Saturday, March 31, 2012

Percy Jackson

Me again! Welcome to the amazing world of Greek mythology! And no, I do NOT mean Hercules. Rick Riordan has invited us into a place where Greek mythology comes back to life. The story is based in the 21st century, with a young demigod called "Percy Jackson".

As you may have already guessed, a demigod is a half god, half human. A little bit like Hercules. Percy's mum is a normal human, but his dad is Poseidon, god of the seas himself! Percy wasn't even aware of it until his history teacher, (a centaur named Chiron) saved him from an attack of monsters. Chiron brings him to camp, along with his best friend, who turns out to be a satyr (goat legs, human body) that was protecting him!

They bring him to Camp Half-Blood... (Remind you of anything? Half Blood Prince? No?) And there he learns to fight monsters. Oh, and he's even given an awesome pen that can turn into a sword! Cool, right? YAY! I'm not going to give away too much though.

Another thing, the author wrote five books in the series. Rick Riordan felt so bad for not writing a sixth book, he added another series with the same characters but a slightly different plot. It's called Heroes of Olympus. I'm actually reading it right now, but it's pretty good. I might review it tomorrow or on Monday if I have the time.

In conclusion, I would recommend this series for people over the age of eleven or twelve. Especially those that like action and rather magical books. Oh, and awesome people. Just saying.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Sushi For Beginners


If I have to be honest, the only reason I bought this book was because I was a bit peckish when I was in the book store. But, seriously, this book was, in reality, a decent read - and no, I didn't lick it to see if it tasted of sushi... but I know VampireMaster would.

Follow the lives of three women: Lisa, a fashionable, successful magazine editor that - despite hoping to flee to high-rise New York - is forced to move to low-rise Dublin, Ashling, an insecure girl who, unfortunately, is hired by Lisa, and Clodagh, Ashling's (untrustworthy) best friend. Some parts will have you laughing convulsively, while some might make you feel nervous, or even sad.

This book isn't for young children is all I have to say. It has lots of graphic sex scenes and numerous mentions of alcohol and drug use. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to people over the ages of fifteen. If you're younger and you're up to reading books for a higher reading level, be my guest - but you have been warned!

Overall, it's a great book, with many twists and a humorous ending. It's not very serious and mind-boggling, so people looking for a light read would definitely devour it.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

Set in North-West Europe, six thousand years ago, The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is an amazing book. Written by Michelle Paver, an author who really knows how to write!

It's about a boy called Torak who sees his father being killed by a bear possessed by a demon. He realises he can talk to wolves when he stumbles across a young cub, which he then calls "Wolf". He meets a young girl called Renn and they have to complete around six quests. It's a wonderful story with love, hatred and a bunch of people dying just to keep you happy.

Since it's based around 6000 BC, the characters believe in rather strange religions, what's funny, though, is that most of the time, it's real. So the weird rituals and gods they believe in exist.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good story about magic and darkness.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Guards! Guards!

 Hey there! I'm back with a serious novel! Um... More of a funny novel, but you know what I mean.
Guards! Guards!

Welcome to the famous literary world of Terry Pratchett (he's awesome)! Guards! Guards! is the eight book from the series "Discworld" but it's one of those books you can read without the rest of the series to understand. I have a feeling this isn't a children's book because they mention a few things that aren't very.... Childreny, if you know what I mean. But it's funny. Like, hilarious, funny. Like, ulra-mega-omigosh-this-is-genius funny. Okay, I think you get it. Even if there isn't a joke, the way the people behave is already comical.

This story is very complicated. Even at the beginning. It starts of with a drunken Captain Vimes who's waiting for a new recruit. In the meantime, this group called "The Elucidated Brethren" is planning to overthrow the Patrician (Vetinari) by summoning a dragon and bringing a king back to slay it. The new recruit Vimes was expecting turns out to be a boy who thought he was a dwarf the entire time, but actually, he's human and he decided to leave the mines to act like a real human...


The story is really complicated, but I loved it! I'd recommend it to any one that doesn't mind mentions of "sex" so probably over twelve, it's also good if you like humor, drunk guys and a couple of dragons.


Overall, it's an awesome book, written by an awesome author (not as awesome as Darren Shan) and you should definitely read it.

Dear John


Yes, this is a love book... but it is a love book like no other. Trust me on this one. I've read hundreds of novels about two people destined to be together, but this one is by far the best.

This book is about a man called John, that meets a girl named Savannah and falls head over heels for her. Because he wasn't the exactly the best student in high school, he chooses a risky but fairly achievable job. He enrolls in the army, but spends half his days with Savannah, enchanted by her laugh and mesmerized by the sparkle in her eyes. Then comes along September 11, 2001, and the Twin Towers come pouring down. John is then urged to re-enlist again and serve his duty to his country... but doing that, means leaving Savannah all alone.

This book is unique. It's not one of those sappy books that ends with them getting married again and having 12 children and moving to - oh, I don't know - Spring Falls, to a grand mansion with a puppy. No. The ending startled me, actually, because I was expecting a happy ending, yet I didn't get that. But that's what I love about this book. You can't predict what's going to happen, so you can't just drop it when you're halfway through because you're sure of what is going to happen.

Do I recommend it? Yes, definitely. Pick it up on a rainy evening and fall into the abyss of broken promises and true warmth.

Mummy's Little Girl


The title is a little misleading. No, this isn't a book about cuddly, mushy mother-daughter love. This book is haunting, and all about the anguish one little girl had to go through.

Dani was abandoned at birth, to be picked up by her foster family. After the death of her foster father, her mother treats her viciously and tyrannically. When a social worker comes by, she sees the bruises on Dani's face and takes her away immediately. Displeased by the children's home she has to go to, Dani runs away to a dark street corner. She meets a man with a deep Scottish accent who offers to help her. But what she doesn't know, is that he's going to scar her innocent soul forever.... but somewhere out there, there is a woman, frantically looking for her.

I must've read this book over a thousand times, and every time I read it, I feel goosebumps on my arms. I mean... how can a girl, about my age, be treated like that? When we're here complaining and whining.... Dani's suffering and despairing. This book might have even changed the way I live my life, made me take a new path. I almost wanted to hug Dani at some parts and assure her it was all going to be okay.

Who would I recommend this to? People who like emotional books that confront all human fears. If you tend to break down at the mention of cruelty... you better not read this book. But in my opinion, it's breath-taking, and if you want to challenge yourself, go ahead and read it.

Hard Luck

Hard Luck
  YAY! I'm back! VampireMaster!
Okay, this is probably the shortest book I've ever reviewed. But I finished it yesterday and I (mentally) pledged to review every book I read, so...

First off, I don't usually pay attention to these small books, I just read them because I'm bored and I don't want to do my homework. But since I only read it yesterday, it's still in the back of my mind.

Hard Luck, by Mary Arrigan, is a sweet, short story for teenagers that aren't too serious with their reading. It's about a boy called Matthew, who tuns away from home. He's being fostered by a lady he calls "Ma" and she's an alcoholic. Her boyfriend is really aggressive and hits Matthew. That's when he decides to run away. While he's walking in the streets, he sees his teacher, she thinks he's going to school and offers to give him a ride. He doesn't want to tell her he's running away, so he accepts. She's spring-cleaning her house, and she has a bunch of stuff in the back of her car like... A quilt. And Matthew likes the quilt, so he asks for it. Then he gets out of the car, under the pretension that going to school with a teacher is embarrassing, and walks away...

It's a nice story, but I wouldn't particularly recommend it to anyone. It isn't the sort of book that makes you feel really amazed, but it's sweet and it's one of those stories with a moral. Like... Always count on your friends. I think. Or... You never know what the future holds. Eh... I don't know.

So, in summary, a nice book, and if you ever get bored and want to read something not so deep and that you can't really compare to Darren Shan, try reading this.