'The House of Hades' (The Heroes of Olympus #4)

The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4)
By Rick Riordan
Published: Oct. 8, 2013
Read: March 2014
Format: Hardcover

Rating: B

"Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work—it demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield results."

A synopsis for this book is difficult since it is the fourth in a series. And really, the story goes even farther back because it is a companion to the five-part Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

The Heroes of Olympus series follows seven demigods (half-human, half-god): Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank and Hazel. The group is on a mission to stop an ancient evil god, Gaea, from rising and ending the world as they know it. They journey overseas to Italy and Greece to complete their quest. Here is the publisher's synopsis:

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

I've really liked all of the books in these two series, and The House of Hades was no exception. Once again, the narration duties are shared between all seven demigods. Though this has the potential to make the book feel disjointed, it doesn't. It still flows as we read from different characters, and I appreciate getting different perspectives. Annabeth and Percy's journey through Tartarus was probably my favorite to read because it was so tense and full of adventure. But I enjoyed reading about the other demigod's journey to the House of Hades as well. 

Though I was disappointed when I heard that Riordan decided not to make this the conclusion and instead add another book, I'm looking forward to reading that. I was a little frustrated that I didn't get to find out what happens in the end, but at least there's more Percy, Annabeth and the others to look forward to.

Throwback Thursday: 'Attachments'

Attachments
By Rainbow Rowell
Published: April 14, 2011
Read: December 2013
Format: Kindle edition

Rating: A

“There are moments when you can't believe something wonderful is happening. And there are moments when your entire consciousness is filled with knowing absolutely that something wonderful is happening.”

It's 1999 and Lincoln is a wayward guy in his late 20s who takes a job as an "Internet security officer" because he's not sure what else to do. He works at a newspaper, so most of his co-workers are journalists, including Jennifer and Beth. Lincoln's job is to monitor his co-workers' emails, and he becomes particularly intrigued by Beth and Jennifer's exchanges, leading to somewhat of an infatuation with Beth, whom he's never even met. It sounds like it may be creepy, but it's not. It's incredibly cute and romantic, even if not very believable. 

I loved the three main characters. I found them fun and relatable. If they were real people, I'd want to be their friends. Lincoln has just finished another degree and moves back home with his mom. Through flashbacks we read about his high school sweetheart who broke his heart in their first semester at college. Though it's been nearly 10 years, he's still not completely over that trauma. He's a geek at heart, who spends his weekend playing World of Warcraft with his buddies, but he also craves adventure and wants to meet the love of his life. Jennifer has been married for a few years and is struggling with being unsure if she's ready to be a mother or not when she discovers she's pregnant. And her best friend, Beth, has been living with her musician boyfriend for years, but he shows no sign of wanting to settle down. If you watch Parks and Recreation, he's basically Andy from Season 1, but not as charming and funny. To put it simply, he's a huge jerk and she deserves way better. Which of course made me root for Lincoln even harder.

This story was especially fun for me since I too am a journalist. I like reading about characters I can relate to. And at almost 27, I'm close in age to these three (they're all 28), so that helped even more. I also found it nostalgic and enchanting when the author described the character's outfits and popular songs and movies at the time.

I'm a romantic so I want to believe something like this could happen in real life. But it's not likely. At any rate, I thought Attachments was very endearing and I liked it a lot. It was funny, sweet, charming and just irresistible. It's also a very quick read, which was only a downside because I didn't want it to be over. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. I really don't think you'll regret it!

'Panic' by Lauren Oliver

Panic
By Lauren Oliver
Published: March 4, 2014
Read: March 2014
Format: Hardcover 

Rating: B-

“It was so strange, the way that life moved forward: the twists and the dead ends, the sudden opportunities. She supposed if you could predict or foresee everything that was going to happen, you’d lose the motivation to go through it all. The promise was always in the possibility.”

Panic takes place in Carp, a small town in upstate New York. It is narrated by Heather and Dodge, two 18-year-olds who just graduated high school. The book starts on the first day of Panic, a game where any graduating senior can compete for a large pot of money. The stakes are high and the challenges are dangerous. Heather and Dodge participate for two very different reasons: Heather has just been dumped and chooses to jump (a move that signifies your intention to participate in the game) on a whim; Dodge, on the other hand, has a very clear goal: revenge.

Panic follows Heather, Dodge, and Heather's two best friends, Bishop and Natalie, throughout the summer of the competition. It is interchangeably narrated by Heather and Dodge, though I would have preferred it if Heather was the sole narrator. Dodge's intentions were only clear when reading from his perspective, but I found his character rather flat and I was always hoping the next chapter would be Heather. Thankfully, her sections seemed to outnumber Dodge's.

Heather and Dodge are both very poor and have sad family lives. Though the title of the book suggests it is mainly about the game, it focuses a good deal on them and their difficult situations. Dodge's sister was paralyzed two years ago when she was the runner-up for Panic, and he helps take care of her in the rundown apartment they share with their mother on Meth Row. Heather lives in a shady trailer park with her 11-year-old sister and their mom, who is more interested in sex, drugs and partying than taking care of her daughters. Their family lives fuel Heather and Dodge's desires to win the game, and make them more likable.

I've read and enjoyed Lauren Oliver's Delirium series and her standalone book Before I Fall, so I was interested in reading Panic when I first heard about it. The description doesn't do a great job of explaining what the book was about, but the fact that Oliver wrote it was enough for me. Overall, I liked the book. I thought it was interesting and thrilling in parts. The challenges were definitely unpredictable and dangerous, and it was fun reading about how Heather, Dodge and Natalie tackled them. However, there were several big "surprises" that I saw coming from miles away. I found the ending and many of the reveals to be predictable, and this spoiled it for me a bit. But it was a still entertaining and a quick read. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a semi-thrilling, fun book to read.

Throwback Thursday: 'Allegiant' (Divergent #3)

Allegiant (Divergent #3)
By Veronica Roth
Published: Oct. 22, 2013
Read: October 2013
Format: Kindle

Rating: C-

“The first step to loving someone else is to recognize the evil in ourselves, so we can forgive them.”

Until Allegiant, the Divergent series has been one of my favorites, and I  eagerly awaited the release of its conclusion for more than a year. I am sad to say that it was very disappointing.

Veronica Roth chose to tell the story from Tris' and Tobias' points of view, which I liked. The only problem I had with this approach was that she did not follow the every-other-chapter-changes-perspective format, so I sometimes got confused by who was speaking and had to go back to read the first few pages in the right perspective. That being said, I really liked hearing from both Tobias and Tris, as I thought it helped round out the story and made it less biased toward one character.

The dual storytelling is not the only thing that made Allegiant stand out from its predecessors. Tris, Tobias and company venture out of the city in the beginning of the book and spend most of their time at a compound formerly known as O'Hare Airport. Though I liked that it took place in a different location, I did not so much like what happened there. I will be vague in an effort not to reveal spoilers, but I thought Roth strayed too far from the main plot once she revealed the difference between GD and GP (not going to explain that here as it is kind of complicated). It was interesting stuff, I just think it was a distraction from what was going on in the city and it took away from the story.

The ending. Ahhh, the ending! Again, I don't want to spoil anything here, but the ending was highly dissatisfying. Not just what happened, but how it was treated. I didn't think it was drawn out quite enough, and I feel like it didn't do justice to our two main characters. It happened and then we moved on. I wanted more time to cope, more explanation as to how everyone dealt with it and so on.

Overall, I think Allegiant left a lot to be desired. Aside from the ending, it was an all right book. It definitely kept my interest and I enjoyed it. There was a little bit more romance between Tris and Tobias, and reading his perspective definitely increased that aspect. But the ending just really spoiled things for me, and because of that I've given it a low rating.

Throwback Thursday: 'Insurgent' (Divergent #2)

To continue my Throwback Thursday series I will review Insurgent, the second book in Veronica Roth's Divergent series.

Insurgent (Divergent #2)
By Veronica Roth
Published: May 1, 2012
First Read: August 2012
Format: Hardcover

Rating: A

“No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.”

Insurgent picks up right where its predecessor, Divergent, left off. After Erudite and Dauntless went to war on the Abnegation and made known their mission of hunting down the divergent, Tris and company escape to the peaceful Amity compound. But they're not welcome there for long. They must find somewhere to stay while also finding a way to take down Erudite and the rebel Dauntless members.

I can't say too much about Insurgent without giving away spoilers, so this will be short. I thought this was an excellent book, and it definitely did not suffer from the "second book syndrome" trilogies often face. It had even more action than Divergent, making it exciting and a quick read. I devoured the 525 pages in just over 24 hours.

Tris is rather moody in this book, but I'm sure you would be too if you were 16 and went through everything she had in the last few weeks. Her decisions don't always make sense, but they're realistic. I had no trouble buying into what she does. She is conflicted and has just gone through heartbreak and betrayal so deep she loses herself.

Those who enjoy the romance between Tris and Tobias may be slightly disappointed throughout the book, as they both struggle with their grief and keep secrets from each other. There are some sweet moments between them, including the first time she tells Tobias she loves him, but they spend a lot of time apart and they bicker quite a bit. But in the end they are a stronger couple for everything they endure.

The ending was quite the surprise and had me kicking myself for reading the book more than a year before the third book came out. Now that it's been released, you'll want to jump right into the last book of the series.

'The Cuckoo's Calling' (Cormoran Strike #1)

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
By Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J.K. Rowling)
Published: April 30, 2013
Read: Feburary 2014
Format: Hardcover

Rating: C+

“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them.”

Cormoran Strike is a down-and-out private investigator in London who lives in his office. The gruff former military man has just broken up with his long-term fiance and is in desperate need of some business. In walks John Bristow, a well-to-do lawyer who is convinced that his supermodel sister, Lula Landry, was murdered, despite much of the evidence pointing to a suicide.

Against his instincts Strike accepts the case and finds himself emerged in a world filled with "multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends and desperate designers." He may be a bit over his head in the first case that has involved more than surveillance, but thankfully he has Robin, the woman who is supposed to be his temporary secretary but takes on much more.

The mystery behind the death of Lula Landry was fascinating, but quite frankly, I found much of the book to be a bore. The first half dragged on, with far too many descriptions. We were told about almost every step Strike took, which was annoying to me. Here's an example:

“The country was lumbering towards election day. Strike turned in early on Sunday and watched the day's gaffes, counterclaims and promises being tabulated on his portable TV. There was an air of joylessness in every news report he watched. The national debt was so huge that it was difficult to comprehend. Cuts were coming, whoever won; deep, painful cuts; and sometimes, with their weasel words, the party leaders reminded Strike of the surgeons who had told him cautiously that he might experience a degree of discomfort; they who would never personally feel the pain that was about to be inflicted.”  

This entire paragraph is pretty much irrelevant to the story. It felt like Rowling was trying to just get in as much description as possible and prove that she can write stories other than Harry Potter. I liked the characters and I wanted to know about them, but I think she took it too far. Reading felt like a chore for the first half of the book, which is not how it should be. 

Thankfully the story started to pick up after a little more than halfway through. Strike started interviewing more celebrities and interesting characters and as he got closer to solving the mystery the suspense grew. I'm not sure if the writing was better in the second half or if I was just more motivated as I got closer to the end. Either way, I enjoyed the second half much more. 

The ending was definitely a surprise to me. However, it didn't make a whole lot of sense and I wish Rowling had explained it more. At the risk of spoiling anything I will leave it at that. I guess I was just hoping for more of an explanation. It's been announced that this will be a series. At this point I'm not sure if I'll read the next book or not. I think it will depend on the case Strike is trying to solve. As long as it sounds intriguing I'll probably pick it up.