Series Review: The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2010-2014
Pages: 2,796
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis for The Lost Hero:
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.
Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

In short: The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan is an entertaining and creatively engaging series.

When I read Rick Riordan's first demigod series last year, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, my overall thoughts were that it was a very fun, easy series, but it read a bit too young for me personally. It's the kind of series that I am sure I would have LOVED as a tween, but as an adult in her late twenties, I tend to prefer series that challenge me a bit more, be it with more challenging language, or more nuanced plots and characters, or more emotional complexity, etc. 

Well, when I posted that review last year, there were a number of commenters urging me to read on, to read the next set of demigod adventures by Rick Riordan in which Percy and co. are older and the tone is maybe a bit more mature and relatable. I'm telling you book bloggers really do know what they're talking about because they were right - I DID end up liking The Heroes of Olympus more than Percy Jackson and the Olympians!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians was Percy's story whereas in The Heroes of Olympus, the spotlight is shared with six other main characters and we get to see their POVs in equal parts. Now it's not that I don't like Percy (I do!), but it was nice to get some new characters with different viewpoints and back stories. I wouldn't say I was blown away by the characterization and relationships because Rick Riordan's writing still definitely tends to err on the cliched side, but I was impressed at least with the diversity of characters.

These books are just entertaining. How could they not be when they involve teen demigod warriors with special powers who fight all manner of mythological monsters in a creatively engaging plot? Add to that Rick Riordan's knack for clever humour and we have a winner! As I said, I do prefer more nuanced characterization and less predictable plots than what we get in The Heroes of Olympus, but overall I had a fun time with this series and I'm glad I decided to read it!

Previously, my series review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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Series Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney
Published: 2005-2009
Pages: 1,741
Source: Bought
Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis for Book 1, The Lightning Thief:
Percy Jackson 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' 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' 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.

In short: Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a totally fun and easy to read series, but it felt a bit too young for me personally.

Well, it ain't no Harry Potter. But Percy Jackson and the Olympians was pretty cute anyways. Rick Riordan hit the jackpot when he came up with a series that features young demi-gods who get to train at summer camp and fight all manner of mythological monsters in a creatively engaging plot. The pacing is break-neck - too fast for my taste, personally - but great for readers who become impatient with steady-going plots. Rick Riordan also has a knack for writing humorous scenes and clever dialogue - the humour was probably my favourite part of the series.

My main complaint with Percy Jackson and the Olympians is that it felt really young. That may seem like an unfair criticism as the series is intended for middle grade readers, but to me, the best Middle Grade reads are the ones that transcend all age groups and provide enjoyment and richness to all ages of readers. I would argue that this isn't the case with Percy Jackson and the Olympians - the language is simplistic, the characters lack dimension, and the plot lacks complexity and nuance. These are books I would have loved if I had read them as a ten-year-old; as a twenty-something, I can only say that I liked them.

I'm very glad that I have finally read this series that people have been recommending to me for ages! I did enjoy it, truly, and I recognize its popularity and I do feel it is deserving of it. I just wish this series would have been around when I was much younger, when I would have loved the heck out of it and appreciated it a whole lot more. As it is, I would definitely recommend Percy Jackson and the Olympians to reluctant young readers - it is incredibly fast paced and easy to read and they are sure to have a fun time reading it!

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Review: The Holders by Julianna Scott

Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Published: March 5, 2013
Pages: 320
Source: For Review from Strange Chemistry
Rating: 2.5 Stars

17-year-old Becca spent her whole life protecting her brother from, well, everything. The abandonment of their father, the so called 'experts' who insist that voices in his head are unnatural and must be dealt with, and the constant threat of being taken away to some hospital and studied like an animal. When two representatives appear claiming to have the answers to Ryland's perceived problem, Becca doesn't buy it for one second. That is until they seem to know things about Ryland and about Becca and Ryland's family, that forces Becca to concede that there may be more to these people than meets the eye. Though still highly skeptical, Becca agrees to do what's best for Ryland.
What they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together the information of their family's heritage, their estranged Father, and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. However, they are all--especially Becca--in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind.
She meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, Becca and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but her true nature seems destined to keep them apart. However, certain destinies may not be as clear cut as everyone has always believed them to be.
Becca is lost, but found at the same time. Can she bring herself to leave Ryland now that he's settled and can clearly see his future? Will she be able to put the the feelings she has for Alex aside and head back to the US? And can Becca and Ryland ever forgive their father for what he's done?

In short: The Holders by Julianna Scott offers nothing particularly new or intriguing to an overdone and cliched plot.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Secret boarding school where kids with special abilities - called Holders - are brought to learn how to control them. The two most powerful Holders in the world - one bad and one good - have radically different and decisive points of view that cause great amounts of conflict. The bad guy believes Holders are a superior race and should take control of regular humans. The good guy believes Holders should live peacefully with humans. Sound like X-Men? That's because it pretty much is... with Celtic mythology thrown in. Abilities were granted to people a long time ago by the Irish gods and carried on through the generations. Only Irish people have these special abilities because apparently they are the only ones who are worthy of them for some reason.

The Holders had a ton of elements that I really love in books - namely boarding schools, superpowers, mythology - but was way too cliched and predictable, unfortunately. Had I read it in junior high, I probably would have loved it, but at this point the plot was so familiar and overdone to me that it wasn't really enough to keep my attention. The Holders offered nothing particularly original to me and I am tired of the same old tropes. Also, I found the writing and execution of the plot to be fairly young and inexperienced, but this may not be a problem for everyone as it was a pretty easy read as a result.

I do think it's the characters that save The Holders. Becca was instantly likeable to me as the hot-headed and protective older sister to Ryland. Alex, Becca's love interest was super sweet and succumbed to blushing easily, which was pretty cute. Their romance, though not particularly earth-shattering, was sweet, as well. I also had fun with the secondary characters of The Holders, who were all humourous and delightful. Though The Holders offered nothing new or intriguing to grab my attention, I would recommend it to people who find comfort in easy and predictable plots and easily likeable characters.

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Waiting On Wednesday (10): Gods and Mythology

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which an upcoming, eagerly anticipated release is highlighted on the blog.

Due to time constraints, I am only going to be taking part in this meme once a month. Each month, I'll post a compilation of books that I'm "waiting on" that fall under a theme.

This month, I'm "waiting on" books with Gods and Mythology:

Title: Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: July 26, 2011

Every flame begins with a spark. 
Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: August 30, 2011

The first book in a paranormal teen trilogy featuring three beautiful, mysterious girls wreaking havoc on a small New England town. 
Sometimes sorry isn't enough.... 
It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems... 
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. 
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed. 
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. 

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Title: Sweet Venom
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date: September 6, 2011

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Title: Half-Blood
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Date: September 15, 2011

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I've read Fury already (based on the myth of the vengeance deities called the Furies) and loved it. Other than that, I'm not terribly familiar with YA and MG books featuring Gods and Demigods, like Half-Blood. Nope, I haven't read The Percy Jackson Series yet (though I plan to remedy that soon hopefully). But of course, I love reading about Greek mythology. I am super excited for Sweet Venom (who wouldn't be with that gorgeous cover?), which is based on the myth of Medusa. What intrigues me about Wildefire is that it is based on Polynesian mythology, which is very unique.

How about you? Are you waiting on any of these books with Gods and Mythology? Are there any upcoming books featuring Gods and Mythology that aren't included here that you feel I should know about?

Review: Fury (Fury #1) by Elizabeth Miles

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: August 30, 2011

Pages: 352

Source: For Review from Simon and Schuster Canada (Thank you!)

Rating: 4 Stars - I Loved It!

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....
It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems... 
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed. 
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. 
Em and Chase have been chosen.

In short: Fury by Elizabeth Miles is an engaging and thrilling debut with realistic characters and a chilling storyline.

Karma is a bitch, and it comes in the form of three gorgeous deities from Greek mythology called the Furies. Fury follows Em and Chase, in alternating chapters, and the typical high school drama surrounding their lives. But both Em and Chase have done something reprehensible. Chosen by the Furies for their wrongdoings, they have to learn the hard way that what goes around, comes around.

From the start of Fury, Em and Chase were not likeable characters; I don't believe they were supposed to be. After all, they had to be guilty of a transgression for the Furies to want to take revenge. They were both obsessed with popularity. Em contemplates cheating with her best friend's boyfriend and Chase nonchalantly treats girls as though they're worth nothing to him.

Rather than be turned off by their faults, I found I could at least appreciate the fact that they weren't saints. They were definitely no Mary Sue and Gary Stu. They were authentic teens with authentic teen feelings and immaturity. It was strangely a breath of fresh air from main characters that are instantly likeable, if that makes any sense. As they realize and feel genuinely sorry for what they did and how they'll have to pay for it, you can't help but sympathize with Em and Chase and forgive them for their stupid mistakes.

A large portion of Fury was taken up by high school drama with only some paranormal occurrences happening in the background. It read like a contemporary novel at times and I would have preferred had it focused a bit less on the regular drama and more on the paranormal aspect. But once more and more creepy incidents start to affect Em and Chase's lives about halfway through the novel, it took me by surprise how involved with the story I became. I went from not liking the characters and high school drama in the beginning to being sympathetic towards the characters and totally caught up in the chilling and freaky storyline as it unfolded.

Overall, though I did not expect this when I first started reading Fury, I really ended up becoming engaged in the characters and storyline as it became creepier and more horrifying. The ending especially was so intense and filled with so many shocking twists that I hadn't been expecting. I eagerly look forward to how the story will unfold in this planned trilogy. Fury will be released August 30, 2011.

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*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge