From the shelf: The Son of Neptune

Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Greek/Roman Mythology
Date read: February 10-11, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth 

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams. 

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart. 

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophecy of Seven.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, 

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

Finally after wondering where the hell Percy is after the events of "The Lost Hero" and after knowing that Hera/Juno took the greatest risk to plan "the exchange of leaders", I could finally see Percy's side of the story. Apparently, his events weren't parallel to Jason's quest. He was hibernating and was awoken only on the timeline of Camp Half-blood building Argo II. Like Jason, he lost his memories and had to build on Camp Jupiter's trust. There was just one person who wasn't in favor in all of this and it's Octavian, though he is the least of their worries. Like Jason he had two new friends in Frank and Hazel, 2 demigods with a dark past (don't worry I won't spoil). So with no memories of his former life and just one name -- Annabeth, Percy needs to rebuild his life and find out about the Roman camp all by himself. Much more than the first book, call me biased or whatnot, but this book was better. Maybe because of the familiar face amidst the new characters being introduced or maybe I was more biased and leaning towards Percy (given me reading the first five books prior to this) but this book did build up the hype. As usual, Rick Riordan didn't fail. The story was full of adventure and wit that I couldn't even put the book down. Now, I'm really anticipating the third book where Percy, Hazel and Frank finally meets Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper...that would be fun! Oh, and I love the part where Percy wanted to wring Nico's neck for pretending not to know him earlier..not to mention the Death god Thanatos having an iPad to check for recent deaths and skyping with Hades....that made me laugh.

The Son of Neptune prophecy:

"To the north, beyond the gods;

lies the legion's crown.

Falling from the ice,

the son of Neptune shall drown."

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Lost Hero

Title: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Greek/Roman Mythology
Date read: February 09-10, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Jason has a problem. He doesn't remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper. His best friend is a kid named Leo, and they're all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for "bad kids", as Leo puts it. What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he's in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn't recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on? 

Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What's troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper's gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

After enjoying the first season so much, I decided to move on to the new season in the Percy Jackson saga. This series not only focuses on one hero but to others as well. The first prophecy of Rachel Elizabeth Dare as an Oracle at The Last Olympian will be manifested in this series:

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, 

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

It's not that I haven't read this book yet but I had to re-read it so that I could go forward to Son of Neptune and Mark of Athena. Introducing new characters for the second season of the series: Jason, Piper and Leo. For some reason it reminded me of a time where Percy, Annabeth and Grover had their adventures. I loved Leo's sarcasm as he was the humour-maker of the group. Secrets unfold as Jason's past is revealed; finally they are aware that there are important things that they don't know. Of course, Percy was also mentioned in this book about how he mysteriously disappeared. To be honest, I loved the first series because of the amazing adventures and the incredible valor of the characters; and obviously the second saga did the same; if not, much much more. With new characters, complex personalities and much more evils to destroy, this book is fast-paced, full of wit and truly a page turner. I would've given it 5 stars but I always had this habit of coping up on the first book of any series because for me the first book is the most important to get me hooked into a series and fortunately it did well.

The Lost Hero prophecy:

"Child of Lightning, beware the earth;

The giant's revenge, the seven shall birth.

The forge and the dove shall break the cage,

And death unleash through Hera's rage."

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Losing it

Title: Losing it
Author: Cora Carmack
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: January 08, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Another YA novel has tugged at my interest. The earlier chapters of this book seems shallow and the synopsis even gave me that 'what the heck' moment especially that female protagonist's "so-called" problem at hand. What made me stay and continue to read the book is the first night Garrick and Bliss met. Not to mention the fact that he was her professor (another tug of familiarity at a well-loved book). All in all, I pretty much liked it since their relationship progressed with fine taste and of course because nobody knew except her closest friends. I disliked Kelsey at first but she kind of grew into me especially when she was rooting for Garrick and Bliss' relationship. My heart broke a bit for Cade, he wasn't just the best friend but he was also in love with her. They fought when he thought she strung her along but I'm glad that he didn't become that unwanted antagonist. I loved the ending especially the part that both of them are in Philly staging a play of Pride and Prejudice (a book I love so much) and also the fact that it would be happy ever after for the both of them.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Life, Chick-Lit
Date read: January 08, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

At first I was debating whether to read or to ignore this book but the title left me curious. It looked like a case study for a major project. Hadley, the protagonist was dreading to travel to another part of the world just to attend her dad's wedding to a woman she never met. Naturally she would feel hesitation and anger towards someone who she thought broke her family apart. What made me interested at the story is the line of how 4 minutes can change one's life. At the airport she meets Oliver an interesting man which coincidentally has the same flight as her. The story comes in flashbacks of Hadley's happy past which coincides to what she was feeling at that moment. At the earlier parts of the book I was even predicting that Oliver is someone that is coincidentally a part of her dad's wedding but boy I was wrong. I thought that the story was that shallow but as I read further the story got deep. I even got misty eyed at some moments which shocked me especially the part where Hadley and her dad are confronting the elephants between them, suddenly there came my tears. A lot happened  during those twenty-four hours and it shook them for it was life-changing. For me, something as the littlest gesture that could change one's life is more important than something that is hidden and unsaid for years. I think this was one of the lessons being shown between Hadley's wedding in contrast to Oliver's issues (I won't spoil). Life's instances sometimes not only change one's perspective of it but the future altogether and that's why I truly believe that things happen for a reason not because of a mere coincidence.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Pleasures of Winter

Title: The Pleasures of Winter
Author: Evie Hunter
Genre: New Contemporary, Adult fiction
Date read: January 07-08, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★ (2/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

When reporter Abbie Marshall needs to escape Honduras, a private jet carrying a Hollywood A-lister is her only way out. She has a ride home with Irish actor Jack Winter - notorious womanizer and all round bad boy. Abbie is shaken to the core by Winter's blazing beauty and provocative mind.

After the plane's nose-dive into the remote rainforest forces them to fight for survival, Abbie catches tantalizing glimpses of the complicated man behind the image. And the more she sees of him, the more he touches some primal part of her that she is determined to suppress. But after a devastating encounter with Winter's shadow side, Abbie's detachment is shattered.

On returning to normal life, Abbie cannot forget what happened, nor ignore the shocking rumours about the star's private life. Her struggle to make sense of her torment leads straight back to Winter, who is just as obsessed by her. But if they are to have a relationship, Abbie knows she must embrace his hidden desires ... and accept her own.

No longer caring about anything but their intoxicating love affair, Abbie is drawn deeper into the dark heart of Winter - and the secret that threatens to destroy everything ...

 My Review: (also in goodreads)

So this would be my first book of 2013. I was partly curious about the book and was drawn with the spunky, intelligent and independent heroine. In fact, the first part looked like an action movie especially the time in the jungle where the characters had to do everything to survive. I saw at the summary that this book hinted of a BDSM-y theme and I wondered how it would be introduced with the fuss on the survival in the jungle bit. Then there came the cave scene plus the fact that they are now returning to their old lives. There are a lot of coincidences and everything was going round in a small community where one is unaware that they are all connected, though I sort of found out while reading. I hated the fact that the sister is manipulative and that the heroine though she seems intelligent and capable of independence is somewhat dimwitted and capable of submission, see the contrast? At first I started to pity Abbie. All of it seems like a weird joke, here she was pouring her heart and soul to a stranger who knew who she was. That was a sick joke. Overall, this particular book of the same genre had the same ingredients. Boy had dark past and dom tendencies, girl has a strong conviction but then submits add the bestfriend, the family issues, the separation and a little bit of dark side and we are good to go. I don't know if this is the first book of a series but the ending was quite abrupt and that some issues weren't addressed.

There were some funny moments though:

• Paloma calling Jack about a particular potential submissive.
• I LOL-ed at the first conversation of Wild Orchid and Disciplinarian online especially the 'let's call him Kevin' part and that Jack was definitely fishing for information on how Abbie felt about him
• and Abbie switching Jack and Kevin's names while chatting with D is hilarious

Till the next read...