The Sea of Trolls Book 2

By Nancy Farmer

Did you like The Sea of Trolls? If you, then you need to read the sequel. From criminal monks to soulless elves to mushroom-addicted hogboons, this book expands the world of the first book to include so much more.

It had only been a year since Jack and Lucy returned to their village, and they are right in the middle of another problem. When Lucy disobeys the rules of a sacred ceremony, potentially bringing doom and destruction on the village, Jack sets out on another adventure, this time not just to save his sister, but to save his entire community. With the help of Pega, a “froggy” slave he has picked up along the way and a certain saucy shield maiden who turns up in the last place to be expected, Jack journeys underground to a land full of extraordinary creatures. From elves to kelpies to hogboons to yarthkins, you never know what to expect next.

Why should you read this book?

It continues the story laid out in The Sea of Trolls. There is so much more worldbuilding and so many more characters that you feel like you are seeing an entire different side of the world. Aside from new characters, old ones who played smaller roles in the first book (such as the Bard and Jack’s family) are brought more to center stage and given more dynamic roles. Jack also continues to grow as a Bard.

All of the tensions present in book one that make it such a interesting story are present here. In fact, tension between Christianity and other worldviews is heightened as a new perspective is revealed through the monastery. This book continues to make you answer hard questions.

As usual, it’s funny. The hogboons were especially amusing and made me laugh a lot.

Who should read this book?

If you read The Sea of Trolls, then I’m assuming you’re capable of reading this book and dealing with the themes. If you didn’t read The Sea of Trolls, why are you reading this? As in the previous book, there is a decent amount of violence but not in a disturbing way. Practically no romance.

Being completely honest here, I did have one problem with this book that I feel like I have to mention. Some of the characters were really obnoxious to me. I won’t say who here (*cough* Goodreads review *cough*) but there were times when I was so frustrated by characters that it detracted from my general enjoyment of the book. None of these were main characters, and most of this was very necessary to the success of the story, but it still annoyed me.

General Stats:

• Genre: Historical Fantasy/Mythology
• Book 2 of 3
• Age: 6th grade and above
• My rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8510514437

By Nancy Farmer

Do you like fantasy? Do you like medieval history? Do you like England? Do you like really funny characters? Then this is the book for you!

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer follows the young Anglo-Saxon apprentice bard Jack and his sister Lucy as they are kidnapped by Vikings and taken to Scandinavia. Soon after they arrive, Jack finds himself on a quest seeking the fabled Mimir’s Well. If he succeeds, he will earn his freedom and save his sister’s life. If he fails…well, things won’t turn out so well for everyone involved. With him, he brings the enormous captain Olaf, the voiceless skald Rune, and the surly shield maiden Thorgil. Along the way, they encounter a plethora of creatures and figures that will be familiar to avid readers of Norse mythology.

Why should you read this book?

There is a lot of character growth. Most of the main characters experience dramatic shifts in who they are from the beginning of the book to the end which is always fun to read.

The characters are witty. My favorite line in the book was “Just say no to pillaging”. You’ll find yourself laughing over plenty of funny parts.

Though this is a fun adventure story, a lot of deeper themes are explored. Notably, Jack struggles to define people as good and evil and grows to understand that people are nuanced. He also faces the tension between his own Christian beliefs, the Norse gods, and the Bard’s magic. Both of these areas of tension continues throughout the series and at times they force you, the reader, to think about and struggle with the same questions.

Who should read this book?

There’s nothing extremely objectional about it but it does deal with violence and its aftermath. There is no gore or gruesome scenes, but remember, the Vikings were a violent society who killed a lot of people, and this is a book that heavily features them and their culture. Different religions/worldviews play a large role in the story. There is no romance.

I would say that this is a 6th grade and above level book because of the role violence plays in the story. The text itself isn’t difficult, there are just some themes that are better for older readers. It’s possible that a mature 5th grader would be ok with it, as long as they were used to reading books that dealt with similar themes.

General Stats:

• Genre: Historical Fantasy (by this I mean that while it technically takes place in 793 AD and you can recognize a lot of historical facts, magic, trolls, and Viking gods are all real).
• It’s part of a series! There are three books total and each one is over 400 pages (but the font is large) so you’ll be busy for a while.
• Level: 6th grade and above.
• My rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8507885771