The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he's never met - a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

My Review 
Oh my gosh, this book is AWESOME!!!!!!! *breathes in* ASDFGHJKL. I can't even begin to comprehend the amazingness that is this book! Alright, I have to gather my thoughts about this book, I am still scatter-brained and have no clue where I should start...
Rick Riordan has written another magnificent book which I can't wrap my head around. I feel like I have a massive book hangover. Every time I think it is over, my brain keeps on going back to it and won't let go! Not that I mind of course... Anyways, if you can't tell from the whole rambling at the start, I absolutely loved this book. It has the same take a the Percy Jackson series, just with Norse gods. I didn't mind the similarities though because in some ways, it is still a completely different story. I felt though, that the beginning was a bit slow and the world-building could have done a bit more elegantly because some parts were more of an information dump than anything.
I really loved all of the characters. I don't even know who is my favourite anymore. Samirah was really awesome, even though she is pretty violent at the start. I love all of the gods, they were so awesomely portrayed. Magnus's narration was hilarious to read, especially with that snarky commentary and attitude. However, I did notice, that Magnus's voice is very similar to Percy's voice. I found that to be a bit of a downer even though I absolutely loved the narration. Magnus's commentary has some slight changes though.
Overall, I still loved this book, as I did Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I think, that I felt that the start was slow because I was superhyped for this book and couldn't wait to read it. Everything, from the writing style to the story, was awesome even though Magnus seems to be very similar to Percy.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

I'm back!!!

Hey guys! I haven't been on this blog in such a long time! Ugh, I feel terrible about it, I'm really sorry. I made a point in  a previous post, that I will not force myself to post if I don't feel up to it or if I am busy. However, I only post once a week on a Wednesday to get my book review up and I have missed that posting day sooooo often in the last couple of weeks due to other activities in school and stuff like that(all the assessments are pouring in before the holidays) despite only having to prepare ONE post!

So, I decided that I would definitely post a review this Wednesday ( I already have a book all picked out and started the review) :)
Jessie and I are also finally going to finish the Book Rainbow Tag sometime this week and I must say that I am very happy with how my book rainbow turned out!

So those are the posts that I planned so far this week. I hope nothing will come in the way, I know this is obvious and I really don't have to say it, but school will always be my first priority no matter how much this blog means to me. So if I don't post my review this week, you can probably guess what I am doing *sigh*

Anyway, see you guys in the next post!!!

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old earth years by which it is still the fashion to measure time. This is the story of my three deaths, and my life between. My name is Khemri.

Taken from his parents as a child and equipped with biological and technological improvements, Khemri is now an enhanced human being, trained and prepared for the glory of becoming a Prince of the Empire. Not to mention the ultimate glory: should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn...Which is just as well, because no sooner has Prince Khemri graduated to full Princehood than he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are ten million princes, and all of them want each other dead. 



My Review
Honestly, I was kind of disappointed by this book.
I think my expectations were too high. So far I loved every single book Garth Nix wrote, especially with that wry sense of humour. However, I didn't really like this book that much.
This is a sci-fi book. Prince Khemri was taken as a baby from his parents and grew up to be Prince. We follow Khemri on his life journey growing up and making decisions that would change his lives.
The first chapter tells us right of the bat, that Prince Khemri died three times and that this book is about his life. This interested me from the start and the first paragraph was very intriguing. Then it went downhill from thereon out. The first couple of chapters, in fact the entire first half of the book was a continuous information dump. I was bored out of my mind and put the book down for quite a while until I decided to finish it. I guess, that I am glad after all that I finished it, because it became really good. The world building was really slow and boring though, but the second half of the book was way better and also exciting to read.
Khemri underwent some serious character development in this book, which I guess was the point. He was spoiled at first and also very, very arrogant. He believed that he was the best of the best and treated everyone else like dirt. However, I really liked Haddad and Raine. Haddad was responsible and you could really see how much he cared for Khemri near the end of the book. Raine was a really refreshing character, especially after reading about how arrogant and spoiled Khemri and the other Princes are.
Overall, Garth Nix finally retained his amazing writing style in the second half of the book. It took the first half of the book to create a very complex world, which I think should have been done more gradually and not dropped like a bombshell.
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead

Book Blurb (From goodreads)
I wasn't free of my past, not yet.

Sydney's blood is special. That's because she's an alchemist - one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiances in question, her future is on the line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside - and within - the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

My Review
 Richelle Mead is one of my favourite authors and I can always count on her for a good exciting read and she never fails to impress.
The plot line picked up more or less from where the Vampire Academy series left off and I highly recommend that you read that series first because it gives you a lot of background of all of the characters which you don't see as much of in this series which would help you understand their motives better. That, and it allows you to see exactly where all of these characters started off. The plot of this book only really thickens around half way through we everything isn't quite what it seems and Sydney begins to question her training as an alchemist. The was not a lot of action in this book apart from at the end, which ended up being exciting enough to satisfy me for the lack of action in the other chapters.
Sydney was complicated in this book. She was always conflicted with her duty to the alchemists and the people that she grew up with and her new found friendship to the dhampires and the vampires. She managed to handle herself well enough when Adrien provoked her which made the scenes with him slightly more amusing. Adrien was the same Adrien that we had seen in the other books. He liked to stay drunk and agitate people. But when it came to protecting those he loved he calmed down enough to do what needed to be done.
All in all I give this book four out of five stars.

Julie Starr - "Magic to Memphis: What If Your Life IS Working From The Inside Out?"

Julie Starr

Hey there! It's been a long time since I last posted an author interview. But here we are once again! I shall start off with an interview with Julie Starr, who wrote the amazing book "Magic to Memphis: What If Your Life IS Working From The Inside Out?" Here are her answers:

1) What inspired you to write "Magic to Memphis"?

I’d say that all sorts of feelings, ideas, itches and urges sort of cumulated until I couldn’t do anything but sit and write it. For example, I wanted to remind us all of the magical way life seems when we are children. When Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny all co-exist in our reality. The way Christmas Eve feels, as if fairy dust has been sprinkled all over the world for one special night. Then I wanted to explore this idea of manifestation, of the possibility that life works from the inside out. Also, what would happen if an everyday Angel dressed as a biker came down and whispered universal truths to someone who really (really) needed them? As those questions collide, their intersection creates the writing.

2) How did you come up with the character names? Are their personalities based from your life?

Some characters named themselves, like Jessie; literally I asked her what she was called and she told me. She’s sort of a cowboy and so I think that really suits her. Other names I had to search long and hard for, on the internet, asking other writers, etc. The name Finch was suggested by an artist friend who didn’t know that it was my husband’s last name! Kabos’ name has a hidden meaning to it, and so you’ll have to do your own research to find out his secret!

3) Do you personally believe in everyday magic?

I don’t just believe in it; I know it; when you see the world this way the truth of everyday magic reveals itself.

4) Since when have you wanted to be an author and why?

That’s difficult because as I look back I don’t recall a time when I didn’t feel like a writer and so as soon as I knew authors exist I guess that’s what I was always going to be. My other books are in business though, so becoming a novelist still feels pretty special.

 

5)What are you working on now? What is your next project?

It’s almost a secret so I can’t say much; just that it’s about a young girl, Alex, who has been raised in a children’s home. Alex thinks she’s an orphan but she’s not; she is being kept safe. What Alex is being kept safe from is going to reveal her whole world as an illusion. It's very different from M2M and actually anything I’ve read, so I’m really keen to get back to that – like right now!

Don't forget to check out my review for "Magic to Memphis" here