Book Review: THE HOUSE OF HADES BY RICK RIORDAN

Hi everyone!

I'm finally able to do this post! After a long await, House of Hades by Rick Riordan is available (and read by me)! This post could be very long, so I'm going to try to shorten and word all the feelings. If you haven't read any of Rick Riordan's books, I have no idea what you're waiting for, but this will contain spoilers. I STRONGLY suggest that if you haven't read this book, you won't continue reading! (WARNING: FANGIRLNESS AHEAD.)

September Wrap Up and October TBR

Hey everyone!
Today I'm doing my September Wrap Up and my October TBR. To be honest, September wasn't a great reading month. I read 1 and about 3/4 of a book. But in October, there are many new releases that I'll be reading!

WRAP UP
So I randomly decided to reread The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan this month. Oops?
I also started reading Insight by Jamie Magee (it was free) but I haven't finished it yet!

TBR
This is a bit more exciting. I might reread Insurgent by Veronica Roth to refresh myself.
I will also be reading these new releases:

• The House of Hades by Rick Riordan (4/5 Heroes of Olympus)
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth (3/3 Divergent)
• Unsouled by Neal Shusterman (3/3 Unwind)
• Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken (2/3 The Darkest Minds)
• Altered by Gennifer Albin (2/3 Crewel)

I'm looking forward to this month's reading! Thanks for reading, Kait

What I'm Excited for in House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
It's almost the end of September and you know what that means... House of Hades! I cannot believe we're almost there! Anyways, here are some points I'm excited to see. Keep in mind that these may not happen, but since I read Mark of Athena, I have had a few ideas in mind. This will contain spoilers for the Heroes of Olympus series. If you haven't read them, let me say that you have to, for your own awesome.

My House of Hades Theory

Hey everyone!
So... I kind of created a theory surrounding House of Hades. If we can't read it yet (which is comes out October 8th, 2013), why not come up with some crazy theories? I've gathered some information about the story, and I already read the first chapter which comes with "The Son of Sobek" (which was great!). I'd love to hear what you think in the comments!
This will contain spoilers for the Heroes of Olympus series 1-3!

June Wrap Up & July TBR

Hey everyone!
Today I'll be sharing the books that I read in June and what I'm planning on reading for this month.

JUNE WRAP UP

• The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (review here)
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (review here- for whole trilogy)
• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
• The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis (review here)
• A Million Suns by Beth Revis (Do not have a review for this one and Shades of Earth, if you would like to see one, let me know!)

I just finished Shades of Earth yesterday, but since it was July, it doesn't count! Just to let you all know!

JULY TBR

• The Diviners by Libba Bray (Goodreads link here)

REREADS:

• City of Bones
• City of Ashes
• City of Glass
• City of Fallen Angels
• City of Lost Souls

      All by Cassandra Clare. Yes, I'm planning on rereading TMI this month. I might stop after the first three because I have a lot of other books I want to reread, but I'll see how far I get. The Diviners might take a while- it's thick, and I have read books this thick in two days, but I'm not sure how much the story will capture me! It's kind of intimidating!

Thanks for reading! -Kait

Review: The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan (Spoiler Free)

Hey everyone!

First of all, I want to apoligize for the lack of posts. Believe it ornot, I still have two days left of school and I've had many exctiting things happen recently. I've also being reading a lot and managed to finish The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan!

Top 5 Series I Want to Start But Haven't Yet

Hey everyone!
I saw this popular video going around on YouTube and thought it would be fun to do it here. I have all of these series except one, and I can't wait to start them all.

The first series I'm excited to start is the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan is probably one of my favorite authors so I'm excited to read more of his work! The Son of Sobek will be relasing as an Ebook in June (AND IT HAS A HOUSE OF HADES EXCERPT!) and I'll be reading that as well!

Next, I'm looking forward to starting the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin. The first two are out and I have been waiting to start these books for a long time!

The third series is the Across the Universe series by Beth Revis. I heard great things about this trilogy and I own all three, so I hope I do like it! (Except I got them all in the new covers- at least I ordered them that way, but my Million Suns copy is the old cover- which is really pretty- but now it's even more weird looking!)

After that, we have The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I got the first one, since it's the only one out, but I also heard amazing things about this series! It sounds really interesting, and I based my buying of this book off of the recommendations without knowing too much, so I hope it's good!

Lastly, the fifth series is the Unearthly trilogy. Like I said, I've also heard great things about these books, so I really want to buy them and read them.

Thanks for reading! -Kait

Book Haul (16 Books) Birthday Addition

Hey everyone!
As some of you may know, my birthday recently passed and I was fortunate enough to be able to buy some books with gift cards to Amazon (I also purchased two at the bookstore :)). I'm really excited to read all of these books so I'm just going to list them instead of gush over my excitement with every book. Two things though: I'm not tyring to brag and some of you may realize I already read Beautiful Creatures so why did I get it? I originally had it on my phone, so I thought it would be nice to obtain a physical copy as well as the rest of the books- in hardcover!

• Beautiful Creatures Complete Collection (Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl)
• The Kane Chronicles Box Set (Rick Riordan)
• The Darkest Minds (Alexandra Bracken)
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Michelle Hodkin)
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Michelle Hodkin)
• Rise (Anna Carey)
• Cinder (Marissa Meyer)
• Scarlet (Marissa Meyer)
• Across the Universe (Beth Revis)
• A Million Suns (Beth Revis)
• Shades of Earth (Beth Revis)

Many book reviews coming soon! Comment down below to tell me what books you want to see reviewed! Also, quantity vs. quality? Would you like book reviews on all these books, but more general, or more in depth but less? -Kait :)

Discussing TMI: City of Bones and PJO: Sea of Monsters

Hey everyone!
Many books are turning into movie adaptations which can be an exciting thing- or a nerve-wracking one. I'm looking forward to them, but let's just cross our fingers!
From what I've seen with the City of Bones teaser trailer, which you can see here, I think we're off to a good start. The only thing I disagree with is Jace's appearance, but I know it's not going to affect the movie that much. Although City of Bones is not my favorite book, the trailer makes me excited to see the movie. A new trailer is coming out this Monday, I think.
On the other hand, we have Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first movie was, well, not like the books and a disappointment. However, Sea of Monsters has a new director, and they died Annabeth's hair! A trailer is supposedly supposed to come out this Monday as well, and all these stills and where you can find the pictures and captions are here. In the picture to the left, it looks like they're on the Princess Andromeda, I don't remember how to spell it. So that's good news that they're following somethings.
But in this picture to the right, the caption said that the demigods have to leave their own camp to go and save the Golden Fleece. Grover was not with them, and it is kind of important to the story since Grover is supposed to be with the giant. So I'm curios to see what they do. Both movies are coming out in August and just a week apart! Let me know what you think down below!

Overview of the Heroes of Olympus (Spoiler Free)

Hey everyone!
So recently, I have been overwhelming you all with book reviews-specifically Rick Riordan books. Therefore, instead of a doing a review, I will be doing an overview. I don't go into a lot of basics, but I still mention what I thought of each book. I read the first three books in the Heroes of Olympus (The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, and The Mark of Athena) and decided that it would be a little too much to have 3 book reviews, in the same series, by the same author all come out within two weeks. This way, I mention each book, and my thoughts without annoying anyone! Yay! These will also be spoiler free! But obviously, if you read the part when I talk about Mark of Athena and (just saying) you didn't Piper was still alive or something-like those kids of spoilers.

The Lost Hero | Rick Riordan | Heroes of Olympus #1
For a book starting off a brand new series, I really enjoyed. Rick Riordan continues to bring different characters. My favorite in this book is Leo. Leo is just... well, Leo. I really found his back story fascinating, and it as cool to hear from a child of Hephaestus. It kind of wants me to be a demigod of him, but I still rather be Athena. Piper was also very cool. I liked to hear it from an Aphrodite's point of view because not all of them are stereotypical "omg" kind of people. We also get to see how Aphrodite isn't really about looking pretty and all that stuff, but also about spreading beauty and love. Jason wasn't my favorite, but I still like him. It was exciting when I found out that you-know-who (not Voldemort) was his sibling.

The Son of Neptune | Rick Riordan | Heroes of Olympus #2
I think I liked the second book a little more because we get to see Percy again! Unfortunately, Percy has an issue, so it was a little different. But also, it was in third person. I prefer 1st person, but it was still very enjoyable! Hazel was great in my opinion. I found her back story very interesting as well and the part with her half-brother and Percy, you know, that part, ugh. Hazel's half-brother! Like I said before, Rick Riordan does a wonderful job at creating new, different characters, and Frank definitely falls under that category. I did enjoy his back story and the ability he has, but he was probably my least favorite out of this trio-but I did like him too.

The Mark of Athena | Rick Riordan | Heroes of Olympus #3
Well, well, well... anyone who read this book let me say: Rick Riordan. Cliff hanger. Really?? I actually thought it was going to be a lot worse, just that person by herself, but yay! Someone goes with her to a special scary place! This one was by far my favorite. I read this book (574 pages) in 2 days. It was really good- so much action and I loved seeing the characters together! I also never had a book pull so much emotion out of me in the first 30 pages! Oh my gosh, that was great! Cough* Percabeth *Cough.



Overall, I really can't say enough how much I recommend this series. I do recommend reading the PJO series first, and then read this one. Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts down below! -Kait

Book Review: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!Today, I will be reviewing Rick Riordan's final, and fifth installment to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. My overall thoughts: I LOVED IT.
 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

By Rick Riordan

 

"All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate."

 

First of all, I thought this was a great ending for the series. Rick Riordan wrapped up this series so well and it was very enjoyable. Percy continues to do crazy things, as well as the plot itself.

 

SPOILERS:

Book Haul/TBR (Rick Riordan Version)

Hey everyone!
I have a book haul today for you! For Christmas, I ended up just getting a gift card which I was so happy about! I actually have to get 2 more of the books tomorrow because one of them is not in, but otherwise the other 3 I used the gift card for. You can also count this as a TBR (To Be Read) pile because I haven't read any of these yet. All these books are by Rick Riordan, just fyi. Enjoy!

1. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series)

This is the book that hasn't come in yet, and not reading this is killing me a little bit, but I'm getting it tomorrow! I'm so excited to read this, but I'm also sad that the series will be ending.

2. The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus series)
Although this is a new series with new characters, it also has some ones from the PJO series. This I also can't wait to read!

3. The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus series)
This is the second installment and it also has Percy's point of view which, like I've been saying for every book, I am very excited to read.

4. The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus series)
Following The Son of Neptune, I will definitely be continuing this series.

5. The Demigod Diaries
I'm not sure yet if I'm going to be obtaining this or not, but I really want to read it and thought I would include this in case I do get it!

That is it! Talk to you soon! -Kait

Book Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
Today I'm reviewing the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan! It's the fourth installment and I must say my favorite so far! I really enjoyed this one so much and have been thinking about this series an unhealthy amount! Ugh. Soooo good!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

By Rick Riordan

"When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy Jackson hurries to Camp Half Blood, from whence he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth, while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near."

Where to start! Well I read this whole book in a few hours, so if that isn't enough proof to read it, or how amazing it was, then all I have to say is: GO READ IT.

SPOLIERS!!

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
I recently read the second installment to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Sea of Monsters, and thought it was appropriate to do a review! Also, this was my 100th book on Goodreads! *This will have spoilers for the first book which I do have a review on!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book Two: The Sea of Monsters | Rick Riordan

"The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come."
 
Like I always say when I like a book, I really enjoyed this one. I think I might like the first one a little more, but this one was not a disappointment to the series. The plot line was very exciting and the setting was very different than The Lightning Thief. The adventure continues, and I can NOT wait to get the third one! But I am still on my BBB so I'll have to wait until after Christmas.

SPOILERS:

Book Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
I finished reading the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series last night, and am going through torture because I promised myself I would not start the Sea of Monsters until this weekend. Kids, don't make promises you don't want to keep... it ends out very bad... 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

**Spoiler Free**

 



*Warning: Lots of 'really liked' and 'anyways' ahead...
"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."
 
This book takes place all across the country in present day form, but there's a twist. There's Greek gods hovering over you, or if you're Hades, I guess, under you. I normally keep to my dystopian worlds... ohh Panem.... sorry... anyways, this was very fun to read! I really enjoyed this book. Like really, really. Easily top 10. I really liked how Rick Riordan described everything without too much detail, which bores me, unless it's The Hunger Games (......). Moreover, I came into reading this book knowing the very basics of Greek mythology. I not only enjoyed reading this book, but I learned from it too. You don't have to know things like how Demeter is the goddess of agriculture to read this book which was another bonus.
I did see the movie- which I know is "nothing like the books" as everyone tells me. When they said that I thought they meant nothing, with capital N... and O and T and H etc. There were some similarities and mostly differences, but the Minotaur part was in the movie and other things that I am not going to say in sake of those who have not read it. If you haven't read it, why are you reading this? You're supposed to be at the bookstore now or something. I really enjoyed the characters too! Haha, did you guys notice the pun (not sure if it was intentional or not) Gabe Ugliano. You probably, most likely, pronounce it differently but, Ug-ly-on-o. It sometimes how I do it. But get it? Ugliano? Yep. Real funny Kait. Hey, I thought I would mention it.
I'm not going into spoilers because there's nothing really that shocked me or very large deaths that need to be said. However, I do have a question. Which god would you want to be a demi-god of? In other words, what god-like powers do you wish you had? Hmmm... I think it would be very cool to be either Poseidon (God of the Sea) or Athena (God of Wisdom and something else, strategy or battle or something...). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this review! Overall, 5/5 stars! :)

Joining a Fandom...

Hey everyone!
Guess what book I'm reading? .... I'm reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief! For those who have read my BBB post, I did not buy this. My mom got this for my brother a while ago, which he never read, and then recently I remembered we have it and decided to start it. So far, I really enjoy it. I will probably be doing a review soon! :) A better post will be coming soon, I have been very busy this past week! I am actually leaving for the doctor's in a little bit! Just wanted to update you all! Oh, and I haven't been able to right much. That is why there is a very big delay on Chapter 4. -Kait