Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles. I hadn't planned on reading it so soon after reading the first one (I am now trying to switch up genres when I read so I don't get in a rut. Besides, with school starting in two weeks, I'll be reading plenty of YA books during our school's daily SSR time - yes, I get paid to read a book of my choice for 20 minutes a day! It's a bit of heaven I must say.) But, it was on the shelf, and nothing else looked good at the time.

My review is pretty similar to The Red Pyramid. As with the Percy Jackson series, more about Sadie and Carter's past and family history gets revealed. Their ultimate goal/mission is also made clearer, but I'm also guessing that the full plan has  not been disclosed to us yet. There's also a few twists and turns woven into the plot that you didn't necessarily see coming, which is part of the reason Riordan's books are compelling; he makes sure to keep you on your toes.

I'm glad I read this, and I'll be picking up the third one when it comes out next spring.

Counted high enough?

A few years ago, I started reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. All of these books have a number in them (One for the Money, Sizzlin' Sixteen, etc.). She's up to No. 17 now (Smokin' Seventeen), and all I can say is meh.

Honestly, these books have been kinda meh for a while now. They're very formulaic, and the hilarity that used to keep me entertained for a few hours has diminished greatly. I read these for pure entertainment value and for a brain break (and after Game of Thrones, that was desperately needed).

I'm beginning to wonder if they're worth it anymore. Number 18 comes out in 6 months instead of a year, so I'm wondering if she's wrapping it up. I think it may be time for Lulu (the fat lady of the series) to sing.

Epically fantastic

I know the title sounds like something out of Bill and Ted's, but it is very fitting for this book.

I just finished George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, Book One in the Fire and Ice series. It's long; it's intimidating; it's dense; but it's all worth it.

I read it on my Kindle so I didn't have to deal with the insanely huge tome. The other thing I did to make it easier was watch the HBO series as I read it. There's a lot of characters in this book, and each chapter follows one of them (all of the book is done in 3rd person, though). And, not all of the characters are the focus of the chapters, so you have ancillary ones in each chapter that still play a large role in the story. It's a lot to keep track of. Watching the series gave me a mental picture of each of the characters, which was very helpful for me.

A sidenote on the TV series - it's also fantastic. They follow the book very closely. I recognized quite a few direct quotes from the book while watching it. It's a must see.

Ok, back to the book.

A lot of the characters are a little crazy and definitely power hungry. But many of them are still intriguing. Chances are you'll either hate them or like them. But you won't be ambivalent toward any of them.

So, pick it up. Block out some time because chances are, it will quickly suck you in.