Gold Runner — Tessa Gratton

“This infinitely exciting tale's twist and turns highlight the characters' missions as they decide which identity to choose: hero, martyr, or villain. Readers looking for a sophisticated fantasy that shows a raw, rowdy, and rough side of life will be utterly satisfied. For fans of Robin LaFevers's His Fair Assassins series.” -- School Library Journal Amon Thorson doesn't hate his father, Thor the god of thunder, but he did try to kill him once. Not that Thor seemed to notice -- all he did to punish Amon was break his arm and send him off to lick his wounds. Ever since, Amon has done everything he can to stay on his dad's bad side, from disrespectful language and terrible public interviews, to dealing illegal substances and black-market artifacts. The best -- or worst -- of which is transporting elf gold. For gold made by elfish magic ruins people. It addicts them and tempts them to do terrible things to themselves and others, and with this venture, Amon may be stirring up more trouble than he can handle. When Amon picks up a strange girl with too many secrets and somebody steals Loki's Mask of Changing, Amon finally gets his father's attention. He's marked as the prime suspect in the theft and one of Thor's best hunters is put on Amon's tail, a hunter who won't stop until he's nailed Amon for something. And to complicate matters, Amon might be falling in love with a monster. With evocative writing and lush world building, Tessa Gratton once again captivates readers with her inventive reimagining of Norse mythology and American life in the latest novella in the United States of Asgard series. “With razor-sharp prose and bone-deep emotions, Tessa Gratton doesn't just tell a story. She invites readers into another world -- one we hate to leave when the last page is turned.” -- Saundra Mitchell, author of Mistwalker and The Vespertine