Cover Reveal: The Goddess Inheritance

Sorry I have been MIA with school starting up and not having enough time to read/review. But today The Goddess Inheritance cover was revealed! AND IT IS SO PRETTIFUL ☺

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with these books. The first one drove me absolutely crazy.

My review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-test.html

Then I read the second book and realized that my hatred towards the first one was a mistake. I judged it way too harshly. I think the second one is much better.

My Review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-interrupted.html

AND THE ENDING KILLED ME. So I am really excited to hear that this one comes out in March 2013. Only around 200 days or so.

~Calypso

Review: Captivate

Captivate

Carrie Jones

 

Published by: Bloomsbury

Released: January 5, 2010

 

 

My review on Need, the first book in the series:

http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-need.html

 

 

So I have been wicked busy lately with school starting up in 2 days (Senior Year...WOO!) and haven't had that much time to read. Also, I'm attempting to read 8 books at the same time so that's not real smart on my part. Also trying to balance a job with my reading time because now I have to pay for a car...Anyway, enough about my life. Let's get to the review.

 

Description from Goodreads:

 

He smiles. It's a wicked smile. Kind but not kind. Handsome but dangerous. Feral almost. I can see why Nick nearly killed him, Nick...
I ask again, "Why were you in the road?"
"I was waiting for you."

Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they did - sort of. The pixie's are all locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he is in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. And it's enough to draw a new king into town. Astley claims he is different. He claims there are pixies who can live peacefully with humans, that it doesn't have to be all violence and nastiness all the time. Zara wants to believe him...until Astley also claims that she is fated to be his queen.

There is no way Zara would ever turn pixie. And she's got good friends who will make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when they very thing Zara wants to protect most is exactly what's at risk, she is forced to make choices she never imagined....

 

I like this book more than the first one. I'm not sure why I did, maybe because it wasn't as odd as the first one or maybe I just became used to the oddness, but I really did like this one. But no book is perfect.

 

It really focused on Zara and Nick's relationship. I usually am a fan of the romances. I secretly and not so secretly root for all of my favorite fictional couples. But Nick and Zara just annoy the crap out of me. They say that they are in love and stuff, but I just, I don't know, buy it. I think it's because I'm not a fan of Nick, which is saying something. I am usually in love with the fictional guy lead. Nick drives me crazy, along with Devyn. I guess all the guys in this book drive me crazy. Then again, I am not a fan of werewolves (Only Sam and Jordan being an exception).

 

She introduces a love triangle. For once, I am not complaining. This book needed a love triangle. Oh my god...Am I sick? Did I just seriously admit that? Holy crap. Now, I'm usually a firm believer that the girl should stay with the guy she first fell in love with. Forget the second guy. GO FOR THE FIRST. (There are a rare few cases where this is not true: Katniss/Peeta, Laurel/Tamani, Wendy/Loki). I just like Astley more than Nick. In fact, I think Astley was the only male character I did not want to strangle in this book.

 

It threw me a little curveball that at first I hated, then learned to love. If you have read this book and are reading this review, then you probably know what I am talking about, seeing as it is basically the reason behind book 3. At first I was saying: "WHAT THE HECK!? I don't even like the guy, but seriously?" Then a few pages later, I was like: "Hehe. Yeah, I am totally okay with this." Next thing I know, I finished the book and it's midnight.

 

Pixies are just like Vampires. In the first one, I was so mad that werewolves/shifters enemies were pixies. I mean, come on, doesn't anybody else think of Pixie Hollow and Tinkerbell? But as I read this one, the pixies are really similar to vampires. That is, if vampires were blue, have a king, and can fly. But other than that, they are very very similar.

 

So that's all I got for this one. Yeah, not a long review. But I am only reading these books as what I deem "Time Fillers" because I am waiting for my really important series to come out (Right now, The Raven Boys and Cursed) in September.

 

So you might like these books more than me. This series could be your important OMG-I-NEED-THE-NEXT-ONE-NOW books. Not all books are for everyone, and this one is not a personal favorite for me. But they are nice Time Fillers and are quickie reads.

 

Do I recomend you to rush to the store to pick them up? Nah. You can be content just to borrow them from a friend like I am or from the library.

 

 

Review by Caly





Casting News: Finnick

And we have our beloved Finnick. Sam Claflin has been officially cast as our favorite victor ever.

 

And for all those people that are complaining that he would be a horrible Finnick, are you blind? 

Casting News: Raphael

And we have a Raphael. The German newspaper, Bild, confirmed that Elyas M'Barek will be playing the vampire.

Welcome to the team, Elyas!

For all up to date info on the movie, I recomend:

tmisource.com

@TMI_Source on Twitter

@Shadowhunting on Twitter

~Calypso

*UPDATE*

Raphael will not be in City of Bones. Instead, the role is the Vampire Lieutenant because of not having the space to properly introduce Raphael. Oh well. Guess we'll have to wait and see him in City of Ashes, which fans were told, was being adapted into a script! :D

Review: The Rise of Nine

The Rise of Nine

Pittacus Lore
Published by: HarperCollins
Released: August 21, 2012

Description from Goodreads:

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.

So apparently this book wasn't suppose to be out until tomorrow. I guess my local Walmart never got the memo because it has been placed on the shelves. Oh well. I got it early! Hope they do the same with The Mark of Athena...

Anyway, I started I am Number Four thinking that it was just an one book thing, something that stood by itself. Nope. Jonnadore lied to me. Power of Six wasn't due out for another year. Yippee. Read Power of Six in a day and then totally forgotten about the books until I ran into this one on Friday when I was supposed to buy my Mom's birthday present. Bad news: I only bought Mom's book and did not get this one. Good news: Mommy bought it for me the next day! LOVE YOU MUM! Long story short, I technically only spent $3 on Mom's birthday present. But anyway, this book was SO SO SO good.

You were never bored. It was completely kick butt and action filled just like the first two. There was never really a dull moment. I even found myself wishing that the Mogs would lay off them for a bit, just to give them a long needed rest. These guys just kept going and I felt so bad for them. They got barely any rest.

You got into the mind of Six. I'm not sure of anybody else, but Six is my favorite character in these books other than Ella. Sure you were still in John's mind and Marina's, but Six is just different from them. She's kick butt and exciting, not untrained like Marina or googly eyed for Sarah like John (Okay. Yeah. That would be weird if she was going after Sarah too). I don't know, I just like her. This is totally random, but she even dyed her hair blonde in the book, making it just like how it was in the movie. I know that's a little detail, but when I read that I kept imagining the actress who played Six. It made my life easier to picture her.

The writing kept you wanting to read. Each chapter switched to somebody else, leaving a cliffhanger at each end. I kept telling myself "Oh I can put the book down to go stalk Twitter for TMI movie updates just after this...WAIT OF SECOND!! SIX?? OMG! NOOOOO!! Must continue reading." Let me tell you, this basically happened after every chapter. You just could not stop reading it.

The author (authors?). I like how Pittacus Lore is the author, but also the big missing leader guy in the books. He's not only the creator of the whole world but a character. It's similar to Rick Riordan pretending to be the "Senior Scribe" at Camp Half Blood. I just like it when authors do stuff like that. Not sure why, I just do. It kind of plays with your mind a little. Like, "Hey. Is this REALLY happening or is it REALLY just fiction? Questions, Questions." And does anybody know if it is one author or multiple? I have heard both and I was just curious!

The ending. It just stopped, like abruptly stopped. I expected it just to go on a little longer or be a cliffhanger like The Power of Six was. It just ended. And now I'm confused. What happened to Sam? Why didn't they save him? Where is he? Who is Number Five? Why isn't he/she there with them? Do they even care that he/she/it is not still with them? Will they meet up with Five? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! Why do authors do this to me?

So if you haven't read I am Number Four, The Power of Six, or this one, The Rise of Nine, DO SO TODAY! If you are a major sci fi geek like me, you will love these books. They are about aliens trying to save Earth from evil aliens. How much more sci fi can you get with a book? If you have seen the movie, but haven't read the book, why did you do that backwards? You always read the book first. But the movie is good too! So go buy all 3 books and hey, even pick up the movie, these books will not disapoint.

Review by Calypso





Just Crazy Ol' Me: The Mortal Instruments

     So instead of drawing fanart of my ultimate favorite books, I go crazy and sew dolls of the main characters. I have always been in love with sewing and books, so I put the two of them together and made my book character dolls.

     My major project for Summer 2012 was to make all of the major characters in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. My invisible sidekick Magnus got me into the books last summer when she was re-reading City of Fallen Angels for the upteenth time. I guess we both never expected how much I would love these books and yeah, I do love these books, ALL FIVE OF THEM.

So here are the pics I took of all of my Mortal Instruments character dolls, which I happened to finish the day before they started filming the movie!! EEP! Great timing or what?



The Clary doll. I love how she came out. I gave her freckles, ripped tights, everything. She's even shorter than the rest of them! I wish her hair was a little more curly, but sadly yarn doesn't really curl very well. But oh well. Still love her ☺

The Jace doll. Completed with leather jacket and amazing hair. He even has runes, only you can't see them because of the clothes. Sorry! It's hard getting them on and off. The only thing that bugs me is that I think his head is too big. When I complained to my friends, they said he has a big ego anyway and not to worry. Oh well. Love him just the same! ☺

The Simon doll. I just love everything about him! At first, I wasn't sure how I was going make Simon because he really had a basic description in the book: tall, brown eyed, brown hair. I wasn't sure to make him curly or straight, give him fangs or not, ect. Then Simon was cast so I went off of the actor's (Robert Sheenan) appearance. And I'm so glad I did! I love Simon's curly hair fro. It was such a pain to do and took nearly 5 episodes of Doctor Who to complete, but in the end, it turned out so amazing, I was glad I did it. I also tried to find my favorite Simon tee shirt from the books, but my friends were borrowing all of them, so I only had my Infernal Devices books and they were not helpful. So I went with the classic "Sexy Vampire Mojo" and love it. ☺

The Isabelle doll. I love the outfit I made her. The runes took a lot of time to do because Izzy had the most sewn on. I knew she would have more skin (felt?) showing, so she had every rune except the Fearless one put on and they came out really well. I also gave her the golden whip and ruby necklace. She looks really short here (that's because they can barely stand by themselves so the legs look like stumps when they are really in proportion) but she is the tallest because "nothing less than seven inches." ☺

Now time for my two personal favorite dolls:

The Alec doll. I just love this one so much! Alec and Magnus are my two favorite characters in the books, so these two just happen to be my favorite. I even gave Alec the blue scarf mentioned in City of Lost Souls. And I just realized that his shirt matches his eyes. Haha. That is just awesome. ☺ 

The Magnus doll. So Magnus was the first one I made out of the whole TMI gang. I made him before Godfrey Gao was cast as Magnus so I made him according to how I picture him in my mind. And this is pretty much a close image of him. Buffy and I call his hair "Sexy Asian Hair" and yeah, that took a long time to do/think off. And I'm so happy it turned out amazing! I was going to try going all out on his clothes, but decided on simplier style because I knew that I was making five more dolls after him. ☺

So here are just some more pics of the gang. These are not the first character dolls I have made, they are just the ones that have the most details put into their description. I'll post pics of the other character dolls eventually!

~Caly









Review: Onyx

Onyx

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by: Entangled Teen
Released: August 14, 2012

(It's so amazing, it got the cool 5 stars ☺)

Before we get on to the review, I would like to introduce my guest reviewer, my bestie, Alyss.

Me: Say hi Alyss.

Alyss: Hi Alyss.

Me: You are sarcastic like Daemon.

Alyss: I will take that compliment.

Now that she is introduced, let's get on to the review ☺

Description from Goodreads:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

No Cons. Basically all pros.

Me: This book was flipping fantastic.

Alyss: Indeed it is.

Me: My favorite book I have read this year.

Alyss: The year isn't over yet.

Reading the book.

Me: It did not take me long at all to read this book.

Alyss: Me neither.

Me: I was reading it during work, at home on the couch...

Alyss: I was reading it after you woke me up while you were at work.

Me: So then we just kept texting each other back and forth.

Alyss: Yup. Gooood times!

The Plot.

Me: I was not bored at all.

Alyss: It was good but it seemed like it should have ended but just kept going.

Me: I lived in that book for 4 hours of my life.

Alyss: *Laughs* I was dreaming of that book.

Me: It did seem just little dragging, especially towards the end.

Alyss: It was a false ending. I thought it was going to end but there was more pages!

Me: The ending was a semi cliffhanger, yet happy. Sort of. When does Opal come out again?

Bonus Chapter. Daemon's POV.

Me: Was the bonus chapter in the Kindle version?

Alyss: WHAT!?!?! GIMME!

Me: Guess that answers that. So I'm going solo on this one. I love being in Daemon's head. You get to see him though his thoughts and everything and not through Katy's. It's like he's a different guy in his POV. I love that because I am in love with Daemon *Looks over* She's still reading.

The Characters. The ones we love.

Me: Was it me or was Daemon just even more sexier in this book?

Alyss: There was scary protective Daemon. Hot, sexy Daemon, sensitive and caring Daemon. All of them are so great!

Me: You forgot sarcastic, angry Daemon.

Alyss: HE'S MY FAVORITE!

Me: Thoughts on Katy in this book?

Alyss: She denied those feelings for Daemon way to long. And she didn't believe his feelings. And then hot makeout sessions after fighting. I don't know. How many times did that happen?

Me: I don't know. A lot?

Me: Dee wasn't in this book like at all. I was mad.

Alyss: But Dee and Adam were together and that made me happy.

Me: Until the waterworks began.

Alyss: Yes. You texted me saying you were crying. And then I was crying. Ugh.

Alyss: I like how little Ash and Andrew were in this book. Matthew was pretty cool.

Me: I still hate Ash and Andrew.

The Characters. The ones we hate.

Me: Blake should go die in a hole.

Alyss: Blake should go die in a hole. Along with Will. But I think he will be back. Doesn't make me happy, but...

Me: She tarnished the wonders of the name Will!

Random other things.

Me: I stalked the UPS guy as I waited for this book to show up.

Alyss: But you were a horrible stalker because you missed him!

Me: I WAS WATCHING MULAN!!

Alyss: No excuse.

Me: He hid the book on me! I was playing hide and go seek with Onyx. Not happy at all.

Alyss: I finished reading Onyx in K-Mart.

Me: I was home. Alone. Wondering what to do next with my life.  

Me: The cover was prettiful.

*MINOR SPOILERS*

Alyss: Bethany and Dawson. (Note from Caly: Alyss just said a lot of words and I cannot type fast enough)

Me: I hate how Bethany is crazy! And Dawson...WHY MY DAWSON??

Alyss: He's an empty hole.

Me: *Sniffle* I want them to be okay. I freaking love those two.

Alyss: I think there is going to be some issues. It's going to strain Katy and Daemon's relationship. Blah Blah. Other words.

Me: You suck the happiness out of my life.

Alyss: That's why I'm your best friend!

Me: Poo face.

Alyss: Love you too.

Me: *Gets up and leaves room* WHAT DO YOU AND MAGNUS MAKE ME SAD! HAPPY STUFF GUYS! HAPPY STUFF!

*END OF SPOILERS*

Me: So yeah. This book is AMAZING.

Alyss: Totally amazing. Go read it now.

Me: Demanding!

Alyss: But you need to read the first one first, otherwise...you may be confused.

Me: Confusion does suck.

Review by Caly with the lovely aid of Alyss





Review: The Demigod Diaries

The Heroes of Olympus:

The Demigod Diaries

Rick Riordan
Published by: Hyperion Book CH
Released: August 14, 2012

Description from the ever-so-helpful Goodreads:

What dangers do runaway demigods Luke and Thalia face on their way to Camp Half-Blood? Are Percy and Annabeth up to the task of rescuing stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesn't take kindly to intruders? How exactly are Leo, Piper, and Jason supposed to find a runaway table, dodge a band of party-loving Maenads" ("who just might be a little psychotic), and stave off a massive explosion...all in one hour or less?

With his trademark wit and creativity, Rick Riordan answers these questions and more in three never-before-seen short stories that provide vital back-story to the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson books. Original art, enlightening character interviews and profiles, puzzles, and a quiz add to the fun in this action-packed collection.
Finally! Something to satisfy myself until The Mark of Athena comes out. After reading this, I really want to read that book now! Why can't October come quicker? I was only saisfied for an afternoon. But oh well. It was well worth it.

So with this book I'm going to review each section separately because that's how it is broken down. It's similar to The Demigod Files, only much larger :)

Letter from Camp Half-Blood

So this isn't one of the stories, just basically a letter of introduction by Rick. I just love how he makes it sound like everything exists and actually there. I'm tempted to go down to Long Island and search for Half-Blood Hill. It summarizes the whole book in Rick's own fun way.

The Diary of Luke Castellan

Mini Summary:

Follows Luke and Thalia when they were young. Brought into a mansion from a magical Pepsi depensing goat, Luke and Thalia become trapped and have to fight their way out. This was just before they met up with little Annabeth and started their journey to Half-Blood Hill.

There are no cons. None. What-so-ever. It's a Rick Riordan book. Did you seriously expect cons from a Rick Riordan book? No. This is just all pros.

You get some insight into Luke's mind. I really like that. I don't know about anybody else, but I always liked Luke. I was really upset when he died in The Last Olympian. It made me really really sad. It was interesting to read from his head. I'm use to how Percy looks at the world or how you follow Jason, Piper, and Leo.

You finally see the good ol' days. Thalia and Luke talk about what they went through in order to get to Camp Half-Blood. You only had what Percy gained from them telling him. Here, you get it from them, the actual source.

There was some dramatic irony that drove me crazy! AAWW! Hal would tell Thalia and Luke stuff that you know based off of reading Percy Jackson. It drove me crazy. I kept laughing and yelling because I knew what would happen to the both of them. I knew Thalia would become a tree. I knew that Luke would basically betray everyone. But they didn't. Because it's set before Grover found all of them.

I like how after the story, there was a diagram of the house Luke and Thalia were trapped in. It helped me visualize it better. Very helpful. Then there was a quiz on which Greek God was a match to their Roman side (I got 100 :D )

Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes

Brief Summary:

Percy and Annabeth in Central Park, 1 month exactly after the end of The Last Olympian. Hermes need them to go save the amazing George and Martha who were stolen from him by a "mini" giant who happens to breathe fire and lives below Manhattan's Meatpacking industry. Lovely!

WE ARE FINALLY BACK IN PERCY'S MIND! Oh how I missed being in Percy's head. I almost started crying when I began to read. It brought me back to the good ol' days when I was just reading The Lightning Thief for the first time and then again and again until my paperback needed some repairs (Tape fixes everything. Even a well loved book). It just felt amazing to be back in his head. I really missed it.

You got your epic Percy/Annabeth adventure again. Again, something to do with the good ol' days. I never realized before how much I missed that. My head has been wrapped around The Heroes of Olympus for so long, I forgot how different they are set up from the first ones. This was really a nice refresh of that. And...PERCABETH! Not the reunion I have been waiting for for two years, but something just to hold me over. The only thing we need now is Grover chewing on a tin can.

Return of the Seaweed Brain. Yup. He get's called Seaweed Brain again :D I missed both of their bickering.

**MINOR SPOILERS**

You get to see laser mode. Yes. Laser Mode. Very exciting indeed. Go George and Martha.

Percy and Annabeth get to go to Paris. WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS IN APRIL? If I knew those two were written into Paris before I went, I would have worn my Camp Half-Blood shirt to one of the restuarants or even the Eiffel Tower dinner. Of course, my French teacher probably would not like that, I would have most likely done it. After all, I can place it next to me inside the Empire State building in my orange camp shirt, make them two of a kind. Am I obsessed? Definitely.

**END OF MINOR SPOILERS**

Afterwards, you get an interview with George and Martha similar to the ones in The Demigod Files. I just love those two. Hate snakes, but love those two. Then there's a picture of the giant's er...lovely home.

And da da da DA! A picture of the totally amazing Thalia Grace.

(Sorry if the quality is horrible)

Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford

Summary:

Leo needs the help of Jason and Piper to go find Buford, the magic table. If they don't find him within the hour, the uncompleted Argo II will explode and take half of the forest with it. They also need to escape Dionysus's biggest stalkers, I mean, fans who want to party then kill them. You know, typical stuff for this trio.

I really missed these guys. Before the book came out, I was just excited to see Percy and Annabeth together again. I completely skipped over this trio. I suddenly realized halfway through the story, that I really missed them. Like really really missed them. I really love these guys.



Those Maenads are seriously messed up. Completely messed up. Wow. Let's party with Dionysus! You're not him? DIE! (That last one sounded a lot like Coach Hedge...)

I seriously doubted good for a second. I thought everything was going to turn out horribly. Then again, I know that everything should be fine because of The Son of Neptune. I still thought something horrible was going to happen. I should never doubt the power of good ever again. And yet....I still do.

Everyone gets a special peak at some of the wonders of Bunker 9. And the seven demigods of the prophecy are now official! With my extreme guessing skills, I got everyone. It was nice to be confirmed :D (Poor Percy. You always get stuck with horrible prophecies). Then an Olympian Word Search which I skipped because I am horrible at word searches.

Son of Magic written by Haley Riordan

Ever since I heard that there was a story written by Rick's son in here, I was really excited to read it. I'm the same age as him and I want to go to college for writting and hope to someday get a book published. So this was really cool for me to read, something that someone who was my age wrote himself.

Wow. This is some seriously good writing. Haley Riordan, if you are reading this, you are an amazing writer. I will read anything you publish, because you have some serious talent.

You get some info that was always a mystery before. You find out what happened to those demigod betrayers from the second Titan war. You find out the mystery behind the Mist. You now know why monsters can sniff out demigods. It was nice to know these anwsers! I guess I just have always accepted that not everything can be explained. But I'm like a child of Athena who just craves knowledge, and I'm glad I have these now.

I hope to see Claymore and Alabaster in some possible future books. I think it would be cool if they showed up suddenly in say...The Mark of Athena. I want to know what Alabaster would do if he saw Percy. I think that would be very interesting!

So if you are a major Rick Riordan fan and haven't picked up this book. Okay. What is wrong with you? (Just to put it bluntly) PICK UP THIS BOOK! It will help stitch up the broken heart The Son of Neptune left behind until The Mark of Athena will do it fully. So yeah. Go buy this book. Help yourself.

Review by Calypso  





Review: Wake

Wake

Amanda Hocking

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Released: August 7, 2012

Description from Goodreads:

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

If you are a fan of Amanda Hocking's other novels, then you will definitely love this one. To be honest, I love this book even more than the Trylle novels. It's different from most other YA book out there today. Is there vampires? Nope. Werewolves? Natta. Sirens. Finally a book on sirens!

There are no cons to this book. I flat out loved it. The pacing was good. The characters are amazing. The whole story did not fail to impress me and kept me wanting more. I could have easily read another hundred to two hundred pages.

What I loved:

Sirens. I have always been a huge fan of sirens. I just love them as a monster. I have not read anything about sirens as the main creature in a YA book. And this one is just amazing because it connects to actual facts from Greek Mythology (I'm obsessed with Greek Mythology by the way). You sort of feel sorry for the sirens, but not really. You know they are monsters. You know they are killers. And yet, you just feel terrible for them.

The Characters. I love Gemma. And Alex. And Harper. And Daniel. Okay. I just listed the major characters. I love them all. They are just amazing characters. Gemma tries so hard to stay with her family and make them happy. Alex is willing to do anything for Gemma and Harper. Harper has taken on so much resposiblity and practically raised Gemma. Daniel is just amazing and sweet and oh so caring. They all really compliment each other. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that you can't be whole without all four of them together. Does that make any sense? They all lean on each other and balance one another out. I like that.

Penn. Did anybody else want to strangle that girl/monster/siren? Okay. Did anybody just want to strangle all of the sirens? Even though I feel sorry for them, man I wished Gemma could have done something to them. They just irk me. And it irks me when I feel sorry for them. Why must I have this conflict inside of me?

I can totally relate to Harper. She is the embodiment of me. We could be the same person (Anybody need an actress for Harper? CALL ME!). All of her goals, feelings, well...life, is me. I have finally found myself in a story that I didn't write myself. Holy crap. That is just amazing! :D

The cover. Isn't it just pretty? I love covers and this one is definitely one of my favorites. A little girl at my aunt's daycare even loved it (She's 3 and really jealous of the model's hair. She wants hair like that she told me. She also wonders why the girl is swimming in a dress. That's silly). And the cover also turns into a handy dandy poster. Even more gorgeousness.

Can I just say that there was no love triangle? Yes? NO LOVE TRIANGLE! *Throws confetti into the air and dances* WOO HOO!

The ending. Cliffhanger. Why? Amanda Hocking, you left me hanging like Rick Riordan.

The Watersong Series Continues with

Lullaby

Coming Winter 2013

I seriously hope that means January, February, or March. It better not be November or December. I might what little sanity I am holding onto if I have to wait longer. I think all authors have a secret meeting where they get together, drink coffee, and discuss how they plan on making their fans lose their minds. I believe it. How else can we explain the precious hold of sanity I have left?

So this book is definitely worth the 5 stars. If you want something new, something exciting, something totally flipping amazing, pick this book up. It's pretty and you won't regret it. Seriously I mean it. Pick it up. Jump into the world of the Watersong. This book will call to you like the sirens.

Review by Calypso



Random Thought

How to read a Rick Riordan Book

by Calypso "Caly"

All right everyone. It's time to admit the truth. If you are a die hard Rick Riordan fan like moi, then you know that you go through one or two of the same steps I do.

There is a specific way to read a Rick Riordan book. Steps need to be followed in order to get maximum enjoyment from Uncle Rick's books. You can't pick up one of his books without going through any of these steps. It is downright impossible.

So what are they?

STEP ONE:

Prepare yourself for the heartbreak the ending will cause.

Every fan of Rick knows how each and every one of his endings leaves you with a shattered heart that just becomes mere splinters as the long year passes by. If someone is picking up his books for the first time. Wait. Wait until all of them are out and buy them as a bundle. Trust me. You will save your sanity. It's like being a demigod. The more involved/aware you are, the worst it becomes. His endings are not cliffhangers. They are cliffhangers of doom that just make you skip the cliff and go straight for the free fall into the Underworld.

Every time one of his new books come out, I have to mentally prepare myself as I walk into the store to buy it. Some people call me crazy. I don't. If I don't prepare myself, I will become crazy. And nobody wants me crazy. Ask my friends. These endings kill me.

STEP TWO:

Now that you have prepared yourself for the worst ending ever thought of, admire the cover. You know that these covers are just downright amazing. Look at The Lightning Thief and place it next to the cover of The Son of Neptune or whatever the latest one is. Admire how much your beloved Percy has grown.

Hug it to your chest. You know that it is the best purchase you have made since you bought the last one. How can any book compare to it? How can anything compare to it? Who needs food when you have a Rick Riordan book? Am I being too dramatic? Maybe. Why am I writing like this and answering myself? I'm going crazy waiting for The Mark of Athena.

STEP THREE:

You have officially bought the book. You made your mom or dad drive you to whatever store you bought it from so you can start it in the car. But wait! Before you can even dream of flipping to the front page, you have to read the inside jacket or the back of the book. Best know what you are diving into. Even though you have probably read the Amazon description a bajillion times already. It's nice to read it from the actual thing.

STEP FOUR:

Here comes the time to read the funny chapter titles. Each one gives you a hint at what you will find in each chapter. If you are reading a Heroes of Olympus book, there is no chapter titles, but simple names like Percy, Jason, Hazel, ect. Instead, you carefully flip to the glossary in the back to get a good sense on which god/goddess/monster will make an apperance. BE CAREFUL. You do not want to ruin the cliffhanger before you even start the book. That means you won't even want to finish it.

STEP FIVE:

Look for the title of the next book. Just something to do to make your heartbreak begin a little early. Coming Fall 201-Blah? AAWW!!

STEP SIX:

You are now fully prepared to delve into the book. Get ready for heart pounding action, good ol' good vs. evil, quests, the cliffhanger...You can now enjoy the book. The steps are completed. You can read the book in one sitting and then wait the killer year for the next one.

***

There you go. All of the proper steps needed to read a Rick Riordan book. Okay. Not really. Those are just the crazy steps I take to read them. I cannot read any of the books without doing that first. Crazy? Probably.

Caly



Currently Reading

Currently Reading

So here's the list of all of the books that I am currently reading. Most of these books are going REALLY slow for me. So that's why there hasn't been many reviews lately. That and all the books I want to read are not out yet -_- I'm trying to finish these before school starts hopefully! I have about 2 weeks before the senior year :D

The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

So far I'm loving this one. The Ranger's Apprentice is my guilty pleasures. I just love them! My aunt currently is reading this too, so it's at her house. I'm about 3/4 of the way through.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

So I really want to love this book. The beginning was really good. It got my attention. Now it is just really dragging. It's been a month and I'm only a little over halfway through. That is sad by my standards.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

This one is really weird so far. It's like a puzzle that I need to piece together. I don't like thinking when I am trying to read for pleasure. This makes me think like I need to analyze it for school. Strange? Yes. Not sure if I will continue or not.

Soulbound by Heather Brewer

Magnus said that this book is amazing. I'm still waiting for the amazing. Then again, I'm only like 5 chapters in. I should really pick this up again...

 Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

This one has a lot of promise. It's just that I don't feel like I'm reading the actual author's words. I'm reading the translated one. That bugs me. I rather just attempt to read it in German. First I need to learn German.

Wake by Amanda Hocking

I loved Amanda Hocking's The Trylle Trilogy. So when I saw this one at Walmart tonight, I immediately grabbed it and dropped it into the cart. I'm so excited to read it! I'm only a few pages in and completely in love with it.

***

So those are all the books I'm currently reading. Which one will be reviewed first? Well...I guess we'll see :)