The Lightning Thief

        Back of the Book:
        Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
        Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
        With cover art from the major motion picture, this first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.

            Percy Jackson knows he’s not normal. Not only does he have ADHD, but he’s also a dyslexic with a bad rep of getting kicked out of every school since Pre-K. He doesn’t feel like he’s good for anything, but everything changes one night when he discovers who his father is: a god. More specifically, Poseidon, god of the sea.

            Oh, the gods are real alright. And they’re angry at him. They think he is the lightening thief, the boy who stole Zeus’s legendary lightening bolt. Soon he finds himself leading a dangerous quest with his friends Grover and Annabeth (satyr and daughter of Athena) to recover the bolt and save his mother, who is the prisoner of Hades. If he succeeds, he will finally mean something to the gods and his father. But if he fails…his mother spends eternity with the lord of the underworld, he will be hunted down by every divine being, and the world will be at a war with itself as Zeus and Poseidon destroy everything fighting over his innocence.

            Fans across the world have been raving over this fantastic series by author Rick Riordan. The Lightning Thief is a perfectly paced, action-packed, mind-blowing series for anyone and everyone. High adventure, excitement, and suspense entice you in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Each chapter is an action-packed suspenseful glimpse of Greek mythology in the modern world. Just one sentence of the book reveals its true identity as a perfect passage into the life of a very special teenage boy.

To Catch a Pirate

            Ever since her ship was attacked a year ago, Annalise Townsend has been on the hunt. To catch a pirate. Her pirate, to be precise. The pirate who stole a kiss from her when the bloodthirsty villains were attacking her ship and seizing her father’s treasure. Now, after a year of fencing, a forged marque, and constant determination to catch the loathsome James Sterling, Anna is ready to take back her father’s stolen treasure. But now Anna’s is danger of something much worse: Sterling stealing her heart.

This is a fluff book. It has a basic plot—which is predicable at some parts—with basic characters and a basic ending. It isn’t life changing, or even close to Shakespeare, but it is a good book. The writing makes it good.

            The nerd that I am, I researched this book for weeks. I read review after review, trying to find out if this book was worth reading. Finally, I just bought the thing and read it, cover to cover, in a few hours.

            The writing was beautiful. Each sentence is golden. Most writers can’t jam-pack beautiful sentences on every page, but this one sounds natural and flows perfectly. As I said before, it isn’t that complex of a plot, or characters, but it is worth reading. It’s my fluff book, the book I read a few chapters out of when I’m bored or skim through the ending when I’m in the mood for a happy ending. If you’re looking for a complicated, action-packed adventure novel, this is not for you. But it is worth reading, worth keeping, if even as a fluff book. The writing is worth reading. Personally, I think every woman should read this, just for the charmingly cocky James Sterling.

Cloaked

Johnny is a modern cobbler in South Beach. But his dreams of princesses and adventure are permanently put on hold thanks to his duties to his family shoe business and his poor mother. When a gorgeous European princess offers to foot the bill for an adventure in Key West, Johnny doesn’t hesitate to agree. But there’s a catch—he’s looking for the princess’s very own frog prince…her brother.

            Johnny agrees to go, but the last thing he expects is real magic at work. Alex Finn’s latest novel cobbles together many different fairy tales, from the Elves and the Shoemaker and the Frog Prince to lesser known the Salad. It’s fast pace and action scenes keep it a quick read. Cloaked engages the reader from beginning to end. This is a delightful happily-ever-after fairly tale that will have you rooting for the average hero the whole way.

Back of the Book:

I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

     It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

     There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

     Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked.

Enna Burning

As happy as Enna is for her best friend's Isi's happily ever after, she can't help feeling a pang of sorrow when she thinks about her ending. While her friend married her true love and became the ruler of Bayern, Enna was stuck caring for her older brother after their mother's death. Isi was blessed with the power to understand the language of the winds. Enna can't help wishing she had a power like that. She can't help feeling she does have a power like that.
     Her problems begin when her brother, Leifer, finds a dangerous vellum containing secrets too terrible for a human being to carry. Suddenly, Enna's adventure becomes a frightening reality. When the secret threatens to destroy Leifer, Enna must save her brother—and herself—while trying to find her happily ever after.



Enna Burning is the companion book to Goose Girl, an earlier novel also by famed author Shannon Hale. It takes place after Isi's extraordinary adventure and wedding to Prince Geric and covers Isi's best friend's story. Enna is a character who—like us all—is just trying to find herself and an adventure of her own. Loved characters in Goose Girl return, namely Razo and Finn. I was very excited to see them return, since I loved them so much in the earlier novel.
     Goose Girl was a wonderful book, but it was a bit slow on getting the story rolling. Enna Burning immediately introduces the plot and begins the story at a much faster and exciting pace. However, Shannon Hale's beautiful writing stays consistent throughout her novels. This book is an exciting read that will leave you begging for more.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

Two princesses, polar opposites, remain trapped inside their palace by an overprotective father. Shy and reserved Princess Addie hides from the dragons and monsters plaguing the countryside while bold and daring Princess Meryl dreams of dramatic adventures saving her beloved kingdom. Fearful Addie never imagined that Meryl’s greatest adventure would be fighting the violent illness that claimed their mother.

            Now Addie must find her courage on a valiant journey to cure her sister. The dragons, spectators, and gryphons, once safely locked inside her storybooks, come to live in the most vivid way imaginable. Gail Carson Levine painted a beautiful world where fear and courage are tested by one remarkable heroine.

            Gail Carson Levine has done it again. She never fails to astonish me. A few friends recommended this book to me, and I devoured it, scanning each page as quickly as possible. Addie amazed me, as did her journey for a beloved sister. The action, adventure, and romance Levine always delivers come to live as one fearful girl embarks on a quest against the greatest monster we are all acquainted with—fear.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

            The lass is hated from her birth. Born to a mother sick of daughters, the baby is shoved aside namelessly. The lass grows up neglected by a family desperate for the wealthy lifestyle they sent their eldest son to live. But when he returns, penniless and haunted, the ancient legends told to frighten children become more alive than ever.

            But when a visit from a polar bear transforms her life, an ordinary girl must try and uncover her brother’s secrets while attempting to set her beast free. Thrown into a world of mystery and wonder, the lass struggles to comprehend the endless labyrinth of a solitary beast, a mystical blessing, and an icy palace forged from mistakes. Jessica Day George weaves a fascinating tale of going east of the moon and west of the sun for true love.

I just finished this book a few moments ago, but I had to sit down and absorb my shock for a moment. I expected a ho-hum, mundane, run-of-the-mill fairy tale novel. Instead I was served a hefty platter of adventure, romance, and mystery. As usual, Jessica Day George adds life and adventure to an old fairy tale bare of personality.

The lass is nothing more than a woodcutter’s daughter, content with her lifestyle unlike her luxury-craving mother. But when a terrifying beast comes knocking on her door (literally) and takes her to his ice palace in exchange for a royal lifestyle for the lass’s family, the nameless daughter’s life becomes much more than average. She must learn to live far away from the only home she’s ever known. In a very Beauty-and-the-Beast-type manner she must learn to love an unlovable, enchanted creature.

This book made me realize why I love reading so much. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly devouring every word to try and solve the mystery along with the lass. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow bestows a nod upon fairy tales of the past and welcomes the adventure modern readers crave.

Nobody's Princess

      

            While the other ladies of Sparta are home sewing and waiting for their husbands to return from adventures, Helen takes her life into her own hands. The princess—disguised as a boy—escapes the palace walls to demand lessons from her older brothers’ trainer, Glanus. Her impulsiveness and bravery earn her a spot on the training field, much to her brothers’ dismay. But when turmoil strikes, Helen will need to don her sword, skill, and cunning to prove that she’s more than just a “pretty face.”

Before cracking open the cover of this book, I would prescribe putting on your coat (unless you live south of the Equator), purchasing a dictionary, and locating the word “ditz” to describe Helen of Troy. But Esther Friesner has changed my outlook on the Spartan princess. Besides her famed beauty, what does anyone know about her? How did she feel about Paris? What were her thoughts, feelings, and emotions? How did she spend her childhood? While Homer added adventure, romance, and drama to The Iliad, he forgot personality. Esther Friesner turns “the face the launched a thousand ships” into an extraordinary teen in her novel Nobody’s Princess, the story of Helen of Troy’s bravery, stubbornness, and beauty.

            In Nobody’s Princess, Friesner weaves the tale of a young princess desperate for an adventure of her own. Armed with striking good looks Aphrodite is proud of and sword skills every man in Sparta envy, Helen seizes her future without the assistance of others. This book is a window in the Bronze Age, a time of extraordinary and unlikely heroes like our very own Helen.