Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The main reason I picked up this book was because of the author. After thoroughly enjoying Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, I didn’t have to think twice about purchasing another one of his books. While the Percy Jackson series is definitely a hard act to follow, I felt like The Red Pyramid served as a great beginning to a potentially amazing series.

The Red Pyramid is about two siblings, Sadie and Carter Kane, who have lived apart for pretty much their entire lives. Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London and Carter has traveled the world with his Egyptologist father, learning about ancient Egypt and working on archaeological digs. However, Carter can’t escape the feeling that his father is running from something… or someone. After a world-shaking series of events, the sibling’s father is kidnapped by the Egyptian god Set. They learn that they are descendants of two very powerful lines of pharaohs and are able to use Egyptian magic. Using their new found powers, they must find Set and stop him from possibly destroying the world. Along the way, the kids learn more about ancient Egypt, meet new people, and realize that Set’s plans are possibly the least of their worries.

This book was everything I expected a Riordan book to be - a quirky, pulse-pounding ride filled with unforgettable characters. I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once and I was longing for the next book once I had finished.

The only con that I can think of was that I found the story to be similar to that of the Percy Jackson series in a few places. Nothing really major though.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Riordan has never failed to impress me

Review: Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

After seeing this series in every Barnes & Noble, Target, and used book store I shop at, I felt that I had to get the first book and try it out if only just to see what the series is about. I went into it knowing that it was another vampire young adult novel and that it had mixed reviews.

Marked is about Zoey Redbird and her journey as a newly Marked fledgling vampyre. Soon after being Marked, Zoey transfers to a new school for vampyres - the House of Night. While attending the House of Night, fledglings learn about all sorts of things that will help them after they completely change into an adult vampyre. Zoey is different from all the other fledglings in her class, though. Her Mark already looks like the Marks of full grown vampyres and no one knows why. Throughout this novel, we see what Zoey goes through as she struggles to find her place at the House of Night and embrace her destiny and her new, goddess-given gifts.

From the beginning of the novel, I was pretty certain that it would not be one of my favorites. Zoey, the protagonist, was, for one, very cliche. The popular girl (who is dating the most popular, football-playing, boy in school) with the exotic ancestry has a broken family and a hard home life finds out that she’s special and leaves home to go to a special school. She then finds out that she has extra-special gifts that no one else in her special group has. Oh, not to mention she gets noticed by the most popular boy there as well. I pretty much spent the whole novel in a state of déjà vu. That alone didn’t bother me as much as Zoey’s constant use of words like “poopie” and childish perspective on things. Zoey is supposed to be sixteen, not six.

Another point that struck a sour note with me was the fact that the the only reason I could tell that they were “vampyres” was because I was constantly reminded as such. They didn’t burn in the sun (it was only slightly irritating… which is better then sparkling, I suppose), they weren’t changed into a vampyre, they were chosen and marked, and they spent several years in school and then (if they survived the change), they would officially be a vampyre. Really? If you’re going to write another vampire novel, then at least make it about real vampires!

Pros? It kept me reading, it’s short and easy to read, and the idea was interesting and (mostly) well written.

Cons? Pretty much what I’ve mentioned previously along with a few silly mistakes that the editor should have fixed.

I’m on the fence on whether I’m going to finish the series or not. On the one hand, the books could get better. On the other, the could just stay the same.

If any of you have read the series and know if it improves or not, please let me know!

Welcome!

Not too long ago, I was standing in Borders. I was simply staring at the shelves of books, completely at a loss on what to read. At that moment I wished there were a place that I could go to read reviews written by people my age with the same taste in books as me so that I could find something new to read.

That thought produced first a tumblr page that I run with three other bloggers (which you can find here- http://thebestweapons.tumblr.com/) and now this blog! This is probably going to be a lot of trial and error at first but bear with me!

If any of you have any suggestions or recommendations, don't be afraid to let me know!