The Titan's Curse

Note: For this book, I will not write my own synopsis. If you would like to read it, you can find more about it here.

I think it is safe to say that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is my current addiction. As I look around my room, I see all these stacks of books lined up, waiting to be read, but unfortunately, I just can't get to them yet. Why?
Because I am not going to read anything else until I finish this fascinating series.

I really like this book. I love the story and the plot. And the characters... have become my favorites. They are really the ones that stand out to me. These perfectly flawed -- but admirable -- characters are not only believable and relate-able, but also very well drawn, complex, and captivating all at the same time. The new additions to the character list also, were all very memorable to me. The twists and turns? Perfect. The writing? Again, it was effortless. Never did it seem contrived in any way. No unnecessary gimmicks. Just straight-up good writing from a talented writer.

I know this review is kind of all over the place, but this is only because 1) I'm on the last few pages of The Battle of the Labyrinth, which is the fourth book, and I really want to get to that asap ;) and 2) because there is no use to clarify on how good this series is. If you have read it, you know exactly what I mean. If you have not, but will soon, then you will know exactly what I mean.

Again, Rick Riordan definitely does not disappoint with his third offering, and in fact, actually exceeds all expectations as well. It is good -- this book and the series as a whole. Period. For anyone -- no matter what the age. 5 stars, no doubt!

The Sea of Monsters

For this book, I will not write my own synopsis. If you are interested, and would like to read more about it, you can learn more about it here.

Review: The only complain I have is that this second installment in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series is that it ended way too soon. I just finished a couple of hours ago, and I was literally, just staring at the cover of the book, thinking to myself, "What am I going to do now?" Seriously.

I just wanted it to go on and on, and I honestly wouldn't get tired of it. That being said, it's pretty obvious I also loved this one, as much as I loved The Lightning Thief. Actually, my review for The Lightning Thief, is pretty much identical to my review for this sequel -- because everything I loved about the first book, was brought back here. The same originality, excitement, and writing are all there. The only additional comments I can say is that, the plot and the characters are more developed, and I think I love them even more, if that's even possible. In fact, my favorite character really is Percy Jackson himself. For me, it's quite rare that I find the main protagonist in series like these to be my favorite, but with this exciting and original story based on Greek mythology, I think I've made an exception.

I can not wait to read the third! I will actually try to call Half Price Books today to find out if they have it in stock. If they don't, I guess I'll be making another trip to Target again -- tonight! *tsk, I can almost hear my conscience -- and my mom? -- telling me to stop spending so much $$ on books!*

Ahhh. It's worth it ;)

The Lightning Thief

I think if you've noticed by now, I really was -- still am? -- a big Harry Potter nerd. I practically grew up with those books. So when the series ended, I started searching for others that would fill that tiny 'void' Harry Potter left. And after a bunch of unfulfilling series to another unfulfilling series, I started to lose hope. Lately though, I have been hearing so much positive reviews from friends and other book bloggers about The Lightning Thief. Finally, I gave in and decided to give it a try.
For this review, I will not give a full synopsis. You can find it here though if you'd like to check it out.

Actual review: To put it simply; I loved this book.
I know this is mainly written for children, tweens, and maybe some YA, but I have to say, I recommend this to adults as well. In fact, this is the kind of book that will be appreciated by any age group. It just goes to show, that if the book's plot, characters, story line, and the writing are entertaining, interesting, and intriguing, there is no such thing as an age limit.
As I said, I thought that the story itself was simply entertaining, and actually has substance. I loved that it centers around Greek mythology as well -- definitely original. The main characters are also just so likable. They're believable, and very easy to relate to. As for the twists and turns, I feel as if they are done just right. Honestly, I can't think of any reason how anyone would dislike this book. Add to that the addicting writing that is of Rick Riordan's, and I don't know how anyone can resist this.
In my opinion actually, I believe this is the only successful and fulfilling fantasy series after Harry Potter. I loved the fact though, that The Lightning Thief is an entirely different series on its own. It does not try to be a copy cat, which I appreciate, as I can not tell you how many I have read that has tried to do so. I will not mention any names, but if you can think of any, leave a comment and it'll be our little secret. Haha.

Overall, I just really enjoyed this first offering of the 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' series. In fact, right after I finished this, I went straight to Target -- where books are just cheaper -- and bought the second installment, The Sea of Monsters. I can't wait to finish that one as well, and head on to the third.. and the fourth.. and the last. If you have not read it yet, do so soon!

Note: I haven't seen the movie, but will, as soon as the DVD comes out.

The Amber Spyglass

This is the final book of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. As I have mentioned in The Subtle Knife review, nobody can deny that Pullman has such a huge talent in capturing a reader’s attention through his engaging characters and the very intriguing and interesting plot. I would definitely recommend this series to others.

Having said that, I think I should mention it that though this was meant to be a work of fiction; subversive literature, there are definitely hidden agendas and meanings here and there about Christianity and the like. But before you think, C.S. Lewis, I’ll say now that Philip Pullman is actually quite the opposite. Though both writers are extremely talented, they have such different hidden meanings and agendas.

Truthfully though, even if there is so much controversy to this trilogy, I really didn’t mind. Why? Because it was a good story. It was exciting, strange, and unique. I loved the characters of Will and Lyra most especially. Although there are some loose ends and less than satisfactory conclusions, I still consider it ONE of the great fantasy books around. That seemed to be enough for me.

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife is the second installment in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. While the first one, The Golden Compass, was set in a world parallel to ours, this sequel brings a new protagonist to the story set in our own world. A young boy, Will Perry, who is Lyra Belacqua’s age joins this incredible story. Somewhat similar to The Lord of the Rings solely because the entire series is a journey to uncovering the mysteries, secrets, and the truth, the sequel definitely does not disappoint.

Philip Pullman’s talent shines in this sequel, as he captivates me with his prose and pace. This book (including The Golden Compass) shows memorable characters, exciting plot developments, and unexpected twists and turns.

Conceptually brilliant, I think this will not only get praise from young adults but will captivate adults as well. I could not wait to read the last book in the trilogy, which I will write a review on too, for sure.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

Everyone has been telling me about this book, that is supposedly the first of a trilogy. Obviously, I finally gave in and read it.

This YA book centers around 16-year-old Gemma Doyle; a British teenager living in India. Set in Victorian era, she tragically loses her mother, which forces her to move and live in London and attend a boarding school. There, she finds trouble assimilating with the new crowd, but eventually realizes that’s just the least of her worries. Gemma Doyle sees horrifying visions; visions she can’t even explain. At the same time, she finds a mysterious man following her, telling her to close her mind against the visions or she would suffer its consequences.

I find it hard to summarize this book simply because it is far too complicated to explain because the plot is very broad and the genre is quite flexible. This is a Young Adult book, but it’s one of those rare ones that anybody can read and enjoy no matter what the age. I have to say, I enjoyed this book very much. It was one of those books that you just have to keep reading because the pace is fast and exciting, and leave you hanging by the end of every chapter.

One important thing also that I thought worked incredibly well were the main characters. Everybody had a significant and important role. Everyone was complex! I found myself interested in them. And I think it’s very hard for an author to come up with a character and write about them in a way that the reader would actually like them and root for them. The author, Libba Bray, has an obvious talent with building up these characters as well as the plot.

One last thing that I have to say is that I especially loved the way she writes! She uses simple, easy to understand words and yet delivers them brilliantly in in a poetic form. It’s rare for me to find quotes and dialogues that I would actually read again, and take note of. With this book, I found myself writing down several page numbers so I could go back and read those lines again. Speaking of writing, I have actually just finished the book a couple of minutes ago. In other words, I could not wait until another day to write this review because of how much I enjoyed it.

It was funny, very mysterious, sad, funny, surprising, and sometimes, even creepy. Fun book. =) I’m going to start reading the second book from this trilogy.

*** They are currently making a film out of this and is said to be in theatres in 2010. The cast is yet to be known.