Book Review - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses
By: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Publication Date: 5th May 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Page Count: 416 (paperback)
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Young New Adult
Source: Bought

Rating: 5.5 (Um. Meh)

The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series. 

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price. 

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

~This review may consist of spoilers~

I haven't reviewed for like 4 months because of how hectic this year was but I couldn't not review this book. Honest this book was more of a letdown for me and it was far from my expectations but Sarah J. Maas so ehhh.

Characters

My current favorite characters are actually Rhysland and Lucien. Rhysland was a love that I only found at the end of the book. I found that his character development was actually the best and I fell in love with his vulnerable sides. Lucien for me was a love at first sight situation. On the whole I felt that they were the ones with the best development (even as side characters). The main characters for me was a lil bit of a letdown because I just couldn't get attached to them.

Relationships

Romantic Relationships

I didn't like the main ship aka TamlinxFeyre at first. I felt that the connection and chemistry was there but it wasn't developed enough. At the end I felt that Feyre became a character that relied far too much on Tamlin and her love for him and I didn't like that because I personally like strong female characters and at the end she sort of became just Tamlin's lover. sigh.

Family Relationships

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the relationship between Nesta and Feyre. I found their relationship very real and the love they had for each other was portrayed in a very unique way with that love-hate extreme relationship. It was one of my favorite parts of the story :)

Writing

As usual, I have no complains about Sarah J. Maas' style of writing. I love the way she writes (always have, always will) though this time I think because she had to incorporate so much into one book she made the book flow far too fast. However, her attention to detail and the flow of her writing was still the best of the best.

Plot

I was originally very excited by the book and the premise of it but as I read it I found it very cliché-ish and it became a bit of a letdown for me sighs. I expected as much adventure and headstrong will as in the Throne of Glass series but there just wasn't enough. At the same time, it felt like the pace was too fast so I am very conflicted with my feelings regarding this book.

Final Verdict:

I like this book but I also don't, which makes me very confused. Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite fantasy writers so I will always read her books. However, this book just didn't feel up to standard probably because of the number of aspects she tried to add in and that's why it felt like a bit of a letdown. I did have the parts that I enjoyed but on the whole it was a book that I just felt ehhhh about. 

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit for any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Blog Tour (Book Review) - Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols (Hosted by IFB Tours)

Perfect Couple
By: Jennifer Echols
Series: Superlatives #2
Publication Date: 13th January 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Page Count: 336 (paperback)
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Review Copy from IFB Tours
Buy: Amazon

Rating: 7.5 - 8 (great - excellent)

In this second book in The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Harper and Brody think they're an unlikely match but the senior class says they belong together.

As yearbook photographer, Harper is responsible for those candid moments that make high school memorable. But her own life is anything but picture perfect. Her parents' bitter divorce left her wondering what a loving relationship looks like. And ever since the senior class voted her and star quarterback Brody "Perfect Couple That Never Was" her friends have been pushing her to ask Brody out.

Brody doesn't lack female admirers, but Harper can't see herself with him. He's confused about the match too. Yet they find themselves drawn together first by curiosity about why the class paired them, then by an undeniable bond.

The trouble is, though they're attracted to each other, they have a hard time getting along or even communicating well. If they're the perfect couple, this shouldn't be so difficult! Soon it becomes clear their class was wrong, and they throw in the towel. But they feel so changed from making the effort, they can't forget each other. What if this match made in hell is the perfect couple after all?

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes were taken from the ARC and may be subject to change.
Firstly I would like to thank Simon Pulse, Shane @ Itching for Books Tours and Jennifer Echols for allowing me to read the book early and for letting me be part of this amazing tour! I literally jumped for joy when I saw the email!

Fun, Flirtatious, Fabulous. The only three words I need to describe this book. Literally.

But oh well let's just write the full review. Haha! Anyways, I REALLY loved Biggest Flirts so much and I was super excited for Perfect Couple! Boy, was I not disappointed! 

I gave Perfect Couple a 7.5 - 8 rating because of how much I loved it. If you've followed this blog for a while, you would know how I hardly give high ratings because I am very particular about books. Giving an 8 rating for a contemporary was practically unheard of!

From the start I had superbly high expectations for this book and I am so ecstatic that my expectations were met. In my opinion, the relationship between Harper and Brody was  perfect because it was awkward and unstable and funny and imperfect just like what a real life romance was. I mean, they got together because of a freaking vote for goodness sake! What's more BOTH of them had bfs/gfs already! AND THEY WERE LITERAL OPPOSITES! 

What's more Echols being an experienced and knowing author gave the story the right amount of romance build up and made it all so flirtatious and fun to read! 

The only thing I was unsure of was that the book was honestly just a tad too fast-paced for me. I think this was the only reason I hesitated between 7.5 and 8. I understood that for a contemporary novel this would always be the case but I did feel that things zoomed past a little too fast. 

However, asides from being a pretty short read, for a contemporary romance, I think that this had just the right amount of romance for a day when you just want to kick back and read a hell of a relatable romance. I do think that perhaps some scenes would be more suited for older readers though!

Also, I was super happy that Jennifer included old characters such as Will and Tia and we got to see them be so cute together! BTW, Sawyer is my bae and I claim DIPS! I can't wait to see more of Sawyer in Most Likely to Succeed! <3

Perfect Couple is filled with so much love and joy and laughter that you will just keep wanting more after you've put it down! It will keep you thinking about Harper and Brody for days to come and hope for Sawyer and Kaye's romance to come sooner! This book WILL NOT disappoint! 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a young-adult romance with fun, sass, a kick-ass female and a hell of a hottie. The book comes out on the 13th of January 2015 and if you do not pick this book up, you will utterly regret it! Go read it and find out more about the unforgettable love that is Harper and Brody's! <3

---

Favorite Quotes

Hey guys! These are some of my favorite quotes for the book!!!! Honestly I loved every line but... 

1. 

     "You look hot, Harper." Will said.

      Tia told him, "There's Thanks for being nice to my friends,' and then there's 'You can stop being nice to my friends now."

2.

      "You're an artistic," [Brody] said. "It seems like you could just paint the world the way you wanted it, and then you wouldn't have to worry about catching it just right."

      "The world is beautiful exactly like it is," I said. "You just have to know how to frame it, and bring it into focus."

3.

      "All in favor?" I asked. "Aye -- and my opinion is the only one that counts. I am on deadline with this shit."

4. 

      Sawyer rolled his eyes. "If you want to know what people are saying about you, they're saying you're hot."

      "Really?" I asked skeptically.

      "Yes."

      "I felt like I needed to wear glasses so my face would have something in it. It just looks kind of blank to me, not pretty."

      "We all have issues," Sawyer said, almost unkindly.

      I nodded.

      "But that is the most fucked-up thing I've ever heard. You thought you weren't pretty, so you wore glasses? That's pathological."

5.

      "And Tia," Kaye said.

      Of course. The free spirit. The sexy chick who didn't give a damn what anybody thought. My complete opposite. The girl Brody had a crush on in middle school.

That's it from me! Now to end off, here's a little teaser ;)

--

About the Author:

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit for any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Book Review - I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I'll Give You The Sun
By: Jandy Nelson
Publication Date: 16th September 2014
Publisher: Puffin (US)
Page Count: 371 (hardback)
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased

Rating: 10 (Flawless and Beautiful)

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

~This review may consist of spoilers~

I'll Give You the Sun is my favorite book of the year. I love this book so much that I can't even believe it. This book is something that I never knew I needed in my life but now I adore it so much I never want to let go. I never truly fully loved a book as much as I love this one. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is indeed flawless and beautiful. FYI, just in case this isn't enough read the following and see me gush about my new favorite book because hell yeah this book deserves it!

What I am Loving:

Characters

I'll Give You the Sun is written in 2 POVs, Noah's and Jude's. They are siblings or more specifically twins, who are so different and yet so alike at the same time. Noah's POV happens when Noah and Jude are 13 - 14 years old and Jude's POV is when they are 16 years old. When they were 13, they were super close and super tight. Noah was the artsy, shy kid while Jude was wilder and more out-of-control, just like a typical teenager. It's only when the POV changes to Jude's, and they turned 16, that their personalities seem to switch and they aren't as close anymore - in fact they barely speak to each other. This is largely due to a huge tragedy which impacted them so much that their personality switch was, in my opinion, a way to cope with the change and also because they each blamed themselves to a certain extent on what happened and what they caused their family to lose.

My favorite part of the book was actually reading about how the 2 of them or as they like to call themselves - JudeandNoah or NoahandJude (yes, without the spaces) grow up and develop throughout the book. At 16 years old, Jude suddenly becomes the artsy one because she did something wrong back when she was 13 and ruined her brother's dreams of going to art school. Noah on the other hand, also made mistakes and kept huge secrets (READ: HUGE) from his sister and stopped making art because he thought that he wasn't good enough as he didn't make it to art school, whereas his sister did. Just like the summary says, each of them held their own parts of the story and their own secrets which caused them to barely speak within a span of 3 years. Only when these stories and secrets come clean  that these characters finally understand the true story behind the tragedy that they faced and in  turn learn to forgive and forget and finally return to being JudeandNoah.

Relationships

Family Relationships - The Sweetwine family
The Sweetwine family is a typical imperfect family with problems of their own. It involves the typical children-thinking-that-their-parents-favors-the-other-sibling conflicts and also a  larger mother-wants-to-divorce-father situation. These problems eventually get bigger and bigger when Noah eventually finds out the truth about why his mother is changing so drastically and wants a divorce (hint: she fell in love). In the end, it leads to a huge tragedy and everything changed. 

On a side note and in view of the larger picture, in the first place, it was the fault of the entire family which caused many problems to arise and the huge conflict in the book that changed JudeandNoah. In the end, this book also teaches us that is is because family is family that the Sweetwine family were able to solve their problems and showed us how love doesn't change, especially family love, no matter how much you will it, because family comes first.

Romantic Relationships

I'll Give You the Sun is a contemporary romance novel after all. As such, the romance does play a pretty huge role in the book. However, compared to other contemporary novels, the romance is this book is really genuine and realistic. True love isn't always simple and smooth-flowing and Jandy Nelson knows exactly how to express it. My favorite part of the romance is how Jude and Noah's romantic partners help them find themselves again and develop as characters and grow up. Brian and Oscar, Noah and Jude's partners respectively have personalities which are the opposites of them but somehow seem to also complement them. In this case, I guess the saying is true after all - Opposites do attract.

Brian has the charm of the typical boy next door and he helps Noah gain self-confidence and encourages him to be more open. At the same time, of course, as they were only 13/14 when they first meet, Brian and Noah aren't out of the closet yet and due to several reasons, Brian cannot admit that he is gay. As a result, due to Noah's eventual actions from his overthinking and jealousy, Noah eventually does something that hurts Brian and causes Noah to change and blame this whole thing on himself. I will let you know that there was a happy ending but how it goes you will just to read the book yourself!

On the other hand, Oscar is kind of a wreck. A hot, british, wreck with a hell of a lean. Oscar has a lot of problems himself too. In fact, Oscar actually met Noah before he met Jude. Anyways, Oscar plays a huge part as to how the book turned out. Initially Oscar did not know of Jude's age, nor did he actually know she was a Sweetwine (long story short - yes this would impact the story if he knew). As such he falls in love with her and she returns his feelings. However, Jude at this point of time is 16 and has a whole lot of problems because school isn't working out, her relationship with her family was hanging on the edge of a cliff and things really sucked. At the same time, Oscar wasn't exactly boyfriend material either as he was constantly bringing girls home and most of them used to be his girlfriend. However, eventually after things played out and they got to know each better and the main conflict got by they finally had a sort of happy ever after where they got together and the end. I'm so happy for them - I literally squealed when they finally got together! Yay Oscar! Yay Jude! Also, if until now you STILL do not have a reason to read this book - just know that Oscar's lean is the perfect reason. SO GO READ THE BOOK!

Plot

Regarding the plot of the book, in the beginning I was just just so intrigued to find out what happened and why. As the book goes along, pieces of this ginormous puzzle slowly seem to find their way and fit in the most impossible places possible and at the end all the secrets and the little details suddenly just hit you so hard you won't even believe it because you finally know that that's what happened and that's why things changed within the 3 years. At the end of it I guarantee you will be blown away when everything makes sense.

Here, I would like to advise you to not rush into this book. Instead, when you're free for a day, and ready to be emotionally drained - only then should you take a deep breath before delving into this breathtakingly magical contemporary. And I promise you that it will be worth it.

Writing

The writing is flawless and beautiful and I just want to reread the book all the time and absorb all the beauty and just sigh at how perfect the moments and details are and just everything. 

Also, if Jandy herself happens to read this review (and I would literally squeal if she did), I would just like to let her know...

Dear Jandy, Thank you for writing this book! I was literally crying and laughing all the time throughout the book. The small details you included throughout the book, the bible add-ins, the itsy bitsy moments that fit and connected just made my feels explode. I will treasure this book for years and years to come and make my children and their children read it and I know they'll love it too because this book is so precious. Thank you for writing this gorgeous book! 

What I am Unsure Of:

In the beginning I was unsure if I would actually enjoy the book completely because I honestly did not like Jude. This is very common for me. If you have been following my reviews, I'm just saying but I'm very particular about female characters. I usually hate 80% of them because they are most of the time to needy/whiny/too unrealistically mary sue. 

However, in this book, as soon as the book progressed to Jude's perspective, I started understanding her better and as a result started loving her. Asides of this, there is nothing that I am/was unsure of or disliked. I felt that everything really connected - from the start to the finish the book was just like an intricately woven spider web. This book is my favorite book of the year. It could possibly even be my favorite book of all time. Hands down, flawless, perfect, beautiful.

Final Verdict:

This book was everything I never knew I wanted and needed in my life. I 110% recommend this book to everyone. Please please please go into this book with an open mind and take in all the beauty that the characters have to offer. It will leave you breathless and will lead to book depression because you know you will want more. This book is utmost perfection.

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit for any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Book Review - The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus
By: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #5
Publication Date: 1sh October 2014
Publisher: Puffin (US)
Page Count: 592 (hardback)
Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Greek Mythology
Source: Purchased

Rating: 8

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the "Argo II" have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them, and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.  

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the "Argo II" will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

The end of the Percy Jackson era.  It's been 7 years since I started reading the PJO series and yet I have always been and still am so in love with it after such a long time. As such, knowing that there will never be another adventure again makes me really sorrowful. However, I am sort of happy because it means NO MORE CLIFFHANGERS and my baes DON'T NEED TO SUFFER anymore! But inside I'm still *cries*. Now, on to my review. There may be minor spoiler alerts.

What I am Loving:
Perspectives

Nico. My lovely beautiful Nico just brightened up the entire series. I was half squealing, half crying when I read about his pain and troubles and I love his views of the world and most of all the fantastic character building and development that Rick put into him. We learn so much more about him in this book and it just makes me want to keep him safe forever because he is such a beautiful and vulnerable boy, although he is also such a strong and wonderful man who needs to be shown to the world. As such, I just absolutely loved his perspective.

Next, Reyna. Asides from Nico, I think Reyna was another highlight to me and was a fresh and unexpected perspective that I never thought I would enjoy reading. I used to really dislike Reyna but because it was written from her perspective, like Nico, we learn so much more about her and as such I began to develop a connection towards her and her actions.

Asides from the two new perspectives, I felt that Piper's perspective was one that made me think differently at the end of the day. Her perspective make me like her slightly better after I got to understand her character. I had never really liked her because I felt that she was too needy but in this book she started kicking-ass. As such my impression of her and my respect for her increased tremendously.

Plot

I really enjoyed the plot and adventures in this book. The pace wasn't too fast or too slow. At the same time, the book had rising action, a climax, a resolution and a perfect ending so I can't complain much about the overall plot. One thing I really enjoyed was how Rick paired the groups up perfectly when he sent them on journeys such that each of them would get the chance to be exposed to characters they were no familiar with and to grow using each others strengths and witnesses and as such leading to great character development too. Thus, no complains here either.

Ships

Percabeth has always been my favorite ship and as such I was tremendously happy when they appeared like yay! Another ship I grew to love was Solangelo because Nico is such a sweetheart, but he is so innocent and quiet and oh my gosh Will fits him so well :D Opposites attract after all. Also, thank you for being so open about homosexuality in a middle-grade book Rick!

What I am Unsure Of:

As a Percabeth lover, be it of their relationship or of them as individuals; I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their perspectives, after all it was Percy's POV in the PJO series that made me fall in love with this series after all. As such, I would have really loved this book even more if Percy or/and Annabeth had appeared as often and also if BoO was written in their perspectives (at least for a couple of chapters).

Final Verdict:

I can't believe this is the end of the Percy Jackson series. These characters were my family. To see this series come to an end is just so heartbreaking and beautiful and satisfying at the same time. I love how everyone got their happy ending and just how this ended so so so beautifully. I'm happy that Percabeth are both alive and have made plans (THAT COMPLETELY MADE ME SQUEAL). I'm happy that Solangelo is going to get together and that Nico will be with someone suitable for him. I'm happy that Leo found someone who fits him ;) (SUNSHINE). I'm happy that Hazel and Frank are still together and greater than ever. I'm even happy for Piper and Jason. This was one of those endings that really gave me a bittersweet feeling and I will never forget how much joy and wonder I gained from reading the PJO and the HoO series. 

Thank you so much for the adventures Percy. I will never forget you. You will always be my blue-eyed baby.

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit at any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Book Review - Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Love, Rosie
By: Ceclia Ahern
Publication Date: 1st December 2006 (This edition)
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion (US)
Page Count: 512 (paperback
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance  Fiction
Source: Purchased

Rating: 3.5

Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...

From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.

Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S.

She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

From the gifted author of PS, I Love You comes this charming, romantic, addictively page-turning novel that will keep readers laughing and guessing until the very last page.

So I gave this book a rating of 3.5. Since I changed my rating system, this is the first time I guess a book a 3.5. Boy am I disappointed in this book. I first got into this book because I loved the trailer and I honestly expected better and hoped for better. However like my rating system describes, this book was barely readable.

What I am Loving:

The beginning of the book was beautiful. It really was. I fell in love with the characters, the plot and everything. I had such high expectations for everything. I was really rooting for Rosie and Alex and their whole story. I was not disappointed with the start. However not so much the back. Let's talk about that now...

What I am Unsure Of:

Um the middle and the end. I didn't like it. I kinda hated it actually. I knew the plot was cliché but seriously. It was so bad! The characters were just making rash unrealistic decisions throughout the book, never thinking, and like what the hell. Nope. Just Nope. It was like a cat and mouse race which never ended. Also, the fact that this race lasted from their young age to their fifties and FINALLY getting together was just too unrealistic for me. I'm sorry. I can't. I believe in love. Just not this love. Not anymore at least. I really did want it to work out. So badly. I went into it with so much expectations and hope and just everything went wrong. They should NEVER have ended up together. Sorry no. Just NO.

Final Verdict:

I liked the starting just not so much the middle and the end. I would still recommend you to read it if you wanted something sweet to pass the time. I just don't think you should bring in too high of an expectation though. Sorry!

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit at any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Book Review - Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods
By: Rick Riordan
Series:  Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Publication Date: 14th August 2014
Publisher: Puffin (US)
Page Count: 445 (paperback)
Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Greek Mythology
Source: Purchased

Rating: 7.5

"If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on...

Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod?

In this whirlwind tour of Greek mythology, Percy Jackson gives his personal take on the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece - and reveals the truth about how they came to rule the world.

'Explosive' - Big Issue
'Action-packed' - Telegraph

Rick Riordan is an award-winning mystery writer. He lives in Boston with his wife and two sons. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick's first novel featuring the heroic young demigod, was the overall winner of the Red House Children's Book Award in 2006 and is now a blockbuster film franchise, starring Logan Lerman.

I absolutely adored this book. When I first heard about it, I was like, Oh gosh, ANOTHER companion Rick? Really? But then I read it. And yeah I loved it.

What I am Loving:

Percy's narration

I absolutely adore that this is written in Percy's perspective. I was pretty devastated about the end of the Heroes of Olympus. Thank goodness for this book. It was the 'one last chance for me read a book from Percy's perspective'... Before I realised that would be another AKA Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes or something along that line. Anyways.

Percy was just so funny. His humor, his snark comments, all the moments just. I love how it was narrated by him because we could hear his jokes, the way he felt about the gods and all that. Just, much love for him. It was so easy to read it because after reading 10 books about Percy, it was like he was such a close friend and this was like a reunion of a full Percy book and just I loved it.

What I am Unsure Of:

I guess I didn't have much I didn't like because this was just Percy's narration of stories told already... I just didn't feel that it was perfect because there wasn't actually a story/plot or anything so it wasn't as exciting/interesting as a usual Percy Jackson story. However, compared to many other retellings of the Greek myths, this was way more interesting :D

Final Verdict:

If you loved the Percy Jackson series, seriously go read it. It probably won't be as interesting if you aren't in love with Percy already. However, if you want to read some retellings with an interesting touch, this is one book which will definitely be the one:)

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit at any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.

Book Review - The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades
By: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #4
Publication Date: 8th October 2013
Publisher: Puffin (US)
Page Count: 584 (paperback) / 608 (hardback)
Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Greek Mythology
Source: Purchased

Rating: 8

The House of Hades is the fourth book in the bestselling Heroes of Olympus series, set in the action-packed world of Percy Jackson.

The stakes have never been higher. If Percy Jackson and Annabeth fail in their quest, there'll be hell on Earth. Literally.

Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And, if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them.

Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a choice: to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain - in the Underworld, evil is inescapable.

Honestly time. I had not read the House of Hades before the last book came out. And now at the time that I am writing this review. I have actually just finished marathoning House of Hades and Blood of Olympus and I am NOT PREPARED TO WRITE THE TWO REVIEWS FOR THE BOOKS!

Firstly, I must emphasize that I loved the books. I've been reading them for about 6-7 years of my life and that's about half of my life. I have loved the Percy Jackson series and now I love the Heroes of Olympus series so I am absolutely heartbroken and devastated about the end of this series because no more Percy in my life makes me really upset but at the same time contented for some weird reason. Now without further ado and what a long introduction that was, my review.
 

What I am Loving:

Percy and Annabeth

For this review it seems that I'm focusing on the character perspectives more I guess. My favorite part was Percy and Annabeth's perspectives! I have loved them since the start and I love them still and will love them evermore. In this book Rick finally allowed them to be together after such a long time! With their perspectives and the whole adventure in Tartarus it was really like we were once again getting to know them more again and of course their new and developing relationship which we did not get to see much because of the whole Hera thing and the fact that they were 5 other demigods and 1 satyr there all the time.

With the whole Percy, Annabeth and Tartarus thing, we were finally able to read more about them and see them grow to be stronger and better people. We were finally also able to read about the love and care they had for each other. Most of all I really loved the way that they supported each other in the hardest times. (I mean come on they are ONLY 16 and they ended up in freaking Tartarus... I would have died like in the first hour or something) They had each other's backs til the end and even after such a hard time, they were still willing to give up their life for each other instead of giving up on the other. Just. This Love Is Perfect. Hashtag #Percabethforever.
 

Nico
Nico De Angelo. Do you understand how much I love this bae. He is so strong and so fierce and so vulnerable at the same time. I want to hug him and love him and just he is so beautiful! I never really loved him much before but after this book just my love expanded so much and I'm giving my entire heart to this beautiful boy. Psst. Wait for the next book though. He's even more lovable. I gurantee you won't be done with this series without loving Nico my bae. Also the SHIP! I'm not gonna spoil anymore because this was meant to be spoiler free - I'm just telling you my very brief feelings. The Blood of Olympus review I'm planning will be way more detailed.

The plot & adventure

For me at least, this was my favorite book of the Heroes of Olympus series so far. The plot was great. There was so much progress in terms of the adventure and characterization. The synchronization between the Argo's adventures and the Tartarus adventure was written really well. I could imagine myself with the characters and all that jazz. All the up and downs made you really understand just how miserable the life of a demigod is. My poor baes.
  

What I am Unsure Of:

Jason and Piper

I'm sorry I still can't. They never were my favorite characters and they still aren't. I tried to grow onto them. I really did. And I admit compared to the last 3 books, I liked them most in this one. However, I still felt they were like mary-sues who were too perfect and too fake for my liking. In comparison, their progress in terms of characterization and personality was too little, too unrealistic, it was like they were trying to make me like them. If that even made sense. I just couldn't like them. I was still hoping that I would grow to like them though!

Final Verdict:

I gave an 8 for this book. It was excellent and one of the greatest books I had read this year and the best Heroes of Olympus book for me at least. If you have not read this well what are you still doing! Now! Go! Buy! :) 

P.S. My Blood of Olympus review will be up in a few days so please do look out for that too! Thank you and happy reading! <3

*All pictures and graphics do not belong to me. I take no credit at any of it.

** All opinions are mine and are in no way influenced by anyone or anything.