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.

Sirens

Title: Sirens
Author: T.L. Zalecki
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Kindle eBook
Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Not everything is as it seems.  The ocean levels are rising, cities are being lost to the tide.  The earth is becoming overpopulated and the human race depends on genetic research and tools to alter their appearances and abilities including the development of aquatic abilities as the threat rises.  Lorelei Phoenix takes on a job as a marine biologist, but finds herself research an unknown species of algea and its origins. Sirens exist and are hidden away from the human eye, but a young siren Mello believes the two can live in harmony and decides to test things by stricking a deal with the corporation DiviniGen, Inc.  But soon finds out the company is not everything he thinks it is.  It is far more dangerous, now Mello and Lorelei race against time to discover their truths as well as their pasts.

This book was not at all what I was expecting it to be.  I knew science fiction has a lot of science in it, but this had a lot of science and some politics in it as well.  There is so much potential in this story and I was excited to read it, but was slightly disappointed in it.  The ideas and concepts are rather interesting and I think a lot can still be done with them and hope they will be in later novels, but there are things that brought my interest in this novel down considerably.  The first being no clear timeline, the novel jumps around quite a bit, it takes place in the present but also have multiple flashbacks that take away from the story at hand.  I found myself confused at what was going on and when.  While the characters go through the motions nothing really happens until towards the end when you think something big is going to happen, but then it ends and you are left feeling a bit unsatisfied.

I would have loved to have seen the book focus more on either Lorel or Mello, but instead it jumped between the two and Mello's portions were more flashback than pushing his story along.  I wanted more from the Sirens rather than a brief history and idea that they have the algae the corporation wants.  Make me care about the characters, make me be on the edge of my seat, this book did not do that for me.  The characters didn't have much depth and were almost laughable the idea that the sirens have a black streak in their silver hair seemed odd to me, and Mello's last name as Seaward, come on there could have been a better idea for his last name.   The story itself comes to a halt it just ends not dwindle down, not satisfactory ending.  It just stops, I literally said out loud "that's it," just when it was starting to get some substance.



It feels more like an information dump than an actual story.  The reader gets so much information thrown at them that they cannot bond with the characters properly.  I would like to read the second novel in  hopes that the story is better and progresses more with development and depth of character and actually see where this story is supposed to be headed.  While I may not have enjoyed reading this book and struggled with it someone else might, so I would recommend it and would pick up the second book when I have the chance.




Was there ever a book you were so excited about because it seemed so different and out of the ordinary?  If so let me know in the comments and I will add it to my list!


Happy Reading!

Patchwork

The night of prom, Renata and her friends pull the greatest of practical jokes, but the moment is lost on Renata as she reflects on rejecting her boyfriend's proposal.  After watching him throw the ring into the river, she jumps in after it.  Moments before the rive boat the student body is aboard explodes.  Renata wakes up in a patchwork world of memories taken back a few months prior, where REnata thinks she can stop this murder, only to have it happen again at a different time.  She quickly realizes someone is after her and her friends, but she cannot figure out why.  This patchwork world holds clues to help her figure out how to make the madness end,  but will she figure it out quick enough to save the people she loves?

** I received a copy of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review**




I was excited about this book when I read the summary, it sounded very interesting because not many authors play with the idea of a phoenix.  But I have to say I struggled to get into this novel and I am not 100% sure of why.  The writing was good, the idea was good.  I think it was more so the character of Renata.  In the beginning she comes off as not a horrible person but one that was hard to like and hard to feel compassion for even though her friends kept dying over and over again.  I would have liked to have her learn something more in the patchwork world in the beginning rather than that she was reliving memories and going back to stop someone from killing her friends and possibly her.


It takes a long time to build up and formulate into a story until it gets further into the plot, then it does pick up, so readers need to be able to get through. 


It was a decent enough read to be able to read it on a wonderful Saturday afternoon in the park or alongside the pool, but I am not sure if it would be one that has me coming back to reading it again and again.  Although other readers might.  This would be a good book for young adult readers and some adult readers as well.  There is a lot that happens in the novel with murder, betrayal, heartbreak, love and romance to magical forces.  I did like the idea of going back in time and being able to change things, or try to change things, but for Renata she remembers everything from the point at prom and no one else does which does make it interesting to see her interact with people differently and see people differently second or third times around.


Overall as stated it's an alright book, it was entertaining and interesting, it just didn't tickle my fancy in the end.  I would recommend it to other readers and hope others do find it enjoying.  As for a rating I would give it a 3 out of 5.

Creatura by Nely Cab

Creatura is the first book in Nely Cab's Creatura series, and it was an interesting start.  Isis has been plagued by a mysterious creature in her dreams, causing her months of sleepless nights.  She finally decides to face her fears and confront this monster, only to discover it is not a monster, but a man.  One who is anything but a dream.  A jealous/violent ex-boyfriend, multiple discoveries, and a loving sacrifice through Isis' world upside down.  Will her life ever be normal again?  How will she be able to come to terms with her new discoveries, and possibly new identity?

Honestly I do not know how I feel about this book.  What isn't there to love: gods who are anything but mythical, a dangerous ex boyfriend, shocking news, young love.  Sounds amazing right?  Unfortunately, this novel seemed to fall short for me.  Maybe it is because I have read so many novels dealing with mythical pantheons, I had incredibly high expectations.  The mythology involved was well written and interesting, I wanted a little more on the Creatura other than basically being forbidden undesirable beings who were supposed to have been completely exterminated.  Then other creatures are mentioned such as Tribus (I think I spelled that correctly) but we aren't given much more information on them. 

The characters were weak, and almost generic.  At times I liked David, but other times I hated him.  He almost always contradicts himself.  One point he is sweet, caring, romantic, but then becomes possessive and borderline abusive.  When Isis simply says "hi" to a male classmate, David flies off the handle and manhandles her.  This is not a quality in a man that we should be promoting to young women as acceptable.  David is quick to anger and doesn't think before he acts, you would think a god would has been around for millennia would know think before he re-acts.  Galen and Eryx are a hilarious duo, I certainly wanted more of their characters.  I enjoyed seeing different aspects of the gods and goddess powers, but they all seemed to be empathic, able to see feelings and internal make-up.  It would have been far more interesting if there were other powers included.  While we are on that subject, David has a few powers that are mentioned but never explained such as his power to tranquilize someone, heal someone and if he is struck the offending person is infested with parasites.  Why is this not explained more??

Overall it was a decent first book to a series and left a lot of questions open that I hope will be answered in upcoming books.  Young adults and those who enjoy a little mythology would enjoy reading this book.  My rating I would give a 3 out of 5 because there were things that were unexplained and character qualities that were somewhat contradictory.

Darkest Craving

Title: Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter  (book 10 in the Lord of the Underworld Series)
Media Source: Paperback
Rating 3.5 out of 5

Darkest Craving the 10th book in the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter.  It is a paranormal romance novel that follows the story of Kane: Keeper of disaster.  Wherever he goes disaster strikes, either to himself or those around him.

Kane is the keeper of Disaster, and he wants nothing more than to rid of the demon.  He longs for love, but anytime he gets close to a woman his demon acts up.  Whenever Disaster is "hungry" or upset he causes disaster to happen all around Kane.  Josephina is a member of the royal Fae family, well partly a member.  She desperately wants to be rid of her family and the life she lives in the Fae Kingdom.  She rescues Kane from the depths of Hell in hopes of convincing him to kill her.  Little did she expect to fall for the handsome Lord.  Kane struggles to avoid the Fate's prediction that he would cause the apocalypse, as well as marrying the keeper of Irresponsibility as he wants Josephina (aka Tinker Bell).  A whirlwind tale of romance and adventure erupts from the very beginning and continues until the end.

Gena Showalter is a compelling storyteller, but this novel does not display her talent as well as the others.  She takes the mythology of Pandora's box and weaves it into her own tales with the Lords of the Underworld.  She continues that with Kane's story.  We had glimpses of Kane throughout the previous novels, glimpses that made readers want his story and to see how his demon effects him as we've seen the other demons reacting in other books.  I was surprised Disaster reacted significantly different than some of the other demons in the previous books.  In the past the demons in the books acted out towards the Keeper, such as Reyes needed to harm himself rather than the people around him harming others, but with Disaster (and also Disease: Torin) the demon not only acts out towards him but others around him.  Which makes sense that he could possibly be the bringer of the apocalypse.

In this book we are introduced to some more mythical creatures such as the phoenix as well as Fae.  As with the legend of Pandora's Box, Gena Showalter makes the creatures her own.  I especially enjoyed the idea of each Fae having a different power rather than everyone having the same one.  In Jospehina's case she had two, one she could project herself to a different place while remaining in another, two with a touch she could take on the powers of the person she touches.  My inner geek immediately thought of Rogue from X-Men, so that is the image I now have of Josephina.  I thought this power would have been used in a different way throughout the story, but what Showalter does with it and how it is used was unexpected. 

Throughout the book, the story diverges to discuss some of the other Lords, briefly introducing us to their stories such as Torin and Cameo.  It is almost like a little teaser, giving readers a taste of what's to come in their books.  Smart movie Showalter!  We also get a small glimpse of another Sent One towards the end. A Sent One is kind of like an angel, but not entirely.  Something else Showalter makes her own.  After seeing a Sent One or two in previous, I want more from them.  I want to read their stories; could that possibly be her plans for the future?  One can only hope. These side characters are what helped bring the rating up slightly.  The character development of Kane and Josephina were highly lacking, if anything they backtracked.  The Fae started out a this kick ass woman who stole the powers of a phoenix, but then regressed into the victim mentality unwilling to fight for herself because she was afraid of the consequences.  Didn't seem like the Tinker Bell we met in the beginning.  And Kane, he seems to be the weakest of the Lords.  While the others find ways to control their demons, Kane allows his demon to control him even to the point of changing his eyes as the demon comes to the surface.  Is there a reason for this?

While there were points during the novel where the story seemed to slow down in pace and just drag on, or moments which seemed a little too cliché, this was a phenomenal book.  I enjoy everything I have read from this author and Darkest Craving was no different.  While I look forward to her next book I am a little weary about how well written it would be.  Hopefully I won't be too disappointed.

Recommendation: Darkest Craving is a paranormal romance novel.  It satisfies the craving for more from the Lords, as well as slight romance and adventure.

Styxx

"Styxx"  (Dark Hunters):  Sherrilyn Kenyon;  media source: paperback.  Rating 5 out of 5 stars.

We have all met Styxx throughout the other novels, but never got his story, nor completely understand him.  I don't know about other readers but I have always wondered what made him the man he was.  Who was Styxx really other than Acheron's twin brother?  We never seen him for who he truly was, until now.  There is so much that happens in this novel that it would take forever to give you a synopsis.

In order to protect her son, Acheron's mother had another goddess hide his unborn body into the womb of a queen.  A queen who happened to have already been pregnant which her own child.  When the two boys were born, there was a visible difference between the two.  One was marked as a god, Acheron.  The other was not marked.  When Styxx's father seen Ash, he accused his wife of infidelity and disowned Acheron as his son.  In doing so he also marked distrust and hatred towards Styxx.  Xerxes find ways to punish Acheron for whatever he felt is disrespectful or other things deserving of a punishment.  Unknown to him, Styxx felt everything that Acheron felt. Styxx spent his time agonizing over Acheron as kids, even more so after Acheron was sent away to live with their uncle.  An uncle who did unspeakable things to Acheron.  Styxx quickly learned of these things, when Estes decides to "break Styxx in" he learns exactly how bad things were for Acheron.  throughout his lie Styxx gets tortured by various gods in various ways, mainly Apollo who marks him as his own.  Then Apollo marries his sister and his life is made even more miserable.  Who would have thought that Styxx' life would be seen as miserable.

All the while Styxx falls in love with a beautiful woman he meets by the river, but he doesn't reveal who he truly is and we learn that both are keeping secrets.  Throughout the novel he meets up with
her secretly  slowly building a life together.  He goes to war where he is miraculously the only general to have success against the Atlantians.  Throughout the novels gods and men alike pin after Styxx and he can hear those thoughts.  Left over residual from being born alongside Acheron?  Flash forward a bit.  Someone kills Styxx's sister and Apollo is furious and both Ash and Styxx are killed (are they really?) Apolloymi (Ash's dear mother) goes crazy and kill or turns the gods and goddesses of her pantheon into statues.  Again a lot happens throughout the novel, too much to give a detailed synopisis of what happens, so I am leaving some things, but that gives you all the more reason to read the novel.


So Styxx dies, but not really cause he can only die if Ash dies and well, Ash can't die.  Flash forward a bit more and Styxx is greeted by Dionysus and another god of the Celtic pantheon.  Both want Styxx' help to kill Acheron which he gladly jumps at. Of course they are unable to follow through with their plan, but end up angering Acheron and we see just what that man in capable of.  As we go on Styxx is miserable with the loss of his beloved Beth and their unborn child, but makes a friend in one of Acheron's warriors: Urian.  Off and on Styxx is asked to help Acheron, which he does for various reasons.    Through deductive reasoning Simi; Acheron's Charonte demon realizes who Styxx's beloved is and tries to reunite them cause all hell to break loose.  Styxx is happy again, he finds out the true reason he can hear the thoughts of those around him, as well who Urian truly is.

There is a ton that happens as I said a few times throughout this, and it is a rather thick book, but it is an AMAZING book.  I loved the Acheron focused installment of the series, and I love this one just as much.  Kenyon quickly became one of my favorite authors and she never ceases to amaze me.  The novel is full of strong emotions radiating off the pages from Styxx.  Who knew he was such a passionate character?  We didn't really see that in the glimpses of him that we have seen thus far.  This story paired with Acheron shows there are always two sides to a story.  The twins hated each other for what they thought the other felt and thought, when what they perceived was not the truth.  Styxx' character endures so much throughout the novel  he becomes a completely different character by the end of the novel than he was in the beginning.  We watch as he becomes broken down, but picks himself back up again.  He is not the spiteful conniving character we tend to think he is, far from it. 

From the moment I picked up my first book from Kenyon I was hooked, I believe I have all her novels including those from the League series, though I am missing some of those.  I cannot get enough of her writing, she is simply amazing. She gives us characters that we continuously want more from.  After reading Styxx and Acheron, I kind of want a novel on Ryssa (the sister) as well as Urian, among so many others.  I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of her novels.  If you haven't read any of her novels yet, not just Styxx, do so.  You will not be disappointed.