Entries Tagged 'Book Review' ↓
August 28th, 2010 — 2.5-3 Treasure Chests, A-C, Action & Adventure, Book Review, Fantasy, Humorous
by First Mate Keira
Title: The Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl Book 7)
Author: Eoin Colfer
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 357
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: A criminal mastermind is plotting escape from the underwater fairy prison in Atlantis. Everything is in place and ready to go when a series of lucky incidences go his way. First that Mud Boy, Artemis Fowl, appears to be suffering from a guilty conscience triggering a fairy psychosis called the Atlantis Complex. The boy sends his bodyguard away, lures several high ranked members of LEPrecon out into the middle of nowhere, and provides the perfect distraction for the mastermind’s plans. Nothing can get in his way now… cue sinister laughing.
Why I started this book:
I picked up Atlantis Complex because I have read the previous six Artemis Fowl books. It wasn’t available in audio from the library yet or I would have selected that format.
Likes:
- Atlantis is a secondary city for the fairies. It’s not as big as Haven, but it’s just as important. I wish there had been more time spent in and around Atlantis instead of just focused on the prison and the mastermind’s escape route.
- The giant squid was pretty epic. I like how it was a thinking creature and used tools, primitive though they were. (“I’m a nut!”)
- The reprogrammed amorphobots. Foaly’s peaceful scientific advances intent on looking for life on Mars becoming nearly unbeatable weapons was pretty cool and clever.
Dislikes:
- Orion Fowl was a waste of space both inside Artemis’ head and also on page. I expected more than bad poetry frankly as Artemis’ arch enemy.
- Foaly was completely useless. He was good for the phone he carried, that’s it. The rest of the time he was patently unhelpful always saying the goo-bots he built weren’t programmed to do what they were doing. Of course they weren’t! That’s why everything was going to hell in a hand-basket.
- Artemis should have been fully healed from the Atlantis Complex before the end of the book. I don’t like that it’s been left open for a plot device in the next book.
Buy: The Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl, Book 7)
Rating: 3 Treasure Chests
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August 26th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, A-C, Family Life, Friends, Guest Review, School Situations
by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer
Title: Best Friends and Drama Queens (Allie Finkle's Rules For Girls: Book 3)
Author: Meg Cabot
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 240
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: Allie gets excited when she learns that that they are getting a new student from Canada! Mostly because that means she won’t be the new girl anymore. But when she finally meets Cheyenne, she finds out how incredibly BOSSY she is! Allie thinks her life is over when Cheyenne’s rules make Allie fight with her best friends. What could she do to solve Cheyenne’s attitude? Will she get her best friends back? Will she lose them forever?
Why I Read This Book:
I read this book because it’s the third book in the series Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls. I can’t wait for the fourth book!
Likes:
- Cheyenne is the perfect 4th grade bully. She threatens people to make them do what she wants. She’s the perfect “villain” for this setting better than Rosemary from earlier in the series.
- I like how Allie doesn’t give into Cheyenne. She stays strong and doesn’t let her get her cruel ways.
Dislikes:
- I didn’t like how Erica, Caroline, and Sophie give into Cheyenne so easily! I mean, I think if Allie can stand up for herself than they can. Or at least make it harder on her to peer pressure them.
Buy: Best Friends And Drama Queens (Allie Finkle's Rules For Girls #3)
Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests!
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August 24th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, A-C, Family Life, Friends, Guest Review, School Situations
by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer
Title: The New Girl (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Book 2)
Author: Meg Cabot
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 222
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: On top of all the moving problems, Allie has to start a new school. She thinks things are looking up until Rosemary; the school bully, threatens Allie by saying that she’s going to beat her up. Allie is terrified of her now and asks everyone for advice. But she isn’t sure who to believe! She is, in fact, the new girl. Will she trust someone’s advice that she shouldn’t? Was Rosemary serious? Or will Allie come to school one day with a black eye?
Why I Read This Book:
I read this book because I’m reading the series Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls and I enjoyed the first one so I wanted to see if I’d enjoy the second one just as much.
Likes:
- I like how the most unlikely person gave Allie the best advice! (Mr. Elkhart.) It just comes to show that anybody can be just as helpful as the next and that you should never underestimate someone.
- Allie had good friends to help her feel better about Rosemary. Caroline, Erica and Sophie promise not to let Rosemary near Allie.
Dislikes:
- I thought it was unnecessary that Allie got s-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o upset when she first found out Mewsette was a boy, not a girl like she wanted. I mean, something like that should not matter … right?
Buy: The New Girl (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls)
Rating: 4 Treasure Chests!
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August 22nd, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, A-C, Family Life, Friends, Guest Review, School Situations
by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer
Title: Moving Day (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Book 1)
Author: Meg Cabot
Format: Hard Cover
Page Count: 240
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: Allie Finkle is pretty happy with her life … even though her brothers are annoying and her best friend cries over everything. Things start going wrong when her parents announce that they are moving! What is she going to do now? To help herself survive though the move, she creates a book of rules that every girl should follow. Will her rules for girls help her? Or will her past happy life be gone forever?
Why I Read This Book:
I read this book because I found out that this book was part of a series (Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls) and decided to try it because I've been looking for more series to follow.
Likes:
- It was easy for me to relate to Meg Cabot's Allie Finkle because I had to move from a place that I had to live in for a L-O-N-G time and could relate with the main character on that point.
- I liked Allie’s comparison between the two elementary schools.
Dislikes:
- It seemed a little babyish and young for a 4th grader to be scared of a disembodied zombie hand in her attic to me. If it were me I would totally think it was a Halloween prop.
Last Minute Thoughts: I liked this book! And I’m defiantly getting the next book in the series to see what happens next and if it gets better.
Buy: Moving Day (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls)
Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests!
August 16th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, Book Review, M-O, Paranormal, Romance, School Situations
by First Mate Keira
Title: Shadow-Kiss (Vampire Academy Series, Book 3)
Author: Richelle Mead
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 443
Grade Reading Level: Grade 9+
Summary: Lately Rose has been seeing her dead friend around St. Vladimir. Mason’s ghost, if that was what she was really seeing was messing with her and screwing up her trials. Nobody else saw him. So her only explanations were crazy or incompetence. Neither she wants to own up to, but given her lack of options there’s only one way to really go. On top of that, Victor Dashkov is being tried for his crimes but without any of the key witnesses there! If only Dimitri or somebody could get them to the royal court to ensure he was sent to Moroi prison. Oh and Moroi around the school were showing up bruised and injured, but to a one, they are all quiet about what happened to get them that way. What on earth is going on?
Why I started this book:
It’s the next in the series and I had read the previous two. Mead does a lot of exposition and telling in the first couple of pages so anybody can hop into the series at any point in time and know without a doubt what was going on both in story arc and world building.
Likes:
- Who wouldn’t love getting to beat up on a teacher? Rose and her fellow dhampirs get to do just that with all their training instructors during their trials. Rose gets matched up with Lissa’s boyfriend, something she’s not happy about and when Mason’s ghost shows up causing her to lose focus and get Christian ‘killed’ it causes big, big trouble for her.
- Adrian. Love him. He gets the quartet (Rose, Christian, Lissa, and Eddie) to the royal court so they can testify against Victor.
- Rose and Dimitri lying at court. Victor smirking knowingly in the background and his parting shot.
- SPOILER… I’m probably the only weirdo who will like this but I was glad when Dimitri was changed into a Strigoi. It sucks. It’s super angsty. It totally means more drama. For those reasons I love it. I also know somehow, probably with spirit, Dimitri will be changed back into Dhampir or at least Moroi. But this is conjecture. I have more books to read before I can know this for sure.
Dislikes:
- The Moroi torture brigade at the school all trying to figure out how to use compulsion. Now if we’re going to talk about crazy that’s crazy and also beyond stupid…in more ways than one since they are the reason the Strigoi can access St. Vladimir’s in the first place. I was surprised that Rose didn’t go kick all of them in the teeth when she learned that.
- I’m not a big fan of the whole head-hopping business. I get that it’s part of Rose’s shadow-kiss abilities, but I’d much rather focus on her and her story than Lissa’s.
Buy: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3)
Rating: 4 Treasure Chests
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