Revisited this for the DGPL 2026 reading challenge. This was a favorite of mine growing up and I was curious how well it holds up. I was, mostly, pleasantly surprised. The character work is a little flat even for a middlegrade book, I think, but not offensive. The story is fine as well, not complicated or anything. I think the thing that makes this book shine is in the themes and messaging. One of the angles in the early part of the book is this emphasis on how important it is to respect knowledge and the pursuit of it. It very much encourages acting with intent and good faith. I think some of those themes get a bit lost in the plot as it progresses, but I think it works for the most part. There are some aspects of culture and society that are taken for granted, most prominently that of gender roles. It's not a deal-breaker and it even goes out of its way to break with gender norms for ways that were definitely subversive in 2004, but might fall a little flat in 2026. Either way, it's not disappointing and I think it's still a fun ride and there's a lotttt of very enjoyable takes on different mythologies being referenced, especially Norse. It was definitely my intro to it, and I still value it for that.