Monday, February 24, 2014

The Mark Of Athena

The Mark Of Athena

by Rick Riordan

Synopsis:

In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?

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 prophecy 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.

My thoughts:

After reading the first two novels in The Heroes of Olympus series, my expectations were quite high for the third installment. But the deeper and deeper I read, the more I was astonished and left wanting more. The Mark of Athena is a wonderfully written novel. It draws the reader in with action, romance, and complex conflicts. Although, I found it hard to believe how short the book genuinely felt. In reality the book is over 580 pages but it feels so much smaller when reading. I wasn't ready for the fantastic spectacle to end. The story seemed to go by so fast because of how much it dragged you in and outstanding use of language to help further the story. It also had mesmerizing action and romance cleverly combined into plot that had me on the edge of my seat. While The Mark of Athena is a fantastic book; you should consider reading the first two in the series before jumping into this one.


reviewed by Q. M., Grade 10 Scona student



Wednesday, February 19, 2014

YRCA 2014 Nominee #4: Tiger's Curse

Tiger's Curse 

by Colleen Houck

Synopsis:

The last thing teenager Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing over the summer was meeting Ren, a mysterious white tiger and cursed Indian prince! When she learns she alone can break the Tiger's curse, Kelsey's life is turned upside-down. The unlikely duo journeys halfway around the world to piece together an Indian prophecy, find a way to free the man trapped by a centuries-old spell, and discover the path to their true destiny.

My Thoughts:

Oh my gosh!  I . . . there are just not enough words to say how much I loved this series. I read a few other reviews saying that the characters were boring or not believable because they (mainly Kelsey) were so unsure about decisions and kept changing their minds.  To those people I say of course Kelsey is unsure about life and her decisions, she's 18 and dealing with way more than most 18s could even dream of. For me like I said I adored this story.  I thought that Kelsey was wonderfully written; she doesn't have a lot of confidence because she has never had to rely on herself to make the decisions and so she is constantly second guessing herself and changing her mind. Which with how Ren acts half the time it's no wonder Kelsey is confused.  Ren could be the perfect guy (and honestly he is pretty awesome; I mean he's an Indian prince that turns into a tiger!) if he loosened up a bit and let other people in on the plan or simply what is going on in his head.  Houck did an amazing job creating this novel and in giving it the feel of a real Indian myth.  Her writing is beautiful and creates a magical world not far beneath the surface of our own.  The action (and romance) never stopped in this novel and it was not possible to put down this book till I reached the last page and then I was reaching for the next book to find out what happens next.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Passion

Passion

by Lauren Kate

Synopsis:

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn't need to be that way. . . .


Luce is certain that something-or someone-in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.


Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.
Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.



Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.

My thoughts:

My reason for choosing Passion by Lauren Kate  is very simple; it is the third in a series. I enjoyed the first and the second, but I can honestly say that it was very difficult to get through this one. It is well written but slow going. The protagonist, Luce, goes back in time throughout her past lives in order to find out how the curse bestowed upon her and her love interest, Daniel, began. Luce encounters a little stone angel named Bill who helps her go back in time to find how the curse started, but her angel is not what he seems. In her haste to break the curse and get back to Daniel, Luce misses some key hints that could show her that Bill is not in fact trying to help her but has his own agenda to attend to. Luce goes throughout her lives learning that the pull and love she feels towards Daniel is real and not just an effect of the curse.She always learns the same thing; Daniel loves her; she has to find him; the love she feels is real. Every life Luce has ever lived, she dies before she can turn eighteen. While going back in time, Luce realizes that every time she dies, Daniel’s suffering is indeed greater than her own. Daniel chases Luce back in time to stop her from altering history to much. His fear is that she will alter her own history and cease to exist. He is always too late, usually only by a day or two. He always winds up talking to someone. Sometimes he even talks to himself in the past, that’s when things get interesting. 

There were many times that I was tempted to skip a couple chapters due to how slow paced the story was, but decided against it in fear of missing something crucial to the story. Normally it would take me three days to read a book the length of Passion, but it instead took me four weeks. I always look forward to reading. I didn’t look forward to reading Passion, I looked forward to finishing it. Knowing that the next chapter was going to be the same as the one before it was a dull feeling and I just wanted to get it over with.

The story was written from two different perspectives, both limited omniscient, Daniel’s and Luce’s. Until the end, when Luce finally stopped going through her lives, the only interesting parts were from Daniel’s perspective...especially when he wound up talking to himself.


Even though I said that this book is slow going and dull, it is well worth the time when I got to the last few chapters. Luce finds out things that shouldn’t be possible and Daniel realizes he may have made a mistake. I strongly suggest reading the series. The first book is called Fallen, the second book is called Torment, and the fourth books is called Rapture. There is also a novella called Fallen In Love, but it is not essential to the story line. I would give Passion a seven out of ten and suggest it to readers twelve and up who enjoy supernatural novels and/or stories.


reviewed by P. M., Grade 10 Scona student