Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Title: The Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Children's, Fantasy, Mythos
Source: Library Paperback
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws


Percy Jackson and friends are back in a new tale of adventure and danger.  When Percy begins having dreams about Grover being in danger, he knew he needed to do something.  But at the same time Camp Half Blood has been attacked and Talhia's tree that is protecting the camp was poisoned.  No one knows who did it, but Percy and Annabeth have an idea of how to save it.  Add in a Cyclops half brother and a stubborn female and you have yourself a epic tale with thrills and drama.

So this one fell a little short for me.  I read the first book and enjoyed it more than I did this one.  There didn't seem to be as much mythos or danger or something.  It was missing something and I cannot put my finger on what that something is.  As someone who loves mythology, I think this book didn't have as much in as the last one did.  Sure there were short mentions of the Golden Fleece and Cyclopes but I think the last book delved more into the myth stories to make something new.  While this is something different, I don't think it played off the myths as much.  There was a little bit more humor in the first one as well and the absence of Grover was really prevalent.


We seem some familiar characters like Clarisse and Luke both still have the same personalities, though Clarisse seems to have grown up just a little bit and is learning how to play nice with others.  We don't see Charion, or any of the gods as we did in the first one so I was a little disappointed in that as well.  I loved Tyson, though I wasn't a little more from him and hope we see more from him in the next novel.  He was such a sweet character and so precious I wonder how he would change as the story progresses will he remain sweet?  I guess we will see.


I like that they sail to the sea this time, but it's the Bermuda Triangle.  I am not sure how I feel about ancient Greek gods centering around America, I get the books say the Pantheon follows civilization, but it seems wrong to me probably because there would be other Pantheons already in place.  While there were a few things that didn't sit so well with me this was a decent book.  It is good for the age range, but I think someone older, such as myself it's a little...simplistic, on the surface type of thing.  I want something with more depth and compels me to keep reading.  Not that this book/series doesn't have that, just in a different way that appeals better to a younger audience.  I would recommend it to young readers and some adult readers as well for a break from the norm. 

The Cruel Prince

Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Source: Hardcover: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5


When Jude was a young child, her parents were murdered in front of her.  To make it worse, the man who murdered them took Jude and her two sisters with him away to the realm of the Faeries.  Ten years later Jude wants nothing more than to simply belong, to have a place in their world beyond being the ward of a warrior.  Many of the fae despise humans and will do anything to torment the girls.  In order to win a place in the Court, Jude must defy the crown prince himself.  She accepts an offer from the prince's brother, an offer that may shows Jude she is capable of incredible things including bloodshed.  When a traitor threatens the royal line, Jude places herself in the line of danger to save herself, her sisters, and the fate of the Faerie kingdom.  Will she have the strength?  Will those she trust prove to be allies or enemies?

This was a book that I was excited about being published this year and couldn't wait to get my hands on it at the library. I have read The Darkest Part of the Forest before and I loved that book, so why wouldn't I love this one right?  I thought the plot and the story line were interesting though I have read other books with the similar idea of human girl in the faerie world.  But what Holly Black does with this novel is different from other books out there.  She takes this idea and puts a new twist to it and creates something truly remarkable.


I liked that throughout the novel you don't know the true motives of various characters.  You think one person is Jude's ally and then they betray her.  Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do and you don't pick up on it until Jude finds out.  I love that about the book, it isn't as predictable as some other novels.  When you begin this novel you are hooked from the beginning.  You are connected to Jude and feel the emotions she feels.  You begin to hate the characters she hates and love the ones she loves, though I admit I liked Madoc's new wife (I admit I forget her name), while she seemed put off by the human girls, it seemed all she wanted to truly do was protect them from the dangers of the faerie world.  I also liked the Madoc was sometimes the bad guy but sometimes the good guy too.  He seemed to have some sort of love for the girls, but didn't know how to show it or it seemed misinterpreted especially when he denies Jude the honor of fighting with his colors/flag.


I have seen Holly Black referred to as the Queen of all things Fae, and after reading two of her books revolving around the fae...I think this is a correct moniker for her.  Her books, while the revolve around the same general theme of the Faerie World, they are vastly different, though there are rumors they take place in the same world.  Interesting.  Her writing style is very lyrical and beautiful.  There isn't the normal "fluff" or unnecessary information.  Everything in her book leads to something else, everything plays off of each other and that's what makes Holly Black such an amazing writer.  She has the ability to write a story that will linger with you until you pick up another one of her books and that adds to your addiction.  I look forward to reading more books by Holly Black and definitely recommend The Cruel Prince to anyone who loves fantasy and the world of faeries.


Check out some of these reviews for The Cruel Prince


Book Smugglers
Her Bookish Things
Word Nerd Scribbles

The Scourge

 

Title: The Scourge
Author: Jennifer Nielsen
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws


A deadly plague threatens the land.  Ani is trapped in a tree when two guards are looking to bring in some of the river people for testing.  Because she is there, they take her.  She continues to insist that she does not have the Scourge, she tests positive and is sent in exile to Attic Island, a colony to quarantine those who are sick.  Ani quickly learns the truth about the illness, with her best friend Weevil at her side, she is determined to reveal the truth and the horrors that the beloved governor is doing to her own people. Who will succeed, Ani or the Scourge?

I enjoyed reading Jennifer's other book "Traitor's Game" so much that when I seen this one at the library I decided to read it as well.  I was pleasantly surprised at  how much I liked it.  I was a little surprised that this was not a part of a series, I could see where this novel progresses into something longer.  As I neared the end it felt like there is more story to tell here.


Ani is a fearless character who gets herself into trouble quite often because she doesn't know when to let things be.  But then again if she did, she wouldn't have discovered the truth.  She has a smart mouth, is loyal to her friends and will do anything for them.  The theme of friendship is really strong and continues throughout the story as readers see friends stand together in times of sorrow, need, and jubilance.  And out of that friendship love blooms is a sweet thing.  I also loved seeing two characters on opposite ends of the social class learn they aren't so different and form a friendship that goes beyond stereotypes and class structure.


The world within this novel is a little bland, we don't see much setting and world building.  But what the story lacks in that department it makes up in the character building.  Jennifer focuses on her characters and shaping them, making the story be told through them rather than "telling" the story.  It was really interesting to read through the story.  It was really one of those books that I couldn't put down because I wanted to see what each character would do next.


I would recommend it to those who enjoy a good fantasy, unknown illness plaguing the country type of story.  Jennifer Nielsen really knows how to tell a fantastic story that keeps her readers engaged.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Source: Paperback, Library
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws


Percy is your typical 12 year old kid.  School is not his favorite thing in the world and he tends to lean towards trouble.  Then while on a field trip, Percy swears a monster tried to kill him.  When his mom finds out she decides it's finally time to tell him who his father is..Posiden, God of the Sea.  He then goes to the one place he will be safe, a camp for Half Bloods.  While there he discovers he needs to go on a quest and retrieve a stolen lightning bolt, one stolen from Zeus.  Along with his friends, Percy travels across the county to enter the Underworld to stop a war between the gods and save his mom.

So I admit I watched the movie before I read the book, and that kind of tainted my image of the story. I have a strong interest in Greek Mythology (well mythology in general) and Rick's story is an interesting twist to the mythology I have come to know.  One things that stood out for me was Percy's age, I feel like he could have been older than 12 but that's just me, and can see why it would appeal to a younger reading crowd.  Rick's series is the perfect way to introduce young readers to the beauty that is Greek Mythology.  Rick's writing is perfect for the age group he aims for, as an adult it seemed a little too simplistic, but again I am reading this as a 34 year old woman not a 12 year old girl.


I loved how loyal and brave Percy comes off, he starts out as a trouble-marker, but we see that maybe some of those things weren't exactly his fault.  I liked how the monsters slowly came into play like with the algebra teacher turning into a monster, Fury I think.  He develops into his powers, but I think he could have learned how to use them and be a little more powerful with them sooner, and more often in the book.  Sometimes it seemed like he got out of situations based on pure luck.  I hoped for more magic I guess, but I guess mythology didn't use much magic.  I love how Rick include Annabeth and shows her with power and strength of her own.  This shows young girls that you can be just as powerful and strong as male counterparts.

I liked that RIck included some beings everyone can be familiar with in this novel like the Minotaur, Furies, Fates, and Medusa.  I hope he tackles some other creatures in the other novels, maybe ones we don't see so often like sirens, something.  The Ever After Casino was interesting and I loved how the movie portrayed this scene, it was interesting but creepy at the same time, along with Medusa's Shop of garden statues.  How creepy to think she tries to sell the statues, or maybe she doesn't make a sale but uses people in her gardens.  Poseidon has always been one of my favorite gods, and I had hoped for a little bit more from him and was disappointed that we didn't see more of him or any indication that he might have been watching over Percy the whole time.

While I enjoyed reading this book and will read the whole series, I don't see myself becoming a super fan girl that way I have with other novels like The Lunar Chronicles or Harry Potter.  But I still think it is a cute story, great for the age range and some adults.  I recommend it if you haven't read it yet.

The Book of Speculation

Title:  The Book of Speculation
Author: Erika Swyler
Genre: Mystery, Family History
Source: Library Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

Simon is a library with a love and appreciation for books. His parents have both passed on, his sister is off traveling the land in a circus, his home is slowly crumbling into the ocean, and he just lost his job due to budget cuts.  Out of nowhere Simon receives a book in the mail from a book seller.  The man who sent it to him, believed it would be of interest to his family history.  The book is a circus diary of sorts, a book written by the circus owner chronicling important events and dates.  Simon begins to notice a pattern.  On the same date, women who perform as mermaids or swimmers die, by drowning.  The same way his mother died, and all the women seem to be tied to his family.  He begins to worry about the safety of his sister as she comes to visit and the date slowly draws closer.  But the more Simon reads, the more he discovers about not only his family's past but also that of his neighbor.  Can Simon stop fate before it's too late?

I have sort of been drawn into circus books or books that relate to a circus, so when I saw this book at the library (or rather on the library list), I decided to give it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it, but also a little disappointed that more was not done with a certain aspect of the book.  But don't let me get ahead of myself.  The book overall was an interesting one to read.  I liked all the characters.  They each had their own interesting quirk and element to add to the story.  They all helped drive the story forward even if it is in a small way such as that of the book seller.

Simon, I found Simon to be an interesting character in that he got so wrapped up in the family history he didn't see anything else around him.  He began to alienate and hurt the people around them despite him thinking he was helping or protecting them.  He was a warm, lovable character but had so many faults to him, but that is what made me love him even more.  I loved how protective he got when Enola comes with a boyfriend, one covered in tentacle tattoos and can apparently create electricity. Throughout the book, the readers see many different sides to Simon that makes him a well rounded likable character.  Honestly I wanted more of Enola and her boyfriend in the book (I forget his name right now).  They floated around in the background and every so often would pop back up almost like a "hey remember me" kind of thing.  I wanted more of Enola's tarot reading skills and them correlating with the book aside from her tearing some out or hiding them when Simon came into the room.  Maybe a scene without Simon, where Enola is reading the cards and mutters "it's happening again" or something like that.  Something to tie her into the story a little more.

 enjoyed how the book went between the two story-lines but did it in a way that it was easy to follow.  The reader found out more information as Simon found it out, so it was exciting to read.  It left me excited to find out what would happen next and what happened to the circus characters as well as how they all related to Simon. I loved the incorporation of people drawn to water and knowing various techniques to holding their breath underwater for long periods of time.  As a kid I remember trying to see how long I could do that, and had contests with my brother.  How I longed to be a mermaid or Skelkie.  I got really excited when the legend of skelkies were alluded to, I was hoping this would be played up more, but it wasn't.  They are one of my favorite creatures of lore.

There is a lot of descriptions in this book that some may feel takes away from the story, but at times it adds to the story.  I say this because it helps build the picture.  It helps create the world that the author intends the reader to see.  She wants us to see her vision and goes the extra mile to do so.  The pacing is a little slow in the beginning but it does pick up after a while.  There were some things that were never really explained such as how Amos was able to appear like he disappeared (made me think of that part in Avengers Infinity War when Drax thinks he's moving so slow he's invisible).  Or why the women of the family mysteriously drowned when they could hold their breaths or were strong swimmers.  While I did enjoy reading the book and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, being left with a lot of unanswered questions left me feeling unsatisfied.

Kiss Me First

Title: Kiss Me Fist
Author: Lottie Moggach
Genre: Philosophy, Maybe thriller
Source: Library Hardback
Rating:3 out of 5 paws

All Leila wants to do is fit in somewhere, everywhere she goes she feels outside the crowd.  That is until she finds a site called Red Pill where people discuss ethics and philosophical ideals.  Leila has found her place.  When founder Adrian asks Leila to do something outside the ordinary, she is put into a situation where ethics becomes a major question.  Her task is to pretend to be someone else, someone who has committed suicide, so that friends and family would not feel pain from their death.  Leila doesn't consider the consequences of her decision until it is too late.

So I picked up this book from the library because my boyfriend and I started watching the Netflix show Kiss Me First, that was based off this book.  I should have learned not to read books that shows are based off of, because sometimes I will be disappointed.  In this case I was.  The book is nothing close to what the show was about, the only similarities were the names, location and personalities.  Story-lines were completely different.  If they were similar I might have liked either one, the show or book better.  I liked neither.

I did enjoy the philosophical aspect of Red Pill and how Leila becomes tested in real life on the aspects of ethics and stealing a person's identity even though it isn't explained as such.  She doesn't think much on the proposition and comes across as rather impulsive rather than organized and meticulous as she is when she is Tess (with the exception of her interactions with Connor).  The whole book revolves around her being Tess, so readers don't really get much of Leila except when she is making decisions on Tess related things again like with Connor and trying to find out who he is.  I wanted a little more from Jonty, his character almost felt like an afterthought, something to throw in to give an element of risk, but we never see that element or much interaction between the two.

There were moments in the story where it got rather boring and hard to continue.  I liked the moments when the story went into present day with Leila attempting to find where Tess went.  It was almost like she was rediscovering herself through her determination to find Tess.  It was difficult to relate to any character, they didn't feel developed enough to feel a sort of connection most find with some characters. You don't really get to know them in the book, nor do you like any of them.  Everyone in the book has their own selfish agendas regardless who what their motives may be. 

I seen that Kiss Me First is marketed as a "thriller that tackles a life lived online."  I expected something we see in the show, where Leila plays an online game and lives through that or something like Sword Art Online.  The book does mention her playing World of Warcraft, but she doesn't become engrossed in it the way I was expecting it too. While we don't see her becoming engrossed in the internet as one may expect she still hides behind an avatar, the one of Tess.  She builds her own world of delusions around Connor and is then disturbed and upset that he doesn't reciprocate her feelings, but is repulsed by her actions (clearly he has every right but to Leila he is in the wrong).  Even after Adrian is exposed, she still believes he is the one in the wrong and she did nothing but help someone who wanted to die.  Which brings back the question of is assisted suicide even if the assistance is stealing one's identity ethical?

Overall I was not a fan of the book, I appreciate what it attempted to do and the questions it poses while doing it, but it all fell flat.  Nothing evoke emotion or a certain reaction while reading it. It is interesting, but not necessarily likable.

LIterary Quote

Alice In Wonderland will always and forever be one of my favorite stories.  There are so many thing in the story that resonates with me including this quote.  If I don't know where I want to go, does it matter which way I turn?  Does it matter if I take the road less traveled or the one well worn?

There are times I stop and think about how life would be different if I took a different path.  Would I still have met the people in my life now?  Would I be with the man I am with now?  What experiences would be different, what jobs would change?  Most importantly how would I have changed if I took a different road?

The roads we take in life shape who we are.  We learn the path we walk on and adjust to it as one would adjust to roots or stones along a hiking trail.  The idea includes many books one reads.  Sometimes a book can shape how we think and view different situations.  Books tend to have themes and ideals inside that we tend to not think about when reading them until someone else brings it up and we think "hmm I didn't think of that"  How would my thinking be different if I didn't read books like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe or I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou?

Which path have you take, do you wish you took a different path?  What books have shaped your way of thinking or perspective of life?  I would love to know.

Curses! A F**ed up Fairy Tale

Title: Curses! A F**ed up Fairy Tale
Author: J.A. Kazimer
Genre: Fantasy,
Source: Library Paperback
Rating: 2 out of 5 paws.


RJ is pulled into a mystery surrounding the death of a princess: Cinderella.  Her sister: Asia asks RJ for his help in finding her killer, and he cannot help but assist her.  But RJ is a villain who has been suspended from his villain duties.  Once RJ begins his search he discovers too many family secrets and mysteries for one villain to solve including a curse placed on each of Cinderella's step-sisters.  This is not your average fairy-tale.

I admit there were times when I struggled to get through this book.  I love fairy tale retellings and I thought this one would be a funny one to read, a villain gone good or sort of good.  interesting right?  Wrong, so very wrong.  I was disappointed in this book and wanted to give up on numerous occasions but stuck with it to the end.


 There were a lot "humorous" things (not laugh out loud humor, more like...oh ha that's cute humor) that ended up getting played out too much and there was too much emphasis on RJ wanting to get Asia into bed.  I get it he's a villain and she's a pure damsel princess who needed help, but it was overdone way too much.  The readers are consistently reminded that Asia is fat, but RJ still finds her beautiful...um really?  It was mentioned that she weight about 150 lbs...if that is fat in this author's mind, many a female readers will be offended, this one included.  And Dru is ugly, we get that, but it is drilled into the reader and the idea that no one could love her based on her looks...is that all that matters?  We are also reminded time and time again about how he is a villain forced to be good...but we never actually see it other than his desire to swear or get Asia into bed.


I expected more of a mystery, but the novel was more about him trying to get to Asia and win her over so he can get her into bed.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes i indulge in the steamy romance, but this wasn't even steamy, it was more stalkerish creepy than sexy.  The author seems to try hard to be witty and raunchy, but falls epically short.  How many times can one reader read the words "villain, fat, and ugly" before it becomes annoying and trite?  Tthere were things included in the story, that didn't fit with the tale or made no sense why they were included such as red riding hood towards the end, it had no baring on the story nor did it supply anything worth while to the plot...but the plot wasn't really there either.


I am glad I borrowed the book rather than buying it.  I wouldn't recommend it.