A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

This is the third book in the Wicked series. I LOVED Wicked, and while the story in Son of a Witch was intriguing, I thought the ending left something to be desired. I have to admit that I wasn't that thrilled when I saw the third book in the series was going to be about The Cowardly Lion. I hadn't really found him to be a compelling character - especially not enough to do an entire book on him. Now, discussing the Scarecrow's rise to power - that might have been interesting.

Sadly, I was right. This book was kinda dull and boring. It wasn't compelling and barely kept my interest. I flew through it, but I think it was more because I just wanted to be done.

However, that isn't going to stop me from reading the fourth and final book in the series, which comes out this fall. I'm hoping it regains some heat.

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.