Review: The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Sea of Monsters click for synopsis from Goodreads

Titan's Curse click for synopsis from Goodreads

This is a double review because these books all follow the same basic pattern: Percy is at his latest school, gets kicked out, ends up at Camp Half-Blood, Percy rejoins his friends and they all set out on a quest to thwart whatever the evil Kronos has done this time to take over the world.  This may sound like I don't like these books but I do.  Very much so.  It's just that there isn't a whole lot to them because they are written for a younger audience, but that doesn't diminish them.  Oh no, I read these suckers non stop back to back.

While these books may not have enough meat for an adult brain, the adventure, the snark is adorable.  Seeing all the threads of the story as an adult makes me realize how deficit my ancient mythology knowledge is.  Also, Riordan does throw crafty things in there that me stop and say, "No way" or "That's a cool idea."  The bottom line is these are fun books, and should make children get excited about reading.
These books also have subtle lessons in them, like not picking on others who are different.  All in all these books are fun, adventurous reads, for kids of all ages.

My Ratings for both: 90/100

Both books were borrowed from the library.

© Jenny Girl - 2012 "All Rights Reserved"

Review: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (Book 1)
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Fiction, Thriller/Horror, Sci Fi
Paperback, 585 pages
Book Source: the library
My Rating: 95/100

From Goodreads:

The Strain They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months—the world.



A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.


In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing . . .


So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city—a city that includes his wife and son—before it is too late.

My Thoughts:

Although this is a story about vampires these are not the sparkly, pretty, emo kind.  Oh no, these vamps are the creepy, insidious, scary kind, worse than any of the Big Bads Buffy ever faced.

This is the first book of of the trilogy and as such sets up the story.  Characters are introduced, background, historical information provided, and the set up for book two.  The Strain doesn't end on a cliffhanger but the story is far from over; not by a long shot.  Think more like, "Ha-ha-ha...Catch me if you can."

DelToro and Hogan have created a story that pulled me in many emotional directions.  I felt sad for the victims and their families.  As disgusting as the infected were, I still felt pity for them because they were no longer themselves.  They had become something else by shedding their humanity.  Then the feed, and again become icky and scary to the point that I felt freaked out.  I'm not saying I had nightmares, but I went to the bathroom in the dark I freaked myself out.  Just saying.

As for the victim's families, their road was equally tough.  They have no idea what's about to happen to them.  They are like lambs being led to slaughter.  The American public is being led to slaughter too.

With respect to Dr. Eph Goodweather he knows something's not right with this situation, but he is ignored.  His beliefs in medicine and science become compromised and his struggles to rationalize these events endeared him to me.  He tries to use reason, but when faced with believe or die, well you believe.  By the end of the book, a band of survivors and their back stories are known as well as portents of what's to come in books, The Fall.  Pretty ominous, huh.

Here are the story threads that I am curious to find out about:  (Contains spoilers, highlight to read)

*Do tunnels under water circumvent the traveling over water rule?  If so, the can of worms has exploded.  Literally.
*Hidden band of U.S. vamps that seem to be fighting against this rogue Ancient Master.  What is up with them and what did they kidnap that one guy for?
*Zack and how he handles things.  For a young kid he is quite mature and I liked him very much.


With the way this story is set you could compare it to a zombie story, with the act of vampire transmission, band of survivors, eventual downfall of society.  However, there are rules, guidelines, ancient myths, and organization with these vamps.  They are not completely mindless.

Yes, this review has been chock full of praise, but I did have two quibbles:

1. There was a lot of following individual victims and seeing what happened.  Although it provides for emotional investment and drives home how quick this thing spread, it became old and repetitive.  Each story was more heart breaking than the last though.

2. If you ever come across a big black box, that looks like a coffin, AND  is full of dirt...BURN IT!!  Chances are vamps are involved.  Everyone knows that when they see a coffin like box full of dirt.  I don't care how scientific you are, there is a kernel of truth in every legend.

So overall, LOVED this book!  Creepy, makes you think, and reminds me to keep up my cardio and take a few self-defense classes too.

For more information on the trilogy, cool videos, and interactive stuff, please visit the website:
http://www.thestraintrilogy.com/


2010 Challenges Met: 100+, Support Your Local Library

Yes, this was left over from 2010.  Oops!

Review: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Fiction, YA, sci-fi
Hardback 374 pages
Book Source: the library (2009)
My Rating: 95/100

Summary from Scholastic.com:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.


In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.


Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.


My Thoughts:

Loved this book!!  What else can I say about this story that already hasn't been said??  Great idea for a story, wonderful characters to follow, the world it is set in is believable, and Katniss and Peeta are inspiring.  Each comes from one side of the tracks but have much in common, whether they realize it or not.  They are forced into a set of circumstances that is horrifying and unbelievable, but never underestimate the lengths that people in power will go to to maintain their power.

This book brings up issues that make you think.  What would you do if you were Katniss and Peeta?  What about the people who live in this post-apocalyptic world?  Fighting for food, fighting to survive, and oh yeah, send your kids off to fight to the death. 

I sweated, worried, bit my nails, and prayed for these fictional characters as I read this book.  I think that says it all.
For more information about Suzanne Collins, please visit her website: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Down and Dirty Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

What is a down and dirty review, you ask? Why it's just a quick review with no major analysis. Just what I liked and/or disliked and why. Easy, simple, and quick. Plus it's a good excuse to use this picture I found.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA, sci-fi
Trade Paperback, 485 pages
Book Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 90/100

From the Publisher:

Their hidden world is about to be revealed....


When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

My Thoughts:

This was a fun and entertaining read. The adventure begins pretty quickly with Clary's ability to see people that her friend Simon can't. From there on, the story is pretty non-stop with battles, escaping nasty demons, and the discovery that there is the whole world that most people can't see, except Shadowhunters. I think you can figure out the rest of that tid-bit.

Clary's guide through this new world is Jace, a hot Shadowhunter who is a bit too sarcastic, self righteous, and condescending for me. You battle demons and protect people I get it, but that doesn't give you the right to mock people quite often. At least that was my take. I probably could chalk this up to being a teenager.

Clary is pretty cool and likeable. For someone who is discovering this whole other side to herself and the world, she handles it all pretty well. Clary is as brave as she can be and is a good person. She checks herself when she realizes she is acting like an ass, and I consider her to be an excellent mediator. I have a feeling this will come in handy in the future.

This is book one of a trilogy, and it ends as such. No major cliffhangers but definitely some major loose ends. There are some blurbs about these books being optioned for a movie and I think they would work quite well given a good writing team is on the project. We all know the translation of book to movie is not always successful.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a fun ride that allowed me to escape work and make me want to stay up late at night to continue reading. No heavy thinking or analysis required on my part, and sometimes we need those kind of books.

My Rating: 90/100.  Fun and adventurous reading and I look forward to getting to book 2, City of Ashes  Sorry it took me so long to read this one!

Here is a link to Cassandra Clare website.

2010 Challenges Met: 100+, Support Your Local Library, Wish I Read That




I am an Amazon Associate.

Review: Defenders of the Scroll by Shiraz

Author: Shiraz
Publisher: iUniverse (June 29, 2009)
Genre: Fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, YA/Young teens
Paperback 264 pages
Book Source: the author


From Amazon.com:

A teenage boy.A dark wizard.A mystic scroll. And the fate of a world hangs in the balance. . . When Alex "the Axeman" Logan is pulled from his world to help young princess Dara save her kingdom from the Shadow Lord, he thinks there has been a mistake. He's a teen guitar player close to failing 11th grade, not some defender of the realm. All he has are some school books, his wits, and his love of fantasy movies. Overnight his life is history. Alex must confront the Shadow Lord and his minions when he is thrust into a land that has changed from a magical paradise to a barren, hopeless, helpless realm invaded by a dark army.

But Alex is not alone. He has the help of Dara, a magic scroll, and a band of unlikely companions drawn from his own history books: a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a mighty African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk. Can Alex become more than he believes and lead his small band of Defenders to the Hall of Shadows, the birthplace of the Shadow Lord? The fate of the realm and everyone in it rests on him.

My Thoughts:

I really, really, really, wanted to like this book, but I just cannot. It's not the

*story: which I think is very good, or the
*characters: which are comprised of different races and backgrounds, or the
*morals: which are sprinkled throughout the story, for example, everyone should just get along, racial harmony, believe in yourself, etc.

It's the writing. I think it's written for young people, like ages 10 and up. This represented the real problem for me, because I could not get past that. After reading about half of the book, I skimmed the rest to get the basic idea and ending. I'm sorry but I just could not get past the writing. I felt as though it was written for young teenage boys, and that is completely cool with me. I am not meant to read and enjoy every book. I am not the target audience for this book, so I get that. Unfortunately, there are some things I can't ignore or push past.

As I stated previously, the basic story is quite good, and I like how the Defenders represent different cultures and times, to teach acceptance and harmony. That's awesome and I wish more books would do that. Alex also has a lot of self doubt but he realizes he needs to pick himself up and soldier on. You can't run from your problems, but give your best effort and at least you will know you tried. Another good lesson for kids to learn.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the art in the book, including the cover, are excellent. The pages of the book are made to look like pages from a scroll. There are also full page pictures/drawings/sketches that are amazing. It put me in mind of a graphic novel.

I do think it's me and not the book. Look at all of these awards and things it has garnered:

Winner in the Fantasy category of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist in the Action-Adventure and Young Adult Fiction categories of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist in the Multicultural Fiction and Best Overall Design Fiction categories of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Honorable Mention in the Sci-Fi category of the 2009 New York Book Festival
Honorable Mention in the Sci-Fi and Teenage categories of the 2009 Beach Book Festival
Honorable Mention in the Wild Card category of the 2009 San Francisco Book Festival

Someone likes this book. Therefore, due to the reasons delineated above, I will not be rating this book. I do not think it is fair, plus I don't know how to. It wouldn't be right. So I have compiled some other reviews for you to read and make your own decision regarding this book:

LiyanaLand!

Violet Crush

Reader Reviews

A Bibliophile's Bookshelf

All Booked Up

Just trying to be honest folks :)

Thanks to the author for sending me this book. Sorry it didn't quite work out, but I think this post speaks for itself.