The Lightning Thief
Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Copyright: 2005 (Hyperion); 375 pgs.
ISBN: 0-7868-3865-5
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1
Reading Level: 9 -12 years
Genre: Fantasy
The scoop: Twelve year old Percy Jackson is completely unaware he is the son of a Greek god. After strange things begin to happen, and he and his mother are attacked by a mythological creature, Percy ends up in a special summer camp for godlings. There, he makes new friends and learns his real father’s identity. However, the revelation is hardly good news on Mount Olympus: Zeus believes Percy stole his master thunderbolt. To prevent a war among the gods, Percy, along with his friends Grover and Annabeth, set out on a quest to find the missing item by the summer solstice.
Comments: The book is written in 1st person, so it had a definite “boy” feel to it — at least I thought so. I thought the book started off slow, but once Percy gets his quest, things pick up and I was hooked to the end. With the action comes violence. Greek myths are pretty violent to begin with — the hero battling the monsters who are trying to stop him from reaching his goal — so in that respect it’s no different from the other retellings. Percy meets each challenge bravely and does his best to protect his friends and the innocent bystanders.
Why I read it: I have three young nephews and an eleven-year-old niece. The niece — we’ll call her D — is already an avid reader, and it is something I hope stays with her. D’s read the Harry Potter series already and seems to like fantasy well enough. I probably could recommend this to her. However, her brother — henceforth referred to as A1 (there is a nephew A2) — told me that “reading is for girls”. I reminded him that his father reads. He’s a little too young yet for this series, but I’ll keep it in mind for the future (A2 and E are even younger).
Besides the above, I chose to read the book because it looked interesting. I was fascinated with the Greek mythology, probably around the age of 10 or 11, influenced, no doubt, by the original Clash of the Titans. As I was reading, I couldn’t help thinking about that movie. It also reminded me of Disney’s Hercules, as well as the television series, Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and its spin-off, Xena. It was a bit weird to have all those images floating about in my mind at the same time.
What I liked: I liked the summer camp (the concept, the setup, etc.); same thing about the Underworld. I also liked the real-world jobs some of the mythological characters had — I didn’t catch on to the gnome emporium right away. I also liked the reasons the author gave for the gods to be in the New World instead of Greece and why certain gods stopped having half-blood children.
What I didn’t like: As an adult with no children — and I know I’m not the target audience — nothing really stood out. However, due to the violence and what happens to Percy’s mother in the beginning and his step-father in the end, I would advise a parent to read it first so they can decide if younger children are ready to read such things.
Would I recommend it to The Younger Crowd?: As stated above, yes, I probably will recommend this to my nephews and niece — and I will ask their mothers first in regards to content.
Started: 15 March 2010
Finished: 24 March 2010
Rating:
Liked A Lot
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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by Christina on February 22, 2010
in 2009 "Pub" Challenge,5 Stars,Countdown Challenge,Fantasy,Ilona Andrews,Magic,Other Supernatural Beings,Paranormal Romance,Shape-Shifters,The Year of Readers 2009
On the Edge
Title: On the Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2009 (Ace); 309 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01780-5
Series: The Edge #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Once upon a time, there was a young maiden named Rose Drayton. She lived in the Edge, that place between magic and mundane, raising her two younger brother to the best of her ability. Rose has a menial job in the Broken (our world) and it is barely enough to keep them fed and clothed. Rose also has powerful magic. Yet, instead of being a blessing, it has been nothing but trouble for Rose. She’s been sought after – literally hunted – by lesser, weaker nobles of the Weird solely, for the purpose of providing potentially powerful children; even other Edgers, more interested in monetary gain than community loyalty, have tried to snatch her up for the reward money offered by desperate peers. The only thing Rose really has is her pride, and if she can’t have love and respect and be desired for herself, she would rather be alone and poor than lower herself to the status of mistress.
Then one day, a knight appears. Declan, Earl Camarine, doesn’t get the chance to say “Hello,” before he finds himself staring at a crossbow aimed at him by a lovely young woman who then proceed to tell him she won’t sleep with him. Intrigued by her out-of-nowhere announcement, Declan gets her to agree to issuing him three challenges: if he succeeds, she will be his; if he fails, he’ll leave her alone.
But all is not right in the Edge. Strange dog-like creatures who seems to have an affinity to magic are endangering the Edgers. Rose and her brothers are not safe, and Declan insist on staying at Rose’s house, to better protect them. Declan and Rose must convince the other Edgers that they band together to eliminate the threat.
What I liked: There is a lot going on in this book, stuff I didn’t even touched on — the above is just the main plot points. There’s William, the cute and mysterious guy who seems interested in Rose, but she can’t put her finger on the reason he seems a little off to her. Then there is George and Jack, Rose’s 10- and 8-year old brothers. Both are adorable without being cutesy. And of course, all the world building. There is quite a bit of it, since the Weird and the Edge are not simliar. Each has their own “rules” and culture. The elements seem familiar — the Weird sounds like a historical, but with magic — and even Rose thinks the nobles live the life of leisure attending parties and balls.
It took a bit, but I eventually warmed up to Declan. He comes across as your typical historical snooty noble — and you wonder why Rose isn’t falling for William instead. There’s more going on, of course. Once Rose gets to know Declan a little better, I started to like him.
What I didn’t like: Casshorn and the “hounds”. Yuck.
This book was the first full length novel I read on my e-Reader.
Recommended to: Fans of fantasy or paranormal romances (yes, this one is more a romance than the Kate Daniels books).
Started: 29 September 2009
Finished: 30 September 2009
Rating:
LOVED IT !!
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
by Christina on February 15, 2010
in 2010 "Pub" Challenge,2010 Harlequin/Silhouette Romance,3 Stars,Canine,Countdown Challenge,Lori Devoti,Magic,Other Supernatural Beings,Paranormal Romance,Shape-Shifters,Silhouette Nocturne,What's in a Name 3
The Hellhound King
Title: The Hellhound King
Author: Lori Devoti
Copyright: 2010 (Harlequin); 280 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-373-61829-3
Series: Silhouette Nocturne #82; Unbound #5
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Spoilers for the 4th Book!
Her: Marina Adal. Elfin princess – and a witch. Tired of being a political pawn of the royals in Alfheim, she fled to Gunngar. Her reign of terror there was nothing more than an act to keep the elf lords – a different group of elves than the royals – believing that she is on their side. Raf was the first, and only, person who made her feel she was wanted for herself, and not who she was or what she could do for him.
Him: Raf Dolg. Hellhound. Marina’s former lover. His need to avenge his family brought him to Gunngar and to the employ of the elf lords. Raf needs something they possess and all he is asked to do is spy on Marina. The last thing he expected was to start caring about her.
Elfin Politics 101: Alfheim was once ruled by royals. Marina is, it seems, the heir presumptive. However, the elf lords took power after her parents were killed. The elf lords are tech savvy and have introduced technology to Alfheim. Don’t be surprised when you see a car or a computer. Since no elf lord can claim the throne – it will only accept the true heir – they are willing to be the power behind it and they want Marina on their side. The royals, naturally, are traditionalist and want things returned to the old ways. In the power struggle to control the elfin princess, Marina’s uncle Geir has the advantage. He uses Marina’s younger sister, Ky, as leverage to keep her from fleeing Alfheim again.
What to do, what to do? Raf still needs what the elf lords have and that means he’s got to convince Marina that she’d be better off with them. However, it doesn’t take long for Raf to realize that Marina wouldn’t be any better off with the elf lords. If he turns his back on his chance for vengeance, and Marina abandons her sister again, they could leave Alfheim and start a new life together. But Raf can’t walk away and neither can Marina.
Forbidden: The elves have little tolerance for other beings, so it no big surprise that a hellhound has no business consorting with the princess. Right from the prologue, it’s established that Marina’s never met one before and that she’s fallen for Raf, big time. It breaks her heart to learn he was spying on her and she has him imprisoned. Raf is the typical hellhound — though it takes him a bit to realize that he’s in love, once he’s acknowledge it, he’ll doing anything to keep her at his side.
What I liked: Raf. I still love Ms. Devoti’s hellhounds (and garms). Like the last book, this one is also set in another world, though it does start off in our world. The dragon, the same one from Dark Crusade, makes an appearance, and if I’m not mistaken, the 6th book will feature him.
What I didn’t like: Marina. It was hard for me to reconcile the fact that this was the same character from Dark Crusade. In Dark Crusade, she’s a strong character — and the antagonist. In this book, she a helpless prisoner. If you read the two books back-to-back, you might feel disoriented. Other than that, I had no other real issue with the character. She is in a difficult position and she can no longer see a way out without help.
Recommended to: Fans of her previous books and fans of shape-shifters.
Started: 20 January 2010
Finished: 26 January 2010
Rating:
Enjoyed it!
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
