Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: October 6th 2009
Pages: 448
Genre: Young Adult Steampunk
Series: Leviathan #1
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Review:

I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t thrilled about reading this book, the synopsis just didn’t grab me, but the hype was there and my husband wanted me to read it, and it was a group read, so…. I decided to read it. I was not disappointed in fact I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The story is based around the brewing of WWI and mixes some history, some myth, and steampunk all into one story about a girl and boy as their worlds collide.

I really like both the main characters, Deryn is smart, brave, and determined not to let the fact that she is a girl keep her from her dream of becoming an airman. Of course as hard as she tries to stay under the radar she still manages to find trouble and of course a boy. Alek is a prince who just lost his parents and on the run hiding from enemies that want to kill him. He is not about to let his world and his country to be taken over. He just doesn’t know how to save either one. Devyn and Alek meet in desperate situations and learn to work together even though they are on the opposite sides of their belief systems.

This book mainly concentrates on the relationship of trust and friendship building between the two main characters as they learn they need each other to help them reach their goals. I did feel the book was a little slow but the writing was wonderful (Of course it’s Scott Westerfeld) and the characters were very likable. I did not get much of the story and was a little confused but I hope to see it go further into the story in the next installment. WWI buffs will get a little more out of the book as I understand the timeline and some of the story follows along well with history. I was pleasantly surprised and will continue the story.

Rating:

Review: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Title: Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Publishing Date: April 1st 2006
Pages: 279
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson #2
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any normal friends. But things don't stay quiet for long.

Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia. Only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name: The Bermuda Triangle.

Together with his friends, Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family, one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Review:

Rick Riordan did it again. I enjoyed the 2nd installment just as much as the 1st. The humor, the story, the action and suspense, it’s all still there.

In the second story of Percy Jackson we start off with Percy having some very strange dreams. What is so strange about these dreams you ask? Well Grover is shopping for a wedding dress, that kind of strange. From the beginning I was laughing out loud with the craziness that Grover and Percy seem to get themselves into. This book had a story within the story. The book didn’t really get into the main storyline to much but did explain some major key parts about Tyson, Percy, and little more about Grover’s race. This book was a lot of fun and I will be reading the next one as soon as I can fit into my ever growing TBR pile.

Rating:

Review: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Title: Dark Inside

Author:  Jeyn Roberts

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publishing Date: November 1^st 2011

Pages: 329

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian, Post Apacolyptic

Series: Dark Inside #1

Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason’s mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

Review:

I really enjoyed this book.  It’s another dystopian and another post apocalyptic but still different then what is out there. 

The story starts off flashing between multiple key characters, Mason, Aries, Clementine, Michael,  as they try and survive the events all around them.  The characters end up intertwining at different times of the book.  All the characters are strong, determined, and find  it within themselves to keep fighting as their world crashes. They watch as love become violent and strangers are crazier than normal. It is a fight to survive, but for what? 

The story drew me in from the beginning and quickly became a page turner for me. The author did a great job in conveying all the emotions of these characters. The fear, confusion, and hope felt real as I read their stories. I felt myself quietly encouraging the characters to keep moving, don’t lose hope, stay away from that door, and keep away from all strangers. The only downside of this book for me was the end. There wasn’t a conclusion and I still don’t know why everyone is going crazy…. But I found out, there is hope, another book is on the way, which I will pick up as soon as it comes out.

Rating:  

Waiting on Wednesday #13 Smart Girls Get What They Want

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on 

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer 

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they’re missing out on the full high school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it. 

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but always stayed behind the scenes—until now.

These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for....

Teaser Tuesday #8

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Bloggers choose two sentences out our current read to peak others' curiosity.

 Everything around me was noise and light and confusion. The discordant screams of the sirens, like cries from a jungle where the animals have all gone insane. The white glare of the headlights stampeding toward me. 

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

"It's like she's leaving us twice," he remarked. 

"What are you talking about, Pop?"

"I'm seein' double, remember? There she goes- and there she goes again."

Chomp by Carl Hiassen

The truth, the comfort that I felt more strongly than my thirst or hunger or pain, was that they were forever as much a part of us and our world as we were a part of theirs. We shared balance and beauty, the soft breath of spring and the harsh cold of winter. 

Spirit's Princess by Esther M. Friesner

What's your teaser for today?