Review of: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and The Olympians Book 2) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and The Olympians Book 2)

Author: Rick Riordan

Published by: Miramax Books/ Hyperion Books for Children

Released: 2006

Summary: Percy's back for another adventure. Percy, Son of Poseidon, has had a very uneventful school year (finally). No monsters coming to kill him or gods coming to pester him. Then, Percy has a dream of Grover in trouble and  learns that the defenses of Camp Half-Blood have been breached. Half-Blood's are no longer safe at the camp. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson (new character) decide to go on a quest to save Camp Half-Blood by finding the Golden Fleece and saving Grover in the process. Another exciting and funny adventure involving our favorite half-blood Percy Jackson.

My Thoughts: I love this series. It's a great mix of action, adventure, and humor. The way Riordan illustrates the classic Greek myths are just humorous and fun. In this book, the character of Tantalus was a little creepy and very fun. I loved the humor of the food running away from him. 

I just really like this series. So much fun and Percy Jackson is one of my favorite heroes.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Percy Jackson saves the day (with help) again!

Review of Ex-Heroes By Peter Clines

Title: Ex-Heroes

Author: Peter Clines

Published by: Broadway Paperbacks

Released: February 26, 2013

Summary: Superheroes and Zombies! Superheroes like Zzzap, Stealth, Gorgon, The Mighty Dragon, and Cerberus protect humanity on a daily basis and none of that changes when the zombie apocalypse goes down. The heroes and the remaining survivors are holed up in the Mount, an old production studio turned fortress in the city of Los Angeles. Protecting people from zombies is hard work, but then an old enemy pops into the scene and wants to play. All in a days work for a superhero!

My Thoughts: I just want to thank Broadway and Netgalley for letting me review an e-arc of this book. I was so excited to hear the concept of superheroes and zombies brought together in the same world and fighting one another. As a big fan of zombie books and an enjoyer of superheroes, I was greatly excited to give this book a go! Sadly, it did not meet to my high expectations.

First, I should start with the positives. Amazing concept. I loved the idea of a story incorporating zombies and superheroes. It's so creative and just a really fun mash-up of genres. There was also a ton of creativity in this book with all the different superheroes and their stories. I really enjoyed the action and fight scenes. The story was very fast-paced and action oriented.
Now for the bad, I'm sorry in advance for not liking this book. I really tried, but I have to be honest with how I really felt about it in the end. One of my problems was, I didn't feel any real emotional attachment to the characters and I think that's kind of a must for an apocalyptic zombie novel. If I really don't like many (or any) of the characters, then it's not going to hurt me if one of them dies. The only one I felt semi-attached to was St. George (The Mighty Dragon), the rest were just ehh.
I also wasn't a fan of the format of the story. How it would go from present to past, back to present, and then more past. I would have loved to start in the past and work my way into the present, with greater detail paid to characterization and making me really feel that I knew the characters in and out. I think the biggest flaw for me has to be the lack of character development in this story for all the superheroes and people of the Mount.
I was really excited with the premise of this book, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. Don't let my opinion be the driving force of whether you pick this book up for yourself. If you like zombies and superheroes, then you should read it!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Not as super as it could have been.

Review of: Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters

Author: Lissa Price

Published By: Delacorte Press

Released: 2012

Summary: One year after the spore wars, The United States as we know it has been forever altered. Only the young up to age 15 and the very old received vaccination against the deadly spores, and only they survived. Unclaimed minors struggle to survive and the old are living much longer. Instead of a loving and caring society, kids or starters are constantly on the run, avoiding marshals, the institutions, and slave labor. Callie, as an unclaimed minor with a sick younger brother needs to make money. She hears from a friend about Prime Destinations, a place where Starters can rent out their bodies to Enders. What starts out as easy money quickly morphs into a situation of life and death. Callie must figure out who to trust and how to survive.

My Thoughts: What a great story. It really felt like a movie playing in my head. It was an awesome mash up of different genres, like science fiction, dystopian, mystery, and action. Just very fun reading.

The whole world building and set up was very intriguing. Kids having to fend for themselves and the Enders not really caring. The whole institutions and slave labor for kids was just scary.

I really liked Callie. She did what she had to do. She was like a little action hero and I really enjoyed her story. I didn't enjoy the love triangle. I understood why it was there, but it didn't feel real. I think parts of it were a little under developed.

The whole science fiction part of the book was really interesting. All the computers and chips and just the idea of another brain/conscience controlling another person's body.

A definite must read for Young Adult Readers. I'm really interested to see where the sequel goes with the story. Who really is The Old Man and will Callie and Tyler stay safe.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 5/5

Riveting Reading! Should be a movie.