The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Amazon Description: "In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?

The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery. . . .

 

With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvelous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena promises to be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan."

My Review: I'll admit: I was pretty disappointed with the first two books in the Heroes Of Olympus series. I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, and the Heroes of Olympus books 1 and 2 just seemed way too complicated, confusing, and contrived. It was like Rick Riordan was trying to be J.K. Rowling or something. I didn't get to know the characters well enough and the stories were so crazy that half the time, I was confused on all the mythology and magic and madness happening---and I'm REALLY well-versed in Greek mythology, so that's saying something. However...Rick Riordan definitely made a junior comeback with the 3rd book in his series! 
         Okay, I admit: part of the reason I liked it so much more was because Percy and Annabeth were reunited. It was like the old team together again (minus Grover, who I miss!). But even with Percy and Annabeth together again, the story was much better! The first two books were confusing in simply that Riordan was trying to introduce 5 characters' pasts and story lines (I'm not counting Percy, since we already know him) AND trying to form a new dastardly plot...and that got confusing. But in this book, we were already decently comfortable with all of the characters and their pasts, so we got to move ON---and move on we did! 
         The setting really contributed to this book. Them sailing to Rome felt like old times (remember sailing across the Sea of Monster? Yeah, so do I). The setting was so cool! FINALLY they got to go to Rome! I'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. Hopefully they'll get to go to Greece in a future book as well. The setting just made it so much more exotic and unique. 
        The return of some favorite Greek mythology characters also helped the book a lot. Some of the mythology in the previous Heroes Of Olympus books was kind of confusing and crazy because some of the myths weren't too well known---like the South Wind, North Wind, etc---but this time, we got to meet Arachne and Hercules. And that was pretty awesome, let me tell you that. 
        The plot was interesting and well-paced; it flowed well, with good action scenes and some good calm scenes. What made it really good was that the two teams were finally merged; their camaraderie and bantering was really fun, and it felt like we were back at Camp Half-Blood, with all of the familiar faces. Something about having a large group of characters makes it really fun; the previous books felt a little...lonely.
        All in all, a really good job on the third book! This makes me really excited for the next books in the series! ESPECIALLY after a cliff-hanger that left my eyes popping out of my head and me waggling my hands in a series of silent fangirl screaming. Trust me, the cliffhanger? Brilliant but PAINFUL. The waiting for the next book is going to be intense!

Cover: It's okay. I'm not a fan of the scene the artist chose. This scene wasn't THAT important; I'd have rather scene a nice illustration of their ship, or of some scene in Rome. But it's okay, not bad. 

Overall Grade: A-

Audrey's Guide To Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman

Goodreads Description: "Falling in Love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer—it’s all in a day’s work for Audrey Oliver, seventeen-year-old witch-in-training. 

When her mother goes missing and her twenty-one-year-old witchy cousin shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something’s gone horribly, dangerously wrong. Now it’s up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother’s secret past." 

My Review: [I received a copy of this book from the author, Jody Gehrman.] This was a pretty good book! Looking at the cover and reading the back...I wasn't really sure what to expect. Was it supposed to be a funny book? A serious book? The cover looked very paranormal romance-y. I had no idea, so I just dove right in---and I liked it a lot. I wouldn't say this is the best book I've ever read---and it's certainly not the best book by Jody Gehrman I've ever read (that would be her Triple Shot Betty books!)---but it was a pretty amusing book to read, nonetheless! My favorite aspect of it was probably the main character, Audrey. She was so...REALISTIC. She was very sarcastic and a good mix of insecure-teenager with loudmouthed-brat. In fact...the reason I probably liked her so much was that I could RELATE to her so much. Not that I love baking as much as she does---but I could definitely connect to her issues with sibling rivalry, wanting to blend in the crowd AND wanting to stick out and do her own thing, and also wanting to help her quieter, shyer friend stand up for herself. 

         So, all in all, Audrey was a great character. She seemed a little whiny at times, but I could sort of see how that was understandable, given the chaos in her life! And I thought the way Jody Gehrman portrayed her missing her mom was pretty realistic. Sometimes, in books, when the parents are absent...it's like the main character forgets about them. Audrey never forgot her mom. 

        The other characters were pretty winning. I liked Audrey's little sister---she was very sassy and in-your-face and fun, and the way she and Audrey bantered were great. And I LOVED Audrey's cousin! She was just the coolest, most unique person! She wasn't too "mystical-magical-wise-Dumbledore-figure", and she also wasn't too normal. She was definitely one of my favorite characters. 

         As for the magic and the plot itself...it was a tad weak. I did like how the magic seemed very elemental and chemical and very traditional---in that witches actually made potions and spells in cauldrons---because that's a fresh take on magic, these days, honestly. However, the book moved VERY slowly, and in the end, not much actually happened. I did keep reading, because the characters were awesome, but I wish the book had gone a bit faster or there had been a bit more action. I wanted to see more magic. And for all of Audrey's creepy premonitions about the evil guy...her meeting with him with a little anti-climactic. He didn't seem as evil as he should have. So hopefully there will be more action and adventure in the next book!

Cover: The cover's a bit weird and eerie. I do like it---such as that red dress, that's just divine!---but I think they could have picked a better cover for this book. This cover seems very gothic and paranormal romance-ish, and that's not what this book is about. So it's nice, but not very fitting, in my opinion. 

Overall Grade: B+

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Goodreads Description: "An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two."

My Review: The List fell short for me. It was a highly anticipated book when it came out, and I can see why: the synopsis and cover make it look REALLY intriguing. So when I picked it up, I thought I'd be in for a brutal-yet-amazing read, possibly like Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (my review of that here). Unfortunately, The List came nowhere near that! 

          I think what the problem is is that Siobhan Vivian tried to do TOO MUCH in one book. I mean, her portrayals of beauty and how teenage girls see it and live it WERE accurate, I'm not going to deny that. She was correct in showing how some people care so much, how some don't, and how some are affected in totally different ways. Unfortunately...that's where it ended. 

          There were 8 POVs in this book and I think that was way too many. Normally, multiple POVs don't bother me---but Vivian stuffed so many characters in this book that she wasn't able to properly dedicate enough time to each character and they all fell sort of flat. Also, I kept getting confused as to what grade each girl was and what each girl's situation was. 

          Vivian tried to do too much, and her book suffered for it. She didn't really go DEEP into the issues of beauty and self-worth that today's teens struggle with. She just skimmed the surface with each girl, and we never really got to get inside the girls' heads and emotions and really FEEL what they were going through. 

          Also, the ending was just very blah. I get that the ending is realistic---I mean, not everyone's story ends with a happily-ever-after or with everyone learning some sort of moral---but this ending was so abrupt and random that it felt like the rest of the book had been ripped out. 

         There's not much else to say. It was a relatively short book, made all the shorter by the fact that I was never really invested in any of the story lines. Even the story line of who created The List was dulled down and not really played up. So...this is a book I'd suggest passing on, if reading about beauty, self-image, and social issues like that is what you're looking for. 

Cover: I do however like the cover. I can practically feel the poor girl's shock and dismay as she stares at the list, so at least THAT'S realistic. 

Overall Grade: C-

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Goodreads Description: "Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other." 

My Review: Didn't like this book much at all. In fact, it was a struggle to finish it! The plot SEEMED really interesting when I heard about this book...but the book itself was a bore. It reminded me of books like Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle and The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray---except those books are WAY better, and if you want to read about teenage witches in Victorian, Elizabethan and Regency times, then you'd be better of reading those books than Born Wicked. Why didn't I like this book? 

        The plot didn't go anywhere! That's the main reason. The book seemed like so much fun at first...but Cate turned out to be a dud who didn't even want to USE her magic. Where, I ask, is the fun in that? She repressed it and just basically moaned about the magic and her dead mother and her responsibilities and her wild sisters for basically the whole book. I understand that she had a lot to deal with---but wow, the girl complained a lot. And she was so boring! She just wanted to be like all the other "normal" girls in town, while SIMULTANEOUSLY insulting them and considering the "normal" girls to be shallow and idiotic. Um, excuse me, but what? Because of Cate's boring, prudish character, there was no plot! She didn't allow for anything to HAPPEN. 

          And when things did happen? It just felt forced and rushed to me, like the author thought, Ooh, I should probably throw some danger into the book now! I never really got chills up my spine (or felt much of anything, honestly) when the Cate and her sisters were "in danger", the way I did when Gemma Doyle (of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray) was in danger! (Also, Gemma just has a lot more personality than Cate. Sorry if I'm comparing the two, but their premises were so much the same that I just can't NOT compare!)
          Cate was just a really judgmental and unlikeable character! Her love for her sisters might have been her one redeeming quality, because she did seem like she loved them a lot and would do anything to protect them---but Cate's idea of "love" seemed to be repressing her sisters' magic, not letting them do ANYTHING they wanted, not considering their opinions or feelings at all, and never letting them make any of their own decisions. As the eldest child in my own family, I get what it's like to want to protect your younger sisters---but Cate was basically a dictator to them, and that was annoying and tragic.

          And then there's the romance. Wow, it was boring. I couldn't find myself caring for EITHER of Cate's beaus (and I really couldn't understand why they liked her either...). Her emotions also seemed really flat, considering she was a girl supposedly "in love" with one of these boys, and "in like" with the other one. Hmmm... Anyway, the romances themselves were dull. Not exciting or cute, the way romances should be. And yet, despite the romance aspect being kind of lame (in my eyes)...it seemed to take up the ENTIRE book! The whole "magic and witchery" aspect of the book took a total backseat to the romance, and had that not been done, perhaps the book would have been more fun to read.

          Basically, this book fell flat---REALLY flat. It had a lackluster performance and felt dull and forced. I didn't like it at all, and I don't think I'll be reading the next books (which is sad, because I hate when I dislike a book!). Again: if you want to read some better books with the same sort of premise, I suggest The Gemma Doyle Trilogy or Bewitching Season. 

Cover: The cover's the only good thing about this book! I won't deny it, I think it's gorgeous. Her dress and the flowers in her hair and her eye makeup---and the background---all beautiful! Although it doesn't really connect to the story... Girls back then would NEVER be allowed to wear dresses like that in public. I'm just saying.

Overall Grade: F

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Goodreads Description: "Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairytales.

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought."

My Review: The Wishing Spell is an enchanting book, a story that will take you away to the fairy tale lands that you often escaped to during your childhood. It has the fairy tale element of the The Sisters Grimm series, the fantasy escapism of the Harry Potter series, and the humor and adventure of the Percy Jackson series. It is by no means perfect---but it gets pretty close, in my book. 

          Chris Colfer is apparently an actor on the show Glee, and that was the reason so many people initially read the book---but not me. I don't watch Glee and nor do I ever wish to. The thing that lured me in was the actual premise of the book: two kids fall into their favorite book. Come on, admit it: we ALL wanted that to happen when we were kids. And a lot of still want that. 

         Alex and Conner were very solid characters, in my mind. Alex was more bookish and sort of reminiscent of a young Hermione Granger---the Hermione that loved books and facts and was scandalized by the idea of letting people down or breaking rules (okay, that was an elder Hermione as well). Conner was funny and sarcastic and very easy-going. Together, they balanced each other out very well and made for a great pair of companions. The love they had for each other was shown very well; you could tell they cared about each other, but you also could tell that they bickered and argued like any pair of siblings (and their bickering was hilarious!). 

         Chris Colfer re-imagined our favorite fairy tales in pretty creative ways, fast-forwarding to their futures and answering all of our What next...? questions we had about our favorite characters and stories. Cinderella was very charming (and almost made me cry, like Alex did!) and Red Riding Hood was very funny and lovably annoying. Goldilocks was undeniably bad-ass and the Evil Queen was VERY intriguing! I love the depth Colfer added to her character. Tons of famous fairy tale heroes and foes are missing, but The Land Of Stories is going to be a series, so I'm sure they'll all pop in at some point or another! 

        The adventure was well-paced and I was very invested in Alex and Conner's fate. I liked the humor in the book, even though it only elicited chuckles and not full on laughing fits (the way the Percy Jackson books do!). I liked Conner's sass! And Alex was very lovable. Sometimes Chris Colfer TOLD us what was happening rather than actually painting a vivid picture in our head, and this was where the weakness of the book was. It needed a bit stronger writing and it needed to be edited a few more times, tweaked a few more times. Had that been done, the book would have been flawless! 

       Nonetheless, I loved this book and I am VERY excited for the rest of the series!

Cover: Can't even describe HOW MUCH I LOVE IT. I just love when MG books have painted, cartoon-y covers! It takes me back to the days of the Harry Potter books and Percy Jackson and The Sisters Grimm, and all those other lovely series! The colors are bright and fun and the image is just amazing itself, what with the castle and everything else!

Overall Grade: A+

Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Goodreads Description: "The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction."

My Review: I'm not too big on paranormal romance books anymore. I used to LOVE them (back when I was in my Twilight phase) but now they just kind of make me want to cringe. Moody, broody dark paranormal guy? Yup. Spineless, passive, boring heroine? Always. And that's basically how most paranormal romance books go. So when I picked up this book...I did it with a sigh, expecting the same. 

         WHOA, was I wrong! Sure, Lucius was a little broody and moody, but he was also very arrogant and conceited, and even though this SOUNDS like a bad thing, I personally found it hilarious. His general concepts on what it meant to be "royal" and his confusion with the aspects of Jessica's "normal" life (such as her love of baggy math-pun t-shirts) were hilarious. He was actually confounded on this normal American life, and his confusion made me laugh. His letters back home were honestly what made this book way too funny. Very sarcastic and bemused, all at the same time! And truly? I liked Lucius. Yes, he was kind of cliche---but he also had some traits that most paranormal dudes don't. He told Jessica again and again that she never needed to lose weight, and that she was beautiful. He wasn't as stalker-ish as Edward was. 

          I liked Jessica, too. She definitely wasn't as spineless as other paranormal romance heroines. Her struggles with her own self-identity and coming to terms with destiny were very realistic (minus, you know, the VAMPIRE PRINCESS part...) and human. And I liked how Beth Fantaskey actually showed Jessica's progression from hating Lucius to accepting him to loving him. There was no insta-love as there is in books like Twilight and Hush, Hush. And I despise insta-love. 

          Also, just the whole concept of vampires as a superior, more elegant and refined version of humans was really unique! They weren't just super-strong, super-fast killers...or bloodthirsty monsters...or gothic weirdos (and yes, I've seen all those types in books before). They were like Humans 2.0 Not everything was about the BLOOD---there was almost a culture to the vampires! And I loved that! 

          I liked the plot. It kept me reading, kept me laughing, and kept me wondering what would happen next. The book was relatively short, but WOW, did a lot happen! At one point, Jessica even ended up in Europe! 

          All in all? A great, fresh paranormal romance. If you liked Twilight, read this. It's better. If you didn't like Twilight, read this. It's better. 

Cover: Forgive me, but I think it's adorable. It's the ONE CASE where having a girl in a sweeping ball gown on the cover actually makes sense! Usually paranormal romance books randomly have some girl swooning on the cover in an ethereal gown and it doesn't even fit into the book. But read this book, and you'll see how the cover makes PERFECT sense! And Jessica's cute! 

Overall Grade: A-

The Alpha Bet by Stephanie Hale

Amazon Description: "Some teenagers use drugs or sex to escape overbearing parents. I used books. 

All my life my mother has been hovering over me, afraid to let me experience ANYTHING. So I got really good grades, graduated from high school when I was sixteen, and escaped to a new life—my own life—at college.

To jump-start my social life, I decided to rush the Alphas, the most exclusive sorority on campus. Things started to get complicated when I told one little white lie. (Okay, maybe not so little.) Then one of the sisters invoked the Alpha Bet, a super-secret set of alphabetical tasks we pledges have to complete to prove our loyalty. Now, the Alpha Bet has taken over my life.

Can you spell B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L?"

My Review: This book was okay. It was a cute, short (I repeat, VERY short) read that was pretty predictable and not too amazing---but a good way to pass some time. I'll admit, I didn't really expect much, seeing how tiny the book was and the description, but I thought, Hey, it's summer, I'm bored---so why not? 

          The book was amusing enough to read, simply because of Grace Kelly (GK)'s thoughts and the amusing obstacles she occurred in trying to get into The Alphas. However, nothing truly bad ever really happened to GK, because she always pulled some daring and darling plan out of her butt at the last moment, so that irritated me. Things kept simply falling into place for GK, and how realistic is that? For example: She starts college at 16, and she's all nervous and it's going great---until she meets a boy. A boy that she likes. A BOY WHO'S 17 AND ALSO ENTERED COLLEGE EARLY (so that she's legal for him!). It kind of makes you want to go, Seriously? Like, okay, really? I mean, that's a very convenient, isn't it? And also, any time GK made a mistake or betrayed her sorority sisters, they'd all just be very nice and forgive her. I understand that the author was trying to debunk the myth that all sorority girls are evil, but it kind of just made GK's struggles seem pointless and lame. 

          Also, I was really looking forward to reading about GK's experience at college as a 16-year-old, but strangely enough, the book didn't really focus on that as much. Her age just became a sidenote as she became obsessed with rushing The Alphas and trying to get involved with Charlie. And that was just bothersome. 

          Basically, her dramas and problems were really pointless and easily-solved and not as dramatic as GK would have had you believe---but it was okay, in the end, because the book was still amusing and it still kept me turning the pages. Not the BEST book ever, by far, but definitely not a horrible book! It was a cute attempt at a chick-lit set in college! 

Cover: The cover is actually really cute! I love the pink emblem for the title and the little silhouettes of crowns and hair dryers and whatnot. The girls' outfits are cute as well, and I love the whole pink-white-and-green look the book has going on! Very collegiate preppy. 

Overall Grade: C+