Jupiter Williams by S.I. Martin

Title: Jupiter Williams
Author: S.I. Martin
Rating: ☆☆☆(☆☆)
3/5 Stars

Jupiter Williams was a free book given to me on my first day at NYU in London. All students are required to read it for a class we take together on Monday nights. When I was handed the book, I cringed a little. It looked like it might be a heavy, dense, literary story about African slaves in Britain. Not my idea of pleasure reading. What a relief to find that it was a children's book! Well, not necessarily children's, but certainly for a young audience. I found that I read it with much more enjoyment knowing it was right up my alley.

Jupiter, the title character, is attending an all boys black academy in London in the late 18th century. He is there with his brother, far away from their family in Sierra Leone. When Jupiter's brother is kidnapped, he must decide how he will uphold his father's honor and what his identity is in London.

Despite the my enjoyment in the genre, the book wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I do like historical fiction, but the context just wasn't my favorite. However, the story moved quite well and kept me very interested. I found that I became invested in Jupiter and hoped the best for him. The writing is sophisticated for a children's book, and Martine has a clear mastery of the facts behind his story. I liked it well enough to go to a launch party for the next book in the sequence, Jupiter Amidships. Meeting the author was an enlightening experience, and in introducing myself to his publicist, I may have secured an internship for the semester!

ISBN: 978-0340944066
Price: £5.99, paperback
Pages: 224

The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons by Joseph Delaney

Title: Clash of the Demons
Author: Joseph Delaney
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

Let me just put it out there that Joseph Delaney is one of the only authors who can tear me away from school work, keep me up until 2 am and still leave me completely satisfied with what I’ve just done. Last night, when I should’ve been studying for midterms or sleeping, I was reading The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons until I had read through every last word.

This is the sixth book in Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series (or Spook’s Apprentice as it’s known abroad). In this volume, Tom Ward’s mam returns from her homeland of Greece to beg for Tom and the Spook’s help to rid Greece of an ancient evil called Ordeen. Ordeen is an old god and is stongly back by the Fiend, the devil incarnate. Tom and the Spook fear there is no hope in beating Ordeen with the Fiend on her side, but they set out for Greece to face creatures of the dark that they’ve never encountered in the County before.

What I love most about this series is how it has become progressively more psychological. The further we get into Tom’s story, the more internal conflict we see. He has to make some really difficult choices when it comes to his family, his apprenticeship and his own fate.

As always, the drawings throughout are spectacular. They really add to the scary elements of the book. This one is definitely perfect for the Halloween season if you’re looking for something creepy to read. Personally, I would read this one any time of year. Just give a stressful school situation, a cup of hot chocolate and Joseph Delaney, and I’m in for one heck of a night.

ISBN: 978-0061344626
Price: $17.00, hardcover
Pages: 416

Book Review Marathon!

Unfortunately, I have had no time to blog lately, which means it's time for a marathon of book reviews. I didn't have a chance to write long reviews of any of these, and I'm super sorry for the vague-ness, but I wanted to get some new reviews up and out.

Title: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

At last, I’ve read The Last Olympian and it did not disappoint. It was my favorite book of the series so far. The book is not so fresh in my mind, but I will say that the plot was intriguing, compelling and new. I never felt bored during this book, never felt a lull in the story. Riordan has written an absolutely perfect ending to a perfect kid’s fantasy series.

ISBN: 978-1423101475
Price: $17.00, hardcover
Pages: 400

Title: The Thirteen Treasures
Author: Michelle Harrison
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

The Thirteen Treasures was an awesome find. My dad picked it up overseas in England, and I absolutely whizzed through it.

The main character is spending sometime in the summer at her horrible grandmother. It would seem fairly clichéd, except she can see fairies. This little detail makes for dilemmas galore, but she always seems to pull through. It’s also steeped with mystery and has a surprising twist at the end! The story is very original and I can’t wait for the sequel.

ISBN: 978-0316041485

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

I have to say that I was completely surprised by The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The characters were rich and dynamic with really developed personalities. Although I’m not much of a zombie fan, the book had a really intriguing apocalyptic aspect that kept me reading.

ISBN: 978-0385736817
Price: $16.99, hardcover
Pages: 320

Title: Wrath of the Bloodeye
Author: Joseph Delaney
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

Wrath of the Bloodeye was definitely a page-turner. I’m not sure if it was my favorite of the Last Apprentice books, but it was definitely a welcome addition to the series. I missed the more psychological aspects of the other books, but I did enjoy the characters’ new moral dilemmas.

ISBN: 978-0061344619
Price: $7.99
Pages: 554

Again, I'm so sorry for the sad, vague reviews, but here's four more books I would definitely recommend!

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Title: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

Rick Riordan has really outdone himself. The fourth book in the Percy Jackson series was everything I wanted it to be and more! In this volume, Percy and his friends must venture into Daedalus's labyrinth to prevent Luke and the evil Titan Kronos from attacking Camp Half-Blood. The labyrinth is full of secrets and danger, and to get home safely, the campers must put their faith in some unlikely characters.

Riordan's characters become more introspective in this book, which adds a new psychological depth to the books. They are no longer simply easy reads with exciting battle sequences. The kids are starting to be affected emotionally by their struggles with evil. Annabeth is especially tormented, because she loves Luke, despite his turn to the dark side.

My qualms about the last book were resolved in this one. Riordan explains that all half-bloods have meaningful dreams, a fact he failed to expose earlier. Now, I'm itching to pick up book 5, The Last Olympian and to see the recently announced movie version of The Lightning Thief. Let Percy Jackson mania commence!

ISBN: 978-1423101499
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 384

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Title: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 stars

I have to hand it to Mr. Riordan; The Titan's Curse was, in my opinion, even better than the first two books in the Percy Jackson series. The action started off right away and along the main plot line. Sure, Sea of Monsters had a dodgeball battle in the first chapter or so, but this book got right to the heart of the story right away. New kids Bianca and Nico di Angelo are being stalked by a monster at their military school and Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and new edition Thalia must rescue them. The di Angelo's are an important part of the overall story of Titan's Curse, which just gets better as you go. I do find it a little farfetched that Percy dreams about whatever it is he needs to know. How did he get this power? Hopefully, Riordan will explain in future books. It seems a little ridiculous to believe that Percy just conveniently dreams about huntress Zoe Nightshade's past or kidnapped Annabeth's whereabouts. Despite this plot hole of sort, The Titan's Curse kept me completely enthralled from page 1. There weren't lulls in the story and we got to see a lot more of the gods. If you're already excited by the Percy Jackson series, this book is a must-read. If you haven't read them yet, pick up The Lightning Thief and get on the bandwagon already!

ISBN: 978-1423101482
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 336

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Extras
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Rating: ☆☆☆(☆☆)
3/5 stars

The final book in the Uglies series had me a little disappointed for the first 100 pages or so. Where was Tally Youngblood? Sure, there were vague references to her (this being the world she had lived in), but I missed my favorite main character. The book eventually redeemed itself as the plot began to thicken and Tally finally showed up. However, the story lacked the vibe of the first three books. Extras featured no tyrannical government, no espionage. Extras filled that void with alien-esque surge monkeys, who turn out to be the final twist at the end of the story. Personally, I was left wanting. It was still exciting and certainly a page-turner. Westerfeld has lost none of his pinache for action writing. Battle sequences are always great in his books. However, the character Aya was not as likeable as Tally had been before her. In fact, I found her a little pathetic. All in all, I would've rather the series ended with Specials, but still worth the 2 days it took me to read Extras.

ISBN: 978-1416971214
Price: $9.99, paperback
Pages: 448