Friday 31 October 2014

Das Schiff aus Stein (Die Akademie der Abenteuer #3) by Boris Pfeiffer

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Eine spannende Entführungsgeschichte bei den Phöniziern hält Rufus, Fili und No in Band 3 der Reihe Die Akademie der Abenteuer in Atem.
Nachdem die drei Freunde ihre letzte historische Flut überstanden haben, sehnen sie sich eigentlich nach einer Pause. Aber diese währt nicht lange ... Bald finden sich die drei in der Zeit der Phönizier wieder und erleben, wie der Sohn eines berühmten Glasmachers von griechischen Piraten verschleppt wird. Er scheint ein besonderes Geheimnis zu hüten ... Doch auch in der Gegenwart geht es turbulent zu: Der Kopf der Nike, den Rufus dem Fluthändler James McPherson anvertraut hatte, ist verschwunden. Hat da womöglich seine Mutter die Finger im Spiel?





My Review
Overall, I think that I this book was really good. The historical part of this book was always interesting for me because, as I already mentioned, history appeals to me. This author also manages to write in such a style, that the story becomes really good because he managed to create lovable characters, who had an amazing adventure throughout the book. With the adventure and interesting characters, this book is also able to teach us a bit about history because there are some real facts strewn throughout the book.
The only thing didn't like while reading this book was in fact a character. I really disliked a couple of characters and one of them is of course Coralia. She is really annoying but I think that is the point, since Coralia is supposed to be the antagonist of the story.
I always kept on thinking, that it would be really cool to travel back in time like the people do in this book, or if they have a real academy like in the book, because that would be really fun.
Otherwise I have nothing to complain about and I can give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Thursday 30 October 2014

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli

                                                        Book Blurb (from goodreads) 
21049033Jake and Lily are twins. Even though they seem pretty different—Jake is the calm one and Lily has a temper; Lily is obsessed with trains and Jake collects cool rocks—they feel exactly the same, almost like two halves of one person. When
one of them gets hurt, the other can feel it. They can communicate without words. And mysteriously, every year on their birthday, they sleepwalk to a train station in the middle of the night.

But the year they turn eleven, everything changes. Their parents announce it’s time for separate bedrooms, and Jake starts hanging out with a pack of boys on the block. Lily is devastated—not to mention really, really mad. And as she struggles to make friends and get a life apart from her twin, Jake finds himself dealing with a neighborhood bully and has to decide what kind of person he really
is.

Beloved author Jerry Spinelli has written another perfectly on-target, humorous, and brilliant story about the struggles of growing up and discovering who you are.

My Review: 
I have never read a book that involved twins before which made this an extra interesting book. Although that is not the reason that I read this book, I noticed straight away that Jerry Spinelli also wrote Stargirl which was the book we had to read in 6th grade. I did not enjoy Stargirl, so I was interested in what else he could do. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. 
The plot of this book defiantly plays around with the theory of twins having some kind of extraordinary why of communicating. I would love to have a twin if that was how it works. Jake and Lily is a book about finding out how you really are and when it is time to stray from the familiar. I have not came across many books- or should I say good books- that use this plot line. There were moments where you can defiantly relate to strongly. The fact the Jake and Lily stray from each other and then find each other again along with finding themselves was really touching. 
The characters in this book where easy to relate too. Lily was the easiest to relate to for me. She was funny, made friends without even knowing she was doing it and always said what was on her mind. She didn't care what other people thought of her. She was always just herself. Jake always seemed to find himself in the middle of two people. It was interesting to see how he dealt with it and learned from his mistakes. It created so much character development for the both of them. Poppy (the uncle) was the person that Lily could count on for good (but not always useful) advice. The thing that I liked most about Poppy's character is that his advice does apply to all of us. One day we might wake up to see that the world is one day ahead of us, we shouldn't worry. You should got help, maybe get mad, you need to turn to someone, because at the end of the day it is not about life finding you its you finding it. You need to put your trust in the fact that eventually everything is going to be okay and even if you turn your back on something or someone it doesn't mean that they or it has gone away. 
In my opinion EVERY teenager needs to read this book. 
I give it 5 out of 5 stars: 


Monday 27 October 2014

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

18190302Book Blurb (from goodreads)
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek god.

I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive.

This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.








My Review: 
First of all I would like to say: Yes shame on me for not reading Percy Jackson until now. Seriously I feel like everyone in the world has read this series apart from me, I really have to pull my socks up and hop on this train!
I can tell why everyone has read this book. It is one of those books which is just so easy to get through which is what most non-readers need to have. 
Percy's point of view is really refreshing and funny. I swear not a page went by when I had not laughed at, at least one sentence. 
I have read many books that play around with Greek myths and gods which is why I put of reading this series. In my mind I thought: How different can this be than the other ones that I have read. My answer was very different. Whilst my knowledge of Greek myths and legends is quite broad so I was able to predict things correctly it did not make the book any less exciting. At first I thought why isn't anything happening! Then I remembered that at least 6 fights had already happened. I think that the reason why I was not really picking up some fights in my mind was because the book was so fast paced so my adrenaline was constantly on a high. Because of my crazy adrenaline levels fights felt like a normal thing happening in this book. Does that make sense? I hope that it does. This is not a bad thing if done correctly, and in my opinion Rick Riordan did it fairly well.
The characters in this book where funny and relatable, in terms of how they reacted in different situations but not all situations for example I would not take on a god, this girl does NOT have a death wish. 
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars: 

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
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.


My Review
This was a good book to end this epic series with. I have loved it with every page and I am sad to see it gone and done with. I really liked all of the characters and their comebacks and snarky remarks were hilarious. But this book also has a serious note because now everything is boiling down to the final showdown between Percy and Kronos, Lord of Time. After reading all five books, you also get to know the characters really well and you like them or hate them accordingly. I think that after everything, Hermes was my favourite Greek god, because he is just awesome. I don't have anything bad to say about this book, because I enjoyed every single second of reading it. I really recommend this series to anyone who enjoys adventure, mythological and magical stories.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!


Ironhand (Stoneheart #2) by Charlie Fletcher

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
George makes a promise to Edie that anything and anyone trying to get her will have to get past him first. But George is unaware that high on the rooftops an unseen gargoyle is watching them hungrily. The thing on the roof knows that nothing is over, nothing is finished.









 

My Review
I think that this book was as good as the first one. I really liked how there was action on every page and it all happened in a matter of a couple of days. In addition, I found it interesting that the story is taking place in London and all the statues and places mentioned are from the real London. The books even have maps at the front to help us find our way through London when we read the story. In this book, the story was told in different perspectives most of the time when the characters would get split up so that we can find out what happens to each of them.
I am sorry to say, that Edie's perspective was probably the most boring one and I wanted to get her parts over quickly because even though a lot happened, I just didn't like her part of the story much. I preferred the Gunner's or George's perspective. Otherwise I didn't find anything to complain about in this book and I am able to give it 5 out of 5 stars!


Sunday 26 October 2014

Endgame: The Calling (Endgame #1) James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

20510241Book Blurb (from Goodreads)
Twelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played. A game that would determine our future.
This is Endgame.
For ten thousand years the lines have existed in secret. The 12 original lines of humanity. Each had to have a Player prepared at all times. They have trained generation after generation after generation. In weapons, languages, history, tactics, disguise assassination. Together the players are everything: strong, kind, ruthless, loyal, smart, stupid, ugly, lustful, mean, fickle, beautiful, calculating, lazy, exuberant, weak. They are good and evil. Like you. Like all.
This is Endgame.
When the game starts, the players will have to find three keys. The keys are somewhere on earth. The only rule of their Endgame is that there are no rules. Whoever finds the keys first wins the game. Endgame: The Calling is about the hunt for the first key.


My review: 
Endgame is so beautifully confusing and original. It was the cover that got me interested because it is not everyday you see a book that is gold and shiny, and it was the plot that got me hooked. The plot was so original and played out beautifully. The whole book was told in so many perspectives that it was hard to remember at times who was who and where they were going. Luckily at the top of each age it did tell us all of that information. However I do think that it was told from too many different perspectives and I felt like because of this I did not get to know the characters as well as I would of liked to have known them. When one of them died I felt nothing. I think that the main character was suppose to be Sasha because there was something about her that made her seem main-charactery.... well you know what I mean. We saw more of her story and got more background from her. 
Each character in this book had unique pasts. One was beaten as a child, one is mute, one was more or less normal until endgame and two were raised to be a little bit too trigger happy *cough* Maccabee Adlai and Baitsakhan *cough*.  Out of all the players I feel like Sasha was the easiest to relate too. 
Anyone and everyone should read this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves reading. 
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars: 

Saturday 25 October 2014

Die Stunde des Raben (Die Akademie der Abenteuer #2) by Boris Pfeiffer

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Rufus ist frustriert. Schon eine ganze Weile forscht er in der Akademie des leibhaftigen Studiums vergangener Zeiten vergeblich an seinem neuen Fragment, ohne auch nur einen Schritt weiterzukommen. Ob dieser seltsame Traum etwas damit zu tun hat? Zwei Mädchen in historischen Gewändern mit blau bemalten Gesichtern begegnen ihm neuerdings im Schlaf und auch No macht plötzlich eine Entdeckung! Ein weiteres spannendes Abenteuer beginnt und führt Rufus, Filine und No in die Welt der Kelten.







My Review
I liked this book as the first book. It is a kind of original idea, and the book was written really well. I really like Fili and No because they kept on bickering and disagreeing but they were still very good friends. I like history and because I know a bit about Boudicca, I found this book intriguing, because it is about Celts. It is a good sequel to the first book.
What I didn't really like, wasn't really the book. It was more some of the antagonists.
Overall I love this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes magic, history and adventure. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!


What book genre do you read?

Hi! I have created a survey on the right side of this blog. It is about your favourite book genre. Please answer it, because if we know what most of you like to read, then we can write more reviews that you guys would like. If I have missed out any major book genre, please leave a comment and tell me which one I missed. Thanks!

Friday 24 October 2014

Stoneheart (Stoneheart Trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
A city has many lives and layers. London has more than most. Not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living.
Twelve-year-old George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way. When, in a tiny act of rebellion, George breaks the head from a stone dragon outside the Natural History Museum, he awakes an ancient power. This power has been dormant for centuries but the results are instant and terrifying: A stone Pterodactyl unpeels from the wall and starts chasing George. He runs for his life but it seems that no one can see what he's running from. No one, except Edie, who is also trapped in this strange world.
And this is just the beginning as the statues of London awake...
This is a story of statues coming to life; of a struggle between those with souls and those without; of how one boy who has been emotionally abandoned manages to find hope.


My Review
I always wanted to read this book ever since I saw it. And I was not disappointed. I really liked the characters, Edie and George, and the Gunner was my favourite character because he was funny, brave and charismatic. In this book, feelings were portrayed really well, you learn to hate the characters which the protagonist hates, and you like the characters which are on your side. on every page of the book, something happened. The action was well paced and the idea was really original. The "rules" of the world of spits and taints were easy to grasp and understand. I was immediately captivated by this book as soon as I read the first page. You wanted to keep on reading because there were so many unanswered questions. Even though a lot of them were answered, I still wanted to know more about Edie's past. I would say that this book is good for people who like fantasy and a healthy dose of adventure.
I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars!


The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey

                                                         Book Blurb (from Goodreads)
How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.




My Review:
Mind boggling. That plot twist at the end was, oh my, HUGE. My head is still spinning from it and I still have not even began to fully understand what has just happened. This big a plot twist deserves and EVEN bigger explanation. 
It was really refreshing to start of the book with Ringers perspective. Unlike most people I was able to remember who she was and identify when she was speaking. I think that Ringer may be my favourite character. 
I loved how Rick Yancey went more in depth in to the characters and we got a better understanding of their actions and how they were thinking. The idea of chess was quite smart because that is exactly what this book is: moves and counter moves. 
Like always Rick Yancey likes to give us small heart attacks because he likes to make us think that a character is going to die and then they live. 
When the action was turned up in this book (which was like half the time) really got turned up. The action and suspense in this book is amazing. It has you squirming, giggling and shouting words of encouragement and a book. 
This is still my favourite science fiction series and I really, really REALLY need the next book. Rick Yancey please write faster.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars:


Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.


My Review
I loved this book. I just don't know what to say. 
Sure, the beginning was slightly dull and boring but then the action increased and you get to learn more about the world they are currently living in. Tris was an amazing character, in some ways I wanted to be exactly like her: brave, ready to take risks. But I thought that I could never be part of the Dauntless community. If I had to choose, I would choose Erudite. Four was a nice character even though he wasn't my favourite character. I think my favourite characters were Will and Christina. I really liked how Veronica Roth described events, it feels like you are the character experiencing that moment.
I must give this book 5 out of 5 stars! 

 

Alice in Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter

                                                          Book Blurb (from Goodreads)
She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave.
Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real.
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.




My Review: 
Alice in zombieland is great fun.  This is my second book with zombies in it which I have read and I personally loved how Gena Showalter described them. This book is defiantly not one for the faint of hear since it can get pretty gory when it comes to describing the zombies so be warned. There is not a dull moment in this book and the pages seem to fly by without any problems. You can easily read this book in 2-3 day (if you have enough time). Alice in zombieland was well written and I loved the small flash backs that Alice had to explain what she was talking about. Through the book it is clear that Gena Showalter is a christian since that was a side of Alice that we got to see (that and it was in the acknowledgments). I liked that Gena did give Alice a religion since it gave us a better idea of what she was thinking. The character relationships in this book where good. I liked Alice's and Cole's relationship and how it developed. It certainly made me laugh out loud. I would recommend this book as a October read because you know, it has zombies and ghosts in it. What better thing to read about near Halloween Am I right? 
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars: 






Wednesday 22 October 2014

Books, Magnificient Books...

Hey! I have been reading some cool books lately and I have been so excited to read these books ever since I saw them.

Don't they look amazing!? I am currently reading the first book "Stone Heart"

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Im back!

Hi!
sorry for my brief absence I am not going to use the good old fashion got caught up in school excuse but instead just say that I got a little lazy with the reviews. Wile I was not posting I did read quite a few books so here is a quick list of them and reviews will be up soon!


  1. The infinite Sea By Rick Yancey 
  2. Graceling By Kristin Cashore 
  3. Messenger of Fear By Michael Grant
  4. Blind By Rachel DeWoskin
  5. Control Lydia Kang
  6. Amy and Rodgers Epic Detour By Morgan Matson 
  7. Hereafter By Tara Hudson 
  8. Alice in Zombie Land By Gena Showalter  
Currently reading: Endgame: The Calling By James Frey

Saturday 18 October 2014

The Archon (The Oracle Prophecies #2) by Catherine Fisher

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
The Archon vows to lead a pilgrimage to the Well of Songs to seek peace with the Rain Queen and save the land from the terrible drought. Argelin follows behind with his heart set on the riches to be found. They must face the Great Desolation and the monstrous animals outlined on the desert floor, animals with mythical powers.











My Review
I found that this book was quite good, I wasn't as confused as in the first book. Again, it had a lot of mythology and mysterious stuff was going on, which was mainly the thing making this book a bit confusing. The actions of the characters are also kind of misty, you are never sure if they actually did something. Otherwise I think that the plot was good, the Jackal is still my favourite character. There was a lot of character building, you find out more about his past, his real name and that he suffers from nightmares about his past and the dead which he robs for jewels and gold. Sadly, Mirany didn't participate in the action as much even though there were some major developments. 
This book was pretty good, even though it didn't capture me as some books do, but I will be looking out for the sequel. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!


Tuesday 7 October 2014

The Oracle (The Oracle Prophecies #1) by Catherine Fisher Review

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
After wowing kids and critics alike in the UK, this smart and suprisingly gritty historical fantasy from award-winning Welsh author and poet Catherine Fisher finally arrives in the US. Fisher grabs readers quickly with a convincingly imagined Greco-Egyptian setting and characters that defy quick classification. Our heroine, Mirany, begins the story as a timid teen serving the High Priestess, the masked Speaker who discerns the wishes of a god through a mysterious island oracle. When the current Archon (the sequestered God-on-Earth) passes a secret note to Mirany just before he's sacrificed, the story throws intrigue onto intrigue with a murder plot, a drunken musician, a conflicted scribe, a slick tomb robber, an offended Rain Goddess, and no shortage of mystic burial rituals and dusty tombs.



My Review
I thought that this book was pretty interesting. When I first picked up this book, I expected it to be about real Egyptians gods and because I like myths I thought that I wanted to read this book.  But it turns out that the god didn't have a name and there was only one god. Otherwise I liked the plot. Everything was explained gradually and the idea was really good. I never really liked Chryse because her personality was always really annoying even though she was nice to Mirany. I think that this is really weird, but my favourite character happens to be the Jackal because he is so composed, witty and he was a tomb-thieve. That is hard core.
I liked everything about this book, besides the fact that I got confused sometimes because I didn't realize that something happened or how it happened. I don't know, maybe it is just me.
But overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!



Thursday 2 October 2014

Sorry for my brief absence. School and sports is becoming a lot to deal with the past couple weeks. I have been having some trouble finishing Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield and have started to read the infinite sea by Rick Yancey as well. This does not mean that I will give up on Afterworlds but I will be reading it at a much slower pace.
- Jessica

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Author Interview

I have successfully send an E-Mail to the author of "Across the Universe" Beth Revis with some interview questions!
I have gotten a reply from her, so you can expect an author interview very soon! I am so excited!