The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan - Review

We're going to change things up a bit and today and I'm going to review some middle grade fiction. I'm usually not a huge fan of the middle grade genre, but for Rick Riordan, I'll read anything. It seems that Riordan has delved into my elementary-aged self and pulled all of my past loves into his books. What child in 4th grade didn't love learning about Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology? If these things were your favorites as well, check out Mr. Riordan's books because they will definitely take you back.


While I have already read his first series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, (and I'm quite obsessed) I have read and re-read those books so many times I think later I'll do a big review of the series as a whole. The Lost Hero takes off a little after the last of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series stopped, only now we find out that Percy is missing. His girlfriend, Annabeth, is ready to tear the world apart to find him and she thinks Hera, the goddess who seems to hate demigods (especially Annabeth) is behind his disappearance. We are introduced to new demigods and one of them, Jason, has lost his memory and has no idea where he came from. This book takes readers on a whirlwind adventure through quests to find family, friends and answers to some of the worlds oldest questions.

I really did like this book. While not quite as much as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, this one really was great. We meet a host of new Gods and Goddesses and we're even introduced to their Roman counterparts. The thing I like most about Riordan's books is that they have a sneaky way of teaching you not only important lessons, but also about mythology. I will swear this to you, the only reason I passed my college Classics class was the fact that I had read Riordan's books. How else would I have known what each God and Goddess represented? Or what their Roman counterparts were named? Or that Aphrodite, while married to Hephaestus, had some pretty sordid affairs with Ares. These books only strengthened my love of mythology and I know that they're ones that I will one day read to my children. They're that great.

Rick does a superb job of world building. I'm sure it's just as exciting for kids to believe that Olympus is now located at the Empire State Building and that the Underworld is in L.A. These books really put your imagination into overdrive and you have to wonder where Rick gets his wonderfully brilliant ideas.

I do recommend starting out with the first series, beginning with The Lightening Thief as they are prequels to this series and you may be a tad confused with the characters and their parentage. Also, if you're a fan of Egyptian mythology, definitely check out The Kane Chronicles, another series by Rick Riordan that have the same quirky and fun way of sneaking some learning in while you read.

6 out of 10 (Only because I do love the Percy and the Olympians better)

Happy Reading :)

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Giveaway #4 Winners!

As it has been a very busy couple of weeks for me, I've sadly been neglecting the blog and therefore, the winners of Giveaway #4! Well, today the votes have been tallied, random.org has been consulted and the winners are...

First winner: Renee Grandinetti!

Second winner: Spave!

Third winner: Thilde Koll Espensen

They have been emailed and please, stay tuned for more upcoming giveaways :)
Happy Reading :)
-Allison

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Cassandra Clare on Rape culture, sexuality and myth in fiction

Cassie Clare today posed a discussion on her tumblr page addressing the growing amount of concerns and mail she's been receiving regarding the sexuality of her characters and also a particular scene in City of Lost Souls that involves sexual violence.

Clare addresses many concerns of her readers and discusses sexual assault as it pertains to fiction in today's society. This was such a great piece to read as it concerns not just fans of young adult fiction but all readers as fiction is written to reflect reality. Take a look at her posting because I found it to be a very informative discussion. I very much enjoyed reading her thoughts and beliefs on these particular issues.

Enough rambling, but please check out the post, it's a must read :)

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City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare - Review

Welp, this is the last of the reviews for The Mortal Instruments books... until next year when I get to read Clockwork Princess (eep!). While it makes me sad I will no longer be reading Shadowhunter stories, I'm also sure that you, the readers, are utterly sick and tired of my Cassandra Clare book reviews. Don't worry, there are some new and exciting books I've been dying to read and they will be up on the blog as soon as my little eyes can read them.


Once again, I'm not going to give too much of a synopsis for City of Lost Souls, just in case we have some Mortal Instruments virgins out there. I would hate to ruin any part of these stories for anyone. Basically what you need to know is that Jace is in trouble... and I mean big trouble. It's not only the Clave that he's in danger from, but Sebastian has become the largest threat in his life and it's up to Clary and the gang to find a way to save him from Sebastian and himself. They'll have to search for help from the most dangerous of sources. As any family would, they'll do anything they can to save their Jace.

While I know it's always the feeling after reading the next installment of a book series to say that it's your favorite, this one tops my list of Mortal Instruments books for a few reasons:

For me, the best part of this book was the fact that there was a lot of world travel. For some reason, this aspect of the story took it to a whole new level and I could hardly put the book down. We get to see Venice, Paris, Prague and a lot of other really cool places and I loved every minute of their worldly adventures. It showed you that no matter where our characters  were in the world, Shadowhunters existed and so did Downworlders and Demons. While I know what you're probably saying, "Well duh, how could you not have known that?" Well of course I knew this, but  it was awesome to see our characters somewhere other than New York City.

Next, there was a lot more "sexy time" in this book. And I don't mean just from Clary and her man Jace, but really everyone! We saw couples and non-couples throughout the whole book cozying up to one anther and demonstrating their love to each other. "This was one of your favorite parts of the book," you ask? Yes. Yes it was. I'm a girl and a sucker for a good book romance so who could blame me for being excited to see a little bit more snogging and dark-corner snuggling?

I think the last thing I'm going to talk about is Sebastian, our evildoer. I love Sebastian. I know you're all gasping in your seats and wondering how a seemingly nerdy, but nevertheless normal girl like myself could possibly say that they love Sebastian. I'll tell you why... he's one of the best villians I've seen in a while. Unlike many of the evil masterminds we see today, he isn't just some demented figure bent on world destruction who rubs his hands together menacingly and has a maniacal laugh. No, Sebastian is truly a super evil person. He is not only trying to hurt our main characters (which we will never forgive him for), but he is quite literally trying to oppose heaven and heavan's servants. Who does that?  It is also in this story that we see Sebastian become a little more complex. He is struggling internally with his loneliness, his family being gone and his longing for partners in the new world he creates. This leads to a little venerability in Sebastian that even Clary struggles to not fall for. I love Sebastian in that he is one of my top villians of all time. Gotta love that evil little bastard.

Clare really hit this one out of the park for me. I enjoyed this story and I cant wait for everyone to read it!

10 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare - Review

In reading this story again, I realized how much a I missed in reading City of Fallen Angels the first time! I think I got so excited to figure out what was happening, I basically skimmed the last 80 pages, which was a detriment to me and my love of Cassandra Clare's writing. This book was unexpectedly wonderful and to be frank, crazy awesome.


In this 4th installment of The Mortal Instruments series, we find ourselves in the aftermath of The Moral War. Without giving too much away, Clary is in the midst of training as a Shadowhunter and it seems that life is pretty much perfect. Especially when it comes to her relationship with her boyfriend, the lovely and witty Jace Lightwood. But, in typical Clare fashion, The Mortal Instruments crew gets a little shaken up and it turns out the The Mortal War was only a small problem for them to deal with when held against what's coming next...

City of Fallen Angels introduces us to a new enemy, one worse than Valentine (if that is at all possible). I will obviously not be telling you who said villain is as it would completely ruin the story for you. But I did like this addition to the series. After City of Glass had ended, I was interested to see how the next story would unfold with our evil mastermind seemingly put to rest.

I am loving how these books and The Infernal Devices are intermingling. We see our characters ancestors coming through into the story taking place in present day and I'm thinking that in City of Lost Souls we are going to see some more of that. I'm stoked.

I also realized in reading this book that I do like The Infernal Devices books better. That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed The Mortal Instruments or that I didn't like this particular book. It's just that I'm a huge sucker for historical fiction and steampunk themes and I have to say I'm more excited for Clockwork Princess to come out than any other book written by Cassandra Clare.

We'll, I think that's enough rambling for one day! I am staring City of Lost Souls today, so be prepared for you last Cassandra Clare book review for a while! (Are you excited?)

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Review

What can I really say about reading Insurgent? Well before you dive further into my review, let me say that I will not be spoiling one single detail for those who haven't devoured Insurgent yet!

Quite honestly, I'm not even going to put up a synopsis for you. All you need to know is that this book takes up a little after Divergent has ended. I'm just going to explain a little bit about how I felt while reading this book rather than review it in my typical fashion. Here goes!


I always know that a book is great, when I feel like I come out of a fog after reading it. It took me a few minutes to come back to reality and stop feeling like I was in Chicago and part of a faction in the future. I really had to get my head cleared because I was so completely and utterly wrapped up in this book and this world that Veronica Roth created for her readers. She has such an exceptional talent for world building and how she presents said world to her readers. You will never feel like you're getting too much description or too much analysis of the world surrounding the main characters.

One of the most awesome parts of this book is that we get to see deeper into all of the factions (Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor and Abnegation). In this story, we get to visit with each faction and not only learn about their traditions and ways of life, but we learn about their flaws and really the flaws in society as a whole. It's not hard to imagine yourself into the world that Roth has created and to see what troubles a society organized in this way would pose.

In Insurgent, Roth takes a look at the human condition. We get to see what blind power does when it's handed to one individual and how when you get rid of one crazy person, there is always another crazier person waiting to be brought forth. I loved how Tris in this novel had to figure out what it meant to be Divergent and she had to struggle with right and wrong. She had to deal with the loss of her parents and to try and figure out what it meant for herself and her future when they sacrificed themselves for her well being. It's a position that no one hopes to be in, but one can relate to her struggles and her sacrifices.

Don't worry, you'll be seing plenty of Four (or Tobias as he is interchangeably called through out the story) as he has to battle his own demons as well. Tobias and Tris as a dynamic couple were so great to see in that they had to figure out how to be together while balancing secrets and betrayal. They're one of my favorite couples to watch.

Let me say that this was one of the hardest reviews I've written. It took me a while to get my thoughts straightened out and I apologize if this review is a tad erratic or confusing. Think of it as a book worms ramblings after finishing one of the best books they've ever read all year.

9 out of 10

Happy reading :)

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Giveaway #4!

Hey guys! It's giveaway time again! While I normally have some sort of theme when doing giveaways, I figured with this one, I'd just plain give away books! Who doesn't love to win free books? This particualr giveaway will have 3 separate winners!  Each winner will get a pool of books to choose from and they will be sent to you straight from Book Depository! If it's a book that is not yet out, I will pre-order it for you :)



Here are the rules!

• Must be 13 years or older
• It's an International giveaway! As long as Book Depository will ship to you :) You can check here!
• I will announce the winners on the blog and send the winners an email! You'll have 72 hours to respond to the email in order to be a winner. In this email, I will ask for your address to ship the book to!
• If the book is not yet released, I will order it as a pre-order for you!
• Contest will run from today (May 4th) until May 18th!

And now to the prizes!

1st winner can pick from...

2nd winner can pick from...

3rd winner can pick from...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare - Review

I know you are probably sick by now of reading my Mortal Instruments reviews, but I can't stop rereading these lovely books! I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible... here goes...


In this third installment of The Mortal Instruments series, us readers find ourselves amid some very high tensions between our characters. Clary and Jace, Jace and Simon, Simon and Clary, Valentine and the world... really things are not going well for this race of Shadowhunters. As the gang from the New York Institute prepare to head to Idris for negotiations and to give explainations of what's been happening with Valentine, they are attacked by Forsaken as they enter the portal. This attack leads to a turn of events that leads all of our favorite characters on a journey in which they will fight for their lives!

This book will make you laugh like always, but it will also make you cry. Cassandra Clare spares no one in the war against Valentine and as her story meanders through Idris, the fabeled home country of the Shadowhunters, we find ourselves mourning the loss of loved ones right along with her characters. Clare is such an emotional writer and I've come to love her subtle style of wrenching her readers hearts out.

The Mortal Instruments series was originally meant to be a trilogy, but that plan back fired as Clare's 5th installment is set to release this month... and I'm not complaining! Because this was supposed to be the finale to the series, there are a lot of loose ends that are tied up and the book ends on an almost happy note, which is somewhat uncharacteristic of this series. I was almost disappointed that Clare didn't treat us to a tragic, cliff hanger ending... but don't worry, I've read book 4 and we are in for the some big surprises

Overall, I really loved this book. I want to say better than the previous two, but this one is so different from the other two in the series. Finally, we have Clary coming into contact with the place her mother grew up, the origin of the Shadowhunters and she finally sees herself as one of them. It was so great getting a chance to see Idris and this change in setting really does make this story stand apart from City of Bones and City of Ashes.

That's all I've got for this one guys! Make sure to check out the other reviews for City of Bones and City of Ashes! I promise to start mixing it up again soon!

Happy Reading!

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