Review: Antigoddess

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know what to think of this... I only like maybe half the characters but the concept is so good and weird I can't put it down and not read it. I was a little upset by Apollo's death tho. Not exactly sorry as I didn't like him or Cassandra that much but the way it happened. It was absurd and anti-climatic for me, much like Hera's defeat. I was thinking epic and then got some half-assed fight gladiator style between Athena and Hera while everyone else stood back to watch. If Cassandra's sudden powers were supposed to impress me...meh. Did I mention I didn't like her? Yeah. Apollo and her were definitely a good match.

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Review: Grigori Returned

Grigori Returned by Becca C. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Like a drug. Seriously compelling and addictive. But not that good either. I'm confused and anxious to read more. Damn.

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Review: Atlas

Atlas by Becca C. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Surprisingly satisfactory. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this and after a couple minutes, I wasn't exactly impressed but couldn't put it down either. The writing is...not exactly my style and the main character, Kala, was a bit of a letdown. I simply couldn't understand her mood swings. Tough military woman one moment. Emotionally damaged orphan the next. Even manipulative sex kitten when Asmodeus was around. It got old pretty fast. The concept was good though. Greek mythology is always welcome. I had some mixed feelings about the angels and demons but it mixed well and I ended up enjoying it.

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Review: Reap the Wind

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. I have never been in such a long and horrible reading funk as the last few months. I mean it. I've read stuff but I'm not getting much out of it as I usually do. Reading for me is like breathing and thankfully not as important physically speaking or I'd be dead by now. That bad. But if there was a book worth getting through this funk, it was this one. Karen Chance did not disappoint. Amazingly enough I have no desire to read the Dorina Basarab series because, while most everyone is oh so enchanted with her father, I am indeed not. Initially I loved Mircea but now it's just mostly some contempt mingled with exasperation and so, no Dorina for me. I can live with it. Having to wait a year 'till the next book may not be so easy. I honestly thought Cassie was going to save Pritkin this time and the suspense is slowly killing me. I can feel it. The lack of any serious advance concerning the war is also concerning me. I loved the action. I always do. And, of course I liked seeing John all carefree and happy. But the war is coming and Cassie is not making any progress because her supposed allies keep f*cking interfering like she's some damn child needing guidance and maybe she even does. But what she mostly needs is someone having her back. She needs Pritkin. Surly Pritkin. And she needs to grow a f*cking backbone and send Mircea packing because he treats her like property. Jonas was almost as bad this time tho. Anyway, apart from all that, I loved it. How could I possibly not? But, hum, could you maybe give us a bigger book next time? 'Cause I read this way too fast.

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Review: The House of Hades

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. This book was intense. I simply couldn't stop reading it once I started. I don't even remember if I ate or not. That good. The ending however was a little heartbreaking. I liked Bob and Damases a lot and their deaths kind of depressed me. Annabeth seemed better tho. This time in Tartarus with Percy seemed to have given her a clearer vision of her future and set her priorities straight. I liked it. Percy was awesome as usual. Hazel, Frank and Leo finally grew up. That weird not-so-much-of-a-love-triangle was really annoying and distracting and I'm happy it's finally over. Piper still seems the less comfortable with who she is but she did evolve a little in this book. Jason, much like Percy, was his usual self. Maybe I don't notice much of an evolution with either of them because they were the most developed right from the start. Either way I like them and I'm rooting for them like crazy. Nicely done.

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Review: Loki's Wolves

Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I grabbed this because I'm in between books by Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus) and I wanted something similar to make a little pause without actually breaking my stride. A little weird, I know, but it works for me. Either way, this book was not what I expected. After reading Rick Riordan, it's pretty much impossible not to make a comparison. While his stories seem to perfectly combine modern days and mythology and can pretty much be read by anyone, young and old, this is not the case with Loki's Wolves. The main characters are childish and naive. In fact, the whole book suffers from this. The whole "protect the girl" thing didn't help matters. Unfortunately not much else can be said for these characters either because I don't know them that well. They were all underdeveloped. In two days, I'm sure I won't even remember them and that's just...sad. They simply didn't make much of an impression.

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Review: The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Percy, always have, but Annabeth is a whole different story. I thought she was slightly annoying before but now...wow. Those two or three chapters in her head? I could've died of boredom. I was constantly skipping parts just to move it along faster. I think I actually like the Coach more than her. Seriously. I was not impressed. The rest of it though was great. They all make a good team. Just don't make me listen to Annabeth any more than strictly necessary and I'm good. I'm also over Piper's and Leo's insecurities. It's repetitive and tiresome. It's about time they grow up and realize their own worth. Hazel, I like her solid presence. She's a good friend and seems to keep a cool head easier than the others. Frank is a whiner. Mostly annoying but his fights with Leo really raised my spirits so I can't really complain either. Overall, they're teenagers. I'm not. So I'm guessing my state of annoyance with them is completely normal.

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Review: The Sword of Summer

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Firstly, I gotta say I love Loki. Not this particular version of him, there are better ones out there, but it's easy not to think of him as 100% evil and actually understand his reasons for being the "bad guy". Secondly, while I like the modern version of Thor (Chris Hemsworth is awesome!), he was never one of my favorite Norse gods either. Neither was Odin for that matter. Their idea of a fitting punishment always made me look at them as more bad than good. So, this world of Norse mythology by Rick Riordan both filled me with hope and dread. Hope that I'd love it like I've pretty much loved everything else he's written. Dread because he's stayed pretty faithful to the old myths throughout his stories and these are not favorable to Loki. So I was right on both accounts. These are not favorable to Loki. There was some confusion at the start about him actually being the bad guy but that's pretty much confirmed by the end of this book. And I still liked it. I'm not in love but I enjoyed it enough I guess. I still want to know how it ends. I still want to follow the story. And I still hope I'll end up loving it more than I do now. Good but not great. Not for me anyway.

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Review: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Percy Jackson. And Frank. And Hazel. And Tyson. And...I think you get the point, right? Was this book smaller than the first or I just liked it so much I didn't even feel the time pass? Not that I care, I just want to get my hands on the next book and read it in one sitting. Seriously. I don't even need water or food. Just gimme.

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Review: The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So very good. If I'd known my favorite characters were present in this book I would've grabbed this a long time go. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Jason, Leo and Piper, but Annabeth and Percy are always welcome to show up. I missed them. Anyway, I was totally entranced by this story and can barely wait for the next book. Jason seems a little more focused and intense than Percy ever was and I like the difference. Sets a whole different feel to the story. More adult. More driven. Also much more violence and bigger stakes. I loved it. Piper is pretty cool too and Leo was a total surprise. His thinking and ingeniousness is really something. Great ending.

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