Tessa Gratton, author of The Blood Journals, has started a new series: The United States of Asgard. The first book is The Lost Sun. Let me start out by saying that this is not an ordinary adventure book. Tessa Graton combines Viking gods with the properties of the United States and its culture. Ultimately, it is one of the best adventure books I have ever read because the Viking gods – including Loki, Thor, Odin, and Balbur – all have unique personalities that create plot twists and interesting confrontations. I never thought I would be so interested in how Viking gods interacted with each other until I read this book.

The Lost Sun tells the story of the United States of Asgard, where people worship specific gods and obtain unique supernatural abilities. We are introduced to Soren, a somewhat disturbed 17-year-old boy, presently attending a boarding school for children with special abilities. Specifically, Soren is a berserker – a person with immense strength associated with “battle rage,” which Soren strains to control as he matures. Because of his childhood, he has a lot of reasons to contain his battle rage and prevent his destiny.

Astrid Glynn is the daughter of a famous seethkona, or prophetess. She is a seethkona herself, and is captivated by Soren when they first meet at the boarding school.

The action begins on the day the sun god, Baldur the Beautiful, is supposed to rise from Hel and return to Earth. But this year, Baldur doesn't return. All havoc breaks loose as people are desperate to find the missing god. Soren and Astrid go on an adventure to find Baldur and return him to his father, Odin, in exchange for a bounty. As they reach the end of their quest, the suspense builds. The ending was as surprisingly climactic as I thought it would be, but I cannot tell you what happens. Surprise is an important factor when you reach the end.

Overall, I suggest that people of any age read this book. Tessa Gratton combines adventure, romance, friendship, and Viking beliefs into one book. Not only was it interesting, but it was extremely hard to put down. I suggest you read other books by Tessa Gratton too. I am impatiently awaiting the next book in The United States of Asgard series to be published.

The only fault I found with The Lost Sun was that it began slowly, but after the first few chapters, it got really interesting. The Lost Sun receives a 4.8/5 from me.