Reading With The Snow

Snowstorms in New England make me lazy. 

Really.

Well, maybe lazy isn't the best word for what snowstorms do to me. 

But there's certainly something that happens when the world starts to look like this:

There are a million things I should be need to be doing (grad school applications, Christmas shopping, getting my tires rotated), but when those snowflakes start to fall (especially if there's rumor of many inches coming down) all I want to do is park myself in front of the fireplace with a steaming cup of coffee and a book.

Yep. I said it. Everything else falls away and it becomes just me and whatever word I've found myself escaping into the most recently. Reading is such a perfect activity for so many parts of your life. But when the snow is falling and the world disappears beneath that blanket of white? That is my absolute favorite time to read. The two just seem to go perfectly hand-in-hand.

The storm blazes outside and there I am: curled up under a blanket, watching the snow fall down outside, and a book in my hand. Work disappears. Have-tos disappear. Maybe they shouldn't (actually, they really shouldn't. Too many deadlines are on their way to my front door...), but it's how things work for me. 

This last snowstorm was no different. I spent most of Sunday and Tuesday in my chair by the fire devouring two of Tamora Pierce's novels: Realm of the Gods (Wild Magic #4) and First Test (Protector of the Small #1). These are series I should have read before but never got around to. Serioulsy. Younger me is kicking my tail for not having had my nose stuck in these when I was in Middle School.  

Winter is my perfect reading time. Which is great, as I'm still 5 books off of my Goodreads reading challenge. I want to have to finish it. I've finished it three years running, can't spoil that now!

So, bring on the snow. It's time to read. 

Winter Reads: Book Four {The Son of Neptune}

Going back to review this book (particularly after already reviewing The Mark of Athena at the beginning of this year) reminds me of just how much I love this series and Rick Riordan's creative genius. It also reminds me how mad I am that the next book of the series, House of Hades, isn't coming out until OCTOBER. I really have no idea how I'm going to be able to wait that long. So, Mr. Riordan? If you're out there and need someone new to review/copy edit/whatever that book for you? Just let me know, okay?

But I digress.

Back to The Son of Neptune. This is the second installment of The Heros of Olympus series that follows the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Another random aside: I find it hilarious that I'm reviewing this series in reverse order. Sorry, guys! It's just how the cookie crumbles, I guess. You could wait till I get around to The Lost Hero and read them in order. But why wait?

Okay, back to this book:

In this book we're brought back to Percy along with a new group of half-bloods at another camp called Camp Jupiter, which is essentially the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood. We're also introduced to Hazel and Frank, two of the half-bloods at this new camp.

Percy wakes after a long sleep up with no memories, except for the knowledge of Annabeth, his girlfriend. The she-wolf, Lupa, told him he was a demi-god and trained him to fight. He makes his way through San Francisco to Camp Jupiter despite continuous monster attacks along the way. He keeps killing them off, but they reappear quickly and equally as strong as before each time. Constructed to look just like Ancient Rome, Camp Jupiter is the place where sons and daughters of the Roman gods gather to learn how to fight and battle daemons and monsters.  He doesn't really know who he is, but Percy is pretty sure he isn't truly Roman. However, despite being a stranger, Percy is granted admission into the Legion and eventually allowed to head out on a quest with his new friends, Hazel and Frank.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. She was killed decades before after her mother made an awful mistake and was possessed by a Voce which made Hazel use her "gift" for evil purposes. As an obedient daughter, Hazel couldn't refuse the Voice. And now, because of her actions, the fate of the world in the present day is at stake. Frank, on the other hand, is a complete klutz. He's tall and bulky and doesn't know how to handle his size or strength. He's Canadian and Chinese and his grandmother insists that he is descended from great heros. He doesn't believe in his greatness as he is constantly a failure at Camp Jupiter. His father hasn't even claimed  him yet, which he believes is a sure sign of his failure. Frank also has a secret, a huge one, that could help or harm the progress of the quest.

They don't spend a lot of time at Camp Jupiter, however. After Frank is claimed by his father, he is issued a quest to the land beyond the gods. He's allowed to bring two companions (he choses Percy and Hazel, obviously, but much to the chagrin of Octavian, who wants to become the Praetor of New Rome) and they are off to Alaska to begin saving the world.

Told in Riordan's classic tone of mythology plus quick-wit, anyone will quickly love this book and this series. This book is fast-paced, packed with adventure, and so hilarious in places you'll have to put the book down and savor your laughter. This book also foreshadows the adventures to come and makes you both nervous and excited for The Mark of Athena.

I loved this book.

I loved getting a look at the Roman camp. The mythology and everything that goes into the Roman side of the Half-Bloods is so interesting - and doesn't just feel like Riordan telling the same old story again. It's like he's looking at the same world through another lens. And it is so cool to see the collision between the two types of Half-Bloods.

I feel like with every book Riordan writes he hits his stride more and more. He becomes more comfortable with story telling and creates further depth in all of his characters. I loved being introduced to Hazel and Frank, two new and interesting (but not typical) heros and friends. This is certainly a story not to miss and one that will entertain and captivate you from page one to the end. Plus, it was great to hear from Percy again. I'd missed him in The Lost Hero.

Anyone else out there love Rick Riordan? Thoughts on this series?

Title: The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: YA; Adventure; Fantasy

Medium: Hard Cover

Pages: 513

Date Read: 28 December 2012

Source: Gift from Dad

First Line: The snake-haired ladies were starting to annoy Percy.

Favorite Line: Life is only precious because it ends, kid. Take it from a god. You mortals don't know how lucky you are.
Runner-Up Favorite Line: He pulled a pure-black iPad from thin air.  Death taped the screen a few times and all Frank could think was: Please don't let there be an app for reading souls. 

Last Line: "Come on," he said. "Let me introduce you to my other family."

Recommended: Totally. I adore this series.

Recommended For: Middle School +, Rick Riordan fans; Percy Jackson fans; History/Mythology geeks; YA lovers; anyone interested in an adventure; basically, anyone. 

Winter Reads: Book One {City of Lost Souls}

Okay, Cassandra Clare, thank you for this book. First thank you because City of Fallen Angels was such a disappointment for me (I'll get around to those reviews eventually, promise. I know I'm doing these in a weird order, but bear with me!). Second, thank you for writing another book that makes me laugh so much.

I loved the first three books of this series. LOVED. And I, like everyone else in the world, thought The Mortal Instruments was a trilogy. Buy silly us! You couldn't let go of your characters yet! How could you - they were happy, things were perfect! Why not ruin that and make their lives difficult again? So, book #4 was one of those moments where a lot of readers felt like you were pulling a Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn move - that you couldn't leave well enough alone.

But then, thankfully, you wrote City of Lost Souls and a lot of us have been forced to shut up. I still I wish you had made City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and whatever book comes next into another, independent trilogy. Just for face value's sake. Leave the first three where they were and "start over" with a new trilogy. But, beggars can't be choosers - I'm just thankful this book has been able to redeem the series.

I'm going to assume, if you've read this far, that you've read the first four books of this series. If you haven't: go, read them! Then come back to this post, okay?

The plot is as such: Jace is still missing at the beginning of this book and the Shadowhunters have been on the lookout for him since the night with Lillith. Unfortunately the clave has decided that locating Jace is no longer a top priority. Finding Sebastian is. Meanwhile, Clary is on trial for, well, essentially everything from the first four books. Once the young Shadowhunters and their friends (Clary, Alec, Isabelle, Mangus, and Simon) make a pact to find him themselves, at whatever the cost. They turn to the Seelies, deamnos, and the Iron Sisters - all in hope to save their friend.

When Jace and Clary finally meet again, Clary realizes that Jace has become possessed by the magic of the deamon Lillith. This magic has united Jace and Sebastian completely - whatever pain one feels, the other feels; whatever injury ones sustains, so does the other; if one dies, they both die. Clary, against all reason, decides to play a dangerous game that could cost her her life and Jace's soul.

All the while dramatic and terrifying events are taking place in the lives of all the main characters. Love, betrayal, heartbreak, magic, and secrets are at the core of this novel. Cassandra Clare does not disappoint with this installment of the series.

It's true, I really enjoy this series. I love Clare's quick wit with her characters. I love the relationships she has built among them. Not just romantically, but the bonds of friendship between them all is inspiring. Yes, Clary's love for Jace borders on the creepy level of Bella's for Edward, but it is a believable love and Clary is a strong female character who takes action for those she loves (I want to stop making any hint at comparison between these two series' because there's nothing similar about them). 

Clary showed a lot of heart and a fair amount of development over the course of this book. She is a strong, devoted character - the type that a lot of young adult readers need to see today. Simon is still probably one of my favorite characters. It's been great to watch him grow since becoming a vampire and to watch his relationships with Clary and Isabelle grow. Jace was probably the best written character in the book - the dual versions of him? The anguish? It was amazing. Sebastian was even sympathetic at points - which I thought was impossible for a cunning picture of evil. And don't get me started on Alec! Send me an email when you know what I'm talking about because I am dying for someone to read this book so I can talk to them about it! 

Like I said at the beginning, this book was a total redemption for Clare after the last book. Was it perfect, probably not. But it was incredibly enjoyable and I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Title: City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Young Adult

Medium: Hard Cover

Pages: 535

Date Read: 12 December 2012

First Line: Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house. 

Favorite Line: "Basia coquum," Simon said. "Or whatever their motto is." - "It's 'Descensus Averno facilis est.' 'The descent into hell is easy,'" said Alec. "You just said 'kiss the cook.'" - "Dammit," said Simon. "I knew Jace was screwing with me." 

Last Line: I am coming. [whited out for spoiler's sake]

Recommended: Yes. It's a good story, a good installment in the series, and a total redemption for the previous book.

Recommended For: Middle School +, Lovers of YA Fiction, People who love sarcasm & snark, Paranormal lovers, Those who have read the first 4 books of the series :)

2013 Reads: Two {The Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan}

I love Rick Riordan. A History Teacher? Who wrote these books to help teach students mythology? Who combined mythology (love it) with fantasy (love it). Seriously? I love it all, if you missed that.  So all of these books for me - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and now The Heros of Olympus - these all make me so, so happy. My inner geekette is giddy.

I don't know how to recap this book without giving too much away - both of this story and of the two that came before it. If you haven't read any of the Heros of Olympus, go get The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune and come back to read this once you're done. Okay?

So, this book starts off right where The Son of Neptune left off. Like, right where it left off. Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo are landing the Argo II at Camp Jupter and Percy, Frank, and Hazel are there to meet them. After a short uniting of the demigods of both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood, all hades breaks loose (see what I did there) and The Seven are forced to flee with the whole Roman army on their heels. Oops.

They're off to Rome to try and stop the giant twins from waking up Gaia, save Nico, and try not to get killed in the process. You see, the Mare Nostra, or the Mediterranean,  is basically a death sentence for demigods. It's too powerful, too full of the old ways. But, that's where the Seven have to go. And they have very little help from the Gods who are becoming a little schizophrenic with the coming together of the two camps - they're getting mixed up between their different aspects and have little time to, or will, to help the heroes. 

And to top it all off, Annabeth has to set off alone once they get there. Her mother sent her off to follow the mark of Athena to avenge her against the Romans (who totally changed her personality when they converted the Greek gods to Roman) and hopefully unite the two camps agains Gaia. She can only do this by herself, much to Percy's dismay. But that's the way it has to be. 

They're in for quite the adventure, these seven demigods. Saving the world - just another day in the life. 

This book is packed full of adventure, greek mythology, and snarky/witty comments and banter. So, basically, it's a perfect Rick Riordan book. The Son of Neptune was good, but I really feel like things came together better in this book - maybe it's because all the demigods were finally in one place. The character development is some of the best I've read from Riordan. It's like the earlier books, but better. 

I still really love the alternating perspectives with the chapters. But what I really love about that is that Riordan doesn't feel the need to go back and explain the same event a second time like some authors might. He also will have characters give a brief 'catch up' when they reappear in the story during someone else's perspective. For example, if Annabeth and co. finally meet up with Leo and co. Leo will give a "yeah, well we were doing x while you were off fighting monsters" instead of us having to read every detail. It really helps to give all the details while keeping the story moving along.

Basically, I loved this book. Really. It was great (and I'm really glad that I read it right after I finished Son of Neptune. I think that made it all the more enjoyable for me). I was with them every step of their journey in this book - I could barely put it down. It was just the book I needed. 

Oh, and watch out for that cliff hanger. It's a doozy. 

(What do you mean I have to wait until NOVEMBER for the next one?!)

Title: The Mark of Athena

Author: Rick Riordan

Medium: Hard Cover

Pages: 586

Date Read: 5 January 2013

First Line: Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything. 

Favorite Line: I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts. 

Last Line: Festus, raise the sails, we have some friends to save. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

Recommended For: At least 4th grade? Maybe a bit younger? It would depend on reading level, I guess. But, it's not a hard read. 

Recommended: Yes. For any one of any age. It's a fun series - and you learn a lot about mythology in the process. These are great books for sharing too - read it alongside a kid, or to them, or with them. 

Source: Barnes & Nobel - gift card! 

Challenges: Goodreads; Off The Shelf (purchased: November 2012)

2013 Reads: One {Maze Runner}

Well, my reading adventure in 2013 started off on the fast-paced and exciting track with The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

The Maze Runner is yet another dystopian future young adult novel. What? They're really, really popular right now. 

But somehow, this one is different. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the author is male. I don't feel like a lot of the books I've read or that have become popular (particularly in the YA popular genre) being written by men {okay, Rick Riordan, yes}. So that leaves Dashner having a unique and interesting voice. He is very succinct, but not in a way that detracts from the story. And he's very economic with the information he hands out to the reader - you'll know what he wants you to know, when he wants you to know it. You can guess and speculate, but for the most part it's easier to just let the book unfold. 

Maze Runner begins when Thomas wakes up, no real, complete memories, alone in a dark metal box. The only thing he knows for certain is his name. Once the box is opened he steps out into a field surrounded by dozens of other boys. He comes to learn that he has been brought to a place called The Glade - a giant green space with a few buildings and surrounded on all four sides by giant stone walls. What he comes to find out is that the Glade is the center area of a giant maze. 

The boys that live there, or the Gladers as they call themselves, have constructed a miniature society, with each boy having a specific job to do. Some are responsible for the garden and some are responsible for the animals. But the best of the best are called the runners - and it is their job to go out into the maze every morning after the doors open and run it until the evening when the doors close. They're trying to solve the puzzle of the maze, trying to get out. 

Just like Thomas they have no memory of before the Glade and no real idea why they're there. What they do know is they need to survive day-to-day. The doors close every night to keep the Grievers - awful half cow-like animal, half some sort of mechanical beast - out of the Glade. Every thirty days a new boy is brought to the Glade by the metal box and once a week the metal box sends them new supplies. 

They expected Thomas, but the day after Thomas arrived the box sent another person - but this time, the first girl the Glade had ever seen, Teresa. Her arrival, and the message she delivers, changes the game the Gladers had been playing for over two years. The time has come for the Gladers to get out of the Glade. Thomas feels a connection to her, and somewhere inside him knows that he's an important piece to solve the secret of the maze. If only he could remember anything.

Yes, pieces of the book were pretty predictable. But you know what? That really didn't matter to me. Because they weren't the big pieces. They were more the "when are they going to realize x?" And I feel like any book has that in some way more or less. It's still a very original young adult dystopia in a world of dystopian young adult novels. There was plenty of action. There was plenty of time spent trying to sort out Thomas's new world (and dealing with none of the Gladers answering Thomas's questions was almost as obnoxious to me as it was to him!). Dashing does an amazing job building the world of the Glade and the Maze. I was just as scared and disgusted by the Grievers as any one of the boys just under Dashing's first description of them. 

I also loved the secondary characters - Chuck, Alby, Minho, Newt - almost more than I liked Thomas. They're all just as important to the story as Thomas, just not the main protagonist. They're all very bright, athletic, and determined individuals. But what makes them feel real and believable is that they have flaws, just like any real person. Chuck talks too much. Alby is bossy. Newt has a limp. Minho has a temper and is impulsive. 

The only thing that annoyed me a little was the Glade-speak - basically Dashner created his own swears (Clunk and Shucking) so his boys could swear. What annoyed me, at first, was that I had no idea what the words meant. But then again, neither did Thomas. You know, Dashner providing information when he wants you to have it, not when you want it. Then, after I learned their meanings, I was annoyed with just how much the boys used them. And then, I wasn't annoyed. It was endearing -  because it made sense that teenage boys put in that sort of situation (or, basically, without adults around them) would be swearing their heads off just because they can. Right?

Dashner really created an excellent opening novel of a series. I was a little disappointed in the ending 0- because there was quite the cliff hanger (thank God I can just get the whole series now and I don't have to wait!). So, it could never be a stand alone novel, which is my biggest complaint with books in a series.  But still, I'm intrigued, I want to know what happens and how it happens (and I've already started the second audio book!)!  This book did not disappoint.

Title: The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Medium: Audio Book (CD)

Disk #: 9

Date Read: 1 January 2013

First Line: He begins his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and and stale, dusty air. 

Favorite Line: Maybe you should just push the button. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

Recommended: Totally. This was an exciting and fast paced read (listen?) that kept me hooked on every word.

Recommended For: Middle School +, Dystopian lovers, YA lovers, End-of-the-World Fears,

Source: Library Rental

Challenges: Goodreads