Update + Mini Reviews #11: Hello Again Rick Riordan!

So, long time no blog! What have I been doing for the past, I don't know, year? Well, as most of you know, I am in college. (At least, I hope someone is reading this.) Now I'm back. What sucks is that I never have time to read what I want. Well, I do, but I get distracted by other stuff. Anyway, it took me a year to finish The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan because of all the college reading I had to do. ONE YEAR! That is ridiculous! What's great is that I remembered most of the stuff and tried to read tidbits of it every once in a while.  Well, here is my review of it plus The Crown of Ptolemy.

Goodreads: He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. 

To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

Review: 

Okay, so despite taking a whole year to read this book, I still enjoyed it. It was funny, dramatic, and had great history a part of it. While I kinda did not like how the romance kinda went down between the main characters and their love interests (it didn't go very fast - it was a typical teen relationship - but I felt that there should have been more interactions between Sadie and Walt/Anubis and Carter and Zia), I loved the over all story.  It was a good read, and I am looking forward to Riordan's next book. 

One thing though: The Kane Chronicles will never be better than Percy Jackson. 

Goodreads: In their first encounter, demigod Percy Jackson and magician Carter Kane had to battle a giant crocodile on Long Island. A month later, Annabeth Chase ran into Carter's sister, Sadie, on the A train to Rockaway, where the pair fought a god named Serapis. Now trouble is brewing again, this time on Governor's Island. 

An ancient Egyptian magician named Setne has come back from the dead and is experimenting with Egyptian and Greek magic, trying to become a god himself. He's so powerful and tricky that all four-Percy, Annabeth, Carter, and Sadie-have to team up against him. But their usual weapons and spells aren't going to cut it this time. Will the heroes be taken down by a wannabe god who looks like Elvis, or will they rise to the challenge?

Review:

So, I wasn't a fan on how this story started out - a little too fast for me - I mean, it jumped right into it without warning. But then again, it was pretty cool. I love this crossover between the two Riordan worlds. It was better than the ones with just the two boys or the two girls. I loved it when Percy and Nekhbet "worked" together. Favorite part: When Percy reminded everyone on why he turned down immortality. *Sigh* I love this boy. And this story was amazing. :D

Well, not sure when I'll update again. Probably when I delete pics off my computer or something. Until then, Keep on Reading!

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Mini Reviews #10: Rick Riordan Edition

Title: The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Yes
Finished: Yes
Source: Bought
Goodreads

Review: As always, Rick Riordan delivers a fantastic book of funniness and action and awesomeness. While I wish the romance was more spread out like it was in the Percy Jackson series, the book was still awesome. Unlike the first book, I found that this second book didn't remind me of any of the Percy Jackson books. It was new and refreshing. I was disappointed that Ra didn't come back as some awesome super god, but it was a fun book. Totally recommend it.

Title: The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5)

Author: Rick Riordan

Series: Yes

Finished: Yes

Source: Won!

Goodreads

Review: The end sucks! It just sucks! I mean, I'm happy that the person who was predicted to die doesn't actually "die die", but seriously, it was left so open! TOO OPEN!!! Anyway, I loved the book. I loved it when Percy said "I love you" to Annabeth and they shared a moment before they fought the giants. I loved that we got to see the POVs of Reyna and Nico, but I missed reading from Percy's view. Annabeth's was okay, but come on, we all love Percy. He's the Harry Potter of the Greek Mythology world. I can't wait for the Crown of Ptolemy to come out in May. Recommending it all the way to Elysium.

Ratings & Covers:

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Mini Reviews #8: At 3:59, at the Red Pyramid, the Son of Sobek Married Two Friends with the Staff of Sephasis over two Bleeding Hearts

Okay, I’m going to try to do these reviews in five words, one phrase, or less, minus the rating and technical info. Click on the titles to go to Goodreads!

(I just really don't want to write a full review for any these because it's been ages since I've read them and I didn't write anything down at the time I finished them.)

1) 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil 

5 starfish

            Creepy, amazing, why isn't it a movie yet, why isn't there a sequel, awesome characters.

2) The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1) by Rick Riordan  

5 starfish

            Plot, characters, and funniness reminds me of the Percy Jackson series (which made me a bit sad). Crazy but funny monkey. Characters were more emotionally involved than some in Riordan’s other series. Why haven’t I read the sequel yet? It’s freaking amazing.

3) The Son of Sobek by Rick Riordan  

5 starfish

            Awesome combination of his two series: Kane Chronicles and the Percy Jackson world. Funny. (PERCY DOESN’T DIE!) What is planning to do with the two worlds? And is he going to introduce his Norse mythology series with it? Great plot.

4) The Staff of Serapis by Rick Riordan  5 starfish 

            Funny. Annabeth and Sadie are a hilarious combination. Now I know what may happened if Riordan combines the two worlds. WHEN DOES THAT BOOK COME OUT?! The sneak peek at The Blood of Olympus (which the cover---eh. Wish it had Percy on it) was awesome!

5) Marriage Between Friends by Debbie Macomber  

4 starfish

            A sweet book for quick reading. Love the romance. A little cheesy, but still funny.

6) Bleeding Hearts (The Drake Chronicles #4) by Alyxandra Harvey  

4 starfish

            Funny, fast-paced, romantic, and one of the best couples ever. (Didn’t like how fast Connor was ‘falling’ for Christabel and how fast-paced the book went. Good book anyway!)

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Review: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Title: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4)
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Yes
Finished or ARC: Finished
Source: Bought from Amazon.com

Goodreads: At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

Review

To me, the Percy Jackson series and the Hereoes of Olympus are one of those series that if you love it, you love it. It's not a YA book that we normally think of: one hero, love interest with some forbidden love triangle or something, and one evil villain. Instead, these two series revolve around several characters (and Percy) and different couples and several evil villains. Great series all around. And I happen to be one of the people on the world that love this series. 

This book.........Holy freaking crap. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. One thing I love to point out is that unlike most YA novels, this series has several authors. I don't really like third person POV, but Rick Riordan does a great job using it. I love getting each character's perspective on the story/plot, even if I really wish I could know every character's thoughts on each scene (what a long book that would be). As much as I wish the story was told from only Percy's POV like in the first series, I do like all the characters narrating.

In all of his books that I have read (which is just the ones with Percy in them), Rick Riordan brings his own humor to the story, which makes getting through one of his books without a laugh very hard to do. I was surprised that this book didn't have as much funny jokes and humor as his other ones. Maybe it was because this book was a bit more serious than the others; given that Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus (which was cruel) and Frank, Leo, Jason, and Piper are trying to reach the House of Hades to close the Doors of Death, with Nico's help. As much as seriousness is good for a book with so much suspense, I did miss some of the funniness Riordan brings to his books.

Characters:

I have to say, this is the one book I think most of the characters really revealed their true selves. Frank, we know, has been uncomfortable with himself, not only being the son of Mars, but also in his awkward shape and the fact Leo keeps teasing him. In the HOH, he grows out of all of this and comes to accept himself even more. Leo, who left a little left out given that he is the only one of the seven without a girlfriend, expresses this and I came to the conclusion that he teased Frank and was a joker because he felt that was the only way he would be noticed for something other than his awesome mechanical skills. I was really happy that he met Calypso, but really upset that the gods hadn't let her go yet. 

Frank and Leo are just a few examples of revelations. The biggest one to me was Nico. This is the first time we really see him for him. He lashes out at Cupid, who provokes him into revealing his big secret. It is shocking to learn this secret. I'm not going to say what it is since it is a big spoiler, but I will say this: if you look at the whole series, you wouldn't think of it at all. Many books these days have some of this issue (think of Glee when you are wonder what it is) and oddly, I would have never thought Riordan would have put it in his series. It's not that I think he's against this issue (I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone; I can't think of any other word for it without revealing the secret or sounding really, really rude), but it was just a surprise. But then again, a chapter earlier kind of hinted to it, which I wasn't smart enough to pick up on, but still, it was a shock. But I still love Nico. By far, he is one of the strongest characters of the series; not by strength and brute force, but by character in himself.

Romance:
What I love best about these books is that the love dovy stuff isn't overwhelming stupid and cheesy. It is the love you would expect two teenagers to experience as their first girlfriend/boyfriend. Of course, I love Percabeth all the way, but Jasper (Jason and Piper) and Frazel (Frank and Hazel) are good too. Hopefully Riordan doesn't screw it up and forget about Calypso. I love them together. I think their couple name is Caleo.

Ending:

I'm happy it ending the way it did, but I'm sad that Bob died and that Octavian is a horrible ^@*$^#)@ face. He's too power hungry. I really don't like him. I kinda hope he does get shot out of a cannon by Frank and Reyna. I can't wait for the last book, The Blood of Olympus, which I hope doesn't mean a main character dies. 

Rating & Cover:

The Big Kahuna

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Mini Reviews #4: Fallen in Love & The Mark of Athena

 

Mini Reviews of books I really don't want to write a full review on or just can't find time to do.

 

First Up:

  

 

Fallen in Love (Fallen #3.5) ARC
By Lauren Kate
Source: Random Buzzers

Goodreads:
Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.
And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they
least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce
will spend a night together like none other.
Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.
True love never says goodbye... 

 

Review:

Miles & Shelly: I thought this a very sweet story. I love how it was that situation where the girl sells her valuable item for something the boy wants, and then the boy does the same thing. It was sweet. And even though the probability of falling in love in Medieval Times these days are unlikely, it was a good story. And oddly, they fell in love over a period of time since their feelings gradually got strong with every Announcer they went through.

 

Roland & Arriane: Their stories were separate, but they were both sad. Roland's love married someone else, and Arianne's killed herself. I was hoping for some happy endings. Arianne's was tragic, but Roland's was okay. He made up for his lost by making sure his love's husband didnt' go to war and get himself killed.

 

Luce & Daniel: It's Luce finding out more from her past, of course. She takes over her former self and sets out to find Daniel. I have to say, even thought it was the typical Luce-past + Daniel story, the ending was the best.

 

All in all, this book was good.

#2

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3)
By Rick Riordan
Source: won

Goodreads: (Some was cut out due too being too long)
Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare. . . .
The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophesy remains a mystery. . . . With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvelous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena promises to be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan.

Review:
Despite my love for this book, I'm not writing a big review on it. I loved it, and I don't have many negative comments. The book was hilarious, the characters were awesome, and suspense wasn't a big issue.

I loved the plot, but there were many subplots. Some I thought were okay or uncessary, but otherwise, loved it.

The romance was good. I loved Percy and Annabeth back together. Piper and Jason were okay. The love triangel between Hazel, Frank, and Lea was not needed. Hazel confused about Leo and who he was was enough to cause tension between the three.

The ending sucked in general. I was depressed after I read it. I can't wait for The House of Hades.

Quotes:

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain," she orderd. "Just hold me for a while." pg 167

Aphros frowned. "Who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!" pg. 294

"Behold!" Percy shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!" pg. 374

"We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."
"As long as we're together," she said. pg 568

Rating: Big Kahuna

 

 

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Haven't had time to read a lot of it. It's okay.

 

 

 

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