Book Review – The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

Synopsis
He’s b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes’ only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent’s own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

 

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

This was definitely my favorite book from this trilogy. I’m honestly really sad to see this series come to an end. I am so used to Riordan having longer series, like the PJO and HOO series. I was really starting to care for these characters and now it’s over. This book was pretty fast paced and something is always going on, so I was able to finish it quickly. I could feel the suspense and sense of dread building with the final battle approaching. I am happy for the most part with the way the book ended. There were a couple things I wish had been different, but everyone seemed to be happy at the end, so that’s all that matters. My favorite quote from this entire series came from Bast at the end of this book. “Oh, my kittens. If I could, I would pick you up by the scruffs of your necks and carry you forever.” I cried like a baby after I read that line. Bast was one of my favorite characters and I am really going to miss her a lot. I’m not someone who rereads books, but I can see myself going back and reading these books so I can visit with these characters again. All in all, I’m really glad I read these books and am looking forward to moving on and reading the Magnus Chase books.

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Book Review – Ask Me Anything by Molly E Lee

Synopsis
I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kickass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral overnight. Who knew this school was so hard up.

Now the school administration is on a war path to shut me down, and they have Dean—my coding crush—hot on my trail. If he discovers my secret, I could lose his trust forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right.

 

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know anything at all about coding, but this book was still very interesting to me and didn’t go over my head or anything. If anything, it made me more interested in learning about coding. I really liked the idea behind the blog, Ask Me Anything. It was awesome that, if a question was asked that Amber wasn’t sure about, she did her research and then asked her parents questions to confirm what she’d found in her research. Amber really took a lot of time and care into helping her fellow students so that was really nice to see. A lot of different topics were covered in this book that I think were really well written and free of judgement. *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review – The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Synopsis
Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet – the chaos snake Apophis – is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

 

Book Review
4 out of 5 stars

I’m going to keep this review pretty short in order to avoid spoilers for the first book, The Red Pyramid.

I can tell that I don’t really like Egyptian mythology as much as I’ve enjoyed Greek and Roman mythology, but I am still enjoying reading these books and learning more about it. I liked that we got to meet some new characters in this book like Jaz, Walt, and Bes. Bes is probably one of my favorite characters out of all of them.

I was glad to see Sadie and Carter’s relationship develop a little more. I enjoyed seeing them become closer as siblings. All of the talks of Sadie and Carter’s crushes got to be a little much at times, but other than that, this was a great read.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Top 5 Tuesday – Books I Predict Will Be 5 Stars

Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Bionic Book Worm

This week’s topic is: Books I Predict Will Be 5 Stars

1. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher 
I haven’t even read the blurb for this book. Tarryn is one of the authors that I prefer going into her books blind. But I’m already highly anticipating this book. I’ve loved all of her other books so far, so I’m sure this one will be no exception!

2. The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan
I have loved the other books in this series so I’m sure I’m going to love this one as well. I can’t wait until this book releases in September! I know my whole family is going to be fighting over who gets to read it first! 😀

3. The Fire Keeper by JC Cervantes
I’m so glad that I discovered JC Cervantes through the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. I loved the previous book, The Storm Runner, and I’m predicting that The Fire Keeper will be a 5 star read for me as well!

4. Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
I have yet to come across a Nicholas Sparks books that I didn’t give 5 stars to. I have always loved his books and have been a huge fan of his for years. I’m really looking forward to reading this one!

5. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Colleen is another author that I prefer to go into her books blind. She is also an author that I’ve loved every book I’ve read of hers so far, so I’m pretty sure the same will go for this book. I’ve heard amazing things about this book and am excited to read it.

 

What books do you predict will be 5 star reads? I’d love to know and talk about them with you!

 

Review – Mr. Fantasy by Cambria Hebert

Synopsis
Better than your reality…

A Caribbean island.
A rich CEO.
A woman thrown overboard.
A delicious one-night stand.
Want to know what happens next?
Find all the answers and more between the pages
of this sizzling standalone romance—Mr. Fantasy.

 

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book!

Carter and Nora have great chemistry together so it was really easy to root for them as a couple. They were so sweet together. Even though it annoyed Nora to no end, I liked that Carter was so protective over her. I loved Carter’s character. I liked Nora as well, but there were times that she bothered and irritated me a little with her actions.

The side characters in this book were great as well! Valerie is an amazing friend to Nora and I enjoyed getting to know her a little. I love that she is so loud and doesn’t have a filter. She was such a fun character. Knox and Arron were great characters as well and added some humor to the story.

 

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Review – No Exit by Taylor Adams

Synopsis
On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside, are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers.

Desperate to find a signal to call home, Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl is locked in an animal crate.

Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?

There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, and no way out. One of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper. But which one?

Trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation, with a child’s life and her own on the line, Darby must find a way to break the girl out of the van and escape.

But who can she trust?

 

My Review
2 out of 5 stars

I’ve seen people talking about this book all over the place, so I wanted to give it a try and see what all the hype was about. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

There are a couple things I enjoyed about the book. The first plot twist took me completely by surprise and gave me chills. I was shocked. I love when a book is able to make me feel like that and catch me off guard. I also liked how determined and tough Darby was. She didn’t ever give up and fought for Jay until the end.

The book started out pretty good, but unfortunately, I just ended up not enjoying it by the time I got to the ending. There were so many plot holes in this book, it was hard to keep track of them all. Every time I would notice one, it would distract me and take me away from the book. The events in this book started to become really unbelievable after a while. The situation with the state trooper didn’t make any sense at all. Honestly, the ending didn’t make any sense either, which I think is what annoyed me the most.

Review – Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas

Synopsis
When the Bat’s away, the Cat will play. It’s time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

 

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

I was a little hesitant about going into this book for a couple reasons. I know absolutely nothing about Catwoman and I’m admittedly not much of a fan of the author’s other books. However… I freaking LOVED this book! I’m so glad I decided to take a chance on it. One of the things that I’ve liked most about this DC Icons series is that you don’t really need to know much about the characters to read and enjoy these books. I enjoyed getting to know Catwoman/Selina Kyle through this book. Batman is the only DC character I’m familiar with so I was able to recognize some of the secondary characters in this book through the Batman franchise. Selina is tough and badass as all get out. As tough as she is though, I liked that she had a softer, more human side to herself as well. Her love for her sister and the sacrifices she made for her warmed my heart. I liked seeing her friendship develop with Ivy and Harley, but especially Ivy. Ivy ended up being one of my favorite characters from this book, other than Selina. I don’t think Selina necessarily needed a love interest, but I thought the pairing of her and Luke worked pretty well.