Book Review: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

Title(s): The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (#1)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Genre: supernatural/mystery/adventure (middle grade)
Rating: 3.5/5
Page Count: 362
Publication Date: September 5th, 2017

Plot:
"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness."

Prosper Redding is from an acclaimed family, but he's not all that special. Redding's run the town where he lives, where he's from, and everyone seems to look down on Prosper, even his twin sister, Prue.

And then he learns that there's something inside him called a malefactor, and the story goes from there. Alastor is trying to regain power to escape Prosper's body, but that's proving harder then he expects it to be.

Review:
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd never read anything by Alexandra Bracken before - I know, I'm a little surprised, too - but this sounded like a ton of fun. New England, fall, middle grade adventure/mystery with some demons and such, sign me up.

Overall, I liked her writing. There wasn't any part I was super in love with, but nothing really put me off the story, either. I did feel like we got bogged down in the middle, even though stuff was happening I just felt like of bored with it? This might of been my jetlagged mind or something else me related, especially since it didn't last that long, but still a factor for why I didn't give it five stars.

Let me be clear, though, I really enjoyed this book. Three point five out of five is a good book. And this one was, even though I didn't completely love it. Our characters were interesting, but didn't pull me in all the way, which is probably why I felt that drag. Although, would read a whole book about Toad. I have no idea why, and I'm not going to explain Toad, but... best.

Prosper, our main character obviously, is interesting, though. Coming from a large, rich, successful family and being... not successful, having the worst luck. It was so... not pitiful, at no point is he pitiful, but he is kind of something. Sad? Melancholy? His voice is a little melancholy, we see from his POV in third person, and there's something about it that makes me think melancholy. But I really liked that about him, and about this book.

Al was also a great character, possibly my favorite, which says about me then I am comfortble with but I do love a good "villain."

Overall, I think this was just a solid book. Good writing, good characters, dragged for me but I don't mind that too much. And I'm definitely going to pick up the second book, hopefully next year? And I think it'll be drastically different in tone then this one, that's for sure, and I am super excited about that.

If you pick up this book, or have already, let me know! Especially if you've got thoughts.

Happy reading!

Goodreads
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

Series Review: The Grisha Series (by Leigh Bardugo)

Series: The Grisha Trilogy
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: YA High Fantasy (Adventure, Romance)
Overall Series Rating: 5/5
Books:
Shadow and Bone (5/5)
Siege and Storm (5/5)
Ruin and Rising (5/5)

First Book Synopsis (Goodreads):
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

My Background (with the series):
I bought the first book when it very first came out, probably the week of, and the same with the second - and then didn't read either of them. And then just decided to wait until the third one came out. So I did, I preordered it, and it came in the mail - and then I read them all in a row. Three days, three books (June 17th - 19th. Started and finished book one on the 17th, and finished book three on the 19th).

And since I read them so quick I didn't have a lot of exposure to the fans/fandom of the series, or the discussion and such. And I was so confused and surprised (and confused) about why everyone was obsessed with The Darkling. Guys, I'm sorry to break it to you, but he was kind of evil (I mean, he was entertaining, but we didn't get to know him at all). And he hurts people, using them, and I just honestly don't get it because he doesn't have any redeeming qualities that I could find. I mean sometimes I adore villains because of how evil/insane/whatever they are - but seemed to have honestly wanted him and Alina to get together. Pretty sure that would of been bad.

I also don't understand why people seem to hate Mal. Okay hate might be strong word for some, but for others I don't think it is. I mean he wasn't my favorite, but he wasn't bad (Sturmhound, and I think the logical way was him, the "follow your heart" was Mal for her).

Review:
I don't know what it was that made me enjoy this series so much. It wasn't, like, overly fantastic in any way (the plot was okay, interesting, but not wow, original and the writing was just good), but for some reason I really loved this series. Now, rethinking it, I'm considering lowering the ratings on the books - but I'm not going to because I just feel like I should, and that's an awful to reason to do anything.

I did really enjoy these three books though, this series. And the romance aspects, oddly, never felt out of place or pushed into where they shouldn't be. I feel like that's a common problem when warlike things are happening or the worlds in danger - the romance can just feel not right, out of place, and/or ridiculous. But this book wasn't like that - the romance was there and that was that.

The world might of been my favorite part - the supernatural parts and the historical fantasy world being my main favorite parts. I loved how the supernatural parts were mixed in and how the worldbuilding didn't feel too much like info-dumping. I did like the writing, overall, her style was good, not too flowery, but also not too simple.

I think I'm in the majority, as well, for liking how the trilogy wrapped up (I mean, I didn't love it, but it was cute / I was fine with it).

Book Review: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1)

Title: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1)
Author: Kelly Armstrong
Genre: High Fantasy, Paranomal/Magic, Adventure, Romance (Young Adult)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 416 (hardcover)
Publication Date: April 8th, 2014

Plot: (from Goodreads)
Twin sisters Moria and Ashyn were marked at birth to become the Keeper and the Seeker of Edgewood, beginning with their sixteenth birthday. Trained in fighting and in the secret rites of the spirits, they lead an annual trip into the Forest of the Dead. There, the veil between the living world and the beyond is thinnest, and the girls pay respect to the spirits who have passed.

But this year, their trip goes dreadfully wrong.

With all the heart-stopping romance and action that have made her a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and set in an unforgettably rich and dangerous world, this first epic book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong's legions of fans around the world and win her many new ones.

Review:
I've never read anything by Kelly Armstrong before, but I'm definitely going to end up picking up some more of her books in the future (if you've read hers - let me know which I should read next). This was a fantastic high fantasy, young adult novel that had duel points of view (POVs), which can be hit or miss with a lot of people. I felt like it really worked for this, you get these two girls, who are twins, and their points of view and I think the reason it works is because their voices were completely different.

This book had me sucked in, wanting to find out what happened next to these characters that I had already fallen in love with before page 50. I read it in one sitting and just loved it: the characters, the plots, the twists - and how everything unfolded. The romance aspect felt a little cheesy at points, but it wasn't really in a bad way, if that makes sense, I don't tend to mind cheesy if it's done well.

I'd definitely recommend this book, and to wrap up why: a fun, high fantasy, with adventure, strange creatures, and romance.

Book Review: Fire and Flood (Fire and Flood #1)

Title: Fire and Flood (Fire and Flood #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Genre: Science Fiction (dystopian, survival, adventure) - young adult
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 366 (paperback)
Publication Date: March 6th, 2014

Plot: (from Goodreads)

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own. 

Tella's brother is dying. He's got cancer, and Tella is helpless to save him. Or so she thought. When an invitation arrives for Tella to compete in the Brimstone Bleed, a deadly competition that will lead her through treacherous jungle and scorching desert, she doesn't think twice. Because the prize is a cure to any illness. But Tella will be facing more than just the elements.

Review:
I know there's been so many comparisons between this and The Hunger Games and while they do have some basic similarities (doing some for a young sibling, a screwed up society, a game), they're also very different, different enough I had trouble seeing where people who'd read the book compared it to that, because those themes are in a lot of books.

First off let's talk - pandoras, which are the animal companions in this book. They continue to make me think of Pokemon, and they might of been one of my favorite parts of this world. It's so interesting and I want to learn more about them and you do learn a bit, but not a lot.

I did really enjoy this book, but - I had a few small problems with it which is why it's not five stars, they weren't huge issues. That is to say, that didn't bring me out of the story or stop me from enjoying it. The characters were good, but I felt like we didn't get to know any of them really well but our narrator. It also felt like the world was, not under developed, but too... present, there didn't seem to be any other future things because the pandoras and the game.

 Overall - I would recommend this book to some people. It's fun and entertaining and packs a lot of action into a book that's less then 400 pages.

Book Review: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)

Title: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)
Author: James S.A. Corey
Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera), Adventure, Mystery, Humor
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 561 pages (paperback)
Publication Date: 2011

Plot: (from Goodreads)
The first novel in James S.A. Corey's SF New York Times bestselling Expanse series.
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Review:
This book was everything I was kind of craving when I read it: a space opera that was character centric, and there was a crew. With things I didn't know I'd completely love - the noir feel that Miller and his narration have, also the horror elements. Overall - this book was just completely fantastic and I cannot wait to continue on with the series.

I hadn't really looked into the plot, I'd picked it up because it was a Sword and Laser pick and didn't end up getting around to reading it with the group (summers are hectic), but I still remembered it'd been something I was interesting in, and people were saying good things.

The reason it took me so long to read it, honestly, is because of the fact that I don't read a lot of SciFi, which is weird to me considering the shows or movies I'd loved, you'd think reading SciFi would of happened pretty easily. And then - I fell into a SciFi kick, which this book was a part of, and I'm so glad when I was wracking my brain for SciFi books, I remembered that I owned this one.

To get to the point of this review - I'd recommend this book, definitely. It's surprisingly realistic feeling and I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other. Everyone in this book is interesting and it feels very real, gritty real almost, the whole world and story, and that might of been my favorite part of it - it can't be easy to make a very far future world seem real, but it definitely did.

And, on the last point because I want to stress it again: the characters. This book is definitely character driven and it has two main narrators that do that - and those two narrators have very different views on some big things, and some of the same, but - it was interesting to see those two different people interact and how they thought and just everything.

So, to recap: space opera with a crew, noir, horror, fantastic characters, solid plot, which made it an all around fantastic read which I'd highly recommend if it sounds like something you'd be interested in.

Book Review: Redshirts

Title: Redshirts
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera, Time Travel), Humor, Adventure
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 317
Publication Date: June 5th, 2012

Plot: (from Goodreads)
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

Review:
I'm not quite sure I can truly articulate my feelings about this book, but I'm going to try. First, I'm going to say that this isn't a book that everyone will love and fangirl over, like I did when reading it - however, I also don't think it's just for people who like Star Trek, I've never seen a full episode of the classic or just any of Star Trek, but it did make me think of other SciFi shows that I had scene that had spaceship scenes, and it made me ridiculously happy.

I think my favorite part about this book was the characters and their dialagoue, (besides the overall plot of the novel, that is, because that plot was amazing). I really enjoyed reading their interactions with each other, mostly just the things coming out of all of these characters mouths were just so good, normally ridiculous or hilarious, and it was great to read. Also how self aware they were at points, like how ridiculous they sounded - it was great to read, very meta. Hell, this whole book is like some meta fanfiction, and it was so much fun and so good because of that.

I didn't fully know what this book was about going into it, and I picked it up meaning to read a chapter to see if that was what I wanted to read next (I read 100 pages before deciding it was time to get some sleep). The whole start of this book, how this all works, I truly just kind of adored it. And probably because I grew up watching Stargate SG-1, and am still obsessed with that show even though it ended quite a few years ago now (2006? 2007? No, it can't have been that long ago).

Anyway - I highly recommend this book to fans of SciFi shows/movies, to fans of SciFi, and to anyone whose willing to give this truly hilarious and fantastic book a shot (Seriously, I laughed out loud at a lot of points for an only 300 page book, I looked like a lunatic).

Book Review: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)

Book: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)
Author: Ridley Pearson
Genre: adventure, mystery, fantasy (middle-grade)
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: August 25th, 2009
Date Finished: May 14th

Story Notion: Huh. I might finish this series, I do have book two...

Plot: (from Goodreads):
In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more. This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Walt Disney World after hours and wondered what happens at night, when the park is closed.

Review:
I wasn't really sure about this book. I bought it on a whim the year before last, I think. We were at Disney after a convention and it was next to the cash register and I'd probably had less sleep that whole week then ever before, so I bought it, for something to read on the plane. Obviously, that didn't happen. What actually happened, if I remember correctly, is I passed out on the plane - unsurprisingly. (LeakyCon wears you out).

I didn't end up picking it up until, as writing this review, last year. I've just reread it recently and realized I'd never reviewed it in any sense. I definitely, now having read all the books out, think that this is definitely the weakest of them. It's setting things up, the start to a long series, but - I still really enjoyed it.

It surprised me the first time I read it, I wasn't honestly expecting much out of it, but I was immediately sold and so glad I had the next book in the series ready to go. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, without pause.

Overall it's a good start to a fantastic series. I love the characters and the plot, and all the weird things that happen that will probably make me never look at certain rides the same way again. The characters are definitely a little underdeveloped a bit at first, but not enough it bothered me.

If you're a Disney fan, or if you're not because I'm actually not a giant Disney fan, more casual, then you should give this series a chance. Or - adventure mystery fan.

Series Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles

Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles
Author(s): Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Adventure (Middle-Grade)
Over-all series rating: 4/5
Number of Books: 5
Books in Series: (Goodreads links)
The Field Guide
The Seeing Stone
Lucinda's Secret
The Ironwood Tree
The Wrath of Mulgarath

Plot/Series information (no spoilers):
This is a series about these three kids, Mallory, Jason, and Simon, moving into a kind of creepy old house that's in the family, Aunt Lucinda's house, because their mom thinks it'll be good for them and it'll be financially easier on her.
Right away they kind of start noticing things are a little off, that there's some mystery.

The first books just barely introduce the fey mythology, but it gets more into it in the later books. All of these books are short, but that doesn't seem to take away from the story at all.

Review (no spoilers):
The three main characters in this book - Mallory, Jason, and Simon - are perfect main characters. They're young, even for middle-grade, and they're a little odd. I loved them pretty much right away with how Mallory fences and Simon has his weird pet collection, Jason misses the city and everything from before. And they felt very real and very likeable/relatable.

They're good main characters to watch how this unfolds, because, at first, two of them don't believe their brother about what's going on. They have an overall good relationship, though, which grows and changes through the series.

The world in these books is something I adore. Reading them you also feel like the fey world is ten or twenty times bigger then we're shown, and I really enjoyed that. You meet a lot of different faeries/creatures over the course of the series, learn about them as the kids do.

What I did is I sat down and read this whole series in one day for the Bout of Books read-a-thon. And I thought I'd read them quickly, but they're just so easy to read, and you want to read the next one, so I was surprised at how quickly I read these. And when I finished the last one, I wanted to know what was going to happen next with the kids. I did think, though, that it wrapped up very well.

Overall, I'd recommend this series to any kid who likes fantasy with fey and anyone older who likes it, too. It is middle-grade, keep that in mind, but that doesn't change how likable the characters or how good the world building is.  The main point is I really loved this series. It was cute and fun, not incredibly in-depth or dark, like some things I read, but a nice break from that kind of thing and a fantastic read over all.

Book Review: The Name of This Book is Secret

Book: The Name of This Book is Secret (Secret #1)
Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Humor (MG)
Rating: 5/5
Favorite Character: Cass. First, that's my favorite girl name ever (I also really like Anastatia. I love names that are slightly older, long, but can be shortened into cute nicknames). Also, Cass is really awesome with her survivalist stuff.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

This is the story about a secret. but it also contains a secret story.

When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician's diary and the hunt for immortality.

Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won't stay secret for long.

Review:
This book was adorable, I think it's the best word for it overall. I mean, 11 years olds going on adventures is always fun, especially where there's a lot of hilarious narration thrown in. The whole thing is, is that this is a true story and to protect the innocent, the author changes their names and everything and then makes comments about this and that (how he can be bribed with good quality dark chocolate). And it had me giggling through most of it.

And it isn't just funny, it also has an original interesting story in it. I loved the overall plot of this book and how things were revealed and everything. It was just really, very well done. And done in an hilarious manor. Also, Cass and Max-Ernest are great partners, excuse me, collaborators. And there are footnotes at random parts of the books that are just perfect.

This is a funny, silly book, but it does have some real mythology and stuff that I loved. This is something I'd recommend to someone who loves a good middle-grade adventure book, because that's what it is and it's really well done. The characters are lovable, the story is original, and the writing is very good and funny. All those things added it up for me giving it 5/5 stars and even reading some little snippets out loud to my mom that had her laughing, too. (I just really like when a book makes me laugh out loud. It's harder to make me cry, but I love laughing because of a book. I definitely enjoy it more, that is, if it's suppose to be funny).

(Also, this isn't important to the story, well, it kind of is. The chapters have illustrations and some of them are just great, just perfect. As you can tell, I really just loved this book, I really can't actually think of anything bad to say. All of the secondary characters felt real and I loved all of their little quirks and everything).

Book Review: A Mutiny In Time (Infinity Ring #1)

Book: A Mutiny In Time (Infinity Ring #1)
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Adventure, Time Travel (Middle Grade) 
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 192 (Hardcover)
Favorite Character: I really like both of the main characters in this book, Dak and Sera. But apart from them I also really enjoy Gloria, who is not in this book very long
Release Date: August 28th, 2012 (Scholastic)

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right!

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!



Review:
I first heard about this at BEA, which is where I got my hands on a copy, and it sounded amazing. And it definitely lived up to what I thought it was going to be. I was surprised, really, by how much i enjoyed this book. And I'm so excited to see where the rest of the story goes.

But this is an original plot and the writing was fantastic, the description of some places making me feel like I was there, and I was glad I was able to read this one a little early so I could try and spread the word about this series because I think it's going to be a fantastic one.

Book Review: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Book: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1)
Author: Douglas Adams
Genre: Humor, Adventure, SciFi/Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 216 (Paperback - 2005)
Favorite Character: Ford. I just... I mean, I adore all four of them, but he just makes the least sense out of all of them, so it seemed like the best choice. Ooh. Or Marvin, I adore Marvin.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.


Review:
I refuse to think that this is a book that you can review in a normal way because it's just too different to do that. You can't say 'well the pacing was good', because there wasn't really any pacing. This is a book that you just have to shrug and go along for the ride to enjoy it, if you're trying to figure out whats happening, you'll probably not enjoy it at all and get a headache.

The Hitchhiker's Guide started with us on earth with Arthur Dent, who at first I was unsure of and then realized he was the best main character, and the earth is about to be destroyed. And, of course, adventure and hijinks ensue. This book is hilarious and engaging and the characters, the four main ones and the others we meet, are all amazing.

If you're looking for a fun, nonsense (in the best way) read then this is definitely one to check out.

Book Review: The Throne of Fire

Book: The Throne of Fire (The Kane Chronicles #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy (Myth), Adventure (MG)
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 452 (Hardcover)
Favorite Character: Besides Sadie and Carter, who I love, I'd have to say, book specific, it had to be Bes. He was... interesting.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.


Review:
It took me forever to get around to reading this one, even though I was dying to as soon as I finished the first one. I love this series and I love Rick Riordan's series in general, pretty much just all of them, so I may be a bit biased but I really just like the writing in these books and they way it's done. Anyway, though, this book picks up a little bit after the first one and it's just this epic adventure, as is the case when you are magicians and the gods are trying to end the world.

I really love the characters in this series, especially Sally and Carter. They're just so smart and snarky and it's just so funny, sometimes, to read things from their pespective where as, if it wasn't, it might not of been as funny. This isn't exactly a light hearted series, with the gods and all of the stuff that comes with that, but it's definitely funny and just smart.

If you like mythology or middle-grade adventures, then this is definitely the one for you. Here's a link to the authors series page for this one, and from there you can investigate his other series (because they are amazing).  The third book in this series came out a little while ago and I hope to read it soon, but it's also the final book in the series and that makes me a little sad.

Book Review: The Looking Glass Wars

Book: The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wards #1)
Author: Frank Beddor
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Steampunk (YA)
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 358 (Paperback)
Favorite Character: At the very beginning it was Dodge, but I think at the end it was Alyss. Or Hatter, who is kind of in the background a bit, but he was awesome. I mean, I obviously still really like Dodge's character but just, sometimes... Well, you'll see.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook.

The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.


Review:
Let me start this review off with saying that if you're a diehard Lewis Caroll fan and don't like when people take his world and turn it upside and inside out, then this just isn't for you. Beddor takes such an interesting take on Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland and I loved it. I enjoy retellings and one of my favorites is one that took the story and changed it, remaking it as that person's one Wonderland. (It's the TV miniseries Alice from 2009. I've watched it so many times, it's ridiculous. But I love it).

Anyway, this is a retelling in which Alyss Heart is the daughter of the Queen of Hearts and is trapped in London for many years after her aunt tries to kill her. It sounds interesting, doesn't it? It was so very well done. I love the way that the world is built and how this were explained and how 'Imagination' was explained. I'm not going to say anything about it, but I truly just loved that.

The only read that it's not 5/5 stars (or looking glasses) is because I just, well, I struggled through the middle part in London. I mean, I know it had to be there, but I still struggled through it, a lot. Especially when she's just gotten there. However, the world building, as I said, was good and interesting. The characters were also interesting and it's interesting to see what they'll decide on. The description in this book was very good, it felt like I was walking the streets with them, so to speak. Also, there are illustrations in here, only at one part in the middle, a bunch of color ones. And those just added something extra to the story that I really enjoyed, (I secretly - not so secretly now - wish that more novels had illustrations. For example, the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld, those were awesome!)

Book Review: The Demon King

Book: The Demon King (Seven Realms #1)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Genre: High Fantasy, Adventure, Romance (YA)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 506 (Paperback)
Favorite Character: Raisa, I believe, I did love Han, though. (And secondary characters it would have to be Dancer and Amon, I think, just because they're awesome, but so are a lot of these characters).

Plot: (From Goodreads)

When 16-year-old Han Alister and his Clan friend Dancer encounter three underage wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea, he has no idea that this event will precipitate a cascade of disasters that will threaten everything he cares about.

Han takes an amulet from one of the wizards, Micah Bayar, to prevent him from using it against them. Only later does he learn that it has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. And the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back

Han’s life is complicated enough. He’s the former streetlord of the Raggers—a street gang in the city of Fellsmarch. His street name, Cuffs, comes from the mysterious silver bracelets he’s worn all his life—cuffs that are impossible to take off.

Now Han’s working odd jobs, helping to support his family, and doing his best to leave his old life behind. Events conspire against him, however. When members of a rival gang start dying, Han naturally gets the blame.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battles to fight. As heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, she’s just spent three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai Camp—riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Now court life in Fellsmarch pinches like a pair of too-small shoes.

Wars are raging to the south, and threaten to spread into the high country. After a long period of quiet, the power of the Wizard Council is once again growing. The people of the Fells are starving and close to rebellion. Now more than ever, there’s a need for a strong queen.

But Raisa’s mother Queen Marianna is weak and distracted by the handsome Gavan Bayar, High Wizard of the Fells. Raisa feels like a cage is closing around her—and an arranged marriage and eroded inheritance is the least of it.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. With the help of her friend, the cadet Amon Byrne, she navigates the treacherous Gray Wolf Court, hoping she can unravel the conspiracy coalescing around her before it’s too late.


Review:
There are really mixed reviews on this book, that I kind of found surprising, but everyone has their own opinion. This book was a little slow to start out and you don't really know who you're suppose to believe and you're wondering, you know, 'what the hell is happening in this world,' but overall this book was amazing. And, really, it's not that slow for long and I love when they just kind of drop you in the world and then explain it along the way. Which is why I gave it a 5/5 rating.

I loved the writing in this book and how the two characters are written and how everyone is a little linked, but they don't even realize it. And this world is amazing, when there's a past that has something awful and it's over 500 years old, I am instantly interested in that. Mostly because I will always believe that the popular story isn't the most true one, isn't what really happened. And it's so interesting for the characters to still be living in the shadow of these people who loved so long ago, in this book it was about 1000 years, and it's just so intriguing.

And I also really enjoyed the world they're living in, not just the world in general, and how our two main characters see things so differently, even if they're seeing the same things. It's just so interesting for them to learn and grow through the book separately. I thought it was interesting that the two characters weren't together at the beginning, like they weren't best friends, and I really enjoyed that, because if they were, we wouldn't have been able to see the such different perspectives. I have just never read a book like this, with the two main characters so separate, but I think that might be one reason why I loved this book so much.

Overall, to sum up my kind of long review, I really loved this book. I found the characters really lovable, they both clicked with me really early, Raisa pretty much immediately. The characters, writing, world, and a lot more is amazing in this book. So if you're thinking the beginning is slow, then keep going, it's definitely worth it!

Book Review: Grave Mercy

Book: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassins #1)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Historical (YA)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 549 (Hardcover)
Favorite Character: It might have to be Anne. I mean I loved Ismae, but I try not to pick the main character for this. And I really like Anne, she was young and smart and quick.

Plot: (from Goodreads)

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?


Review:
It took me a while to make my way through this book just because of it's length, but it was so worth it. This book is amazing for many reasons. And I'm going to try and tell you all of them now. In short, this book has lovable character, a writing style I loved, good world building, and an interesting and intricate plot.

I loved the world building in this story and that it does take place over a longer period of time then most. The world in this story is just amazing and I loved being able to read about it. Historical novels are one of my favorite to hear the world building and to dive into, because it's as close as I'll probably get to time travel.

The characters were amazing, you just can't help but love and root for some of them just because of everything that's happening. Ismae is who this books follows and she's a handmaiden of Death, an assassin, and I really loved her personality. I may have laughed a little every time she asked if she could kill someone or her hand automatically went to her knife or something like that.

I rated this book 5/5 stars because of all of those things. I just truly loved this book and I can't wait for the next one in the series. (Also, random fact I learned through Twitter about the cover, I'm sorry to say I can't remember from who - if it was you tell me -, that she's holding a real crossbow on the cover. Those things are heavy! It's a beautiful cover, though).

Book Review: The Lost Years

Book: The Lost Years (Merlin #1)
Author: T.A. Barron
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure (Middle-Grade)
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 252 (Paperback)
Favorite Character: Emrys. (I like that name so very much, even if he doesn't feel like it's right).

Plot: (From Goodreads)
Barron's series is now repackaged in these stunning paperback editions. Book 1 was originally published as "The Lost Years of Merlin." T.A. Barron transforms the early years of the mythical wizard's life into a vivid, action-filled fantasy, replete with deep forests, ruined castles, and evil spells. . .--"Kirkus Reviews."
(All of the summaries I found were just not good. 'There are adventures and magic, read it.' Seems to be mainly what everything said, and I can't really argue with that).

Review:
I enjoyed this book, I love the legend/myth of King Arthur and his knights and Merlin, obviously. It's just so different to read about a young Merlin, a Merlin who isn't even Merlin yet, still Emrys. This isn't a perfect book, but it was good. I enjoyed it much more then I thought I would at first and I liked hearing about a younger Merlin.

The writing was good, I wasn't anything profound, but this is still a book that targets children 8-12 I think. Don't pick it up just because the writing isn't poetic and advanced, the way some things are described is amazing.

And the characterization of a young Merlin, Emrys, and people he would of met on his journey was something I enjoyed a lot. And it shows the flaws and the bravery that happened in those early years. So if you're curious on T.A. Barron's take on the early years of Merlin, then you should pick this up.

Book Review: Untraceable

Book: Untraceable (The Nature of Grace #1)
Author: S.R Johannes
Genre: Young Adult (Thriller/Adventure/Romance
Rating: A
Page Count: 315 (Paperback)
Favorite character: Well, uh... Huh. Tommy, I'm going with Tommy, he's safe. (I can't pick one of the two boys, because I liked them both differently)

Plot: (From Goodreads)
Everyone leaves a mark. What if your could be erased?
Untraceable is a new teen wilderness thriller with a missing father, a kickbutt heroine, and of course - two hot boys.

Review:
I really enjoyed the writing and the little tips at the beginning of each chapter, I love little things like that. I really enjoyed how this book flowed, though, it was really good, loved it. The main character is relatable even if, like me, you don't know how to track people through the woods. It's very interesting to read about her doing such. And it kept me guessing, which I wasn't expecting at all.

I also enjoyed all the twist and turns you take during this book. You take as many emotional ups and down as the main character. Nothing is really for certain in this small town, and it's shocking to learn about what's really happening behind the scenes, per say.

I'd suggest checking this one out, for sure. It wasn't what I was expecting at all and was a good read.