The PJ series by Rick Riordan

An all-out demigod battle - Gee

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a book series by Rick Riordan aimed for young adults; however this series could easily charm readers of any age. I only began to read the stories because I heard it was suppose to be made into a movie and to me, if a book is good enough to be put into film, no matter how bad Hollywood undoubtedly would ruin it, then it would probably be worth some attention that I am willing to give. When I bought the first book however, I didn't expect to be so drawn into the storyline, which although is written in a way that is easy for a younger generation to comprehend, gives detail after detail about what is going on.

The series begins with Percy Jackson and the Lightening Theif, during which Percy, a 12 year old boy who suffers from ADHD and dyslexia discovers he is a demi-god and son of Poseideon, Greek God of the sea. He is joined by his friends Grover, a satyr, and Annabeth, another demigod and a daughter of Athena, on a quest to retrieve Zues' lightening bolt which has been stolen before a war between the Gods erupts.

The characters face challenging obstacles and use the friendships they have acquired with each other to overcome a greater evil then they originally foresaw, battling the feared Titans, that their world could and will one day face. if you enjoy reading about Greek Mythology the way i do then you will enjoy this book. Readers encounter many fantastic creatures such as satyrs, like Grover, harpies, centaurs, pegasi, demons, cyclops and dozens of other creatures. not only do you have the creatures we can only dream about but also the powerful Greek Gods who still exist today and who currently like atop the Empire State Building in new York. and if the mythology isn't enough to draw you in, think of the nonstop action of Percy and his always present sword, Riptide which turns into a pen when not in use and always returns to his pocket if lost, which happens a lot. He and his friends have to battle demons trying to kill them around every corner and eventually are faced with the biggest fight of time when he has to fight Kronos himself.

Tune into Percy Jackson and his mystical world of magic and fantasy and learn that all though you may have limitations like his dyslexia and ADHD, you can still grow to become something bigger than you originally thought.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the Olympian books, they are all property of Rick Riordan and this is just my opinion of his series***

By: Danielle Zang

Article Source: ezinearticles.com

Old Magic by Marriane Curley

 Magical - Gee

Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing,

But Kate Warren doesn't know why.

The moment the new guy walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom.

Jarrod doesn't believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, he only puts up with her "hocus pocus" notions because he finds her captivating. However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate's theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey -- one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod's family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.

Having grown up with her grandmother Jillian, a practicing witch and healer, sixteen-year-old Kate recognizes power when she sees it. So when newly arrived Jarrod unleashes a windstorm in biology class, Kate steps in, calms him down, and gets him out of there before anyone else realizes what has happened. What surprises her, however, is how oblivious he is to his power and to the curse of disorder and disaster that has dogged his family for centuries. Not only that, but Jarrod is also angrily adamant that magic does not exist. As evidence to the contrary mounts, Jarrod decides to accept Jillian's help, and Kate and Jarrod travel back in time to 1252 to the English castle of Thorntyne and Jarrod's ancestors, Lord Richard and his estranged half-brother, the sorcerer Rhauk. There Jarrod must overcome his reluctance to claim his power, or Kate will die at Rhauk's hands and neither will see their present-day families again.

Alternating narration between Kate and Jarrod, this novel provides dual perspectives on reality and relationships in a tale where the known competes with the unexpected and reason wars with emotion. With a solid story comprised of several age-old themes of fantasy and adventure as well as a savvy female nudging a clueless male protagonist into claiming his birthright, the book will appeal to young readers interested in magic, adventure and budding romance.

Source: books.simonandschuster.com

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

 An epic battle of Egyptian Gods - Gee

This is the first book in the new Chronicles of Kane series by Riordan. Like his other series, Percy Jackson, this one revolves around the integration of old gods and modern times. However, it was surprisingly refreshing and not at all just a repeat of the Percy Jackson series; there were only two echoes of it in this book, the first being the most obvious: the mix of gods and kids. The second, I’ll talk about later.

So, for our summary, we have the young Kane children thrown into the adventure of a lifetime. Carter, a 14 year old, and his sister Sadie, 12, have been living apart ever since their mother died when they were kids. Carter has been traveling the world with his Egyptologist father and Sadie has been having a more “normal” life, living with her grandparents in London. They only meet a few times each year, Christmas being one of them. So when the holiday season rolls around, they are expecting awkward moments, and certainly not a trip to the museum which results in the destruction of the Rosetta Stone and the release of 5 major Egyptian gods, the disappearance of their father, or the wild adventure that follows.

Two of the best things about Riordan’s writing are that he gives his characters fresh, funny voices and is able to work a convincing story out of old myths because he does his research well. As I was reading this, everything matched up: the gods were kings and queens on the correct domains, any odd fluxes (such as how Egyptian gods and Greek gods can both still exist) were cleverly covered (it involves the only reference to Jackson and I thought it was a nice touch), and the life of the gods was weaved into our society rather uniquely; the Egyptain’s didn’t have their gods creating little demigods with mortals, and neither does Riordan. I won’t say more than that on that subject…

There wasn’t a lot wrong with this book, but I still want to talk about the flaws first.

To start off with, the writing was perfect for this story– funny, exciting, dramatic—whatever it needed to be. However, there was one thing that bothered me. A lot. This story is told in alternating points of view between Carter and Sadie, which I didn’t mind. The thing was, Sadie got to tell all the best parts of the story and she has that little sister syndrome where she makes her brother seem like an idiot all the time, which you know, made Carter seem like an idiot.

It was kind of annoying, because he actually had some really awesome stuff about him, but because we rarely got to hear him talk about his awesome, it was toned down to the point where he seemed almost obsolete. Sadie ended up seeming a lot more powerful and a lot more useful. And while Carter had his moments, I don’t think they were enough to really make up for Sadie’s hogging of the action.

That being said, Sadie was a rather enjoyable character to read about. She seemed kind of young for her voice and actions, but I guess that doesn’t really matter, right? She was spunky, and vibrant and childish in turns. In a lot of ways, she reminded me of myself at that age (which means you know she was awesome).

I guess Riordan gave her the good bits and the attention because she was the one who needed to develop more as a person and a character. Carter has some issues, but I think those will come front and center in later books, where they can get the focus they need.

Okay. So the second thing I had a problem with in this book was the plot. I’m not talking about the story arch and the basic idea of what was going on. That was wicked awesome. What I mean is the little side-stories that make a tale richer.

Well, let’s just say that reading this book was a little too…filling. Like eating an ice-cream Sunday after attending a brownie-tasting festival: there were so many quests within quests that I forgot at times what the big issue was. It made for a longer book, which I’m not really complaining about because it was still great to read, but I could have done with less miniquests, and I think the story could have too.

And my final grievance with this book was that it took place mainly in America. Not that I have a problem with the country, but Riordan set up these cool places called Nomes, and took us to the First Nome, which was really great, but then he took it away from us almost instantly and dragged us back to America. Yuck. America. How stale. How dull. How could he do that when there was a whole underground city of pure excellence waiting to be explored?

Okay. Within the context of the story, America makes sense. It worked. But I’m really hoping and praying that we’ll go back the Egypt and spend some good, long chapters there in later books. Because it is just wrong to introduce a place that cool and never let us go back.

Oh. Before I wrap this up, I said I would talk about the other thing this book had in common with Percy Jackson. So, I said they were different, remember? Well, they are. Truly. But as I was going through the book, I did realize that there was one looming thing that they were building up to and astute readers will catch on, and all I’m going to say is, know the real enemy and you’ll know where this story is going because that is what it has in common with Percy Jackson. And thought it may bother some readers when they come to see it, I didn’t really care. I mean, the series has to have a plot, right? And because it draws on a certain Egyptian myth, it becomes a valid argument within the story.

Blah. That was so confusing, right? Well, come back after you’ve read the book. and see if it makes any more sense. Leave a comment. We’ll discuss it.

So. Despite all my griping and complaining, I really enjoyed this book. I know, right? I guess I’m just a harsher critic on the things I love. Like, I really expect them to be great. And with my hand to God, even though it may not seem like it, this book was great. It was exciting and filling and had one heck of a great ending. As soon as I finished, I was dying for more. I fell in love with nearly all the characters. The ones I didn’t love, I loved to hate.

And even though this is technically a kids’ book, I have to say, it’s a lot better than whole a lot of older books I’ve read. Because just like the Harry Potter series, I get the feeling Riordan doesn’t really write for a specific audience. I think he just tells the story and whoever reads it, reads it, and I’m pretty sure they are rarely disappointed.

Source: thespottedmushroom.com

Beastly

I finished the novel in 1 and a half day :3 - Gee

'Beastly' is an edgy teen romance about learning how to see past false surfaces to discover true inner beauty.

Kyle Kingson has it all -- looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity -- and a wicked cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating "aggressively unattractive" classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra, inviting her to the school's extravagant environmental bash. Kendra accepts, and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in a particularly savage fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is -- a task he considers impossible.

Repulsed by his appearance, Kyle's callous father banishes him to Brooklyn with a sympathetic housekeeper and blind tutor. As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the addict freedom and safety for his daughter Lindy if she will consent to live in Kyle's Brooklyn home. Thus begins Kyle's journey to discover true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic 'Beauty and the Beast' story.

Source: moviefone.com

The MOVIE of Beastly will be in theatres on April Starred by: Alex Pettyfer (Kyle), Vanessa Hudgens (Lindy), Lisa Gay Hamilton (the housekeeper), and Neil Patrick Harris (the blind tutor)

The Hunger Games Trilogy

THE HG Trilogy is one of the best books I've ever read - Gee :D

Synopsis of the 3 books:

The Hunger Games takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a rich Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, every year one boy and one girl from each district are selected by a lottery known as the Reaping and forced to participate in The Hunger Games, a televised event where the participants, or "tributes", must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. In this battle, the 24 children ranging from anywhere between age nine to the high teen years are prepped for the Games through televised productions. Some include the Chariot Ride, where they are dressed up to gain support from the crowd, their interviews directly after the Chariot ride, and being judged on their skills and given a score accordingly. Sponsors, or people who send items to the tributes during the Games, are sometimes the only thing between life and death for a tribute in a tough situation, and they are bought through a high score and good appearances. Their help is crucial. Another helper in the Games are the Mentors, which are previous Victors (winners of past Games), and train the two tributes from their district each year.

The actual Arena varies with each annual game. It is always a challenging and unusual environment to draw viewers--though no one really wants to see children from their district being hacked to bits by each other. The 24 tributes are released onto it and the fight begins. There is, however, something called a Cornucopia, which often holds necessary items like weapons, food, medicine, and other things that the tributes need to survive. This is why, in the beginning of the Game when the tributes are released, so many die. Mostly everyone rushes to the Cornucopia to get supplies before they are taken, and in such close quarters killing is common.

The Game progresses until every tribute but one has been killed. During the Game many things can happen--Gamemakers, the developers of the arena and masters of the environment, can send deadly changes to challenge the tributes and interest more viewers. Alliances are formed, but of course they all must be broken sometime, as only one can win.

Whoever wins becomes a 'Victor', and wins a lifetime supply of wealth for their family and progresses to the Victor Village, where they will live the rest of their lives in comfort with their families. They will also serve as Mentors to future tributes from their district.

Source: goodreads.com

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