Camp Half Blood Series

Though I don't have reviews up on my blog yet for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books since I read them before I started this, I did greatly enjoy those books. And now, I am even more excited to find out via Rick Riordan's blog that he is working on a Camp Half Blood series- probably coming out winter 2010. What a great start to my day!

Straight from his blog, which can be found here:

"On the writing front, I’ve launched into the new Camp Half-Blood series and am having a great time with it. I get SO many emails from worried readers saying please, please, please, please (times fifty) write more Percy Jackson books, but all I can say is chill, guys. I’m putting a new twist on things but it’s not the end of Percy and friends by a long shot. You’ll see where I’m going with it winter 2010 when the first book comes out, and I think you’ll be pleased (and I hope a little shocked and amazed!) but that’s all I can say for now."

And on a related note, just a reminder that the first book is being made into a movie, now in post production and scheduled for release Feb 10. I will admit, I am incredibly excited for this movie. The books are action packed and the descriptions help you to see what is happening- it has so much potential to make a good movie and the world Riordan created translates even better to the big screen in my opinion because there is so much more you can do with it and manipulate without taking away from the basic story in this case.

The Stone Child: Dan Poblocki

SUMMARY (Courtesy of borders.com):

Eddie Fennicks is excited that his family has moved to the small town of Gatesweed. He discovers that his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead, had lived there before his mysterious disappearance 13 years ago. Soon, Eddie and his new friends must solve the mystery of the missing author.

OPINION: 4 STARS

Keeping in mind that this book level is grades 4-7, I give this work 4 stars. The writing is simple- but it works and is appropriate for the audience intended. It is a very quick and very easy read but I did find myself falling into it and I can easily imagine that younger audiences would really love this book.

The idea behind it is a good one- an author’s work and the horrors within his books coming alive and haunting the town in which he resides- and I particularly liked the reasons on how and why this was happening. The actual solution to it was great- simple yet a puzzle at the same time. I found myself thinking no, that is too easy- it has to be something harder but I didn’t actually think of the very obvious answer.

My main critique with the book is the overall lack of character growth but everything does happen in a relatively short time frame. There are some true emotions shown in there but overall, that aspect of the story seemed to be lacking in my opinion.

Overall, everything is explained but there was one loose end that was never tied up with bothered me related to one specific person. I can make an assumption about that character but at the same time, I cannot be sure and that sort of bothers me in this case.

The ending, however, was great- I really enjoyed the very last part but I won’t say how or why, you just need to read it to find out but I think most book lovers will appreciate it.

Novel Update

Well, it seems like a good time for an update on my novel in progress. Chapter 2 first draft has been finished and comments received from Kelli. My third edit on the prologue is done and I really like where its at now. I haven't look at it again since I finished it and sent it to Kelli but apart from one small comment, she liked it and that is where I want it for now. I have some revising to do on Chapter 1 but it can wait for now.

Chapter 3 is started and about 8 or 9 pages in. I keep hitting a little bit of a wall in regards to where I want it to go- I had the same problem with Chapter 2 but am trying to just work through it and just get it going somewhere, even if it ends up changing. Chapter 2 has about 15 pages already of story line that I have cut out but I figure it makes for nice little teasers and extras later on should by trilogy get big (and I have every intention of it being that amazing).

I learned about this from my friend's blog (Books Not Bombs, link on the side) but there is this challenge for aspiring writers called 1000 words a day (there is also a 500 words a day variation) where you try to write 1000 words a day at least 6 days of the week. At first, I couldn't help but think wow, that's a lot of words- until I looked at how many words I had written on Friday while I was at work. It was about 1,650- which I was surprised at though I imagine that is normal for me. I tend to be able to just sit down and start writing and can often crank out 8-15 pages at work, depending on my flow and how much time I have.

So, I have decided that I am going to try my best to make a weekly update on Sunday's, and to probably post my total word or page count for the week. This, of course, is assuming I even remember to try to keep track... so, really, no promises there.... Although I will admit that I usually try to email my progress each day with the date on it and chapter, in part just so that should I get nostalgic down the line, I can look back and see how far I got each day and what not.

My goal for this week is to finish Chapter 3 and get started on 4 but hopefully finish it. I also need to make an outline, adding to it as each chapter is done for when I start trying to find a publisher...

In other news, I have come to realize how bad my book shopping addiction is, given the number of unread books I own. As a result (and after looking at my really high credit card bill), I am going to try my very very best to not buy any more new books for awhile, apart from a few preorders coming out that I want, most of which are already ordered. And so far, I have gone a whole week without buying one book- which is really kind of amazing for me.

Okay, that is enough updating and rambling for now. =D

Prophecy of the Sisters: Michelle Zink

SUMMARY (Courtesy of goodreads.com):

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans, and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her. Debut novelist Michelle Zink takes readers on an unforgettable journey where one sister's fateful decision could have an impact of Biblical proportions. Prophecy of the Sisters is the first of three books.

OPINION: 4 STARS

I loved this book- especially that it was a tale that could be set in any time but is being done in the 1800s. Zink has set up the world nicely and rarely did I fall into the comforting lure of modern times and imagine the events taken place in 2009. The dialect and way things were said made it clear it was not modern times, along with passing references to having hot water brought, stable boys and even travel by a carriage. Though I cannot explain why, somehow the era in which this story was set made it even more fulfilling to me.

There were plenty of twists thrown into this tale- some of which I predicted and some that I didn’t and others that were painfully obvious but I simply didn’t put any thought into them. And I have made a revelation while reading this story which again is likely ostensibly blatant but I chalk it up to the fact that I am actually working on my own trilogy now. Several of those twists, in retrospect, are completely logical and you can even go wow, that makes sense. And yet, as a reader who has no idea of what is coming- I find myself grinning and gasping and falling more into the story with each revealed caveat and facet. As a writer, however, I find myself planning things out for my own trilogy and rethinking it, wondering if it’s too blatant and too easy and too, well, logical. But reading this book- now that I am starting to look more at plot lines and how things tie together and hints early on that become something later- I realize that things are often supposed to be logical and make sense. What seems obvious to me as the writer is not necessarily obvious to the reader and perhaps I have just been delayed in such a realization but it has only made me appreciate such twists more and I wonder if perhaps the reason I find myself grinning so much after finishing this novel is for this reason- that newfound appreciation- or if it is just that it is a well written, well thought out novel.

Whether everyone else knew it or not that this is the first in a trilogy, I didn’t prior to reading it and only when I finished it did I come to know that. In a way, I think that made me love the story more. Although there is no huge blow out in this book, the pacing was great and the way the reader followed each clue and each step- learned more about the prophecy right there with Lia made it even more amazing in my opinion. Many things I didn’t consider happening because Lia didn’t consider it. It was as shocking to her as it was to me and I love writing styles such as that. I am now very much looking forward to the next installment in this trilogy and am actually glad to know it isn’t going to be over yet. I have a better idea of what the next book is meant for, and now know to expect the final bang in the third and final book.

Overall, I actually really did like Lia. She is confused and scared but she is not dim witted or a coward. She faces her prophecy and everything around her as bravely as she can and she cares immensely for those around her. She loves book and she takes comfort in her family. She is protective of her brother, and a friend to her sister even if that same sister stands on the other side of this prophecy- if that sister is something more sinister and damaging. Her actions make sense- I never found myself questioning why she was doing something. In ways, I could relate to her (as much as you can relate to someone living 200 years before you). I also think this story is made even better because while it very much centers around both Lia and Alice, it is in Lia’s perspective- the reader is inherently biased towards her side of the story, her plight- but it gives me plenty to think about. To wonder about the events we don’t know about- the things even Lia is in the dark towards- that have led Alice to where she is.

I give this book 4 stars only because while I did enjoy it and fell into it, it didn’t absolutely grip me and make me think about nothing but it, where I lose sleep staying up to read and where I pull it out at every chance I get. In all truthfulness, I think that is just because this book centers around unraveling the prophecy and understanding both it and Lia’s place within it. It is a good mystery- a great puzzle to figure out- but it also lacks mind stealing action. I would not ask for that high volume of action to be in this book- it does not belong there- but unfortunately, I believe that is why it didn’t totally grip me. Am I going to get the next book as soon as it comes out? Absolutely. Do I see the next book and especially the third being full of action and gripping me to it? Definitely.

Snap: Carol Snow

SUMMARY (Courtesy of goodreads.com):

Madison Sabatini thought she knew who she was: an almost-sophomore with a bright future. The newest photographer on her school paper. A shopaholic with great hair and a fabulous wardrobe. Then, in a flash, everything changed.

Now she's stuck in Sandyland, a gloomy beach town in the middle of nowhere, living with her parents in a crappy hotel "suite." Instead of spending the summer with her friends at home, she's hanging out with pink-haired Delilah, an artist who works in a shop called Psychic Photo, and a skater boy named Duncan who's totally not her type. Except, maybe he is . . .

Determined to make the best of things, Madison throws herself into her one passion: photography. But when strange figures start appearing in her pictures—people who weren't there when she snapped the shots, people who are later reported dead—she begins to question everything about who she is . . . and who she wishes she could be.



OPINION: 2 STARS

If I hadn't read the description of this book and went in knowing absolutely nothing, I probably would have liked this book much more. But reading the description led me to believe this book would be much different than it turned out to be- I thought this would be a true ghost story and while the reason for the very few 'ghosts' that turned up in the pictures was unique, I just didn't really care for it.

This is one of those character development/change of heart kind of books more than anything else- not a spooky, suspense kind of thing. If I take out what I expected it to be and the hopes I had for it, I did enjoy the book overall. For a quick read (only 221 pages), it was well written considering limitations that come with such a short book.

But the hardest thing about this book for me was not that it wasn't what I expected- it was the fact that the main character really annoyed and her parents grated every nerve of mine. In some ways, I really felt like the main character was just an idiot towards a lot of things and her shallow comments and thoughts throughout the book definitely irked me. I understand that was her personality but it was still hard to sit there immersed in.

The characters, however, were well done, even if some of them annoyed me. They all showed some sort of growth and their personalities and different facets were revealed slowly. The stark contrast between the life Madison knew before their 'vacation' and the lives of the people she meets at the beach meld together surprisingly well which was the biggest redeeming part of this book.

Overall, I was disappointed in the actual events which did dampen my view of the story as a whole but there were also several aspects I did enjoy.

Another Faust:: Daniel & Dina Nayeri

SUMMARY (Courtesy of Borders.com)

A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year. One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish-- only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city's most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor's extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up-- reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty-- they start to suffer the side effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

OPINION: 3 STARS

Choppy. That was the word that kept coming to mind while I read this book. It jumped from scene to scene, character to character quickly and somewhat randomly and I found myself often having to stop and reread something to get onto the new character mindset/path only to have to do it again a few paragraphs or pages later. The constant shifting did detract from the story for me just because it didn't seem smooth and sometimes I didn't really see why things were cut and shifted when they were.

This is one of those deal with the devil kind of stories but one thing I did like was that typically, the person who sold their soul gets the reward now and suffers later but here, the children got both at once. Belle was beautiful but she had a horrible odor that pushed everyone away from her- admired from afar but never close. Vileroy truly was a master at tricks and she pitted the children together in the most subtle of ways where the reader only knew because of their omniscient perspective- if it weren't for that, I assume many facets of the story would have remained in the dark.

Even with the all knowing aspect, there were still plenty of things that didn't unfold until the very end, particularly everything related to Bice. Her story was the most well done in my opinion and the final explanation for everything with her was the most put together out of all of them. The relationships and personalities of the different children as well as they way they interacted with the world were intriguing for me but this book didn't completely take me by storm and make me want to keep reading till I finished- it didn't hold my attention enough.

The ending left me feeling iffy- I completely adored the closing line and thought it was fantastic and tied everything up but at the same time, I felt like there was a sense of things left undone. It was far from a happily ever after and truly bittersweet which made me adore it more but it was the last line that did hold it all together for me.