I think it's fairly apparent that I am an avid reader. Give me nearly any fiction book and I can have it read in about a week (if I enjoy it enough). When I want to chill out, I read. When I want to escape, I read. Books are worlds that I understand and can grasp because they're literally spelled out in front of me. When my life gets crazy, I sink into someone else's life through the pages of a book.
So here are my thoughts on books that are on my mind, some that I've read and some that I need to read.
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. The final installment of the Eragon books came out in November, but a few weeks before finals. Topping off at 849 pages, I knew I wouldn't be able to read it and stay on top of my school, so I waited until I was home for break to get into in. And I'm so glad that I waited. After a slow 200 pages, the book finally picked up some momentum and had me flying through the pages. The end was good and everything tied off nicely. There were some great twists that I definitely didn't see coming and was left reeling from. Honestly, a few more people could have died and it would've been good. To sound sinister, I almost like when major characters die because it makes it seem more real. For example, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fred died. Though it was absolutely devastating and I cried my eyes out, it was right that such a main character was killed. You can't obliterate the enemy without taking some casualties of your own. But overall, I thought the book was a really good ending. Paolini definitely still ripped stuff from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and some Harry Potter, but it was an enjoyable read and well crafted. I give it a solid A.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Lewis is starting to push his way up to the top of my favorite authors list. I'm still in the process of reading TSL but from what I've read so far, I'm pumped to dig further into this book. It's intriguing, darkly so, and completely hooking. And after I finish TSL, I will have just begun my C.S. Lewis collection. Until We Have Faces and Mere Christianity are next on the list.
The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. The last book of the Kane trilogy is debuting in May. Riordan, made famous by his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, has set forth another series, this time about Egyptian mythology. The past two books in the Kane trilogy have been great, of course. However, I still prefer Percy Jackson to the sibling duo of Carter and Sadie Kane. Egyptian mythology is much different than Greek and Roman mythology and, though Riordan does a good job of explaining what the ancient Egyptians believed, it just isn't as good as his previous series about Greek mythology. To be clear, I've highly enjoyed the Kane Chronicles and he made a great story and I'm excited to see how it all ends. Will Carter and Sadie wake up the sun god? Will their godly friend come out of his deep trance to save the day? Or will the serpent god end up destroying the world as we know it?
The Heroes of Olympus: Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. Yes, another Riordan original. I know I've talked about this series before, but in case you know nothing about it, here's a short synopsis: Greek and Roman mythology is a lot alike, but also very different. They share the same gods but with different names (Poseidon=Neptune). We all know that these gods liked to have mortal children, so there are Roman god children and Greek god children. These two groups have a bloody past but in this series, they have to come together to defeat the greater evil who is threatening to overthrow the gods. I'm SO excited for the next book to come out because, from the sounds of things, everything is going to hinge on one of my favorite characters, Annabeth, a daughter of Athena. October, please get here soon!
Nevermore by James Patterson. The last of the Maximum Ride series comes out in August of this year. After intense character drama, growing experiences, death-defying trials, and an imminent force who threatens to take control of the minds of kids and teenagers across the world, it's up to the Flock to stop the evil that is brewing across the world. Max has to get over her anger towards the two main boys in her life, find the kid in her flock who is constantly being kidnapped (seriously, she's like the bird-kid version of Daphne), and save the world. All with keeping those she holds close to her heart safe. In this epic finale, I know I will cry. But I also know that Max will pull out the win. She always does. But she's got to swallow that massive pride to do it. And, for all you Maximum Ride fans out there, here's my prediction: Max and Fang will, of course, end up together. Dylan will still get what he wants...just not in the way he expects (wink wink, MARA, wink wink).
Reader, I'll keep you posted.
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