Audiobook Review - The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, Book 3) by Rick Riordan (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1423140573
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd (and final) book in the Kane Chronicles series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third, and final, book in the Kane Chronicles. It was a good conclusion to this series. Although this series is well done and I enjoy it, I still don’t like it as much as Percy and the Olympians.

I listened to this on audiobook which is something I don’t recommend. Although they have two voice actors (one who reads Sade’s part and one who reads Carter’s) the girl who reads Sade’s voice is very shrill. At points her voice actually distorted on the speakers in my car because she was just so shrill....so stick to reading this one in printed format if you can.

Sade and Carter need to destroy the snake of chaos, Apophis once and for all. Unfortunately for them the magicians are on the brink of civil war; those who follow the way of the gods (Sade, Carter and crew) versus the magicians from the House of Life who believe the power of the Gods shouldn’t be wielded by humans. Sade and Carter are forced to rely on the ghost of an evil magician to help guide them to a way to destroy Apophis for good.

If you liked the previous books in this series I think you will enjoy this book as well. The plot has a lot of twists and turns as the Kanes try to find some way to destroy Apophis once and for all. The path to destroying Apophis is complicated and intriguing. I love the mythology in this book and it is interesting to learn more about Egyptian mythology.

All of our favorite characters are here. There is a side quest to find the shadow of the dwarf god to see if they can revive him as well. Bast the cat goddess is present in spurts and she is a lot of fun like usual.

More of the plot is dedicated to Zia and Carter’s relationship problems than in previous books. Similarly a lot of the story focuses on the Sade/Anubis/Walt love triangle as well. I have to say this was one of the most creative ways I have ever read of solving a teenage love triangle problem; it was pretty darn amusing. I didn’t enjoy that the book focused on these relationships so much, but they are wrapped up nicely so I guess I can’t complain too much.

My biggest problem with this series has been that I just don’t enjoy the characters that much. Part of it might be that the story goes back and forth between Sade and Carter. But both Sade and Carter come off as a bit annoying to me. The other problem I have is that things are fairly predictable; the plan is outlined pretty early on and there are some twists, but in the end you know what is going to happen very early in the story.

There are hints that tie this book to both the previous series (Percy’s) and a possible future series featuring other gods (I’ve heard rumors that Norse mythology is next on Riordan’s list).

Overall a decent conclusion to this series. I don’t enjoy the characters as much as Percy and the Olympians and thought this series as a whole was just more predictable than that series. It is still a well done series and I enjoyed learning more about Egyptian mythology. If you’re already a fan of the Kane series then definitely read this book as well. If you enjoy adventure/fantasy/mythology this is a good series to read.

This series goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - Silver by Rhiannon Held (2.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: June 5, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0765330376
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone?
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 2.5/5 stars


This is Held’s debut novel and is basically a paranormal werewolf type book. I got an advanced reading copy through the Amazon Vine program for review. It’s an okay story, but that’s about it. The characters never really drew me in and the plot was fairly predictable. Not my favorite werewolf book, but not horrible either. This is the first book in a trilogy.

Andrew Dare is the enforcer for the Roanoke pack. One night he stumbles upon a woman/werewolf poisoned by silver; she is barely sane. When he does get her calmed down she says her name is Silver and that a monster is hunting her. Andrew must unravel the mystery behind Silver’s Monster or his whole pack could be in danger. The viewpoint switches between Andrew and Silver.

Andrew is your typical I need to feel like part of the pack but don’t want the responsibility type of guy. He is the enforcer for Roanoke, he could be the alpha but he doesn’t want that type of responsibility. So he stays on the fringe and tries to support Roanoke’s not-all-that-great current alpha. I didn’t like Andrew much, he comes off as standoffish and is hard to relate to...I know he has issues but I wish he would have grown more as a character throughout the story.

Silver is a complete nut-job. She is pretty much insane because of the torture she underwent under the Monster’s hands. She talks to Death and hears other voices as well. She also prays and talks to the Lady a lot; which seems to be a personification of the Moon and a religion that some of the werewolves follow.

It’s hard to relate to or even get to know Silver as a character because she only seems present for parts of the story. Other times she is off talking to Death or the Lady or whoever else is in her head. The whole thing gets a bit ambiguous and it is hard to figure out if Death is in her head or if he is actually there.

I never really felt any romantic connection between Silver and Andrew. When they do become involved it is actually kind of creepy. Silver obviously has issues and even the fact that she states she is a consenting adult is a bit weird considering how much she talks to herself. There is also quite a bit of discussion of torture, murder, and gore in this book...so just a heads up if that bothers you.

The plot focuses on Andrew hunting down the person who tortured Silver. There is kind of a twist to the plot too; at least it is supposed to be a twist but I thought the whole thing was a bit predictable.

I also didn’t enjoy the writing style all that much; it was a bit stiff sounding for me. It is written in kind of a formal sounding way; some may like that but that style didn’t really resonate with the story for me. I found many parts of the story to be kind of boring as well.

The story wraps up some things and leaves others to be solved in future books.

Overall an okay werewolf paranormal story. If you enjoy flawed characters, you might enjoy this book. I personally had trouble enjoying reading about Andrew or Silver; the relationship between Andrew and Silver felt kind of creepy to me. It is an interesting take on werewolves, but again I didn’t really enjoy it. The writing style is a bit stiff and the plot kind of predictable. I personally won’t be reading anymore of this series. If you are a huge fan of werewolf paranormal romance then you might enjoy this; it is a different kind of werewolf book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Debut Author Reading Challenge

Showcase Sunday and Mailbox Monday - 6/4/12

Hello and welcome to Showcase Sunday. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I got two books.  Both of them were e-books so no video for this week.  I can't wait to read Moonglow, the first book in this series, Firelight, was absolutely fantastic.

Hope you all got some great books and have a great week of reading!

For Review:

Moonglow (Darkest London, Book 2) by Kristen Callihan

Bought:

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1) by Susan Ee

News - Book Releases for Week 23 (Jun 3rd - 9th)

                 

Graphic Novel Review - Arabian Nights (and Days) (Fables, Book 7) by Bill Willingham (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Size: 144 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: June 28, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1401210007
Stand Alone or Series: 7th book in the Fables series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the seventh installment in the Fables series. It was a great book and very entertaining. I didn’t like it as much as Homelands but it was still a fun read.

The bulk of this trade covers the story of a delegation of characters from the Arabian Tales that spend some time in Fabletown and suffer a bit of culture shock. The second story is a love story about two of the Adversary’s wooden soldiers.

I enjoyed that some Arabian myths enter the story in this edition. Some of this story is funny as the Arabian characters try to adjust to the way the Fables of Fabletown live. I wasn’t really sure what the point of this was though; it didn’t tie in much with the main story.

I enjoyed the love story between the two wooden soldiers more. It was an interesting look into how the wooden soldiers of the Adversary’s army were created and at how they live. It just gave some depth and background to “the enemy” troops and fills out the world nicely.

Overall an entertaining addition to the Fables series, but not as strong as the previous book, Homelands. I am hoping that the Arabian characters will tie into the story in more depth in later installments. It was great to have them introduced into the story, but they didn’t actually do much. The love story between the wooden soldiers did add depth to the world though and was entertaining. This graphic novel series is recommend to those who love fantasy and urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

May 2012 - In Review

This month I read 21 books. Another rare month in which I actually finished more series than I started :-)

You can see all the books I read this month listed below.  Hope you all had a great month of reading.

I started the following series:
- Uglies Graphic Novel: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfeld, Devin Grayson, and Steven Cummings (4/5 stars)
- Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo (4.5/5 stars)

I finished the following series:
- Bitterblue (Graceling Universe, Book 3) by Kristen Cashore (4/5 stars)
- Black Heart (Curse Workers, Book 3) by Holly Black (4/5 stars)
- Night’s Engines (The Nightbound Land, Book 2) by Trent Jamieson (3.5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (5/5 stars)
- The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagne (5/5 stars)
-  Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, Book 3) by Jennifer Estep (4.5/5 stars)
- Grimalkin the Witch Assassin (The Last Apprentice, Book 9) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)
- A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix (5/5 stars)
- Homelands (Fables, Book 6) by Bill Willingham (5/5 stars)
- Forgiven (The Demon Trappers, Book 3) by Jana Oliver (5/5 stars)
- Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo (4.5/5 stars)

Here are the stats on the reading challenges I am participating in:
- Graphic Novel Challenge (18/12 read)
- Dystopia Reading Challenge (9/10 read)
- Zombie Reading Challenge (4/12 read)
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge (44/48 read)
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge (104/150+ read)
- Debut Author Reading Challenge (12/12 read)
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge (26/50 read)
- Steampunk Reading Challenge (7/12 read)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below.
1.   The Cape (Volume 1, Book 1) by Joe Hill, Jason Ciaramella, and Zach Howard (3/5 stars)
2.   Fire (Graceling Realm, Book 2) by Kristen Cashore (4/5 stars)
3.   Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 4) by Chloe Neill (4/5 stars)
4.   The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles, Book 2) by Kady Cross (3/5 stars)
5.   The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (5/5 stars)
6.   Uglies Graphic Novel: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfeld, Devin Grayson, and Steven Cummings (4/5 stars)
7.   Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 4) by Kevin Hearne (4.5/5 stars)
8.   Bitterblue (Graceling Universe, Book 3) by Kristen Cashore (4/5 stars)
9.   Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, Book 3) by Jennifer Estep (4.5/5 stars)
10. The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagne (5/5 stars)
11. Grimalkin the Witch Assassin (The Last Apprentice, Book 9) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)
12. Black Heart (Curse Workers, Book 3) by Holly Black (4/5 stars)
13. A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix (5/5 stars)
14. The Kings of Clonmel (Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 8) by John Flanagan (4/5 stars)
15. Homelands (Fables, Book 6) by Bill Willingham (5/5 stars)
16. Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 5) by Chloe Neill (4/5 stars)
17. Forgiven (The Demon Trappers, Book 3) by Jana Oliver (5/5 stars)
18. Night’s Engines (The Nightbound Land, Book 2) by Trent Jamieson (3.5/5 stars)
19. Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo (4.5/5 stars)
20. The Dust Girl (American Fairy Trilogy, Book 1) by Sarah Zettel (3/5 stars)
21. Magic Without Mercy (Allie Beckstrom, Book 8) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)