Literature Young Adult Fiction » 3.5-4 Treasure Chests http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com YA Readers Reviewing Books. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:18:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-red-pyramid-by-rick-riordan/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-red-pyramid-by-rick-riordan/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:27:55 +0000 First Mate Keira http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=1138

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles, Book 1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Format: Kindle ebook
Page Count: 528 pages (Hardcover version)
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: When Carter and Sadie’s father, Dr. Julius Kane, accidentally destroys the Rosetta Stone and sets five Egyptian gods loose their whole life changes as secrets begin to unravel. They almost immediately come into magical powers and have to run from forces of evil. Together they have to learn how to cope, rescue their father, and save the world all with just the help from their uncle, Sadie’s cat, and a few other misfits.

Why I started this book:

I have read the Percy Jackson series by Riordan and was interested in seeing what he did next.

Likes:

  • Riordan combined both worlds – Kane Chronicles and Percy Jackson with a few vague references that tickled me pink. One mention was by Uncle Amos referred to the gods on the other side of Manhattan (he was looking at the Empire State Building when he said it.) The second was by Thoth and referred to Hermes.
  • The multicultural aspect: the interracial parents and the siblings looking different from each other with Carter being dark like their father and Sadie being light like their mother. Riordan’s definition of fairness and equality was highlighted by several Kindle users both in its original location and when he echoed it later in the novel.
  • The Egyptian god setup was as carefully explained by Riordan as the Greek gods in Percy Jackson. He goes over the two different sets, how they combine, and explained inconsistencies using a well thought out bit of imagination. They are Set, Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Nephthys to name the big five.
  • I liked the form of long distance travel – how Egyptian and Egyptian style monuments were turned into places of power and portals.
  • Anubis is hot!

Dislikes:

  • Carter was not as strong a hero as I am used to for a protagonist. It was odd for me to read again and again proof that his younger sister was stronger.
  • Sadie is far, far, far too young for Anubis. Twelve and boy crazy? I guess if he’s Justin Bieber.
  • Sadie and Carter’s grandparents. Ugh.

Buy: The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1)The Red Pyramid (Kindle Version)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Perchance to Dream [Théâtre Illuminata (Act 2)]
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Format: Kindle Ebook
Page Count: 352 (Hardback)
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Act 1 was in the theater, Act 2 explores the world outside the theater. Don’t be fooled though, the world is a very different place than how you or I would see it. With a Teller of Tales in your pocket, and several sidekicks from Shakespeare’s plays, anything and everything changes. Bertie must rescue Nate from the sea witch’s clutches, a seemingly impossible task and Nate’s time is running short. Her dreams at night and her love for him keeps him alive, but the day belongs to Ariel and Bertie finds herself falling for him too.

Why I started this book:

I loved the first in the trilogy, Eyes Like Stars, and couldn’t wait to read it. I gave up on the library getting it anytime soon and purchased Perchance to Dream from Amazon for my Kindle. It turned out to be a good decision because Mantchev uses a lot of interesting words that I didn’t know or only sort of knew and looked up using Kindle’s dictionary definition feature while reading. I also used the Text-to-Speech aspect to hear how some words and character names were pronounced.

Likes:

  • The fairies: Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Moth and Mustardseed (from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) are back and just as silly and over the top as before with their demands for pie and cake and pastries!
  • Ariel (from Shakespeare’s The Tempest) is my favorite character. I loved that he was challenged to do things without the power of his winds. It made him a stronger character and revealed a lot about him.
  • Beatrice (Bertie) Shakespeare Smith has more trouble with words than any girl I know. After that she has an even bigger conflict: choosing between her two loves: Nate and Ariel. The right boy for her will have to give her a lot of space because she’s very determined to keep a piece of herself for herself.
  • New character Waschbär the sneakthief, is a strong addition to the tale. I wonder what it is he seeks and if he too can complete his journey.
  • The writing is very vivid and much improved over Eyes Like Stars. The story itself is far more epic and expansive too than it’s predecessor. I have high expectations and hopes for the third and final act.

Dislikes:

  • I don’t feel like Ariel gets enough credit in the story. He had so many chances to turn his back on her, to sabotage the rescue efforts, and plentiful reasons to just give up and yet he doesn’t do any of those things. He tries but he can’t. Ariel’s by far my favorite of the two boys. Every time Bertie realized she gave in a little to him she did a 180 and pushed him away. It was exasperating (and for Ariel too no doubt) and I had a hard time believing she felt equally about both boys because of her actions.
  • The Mysterious Stranger aka the Scrimshander is a very important character and he’s well drawn, but I just don’t like him. I found him weak and pathetic compared to the strength, determination, and courage of Betrie.

Buy: Perchance to Dream: Theatre Illuminata #2 (Hardback), Perchance to Dream: Theatre Illuminata #2 (Kindle)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: The Sixty-Eight Rooms
Author: Marianne Malone
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 265
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Ruthie is drawn to the famous Thorne Rooms at the Chicago’s Art Institute during a class fieldtrip. On the same trip her best friend, Jack, finds a gorgeous key. When Ruthie holds the key she begins to shrink and the two kids put two-and-two together. The key provides a way into the miniature world depicted by the multiple rooms. When Ruthie figures out how to shrink Jack too, the exploring commences in earnest and the pair must figure out how to navigate the world in a new way.

Why I started this book:

I checked the book out from the library after I saw it in a bookstore and thought it looked interesting.

Likes:

  • The subplots were crafted fabulously and brought another dimension to the story. Jack’s mother worries about making a living as an artist. A security guard (previously famous photographer) mourns the loss of his best work. A shop owner reconnects to memories of her past. Historical figures find new endings.
  • How Jack and Ruthie constructed paths to get them around the museum and to different parts of the exhibit is both entertaining and clever.
  • I enjoyed the fight with the water bug/cockroach.
  • I liked that the two kids weren’t the first to explore the tiny world. That was very cool and also connected a lot of the subplots. I liked too how Jack and Ruthie saved some of the people they found in the world by remembering enough from history class to provide warnings.

Dislikes:

  • The necessary contrivance of tricking the parental units into thinking the kids were places they were not. I dislike clueless parents or parents willing to be hoodwinked. I find it hard to believe, mostly because my own parents would never in a million years ignore the signs of mischief Jack and Ruthie gave off like flashing beacons.

Buy: The Sixty-Eight Rooms

Rating: 4 Stars

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Format: Papberback
Page Count: 497
Reading Grade Level: 7th-9th Grade

Summary: A normal farm boy was hunting in the forest and when he saw a huge flash of blue light. An invesitagtion led to a big sapphire stone which he brought home. But it wasn't a big sapphire gem at all. It was actually a dragon egg. When it hatched for him, Eragon became the last of the Dragon Riders. Many thought the Dragon Riders had been killed off and thought the eggs were gone and that the Age of the Dragons would never rise again. But word of a new Dragon Rider spread fast and soon the existence of Eragon and his dragon, Sapphira, had reached Galbatorix and the Elves, Varden, and the Dwarves. Now Eragon is in a race to stay alive and keep his dragon safe. He has only two choices to succeed and one is unacceptable. He won't serve Galbatorix so he must find the Varden.

Why I started this book:

I started Eragon because it was lying around. I bought it a few years back and hadn't gotten around to it before now. Plus, I had seen the movie and like it. So I thought why not?

Likes:

  • What I liked about this book was that it had a lot of action. Once you settled in to read, the world sucked you in from one thrilling chase to the next harrowing adventure. It was really hard to put the book down when you got to a really good part.
  • I really liked Sapphira a lot because she had a lot of wisdom when she spoke to him even though she was younger than him in physical years she was still wiser and older in her mind.

Dislikes:

  • I didn’t like that the author had a ton of made up words in the story even though it had a dictionary in the back of the book saying what they meant. It was very tedious looking back to see what they meant all the time.
  • I didn’t like the fact that Brom died. I thought he was a very good character and served as a really good mentor.

Differences between the book and the movie:

  • In the movie we don't know why Sapphira got her name. Eragon bestows it on her after he went to talk to Brom and got the history of the name from him.
  • In the movie it doesn’t tell how Eragon came to Palancar Valley. But when his mother was pregnant with him she was very poor and went to her brother Garrow (Eragon’s Uncle) asking if he would help her until the baby was born and then take care of it after it was born. Once she gave birth to Eragon a while later she left him with Garrow and never returned.

Buy: Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1)

Rating: I give this book 4 out of 5 treasure chests.

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Malice
Author: Chris Wooding
Illustrator: Dan Chernett
Format: Hardback
Pages: 379
Grade Reading Level: 7th-9th Grade

Summary: In Britain all the children know the rumors of a comic book called
Malice. They also know that if a ritual is done and a chant said six times they could be taken into the world of that comic. Some do so on a dare. Others because they’re missing adventure. Others to prove it doesn’t exist. More still because they believed Malice was better than their normal lives. It doesn’t matter why you do it – you’re Tall Jake’s as soon as you invite him into your life. It’s only a matter of time before he comes to collect. There’s no going back and certain doom awaits you on the other side.

Why I started this book:

My librarian recommended it to me because I liked fantasy book series. This is the first book and the story is continued in Havoc.

Likes:

  • Malice is divided into several zones and this book takes you through two. The Clock Tower and the Oubliette. In the Clock Tower they face the Clockmaker and his metal inventions. In the Oubliette they face a hungry impenetrable darkness and blind ravenous gnawls.
  • Seth – he’s pretty foolhardy and he thrives on Malice which makes him feel a little guilty.
  • Justin – he’s the knowledgeable guide to the world, having actually read the comics before doing the ritual. He’s also a good friend despite what his life has taught him about how friends never stick around when trouble’s afoot.
  • Kady – she’s not a bad character either, I just don’t like the fact that she practices hypnosis. Of the three she’s the most practical and comes as prepared as one can be for a place like Malice.

Dislikes:

  • The use of hypnosis throughout the novel. People simply couldn’t have (partial) amnesia? It’s all false testimony on the senses doing more harm than good.
  • I had trouble with about half of the illustrations which were too stylized. I couldn’t make head or tails out of what I was seeing some of the time so I ended up just reading the bubbles. I figure somebody with more background in comics will manage with no problem. It just wasn’t the case with me.
  • The real victims are all the parents who have no idea what’s going on and only know that their children go mysteriously missing and if they’re lucky come back… but the kids never come back the way they were before the left and nobody knows why, not even the kids.

Last Minute Thoughts: The beginning is pretty scary (horror like scary), but once the kids make it to Malice is more like a thrilling adventure. I also sincerely hope that despite how it appears Justin is still alive. I can’t wait for the next book about the kid rebels known as Havoc.

Buy: Malice

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods, Book 4)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 384
Grade Reading Level: 9th Grade +

Summary: The Van Alen Legacy begins approximately a year after the events of Revelations. We find Schuyler and Oliver at a party in Paris where the European Conclave will attend. She’s there looking for sanctuary as she’s been unfairly accused as her grandfather’s murderer by the New York Conclave.

After the blowout between Mimi and Jack at the end of Revelations, Mimi has left New York to join Kingsley and his team of Venators. She’s done this for two reasons: first to force Jack into missing and wanting her; second to be of use and do something active because most of the New York Conclave’s most powerful members are gone forever… consumed. She and Kingsley are on the trail of Jordan, who is really Sophia the Watcher.

Bliss is fighting to remember who she is and is trapped inside her own body. It shocks and decimates her to realize she’s lost a year of her life to Lucifer. Some dad! When suspicions are aroused, he gives her back some control. Can she figure out how to keep him out or is she doomed to be his slave?

Why I started this book:

I started this book because I finished reading Revelations, the third book in the Blue Blood series, and The Van Alen Legacy was the next one published.

Likes:

  • Charles Force actually doing something very archangel-like. Finally he’s got his head out of his butt and is taking charge, even if the Conclave doesn’t think so.
  • Jack asking Schuyler to come with him back to New York. He puts himself out there even though he’s aware of her conflict with Oliver.
  • Oliver getting Jack to go with Schuyler at the end of the novel. I like him for it.
  • Kingsley and Mimi together. He’s good for her and hopefully with him in the picture Mimi will let Jack go.

Toss-Up:

  • I still find Mimi a vacuous character, but Cruz is revealing hidden depths to her. I hope to like her completely in another few books. For being Jack’s twin, his bonded, she might understand him but she doesn’t get him. If she did, she’d realize her Venator plan is a crap plan for getting him back.
  • Lucifer’s body snatching of Bliss. A great idea but very creepy to think about. I’m glad it got solved quickly.

Dislikes:

  • Schuyler looking away from Jack’s true vampire/angel form. She should embrace him for his darkness and Destruction. I sincerely hope she gets another chance to prove herself.

Last Minute Thoughts: Cruz has stated this series will have ten books in total. I can't wait for the next one to come out. How about you?

Buy: The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods, Book 4)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Revelations (Blue Bloods, Book 3)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Narrator: Christina Moore
Format: Audiobook
CD Count + Minutes: 5 CDs (6 Hours)
Grade Reading Level: 9th Grade +

Summary: Schuyler is now officially adopted by the Forces and living under the same roof as Jack and Mimi. Talk about awkward. Some believe that Schuyler’s half-blood blood isn’t Red Blood and Blue Blood but actually Silver Blood. They’ll find her essential though when a group of Silver Bloods attack an ancient place of power in Rio de Janeiro.

In hopes of getting rid of Schuyler permanently, Mimi is rushing Jack to the altar. She wants the bonding ceremony and she wants it now. Jack isn’t exactly holding her back, but he’s not a willing participant. He might have an unshakeable bond with Mimi, but their relationship for him is more like a duty, not a romance.

Bliss is no longer blacking out, but she’s starting to have gruesome visions. The one that scares her the most is of a man claiming to be her father. How can this be true? It doesn’t make sense.

The family behind the Silver Bloods is finally revealed to readers. The clues are finally all added up. Did you guess right?

Why I started this book:

I just finished reading Masquerade and Revelations is next in the Blue Blood series.

Likes:

  • Schuyler moving into the Force family home. I'm not sure how it happened, because she was supposed to be emancipated by her grandmother's will, but I'm all up for getting her and Jack into close living quarters.
  • There’s a funny reference to Harry Potter in this book when Schuyler ruminates that the 2nd guest bedroom was hardly the cupboard under the stairs.
  • Publicly Jack keeps up the front that Schuyler means nothing to him, but privately it’s a whole other story. They begin to meet in clandestine locations to spend time together using Oliver as a cover.
  • Kingsley is still around and bugging the heck out of Mimi with his very presence. Isn’t he a Silver Blood and a traitor?

Dislikes:

  • The love triangle. Oliver is a good friend, but I’m not a big fan of friends to lovers romances. I get not wanting to hurt his feelings, but Schuyler needs to suck it up and put on her big girl panties. My hope for this series is for Jack and Schuyler together. It will only happen if Jack stands up to his sister and if Schuyler puts herself forward. (Crosses fingers.)
  • Jordan is a real weird kid. I’m not sure how I feel about her as a character. She’s definitely creepy. I wonder what will happen to her now that she’s been kidnapped.

Buy: Revelations (Blue Bloods, Book 3)

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Masquerade (Blue Bloods, Book 2)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Narrator: Christina Moore
Format: Audiobook
CD Count + Minutes: 6 CDs (7 Hours)
Grade Reading Level: 9th Grade +

Summary: After her grandmother’s death, Schuyler heads to Italy in hopes of finding her grandfather, Lawrence Van Alen. Cordelia felt he would be able to shed light on the Silver Bloods and help Schuyler become a better vampire… something he doesn’t appear to be too keen to do. As a half-blood she could use all the help she can get, especially after her human and vampire blood start to fight for dominance.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Mimi is helping plan the traditional Four Hundred Ball where she and her brother Jack will be presented to all Blue Bloods with their official angel/vampire names. She’s also planning an exclusive after party for the teen vampires from the Duchesne school. She can’t wait to spill the beans about how she and Jack are destined to be together forever as a bonded pair.

Bliss keeps having blackouts and waking up in odd locations. Some of the time its like she’s trying to sleepwalk and kill herself – drowning in Central Park, flinging herself off of skyscrapers, it’s maddening. What’s going on and will it ever stop? How is this normal?

Why I started this book:

I just finished reading Blue Bloods and Masquerade is book two in the Blue Bloods series.

Likes:

  • I liked the Masquerade ball and the mysterious gentleman with the black mask who kisses Schuyler. It’s a cute scene.
  • Christina Moore continues to excel as a narrator. I would gladly listen to any fictional story that she read.
  • Dylan comes back – he’s not been killed off by a Silver Blood.
  • Kingsley the new Blue Blood at Duchesne isn’t what he appears to be – but is he friend or foe?
  • Making Mimi Force sweat made me ridiculously happy. I knew she'd get off, she's clearly not the one harboring Silver Bloods, that'd be too easy.

Dislikes:

  • The clear set up of Oliver as a second love interest.
  • Chares Force is a big pain and doesn’t act very much like an archangel to me. Is he going to rise and be Michael or is he going to remain an ostrich with his head in the sand? This constant denial of Silver Blood return is old.

Buy: Masquerade (Blue Bloods, Book 2)

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Blue Bloods (Book 1)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Narrator: Christina Moore
Format: Audio book
CD Count + Minutes: 5 CDs (6 Hours)
Grade Reading Level: 9th Grade +

Summary: When Schuyler Van Alen turns fifteen her whole life changes and what she thought she knew is turned on its head. She discovers she’s a Blue Blood vampire, that her best friend is a conduit, a girl from the cool group reaches out to her, and Jack Force, the hunky all star of Duchesne, kisses her. But at the same time bad things are happening from a murder of a popular girl to a rash of attacks. Schuyler is determined to find out the truth even if it puts her in grave danger.

Why I started this book:

I picked up this audio book and the two sequels to Blue Bloods at the library for something to listen to while traveling back and forth to a major city not far from where I live.

Likes:

  • Schuyler Van Alen makes a good protagonist. She’s a half-blood—part human and part vampire. A new soul. Her existence throws everything else off balance.
  • Take Jack Force for instance: He’s bonded for years and over several lifetimes with another, who in this reincarnation is his sister. Now that Schuyler is around he’s helplessly drawn to her in a way he can’t describe.
  • Their forbidden romance is a good draw. It’s an arc that will obviously develop over the next couple of books. Jack is the mysterious hot well-liked popular boy with a dark streak a mile wide and centuries old to Schuyler’s offbeat, gothic, hidden in the shadow’s type personality.
  • Bliss is great. I like how she became friends with Schuyler, even though they aren’t from the same high school cliques.
  • Narrator is fabulous with a wide array of voices, accents, and emotions to draw from. A great choice for this book series.

Toss-Up:

  • As for vampires really being cast-out angels and once followers of Lucifer… I can take it or leave it. With this background knowledge it’s not too hard to guess who the ultimate bad guy will be and it’s not the Silver Bloods (corrupted vampires).
  • Mimi Force as a character is very good for the story. She’s a typical mean girl with an inflated opinion of herself. She’s snobby and entitled with a pathological need to be number one. That said, I didn’t really like her or her POV sections.
  • Speaking of POV changeups… At first, I wasn’t too keen on the head hopping between the three major female players (Schuyler, Mimi, Bliss) of the story; it took time to get used to the practice. By the end of the book I was indifferent to it.

Dislikes:

  • The world building elements that predispose the Duchesne kids to drink like fish, smoke like chimneys, and generally act in ways that would be devastating for normal kids yet are left unpunished because there are no consequences for vampires that indulge excessively. I don’t think it sets a very good example, especially when nearly all the perpetrators are underage, technically speaking. It’s very off putting.
  • The first half a dozen or so descriptions of consumption in the historical illumination sections.
  • Jack and Mimi’s supposed relationship – icky and weird – even after the explanation.

Buy: Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: Maximum Ride: Schools out Forever (Book 2)
Author: James Patterson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 412
Grade Reading Level: 7th - 12th Grade

Summary: Maximum Ride and her 3 brothers and 2 sisters were taken as babies and were experimented on and are far from normal humans. They were all turned into avian-hybrids which mean that they have wings and are able to fly. The kids have been on the run ever since they escaped the School (the place where they were experimented on.) Sooner or later Erasers (people who turn into wolves) will find them and attack them forcing them to stay on the move. When a kind woman offers them sanctuary at a new school the kids agree to attend... all seems to be well but conspiracies abound everywhere.

The Characters:

  • Maximum is the older of her sisters.
  • Her younger sisters are Nudge and Angel. Nudge is the middle sister and Angel is the youngest sisters.
  • Fang is the oldest brother, followed by Iggy.
  • Iggy is blind because the white coats (scientists) tried to give him better night vision but messed up so he lost his vision permanently.
  • Then Gasman (Gazzy) is the youngest of the 3 brothers.  None of them are really related to each other except Angel and Gazzy, and they are actually brother and sister.

Likes:

  • It had a ton of action in it. Max was trying to keep everyone safe. There was a lot of busting out of places. For instance, when the kids get into a fight with the Erasers, Fang gets badly injured. Then when they land on the beach to see what had happened Max couldn’t believe how hurt he really was.
  • All of the kids personalities. They're very vivid and entertaining.
  • I really like that all the kids care about each other even though they're not really family. They have such a strong bond with one another.

Dislikes:

  • The head-hopping bugs me. I don't like how the book jumps from talking about one person to another without much transition.
  • Some parts of the book got very confusing because you couldn’t tell who did what or said what and required a second or third reading to understand what happened.

Buy: School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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