Rune Warriors by Jame Jennewein & Tom S. Parker

Genre: Mythology (Norse)

When Dane stole the invincible Shield of Odin to impress his love interest, Astrid, he never meant to bring death and destruction to his village. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. To add onto that, Astrid was also kidnapped, while his father died at the hands of Thidrek the Terrifying, an evil tyrant. In order to redeem himself, Dane must embark on a quest with a chosen group of Viking boys to regain the Shield of Odin, rescue Astrid, and foil Thidrek's diabolical plans to expand his kingdom.

This book reads very much like a movie, and I can imagine everything playing out in my head. Not a page is wasted with unnecessary plot fillers; everything was relevant to the plot. This is to be expected, since both writers are screenwriters. The engaging descriptions really do make you feel as if you're alongside the characters, fighting their battles with them.

I love the twists and turns throughout the story; even though you know what the outcome is going to be, you don't know how the characters will accomplish their tasks. I had to keep reading in order to see what the characters were going to come up with next. I also love all the dynamics in the plot from escaping a frost giant to fighting with Thidrek's henchmen. There is some violence, but it's kept to a minimal; nothing is overly gruesome. It's interesting enough to capture the interest of teens, but appropriate enough for younger kids to enjoy as well.

However, because this book was mostly plot-driven, the characters aren't as developed as they should be. Thidrek acts as an extremely one-sided evil character that I wish there were more background story to explain his brutality. Out of all the characters, I liked Astrid the best for her strength and independence, and her personality makes up for the other characters.

Overall, this was a great story, especially for those interested in Norse mythology.