{"id":4520,"date":"2018-01-06T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T17:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=4520"},"modified":"2021-07-06T13:59:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T20:59:34","slug":"freya-teen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/freya-teen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Freya — Teen Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

review by\u00a0Alicia Zhang, age 13<\/p>\n

Freya\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>by\u00a0Matthew Laurence<\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The novel <\/span>Freya<\/i><\/b> by Matthew Laurence is about a goddess, Freya, who, in Norse mythology, is the representation of love, beauty, and war. In this world, deities of all types exist, camouflaged into human society. They are powered and strengthened by belief, and brought down with disbelief and hate towards them, until they fade out of existence in extreme circumstances. Freya is a relatively weak goddess, a sliver of who she once was when believed by thousands across the globe; now, she has little to no believers, needing a job and more believers to rise to her full power and potential. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The plot starts off at a mental hospital. Freya is stationed there, pretending to have a mental health condition as it’s a safe place which provides her with food and shelter. However, her haven is interrupted when a man, Garen, appears out of nowhere with a stun gun for mortals and a proposal. It follows as such: Join this mysterious organization and gain all the believers she can wish for, or go against it, decline his offer, and get disbelieved out of oblivion. She chooses none. Instead, she decides to flee with a mortal, young adult named Nathan, who becomes her close friend and companion.<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Further on in the book, the mysterious organization is named, and all sorts of unexpected things happen. But, it remains a constant looming threat for Freya whenever she is concerned, and it is much, much bigger and more complicated than she thinks. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All in all, this book was phenomenal. The beginning parts were a bit slow, mostly because I thought Freya vain and shallow with how she prioritized clothes and fashion over finding an undetectable home base; but, as I got further into the book, I grew to like her unorthodox personality. I think Laurence did a fantastic job of writing from a goddess’s point of view, capturing how little and irrelevant humans\u2019 lives and years are to them compared to the eons of time they have lived, while making it interesting and intriguing for us to read. The humor and pure wittiness in several exchanges between characters was well-written and fun, while not being overdone. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I also adore Nathan and Freya’s friendship, because for once in a young adult fiction\/fantasy book, there’s a male and female relationship which isn’t romantic. At the beginning, there may have been some hinting of a future romance, but it’s more of one-sided gawking. Freya’s blunt personality, oversight, and overconfidence paired up with Nathan’s wry wit, outgoing personality, collectiveness, and attention for detail make for a great friendship. They are three-dimensional, well-developed characters who do not fully fit into any personality type or cliche, which is hard to do especially with already thought-out ideals like deities. I would have liked to see more of a character arc for Freya as she progressed through the book; however, she is amazing as she is.<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A hard balance to keep is the one with developing the characters or the plot, but I think that was handled with mastery in <\/span>Freya<\/i><\/b>. The plot, while simple, has plenty of twists, turns, and moral grey areas, a quality I admire in plots. It wasn’t hard to understand nor complicated, but still remained thrilling and exciting in the correct areas and somber in others. As I’ve already stated, the characters are brilliant. Even the “side” and “bad” characters have reasons for doing what they do\u2014there is nothing I hate more than an evil character blindly hating or destroying for the fun of it. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In conclusion, this book was great, and I’d recommend it to anyone who has a sliver of interest in fantasy, mythology, or fiction in general. Four and a half out of five stars. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Find this book in our catalog: Freya<\/a><\/p>\n

Catalog Number: YA SF LAURENCE,M<\/p>\n

341 pages<\/p>\n

\n

More Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Falling Kingdoms — YA book club<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Illuminae\"<\/a>
Illuminae — teen review<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Three Dark Crowns — teen review<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

review by\u00a0Alicia Zhang, age 13 Freya\u00a0by\u00a0Matthew Laurence \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The novel Freya by Matthew Laurence is about a goddess, Freya, who, in Norse mythology, is the representation of love, beauty, and war. In this world, deities of all types exist, camouflaged into human society. They are powered and strengthened by belief, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":4521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/01\/freya.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1aU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4605,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/eight-days-on-planet-earth-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":0},"title":"Eight Days on Planet Earth — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"March 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"review by\u00a0Jacob Chon, age 15 Eight Days on Planet Earth\u00a0by\u00a0Cat Jordan Summary:\u00a0How long does it take to travel 13 light-years to Earth? How long does it take to fall in love? To the universe, eight days is a mere blip\u2014but to Matty Jones, it may be just enough time to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/03\/Eight-days-on-planet-earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5187,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/deep-dark-blue-a-memoir-of-survival-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":1},"title":"Deep Dark Blue: A Memoir of Survival — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"October 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Nina Dinan, 16 Deep Dark Blue: A Memoir of Survival\u00a0By Polo Tate Polo Tate arrived at the U.S. Air Force Academy with a mentality that fed off challenges. She was a highly successful student-athlete who quickly rose to the physical and mental demands of the academy. She was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/09\/51CcyF-x3HL._SX324_BO1204203200_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6809,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2022\/how-it-feels-to-float\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":2},"title":"How It Feels to Float","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"January 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Amber Elias, 15 How It Feels to Float By Helena Fox Biz just wants to be a normal teen girl, doing normal teen girl things. But how can she? When her dad who died 10 years ago visits her constantly and talks to her about how life was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/01\/81oJ3GjJyNL.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5470,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2020\/lets-call-it-a-doomsday-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":3},"title":"Let’s Call it a Doomsday — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"January 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jasmine Sov, 13 Let's Call it a Doomsday\u00a0By Katie Henry Let's Call It a Doomsday is about a girl named Ellis Kimball, who, because of her overwhelming anxiety, is prepared for every possible way that the world could end. Maybe even over-prepared. When she meets Hannah Marks, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4653,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/the-first-time-she-drowned-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":4},"title":"The First Time She Drowned — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"May 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"review by John Chon, age 15 The First Time She Drowned\u00a0by\u00a0Kerry Kletter Summary:\u00a0Cassie O\u2019Malley has been trying to keep her head above water\u2014literally and metaphorically\u2014since birth. It\u2019s been two and a half years since Cassie\u2019s mother dumped her in a mental institution against her will, and now, at eighteen, Cassie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/05\/the-first-time-she-drowned.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5073,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/lovely-war-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":5},"title":"Lovely War — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"June 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by\u00a0Kira Toal, 17 Lovely War\u00a0By\u00a0Julie Berry \"Lovely War\" by Julie Berry is a historical fiction romance novel set at the height of World War I and (here's the interesting part:) narrated by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. It features two main couples: Hazel and James, a talented young\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4520"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6532,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4520\/revisions\/6532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}