a way out. When one of her performances is more shocking than expected, she draws the attention of fellow mages, who offer to take her to The Grove, a mystical island where magic users dwell. The Grove becomes important for both Eiric and Reggin, but in different ways. Along the way, we get some insight from Liv, who has a murky past associated with The Grove. Overall, the plot set-up was interesting, I thought they'd be fighting in or to prevent Ragnarok, but the plot makes it pretty clear Ragnarok has already happened. The story then becomes a tale of what comes next, with the gods dead and remnants of the other worlds and beings trapped in Midgard, it's only a matter of time before conflict arrives. This book is largely a set-up, introducing some of the main characters, the world, and the general plot, which is typical of how Chima structures her series. My only real complaint is that I felt it was too long and dragged in places, and that i'm not really thrilled with where Asger's character has ended up at this point. But, it's a great start to an intriguing story, and uses Norse mythology in a way we haven't really seen before.

Runestone Saga: Children of Ragnarok is an epic fantasy tale set in the Viking era.

The story follows Reggin and Eric, the former of which is a thrall to a demon and the latter of which is a young Viking raider devoted to his family. Their stories intersect at one point and then diverge again. There is much world-building here and the pace is a bit slow for much of the book.

When not raiding, Eric spends his time trying to ensure the safety of his mother, half-sister, and new baby brother. As his family is ripped apart, Eric and his sister are forced to go on a trip to retrieve artifacts for the local war lord. Meanwhile, Reggin escapes the demon on a ship bound for a secret land where those with magic thrive.

Intentions and morality start to get murky as Eric and Reggin separately attempt to do the right thing. This story is in the same vein as Ursula K LeGuin, but the pacing could be improved. The cover is amazing.

This is another exciting series from Cinda Williams Chima. The story is told in two voices -- Reggin, a girl of mysterious origins and inexplicable powers, and Eiric, a young man whose life is marked by both fortune and tragedy. I thought that Reggin's character was more richly drawn than Eiric's and I didn't really connect to the story until about half-way through the book. That said, by the end I was interested in seeing what happens to these and the other characters.

An absolutely wonderful story! I was so intrigued by the characters and the storyline went along at a perfect pace. Highly captivating and beautifully told, I can't wait to recommend this book.