Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Ugh, I so need to stop playing Bejeweled Blitz ^_^; It's really taking a lot of my time, which I could be spending reading instead :(

My reading has been slow this week, but I've just finished a great book: Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep! Actually, this month has been great so far, quality-wise :) As a result, I have so many reviews to write ^_^; Hopefully, my reviewing muse will not desert me!

But first, let's continue the Percy Jackson and the Olympians week! :P By the way, I'd like to apologize... my reviews for this series are a bit superficial... Like I only graze the surface and don't go too much into details. Part of it is because it's a series, so I end up saying the same over and over again ^_^; But also, it's been a month already since I've read them and I'm starting to forget the details... But I guess the most important is whether I enjoyed them or not, right? :)

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***


The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in May 2008

Percy Jackosn isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invite its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigods friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #4

The Story: It's now the summer and after the open house day at his new school gone bad, Percy is heading to the Camp Half-Blood. With Percy getting older and soon reaching 16 years old, Nico's disappearance and anger against Percy and Luke and Lord Kronos becoming more prominent threats, the tension at the camp is rising.

Then, during a training exercise, Annabeth and Percy inadvertently found an entrance to the Labyrinth. The half-bloods are aware that Luke is looking for the plans to the Labyrinth, which would allow him and Lord Kronos's army to invade the camp through an underground route, bypassing the protective boundaries... The only way to stop Luke is to find the plans first and so it's Annabeth's turn to lead a quest. Along with Percy, Grover and Tyson, she enters the Labyrinth. What awaits them?...

My Opinion: I really, really enjoyed The Battle of the Labyrinth :) Mainly because the action was non-stopped and of all the twists and surprises. I was simply engrossed by this book and couldn't turn the pages fast enough :)

What I really like about this series is that it is not too predictable and it's not filled with clichés. Add in the greek mythology and it's really refreshing and original :) Plus, Mr Riordan has a good sense of humor and so, there are many laughs while reading it.

Back to The Battle of the Labyrinth, so it has a very strong plot in my opinion. Some might find it too much, but to me, it was great :) I was happy to see Tyson again. It was so funny to learn that Tyson and Grover are scared of each other LMAO. There were many storylines, one of the most interesting one being Nico's. I was happy to see him again and glad that he had some closure.

Again, we see the characters grow and I'm always amazed at how Mr Riordan is able to incorporate these elements in the storyline seamlessly. Now, Percy and Annabeth are almost 15 years old... Deeper feelings are developing between the two... but add in a third party and the relationship and interactions between Annabeth and Percy definitively shift. LOL, Percy is really a guy, not being able to deal with it :P

The only thing that I didn't enjoy much was Annabeth's wishy-washy attitude towards Luke. I understand that he was her friend and someone very important when she was younger... and so, it's harder to turn her back on him and consider him "evil." But the fact that he is the enemy is undeniable and thus, I think that Annabeth should get her act together and treat him so. Her hesitation could have led to tragedies... but then, when you're 14.5 years old, it's not evident I guess.

LOL, something I kept wondering while reading the series was why the half-bloods weren't studying greek mythology more? I mean, wouldn't it be helpful to deal with monsters and people they meet? :) Instead of trying to remember, they would know! :)

My Grade: B+. Anyway, all in all, a great book with a good storyline. The Battle of the Labyrinth is very enjoyable and not just a connecting book or something written to advance the series storyline.

***

I was debating whether to post the movie trailer today or not, but I think I'll wait till tomorrow with the final post :) However, I'll be discussing them.

I've pretty much been through all the trailers available online. My sister has not read the books, so she's been quite curious about them. So I've seen a lot of scenes and characters and so on... and here is a list of things I've been unhappy with so far ^_^;

- Persephone's presence in the movie and the fact that she doesn't seem very much in love with Hades.
- They've eliminated Clarisse character or at least, I don't see her at all in IMDB. I mean, I've read somewhere that they've casted Silena Beauregard... That's just weird/wrong.
- Annabeth's invisibility cap seems to be missing.
- Percy looks way, way, way too powerful. I don't think he was able to manipulate water so well till the last book!
- Hades actually got his hands on the lightning bolt. By the way, I bet his Helm of Darkness is not missing.
- Percy vs Luke's showdown - on top of buildings and all. Ugh.
- What they did with Medusa's head.
- Percy's shield :(
- No mention of Kronos at all!

Okay, I guess the list could go on and on and on ^_^; Am I being too picky? It's just, I like my movies to be faithful to the books if they are adaptations. I can understand changes to the story if it's too hard to adapt... but to eliminate important characters and make things more dramatic just for the movie to be more of a hit. Nah... especially since The Lightning Thief is part of a series. I mean, are they planning to adapt the other books as well? In that case, they're going to have lots of difficulty...

What do you think?

Review: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

And we continue with the third book :D

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in October 2007

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and... a ride from his mom.

The demigods race to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half-bloods, whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up a devious trap, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge yet - the chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #3

The Story: It's the winter vacation and Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are heading to Westover Hall to rescue Grover who is danger along with the two half-bloods he found, Bianca and Nico. They almost lose to the monster, but luckily for them, Artemis and her Hunters show up and save the day. Unfortunately, it is too late for Annabeth who has fallen down the cliff.

Later on, Percy, Thalia, Bianca and the leader of Artemis's Hunters, Zoe, set out on a quest to rescue Artemis who's left to find the monster that will destroy Mount Olympus. Percy believes that Annabeth is still alive and thus, if they find Artemis, they will also find Annabeth. However, what the group of youngsters don't realize yet is that they are walking into a trap carefully laid down by Kronos and Luke... but one they have no choice to fall into if they want to save Annabeth and Artemis.

Genre: I'm going to skip any comments on the writing, because it's still up par with the two previous books. During the whole series, the writing was consistent, easy to read and enjoyable. It fit the mood of the series and so, I prefer to focus on the storylines and the characters.

Overall, The Titan's Curse was more interesting and enjoyable than The Sea of Monsters, but I feel something was missing. On one hand, I was happy Annabeth did not play such a big role in this book. I was able to focus even more on Percy and how he deals with other girls, ones that don't always go along with his choices and decisions. At the same time, I think Annabeth and Percy's relationship is vital to the series, because it keeps evolving from book to book. Thus, not seeing many interactions between Annabeth and Percy, it made the book off a little bit.

Again, the book is full of action and it's very enjoyable. I think that the pacing was better, even though there was a little lull - when the kids found themselves at the camp. However, it was very short, so it was okay :)

I really enjoyed the introductions of the new characters such as Artemis and Apollo. Boy, are they different from the portrayals in the Dark-Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, LOL :) Thalia was another cool character and it's true that she is a female version of Percy. I wonder if they are so similar because they are both the children of one of the 3 big gods. Hmmm. I like how Mr Riordan writes Percy's internal struggles. They are all very subtly incorporated in the storyline and as a result, readers get to witness Percy's maturation. In The Titan's Curse, we see how Percy is used to lead, but with the presence of Thalia and Zoe, people tend to look at them for answers and plans instead of Percy and so, he has to deal with that. It's all very subtle, but at the same time, very realistic :D

What really makes this series work in my opinion is Mr Riordan's clever incorporation of the greek mythology. It's very interesting and fun. I know a bit about it, so I keep going ahhh and ohhh LOL. I also get to learn a lot of new things and that keeps my attention engaged :)

One thing I didn't like in this book was Bianca's character. She did not play such a big role, but her joining the Hunters annoyed me. I thought it was very selfish of her and I couldn't help but feel bad for Nico :( Especially at the end.

Finally, my favorite part of the book would be Bessie LOL. The fearful creature turned out to be innocent and cute :P Really clever of Mr Riordan. I loved seeing new gods and goddesses and how everyone interacts with each other. That was quite fun.

My Grade: B. Not the best book, but not the worst either :) Again, very enjoyable and fun.

***

Medusa = Uma Thurman, Chiron = Pierce Brosnan

I think Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan as Medusa and Chiron are two of the best choices for this cast. I mean, they just fit the characters and they are great actors. The snakes on Medusa's head are very well-done. I mean, definitively creepy and I can imagine it'll be even creepier on screen when they move! As for Chiron, well I thought Pierce Brosnan was a good choice... but oh my, the hair ^_^; A bit too long and curly ^_^; That's not quite how I imagined Chiron ^_^; He's supposed to be a centaur... and for some reason, I imagined him as a white horse. I guess in my head, I thought he was on the old side... Ah well. I'm getting excited for the movie, even though I'm not 100% sure after watching the trailer.

Review: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

So Day 2 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians week! :D Today, I'll be reviewing The Sea of Monsters, the second book in the series. From here on, it'll be hard to avoid spoilers, so be warned!!

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***


The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in June 2006

Percy Jackson's seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get... well ugly. And the unexpected arrival ofhis friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed.

In this fresh, funny, and wildly popular follow-up to The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family - one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series:Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #2

The Story: Wow, it's when I'm about to write this synopsis that I realize how much I left out in the review of The Lightning Thief ^_^; But let's give it a try :D

The Sea of Monsters start about a year after the events in The Lightning Thief where at end, Percy discovered that Luke, the half-blood of Hermes, was the real lightning thief. Luke has been enraged at the gods for ignoring and neglecting their half-bloods and wants to be recognized. As a result, he has allied himself with Kronos, the fearful king of the Titans, who has plans to destroy the Greek gods... Everyone believes that this alliance will play a huge role in the events that will happen when the half-blood from either Zeus, Poseidon or Hades turns 16 years old.

The year between The Lighting Thief and The Sea of Monsters has been quiet, except that lately, Percy has been having dreams of Grover being in danger. Then, on the last day of school, Percy is attacked. Luckily for him, Annabeth shows up just in time and they escape to the camp, dragging Percy's new friend, Tyson. It turns out that Tyson is in reality a cyclops and Percy's half-brother.

Things at the camp are not going well. First of all, Chiron - their mentor - has been fired because it is believed that he has poisoned Thalia's tree. Because the tree is dying, the boundaries of the camp has weakened as well, allowing monsters to come through and attack. Percy and Annabeth believe that only the Golden Fleece could save Thalia's tree... and luckily, Grover seems to have found it. Against the camp director's decree, Annabeth, Percy and Tyson embark on another quest: to find the Golden Fleece and save Grover... and thus, they head to the Sea of Monsters.

My Opinion: Let's get right into it. In my opinion, The Sea of Monsters was the weakest book in the series, definitively not my favorite. My main complaint was the overall storyline was not very interesting and failed to grab my attention. The reason was it took too much time to set it up and so, the action, i.e. the good parts, started very late in the book which is always a detriment in a fantasy novel. Then, once the action started, it was just too fast, one event after another and the end. I guess it was a question of balance and pacing, it just wasn't right... which is disappointing considering it was perfect in The Lightning Thief.

Still, there were some good things about it. I like seeing the characters' growth. Annabeth and Percy are now 13 years old and while it's only been a year, you do see some maturation. The best example would be Tyson. In some aspect, Tyson is simple-minded, not the brightest light and cyclops in general are not well viewed... and so at first, Percy was embarrassed, but he still defended Tyson when others were making fun of him. You see Percy's mixed emotions and how he deals with them and I thought it was very realistic and well-written. LOL, I have to admit, Tyson is a favorite of mine in this book :) He's just so endearing. His character is quite different from all the others: honest and earnest with a gentle core. There were quite a few LOL moments involving Tyson and Percy :D Other characters are starting to be more fleshed as well - that was interesting and a good build up for the rest of the series.

On its own, the storyline of The Sea of Monsters is weak and not as interesting, but it does have some quite interesting twists. Especially the end, adding another player in the whole prophecy :D So it does contribute to the series andit makes it worth to read.

My Grade: B-. As a whole, The Sea of Monsters is not a bad book: it's well-written, the characters are getting more and more interesting, it does contain some good action and a few laughs. Unfortunately, its storyline is a bit boring and weak in comparison to the rest of the series.

***

Yesterday, we talked about the casting of the main characters... today, it's the gods of Olympus' turn :D Let's start with the big three.

Zeus = Sean Bean, Poseidon = Kevin McKidd, Hades = Steve Coogan

As a whole, I don't really have any complaints about this casting. I'm a bit familiar with Sean Bean because of Lords of the Ring and of course, Kevin McKidd plays Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, so he's not a total stranger for me. However, I do not recognize the actor for Hades. I'm actually not too worried about their acting, because their roles are not that large... The most important I think was their presence and charisma and in that department, I think they were good choices... especially Zeus. Also, I don't know, but there is a small family trait no?

My biggest concern is actually their costumes. Is that what they're going to wear during the movie? Really?!? Because it totally doesn't fit the description in the books. A better look below.

Sure, they're Greek Gods, so I understand what the costumes department was thinking... but hello, doesn't fit the description of the book!! I think this is going to take a lot away from the movie... because one of my favorite parts of The Lightning Thief was reading the contemporary descriptions of the gods. For example, Poseidon is a beach bum and Zeus, a businessman. As for Hades, I really don't like his costume... a bit too rocker or gothic in my opinion. I think they could have spent the money to make Hades' robe... it would have been much more dramatic.

In the two pictures above, you see 2 women... Athena and Persephone...

Persephone = Rosario Dawson, Athena:Melina Kanakaredes

Arghhhh!!! What is that?!?!? I have nothing against the actresses, they're both talented and beautiful women... but they don't fit the roles in my opinion!! Actually, the biggest problem? Persephone doesn't appear in The Lightning Thief since it's summer!!! And true, she's Hades' wife... but why the wicked look? I don't know, it doesn't really fit my knowledge of Persephone (plus, she's supposed to be blond). So I definitively think Rosario Dawson is a miscast.

As for Athena, well besides the fact that she too is supposed to be blond, nothing to say really. I think they could have chosen someone better to play the role, but Melina Kanakaredes is definitively not my first choice.

What do you think?

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

How was everyone's week-end? Hope everyone had a good time, despite the possible bad weather :D

Mine was quiet, but enjoyable. I was able to read Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh and my favorite female curling team won their 3rd national title in a row! Woohoo!! Plus, I started reading a manga named Bakuman which was really interesting and enjoyable :D And I've even started cleaning my room again for the Chinese New Year :D Hopefully, it'll be done in time and I won't have to rush :P

Last month, I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, all 5 books :) I've been meaning to write some posts about the books, but just haven't gotten around to do it. Then, this morning I realized that the movie is coming out this Friday... that's exactly 5 days. Hmmm, 5 days, 5 books... see where it's going? LOL. So let's start :)


The Lightning Thief by Rick Rioardan
published by Hyperion Books in June 2005

Percy Jackosn is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest. Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #1

The Story: Percy is a 12 years old boy who has always felt different from others and thus, isolated. In addition, weird things keep happening to him and lately, it's getting worse. First, he gets attacked by his math teacher how then disappeared and nobody seems to remember her. Then, his new best friend, Grove, is acting very strangely...

Sensing the danger, Percy's mother decides to bring him to a summer camp that was suggested by Percy's father. While Percy and Grover make it safely to the camp, Percy's mother falls victim to a Minotaur. Finally, Percy puts two and two together and realizes that he is a half-blood, i.e. the child of a mortal and a Greek god... and he is not the only one. The summer camp welcomes all the half-bloods and train them to face dangers and monsters.

Soon after his arrival, Percy is claimed by Poseidon... which causes a big brouhaha due to the prophecy and the breach of a pack. Years ago, the Oracle announced that a catastrophe would happen once the half-blood of one of the big Three (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) would turn 16. As a result to the prophecy, the three brothers have sworn not to have any other half-bloods. Thus Percy is somewhat feared.

Furthermore, Percy has been accused to have stolen Zeus's lightning bolt and now set out on a quest in company of Grover (who turns out to be a satyr) and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, to find out the real culprit.

My Opinion: Okay, my synopsis was perhaps not the best... but all I have to say is that I really enjoyed The Lightning Thief a lot :D Enough to make me pick up the sequel right away :) Enough to have me read the whole series in a week! :D

Basically, I enjoyed Mr Riordan's writing a lot because it was simple to read. It seems to me the simplicity of the writing style showcased the world building, as in readers were allowed to focus more on the details of the world building. The world building was also very interesting and intriguing. I really enjoyed how Mr Riordan mixed the Greek mythology into our modern world and I liked the idea of a summer camp to train half-bloods. Even the idea of 12 cabins, each representing a god or goddess and their half-bloods living in their respective cabin. Everything was just fun and very clever. Definitively an interesting world and a good start for a young adult series :D

Not only was the world building interesting, but so were the characters and the storyline. The three main characters, Percy, Annabeth and Grover, were a bit stereotypical, but not annoying so they were fun to read and follow. The best though was to see Mr Riordan's take on the gods and goddesses - their personalities, the modern spin on them and their relationships LOL.

Great world building, fun characters and best of all, a great plot. The storyline was interesting, complex and it contained enough twists to surprise the readers and keep them intrigued. In addition, I felt the storyline was not overshadowed by the world building, which is rare considering how complex it is, so Mr Riordan did a great job balancing the two.

One thing I was happy about is that the relationship between Percy and Annabeth at this point is still very platonic. I mean, they're 12! I'm not even sure they really like each other LOL.

My Grade: B++. All in all, The Lightning Thief was a very enjoyable. The focus was where it should have been and it's a great opening to this series :D

***

Here are the three actors chosen play our three main characters: Logan Lerman as Percy, Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth and Brandon T. Jackson as Grover. Personally, I have never seen any of these actors' performances so I cannot really criticize the choice. They all look older, more like 16 years old instead of 12 which is more appealing to the audience, so not a bad decision. I think Logan Lerman will be able to portray Percy convincingly. I'm not sure about Annabeth... She's supposed to be blond ^_^; Okay, I'm being picky here... but you know, would it have been hard to follow the book? As for Grover, well I guess they had to be politically correct, right? Among the three, I think he was the weakest choice... simply because he doesn't look "weak" enough in my opinion. Grover is not the bravest satyr and I don't think that will come across. I don't know if people remember the satyr in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that was closer to my idea of Grover.

So what do you think? Do you agree with the casting of Percy, Annabeth and Grover?

Review: The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Friday!! Yay!! I have to say though, I really don't want to work :(

This week has been quiet on blogland. Wondering what everyone is up to... Nothing much with me. I've been watching the Scotties Tournament of Hearts - Canada Women curling championship :) Very good curling this week... and then, next Friday is going to be the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics! yay! LOL.

Aside from that, I've read a little and bought a few books :D Got my hands on Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh. It came later than I predicted, Wednesday, and I went to pick it up on Thursday. James said I was lucky, because customers were fighting over it LOL. Of course, when a bookstore only receives 4 copies of it, it's likely :P I also got this week Truly, Madly by Heather Webber, Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis, Steamed by Katie MacAlister and Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale. Not bad for the begining of the month, right? :P

This week-end is going to be quiet I think. I'm definitively going to sit down and prepare some posts :) In the meantime, I have a review up at Breezing Through :) You can find it here. Big thank you to Christine for joining me and her patience!



The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
published by Simon & Schuster in March 2007

Meet Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors -- but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.

Part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry, Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, aka Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who's become addicted to "recreational surveillance"); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed "Lost Weekends"). But when Izzy's parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy's new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there's a hitch: she must take one last job before they'll let her go -- a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.

Re-Read Challenge 2010: January!

*This is sticky post. Please scroll down for new posts*

Yes, it is already the end of January. Went by fast, right?

So did you do your re-read? :) Like I said in the Re-Read Challenge 2010 post, this year will be a bit more informal and less strict. All you have to do, is read your re-read and review it. You can post your link in the comment section whenever you want, there's no deadline :)

Hope everyone will enjoy the challenge again this year :D


MsMoonlight: White Lies by Linda Howard
Hilcia: Duncan's Bride by Linda Howard
Nath: The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
Ames: Sarah's Child by Linda Howard
Leslie: Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Monthly Reads: January 2010

LOL, now that January is over, I guess that year 2010 is officially here. Hard to believe that a month has gone by already!! So fast!!

Overall, I thought that January was a good month in every aspect. I might have gone a bit wild on the book buying, for which I blame the coupons :) Although I did read a good amount of books, so I'm happy. Perhaps I could have reviewed more, but I did blog... although I did not write all the posts I wanted it :( Still haven't written anything for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, plus I don't think the Best and Worst of 2009 post is going to happen... and I missed the DIK challenge ^_^; For this, I totally blame work because it's been so busy and it has cut into my blogging and blog-hoping time. I wish I could say it'll get better, but it doesn't seem so... and the Olympics is starting in less than 2 weeks!! Ah well, I'll find a way LOL.

So here is what I read in January:

1) My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger: A


2) A Stranger's Wife by Maggie Osborne: B-

Many bloggers are fans of Ms Osborne, so when I saw A Stranger's Wife at the UBS, I just picked it up.

Quinn Westin is in the running to be the first governor of Colorado, but his wife has disappeared and this could definitively make him lose the election. Thus, he looks for a look-alike and finds her in Lily Dale, a woman who has been jailed for murder.

I can certainly understand why Ms Osborne is a favorite. She really does have interesting plots. I did enjoy A Stranger's Wife's story very much. I especially liked all the twists at the end and the distinct characters. The characters are all quite ambiguous and not your typical alpha hero and tough heroine. Yes, Lily is strong... but there is definitively a vulnerability there. The reason why this doesn't get a higher grade is mainly because while they were interesting, I didn't connect much with the characters and the storyline and I thought the ending was not that believable. Yes, it's the ideal one, but it didn't fit the characters in my opinion.


3) Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry: B-

Home of the Holidays was not a bad read, it was actually quite solid and enjoyable. However, it didn't wow me. I wasn't as put off by the ending as others were, probably because I was expecting it from reading other reviews. Instead, what rubbed me wrong was Joe's attitude towards Hannah in the beginning, doubting her expertise as a mechanics. I thought it was rude of him to walk away from the SUV just because she was the one selling it. Also, seriously, the kid feeling responsible for the death of their parent - starting to be an overused theme.


4) Trick of Light by Rob Thurman: C


5) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: B+
6) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: B-
7) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan: B
8) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan: B+
9) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan: B++/A-

I still plan to write a post about this series, but as you can see, it has been really enjoyable :D


10) Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin: C+


11) Blood Ties by Kay Hooper: B++/A-


12) Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr: B-/B

Review to come.


13) Suddenly by Candace Camp: C

I picked this book up because the back blurb sounded pretty cute... and I've just, just realized that this was a re-print!

Simon Dure, Earl of Dure, is looking for a wife to produce an heir and has set his eyes on one of the Emerson girls. Charity, wanting to save her older sister from this marriage because she's already in love, proposes herself to Simon.

So this is a marriage of convenience plot, plus a bit of "happy-go-lucky heroine thawing up stuffy hero" plot. LOL, if you've read my blog, you know I'm a fan of this kind of storyline... and while I did enjoy this part of the story, my biggest problem was the heroine. It wasn't that she acted childish, but it's clear that she's not totally mature yet. She doesn't seem the grasp the importance of certain things, situations, etc. She's also a bit too gullible which was at times very annoying. Also, at the end, she has a TSTL moment, ugh. You know your life is at risk and your husband has expressively told you to stay put... So why do you go out and put yourself in danger?!?! Please tell me.


14) The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins: -

Review coming for Breezing Through.


15) The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie: B


16) Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan: C+

Got the book after I read Ames and Monroe's review over at Breezing Through.

Hmmm. Not a bad book, but I just didn't connect with it at all... not on any levels. It felt flat for me. Everything was just okay. I thought the author put a lot of conflicts and everything was resolved without going very deep. Sure, there were some cute moments and I liked when Jenny tried to make Gareth smile... but it just didn't do much for me and perhaps it was more my mood than the book, since the same happened with the next book ^_^;


17) A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James: B-

I had this in my TBR pile and decided to pick it up after reading Jill's review.

After his near-death experience, the Duke of Villiers has decided to take in his bastard children and raise them. However, his friends assure him that they'll never be accepted in Society, unless Villiers find the right person with the right status/breeding to marry and help him launch them, i.e. a duke's daughter. After having her heart broken by her childhood sweetheart, Eleanore, daughter of the Duke of Montague, declared that she would not marry anyone less than a duke... and so she's been off the marital market... but there is now a duke available...

Okay, not the best synopsis, but you get the idea. So the premises of the book were actually quite promising. I thought this would be interesting and enjoyable and it was for perhaps the first third of the book, till Villiers and Eleanore went to the countryside so Villiers could retrieve two of his children and meet Lisette, the other potential bride. Quite frankly, I could have done without the whole plot with Lisette, I thought it dragged down the whole book. The best parts of this book was the interactions between Villiers and Eleanore and Villiers with Tobias, his son. Villiers and Eleanore's banter was entertaining from their first encounter to the balcony scene. Then, I totally got confused with the engagement status! For a short time, Villiers and Eleanore were fakely engaged and then, not anymore. Lisette had a fiancé on the continent, but he got dismissed for Villiers... then, Eleanore got engaged to childhood sweetheart, but decided to marry neither. Bleh. I think the book should have remained focused on Villiers and Eleanore. I would have also liked to see Villiers becoming more of a father figure. Also, what happened to his other children? They were mentioned shortly in the first part of the book, but then forgotten... not even mentioned in the epilogue.

Finally, my last issue with this book was how Eleanore put her first love on a pedestal. I've just read a book where the heroine put her first love on a pedestal as well and seriously, it's just so annoying. These ladies put blinders over their eyes and just don't acknowledge reality! Eleanore was lucky to have a younger sister pulling the blinders off.


All right, so there it is, my monthly list of reads. Actually, looking back now, I didn't do that bad on reviewing :P Makes me feel better LOL. Something new this month is I've started keeping track of the books I bought and so, I can now imitate Taja :D But I will not list all the titles LOL.

Books bought: +26
Books read: -17
TBR pile: +9

Not too bad :P