Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

*****

Son of Neptune (“SoN”) picks up the story introduced in The Lost Hero tracking the progress of seven heroes who will rise against a burgeoning evil. In the final installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series we first heard the prophecy which foretold the struggles to come:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call

To storm or fire the world must fall

An oath to keep with a final breath

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death

 

The Lost Hero introduced Jason, Leo and Piper to us and Camp Half-Blood (see Nat’s review here). The Lost Hero also warned us that our beloved Percy had gone missing, causing frantic searches by Annabeth, Tyson and Percy’s friends.

SoN picks up several months after The Lost Hero and finds Percy fighting to survive without his memory. He knows he is a demi-god and he remembers his girlfriend, Annabeth, but other than that, he has no memory. Percy is led to a hidden camp filled with the descendants of the Roman gods. Percy is declared a son of the Sea God, Neptune, and the goddess Juno vouches for him. He is accepted into camp and befriended by two warriors, Hazel and Frank. The three set out on a quest to the land beyond the gods to stop the rise of powerful giant.

The Heroes of Olympus series is a little more complex and confusing than Percy Jackson and the Olympians because of the distinction between the Romans and Greeks and the duality of the gods, monsters and even the heroes. My nieces and nephew (5, 7 & 9) just finished a family reading of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and I am not sure they would understand the duality in SoN. These themes were hinted at in The Lost Hero; however, Hero took place in the familiar world of Camp Half-Blood and the Greeks. The issues and differences are much more pronounced and essential in SoN. While Camp Half-Blood deals with life and death situations, the Roman camp seems much more intense, making Camp Half-Blood seem light-hearted in comparison.

All this aside, it was wonderful to spend time with Percy again, like hanging out with an old friend you had not seen in a long time. SoN allows you to catch up with Percy and see how he has grown and changed in the 10 months since the Battle of Olympus. We also get to meet some fun new heroes and friends, as they try to defeat Gaea and her giants.

Unlike Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, where each book seemed self-contained, Heroes of Olympus leaves you hanging and clamoring for answers. SoN ends just when things were getting good and left you needing to know what happens next. I hope that Mark of Athena starts where SoN left off, but if Lost Hero and SoN are any indication, I cannot begin to guess where Rick Riordan is going to pick up the story.

Heroes of Olympus is darker, funnier and more mature than the Percy Jackson series. Riordan really brought the funny in SoN, there were several sections that had me laughing out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed Son of Neptune and was sad to see it end. I rarely give 5 stars, but I am giving them to Son of Neptune because Riordan really is brilliant to enthrall me so…

~Shel

Art of Fictional Love Spotlight #4

We usually highlight drawings for our Spotlights but there are other mediums out there that deserve just as much attention. A favorite among the Bibliojunkies is music.  Here is a lovely song written and performed by the young and talented Alice Invictus (known as Zoe in the real world). 

SPOILERS!!!  If you haven't read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, this entire song is a pretty big spoiler.  You have been warned :-)

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

***1/2

From HarperTeen:

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

(Don't you just love this cover?)

Megan lost her mother in a car accident as a child.  Her father has never really recovered from the lost and the two have moved around quite a bit.  Now, Megan's Dad has taken a job in a small Irish village and they may just find a home there, but Ireland is a magical place and things are not always what they seem.  Megan is stalked by a bird and drawn to the DeRis family, especially Adam, and all these strange things start happening. 

Carrier of the Mark is Leigh Fallon's debut novel.  The history is a little complicated, but once you figure it out the story is compelling and engrossing.  The relationships between Megan and the DeRis family is fun (and reminded me of one of my favorite books of the year, Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini).  Fallon's descriptions of the Irish scenery are vivid and made me feel as if I were there.  I was thoroughly entertained by Carrier of the Mark and I will try to patiently wait for the next installment, but patience is not really my forte.  Fans of magic, Ireland and hot boys with accents will love Carrier of the Mark.

~Shel

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin #8

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This week Shel share her finds.

A modern retelling of the German fairy tale "Tristan and Isolde," Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa tol him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring and bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem - when the Voice took over he mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for and evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery - although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely - enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes od Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven



Tell us what reads you are looking forward to this week!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

* * * * ½

I hate ghost stories. They scare the ever living you-know-what out of me. Not sure why. Maybe because it is the ONE supernatural thing I believe in. And if they are real, I can’t control where they are or how they might affect me. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I am so scared of ghosts that I don’t ever want to own a home that has been lived in by someone else. Which is silly since I grew up in a 100 year old house with no ghosts. But then who said fears were rational?

Anyways, I digress. My point in sharing my fear is so you would know how completely out of character it was for me to pick up Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood. I noticed the hype over the book so looked it up and surprise, surprise. It actually sounded interesting. A ghost hunter? Well, I think we can all agree I want one of those around. And a ghost that kills anyone that enters her home? Except for Cas, the ghost hunter, that is. His life is spared and neither of them understands why she didn’t kill him. Needless to say, the story sounded a little more than intriguing, and enough so to convince me to pick it up at the library when it was released.

And thus began my 3 days of terror.

Day 1 – Read up to page 68. I turned on all the lights and ran up the stairs to bed looking behind me every step of the way. And we hadn’t even met Anna yet.

Day 2 – Got quite a bit farther. However read with all the lights on and cowered in the corner of the couch until the husband came upstairs after playing video games. It was 1:30am. I was ready to go to bed at 10:30pm but there was no way I was going anywhere without my knight in shining armor to protect me.

Day 3 – Decided it was in my best interest to finish the book during the day. Still avoided the basement and again looked behind me every step I took up to my bedroom.


Ok, I definitely overreacted. But that was to be expected. And regardless of my overreacting, this story IS scary. There is a considerable amount of suspense as well as a bit of violence and gore. It is definitely not for the light of heart.

And despite being scared, I found this book to be an excellent addition to the YA world. Cas is an amazing male protagonist that kicked his teenage angst to the curb. Despite the fact that he lost his father, he changes schools as often as some people change clothes, and he has a seriously messed up calling that few people know about, this kid has it together. He is wonderfully sarcastic and has a penchant for swearing that I fully appreciated. Yes, there is a swearing this book. Not a ton but more than you might find in other YA books. Just what you would expect from a sarcastic, fairly well adjusted 17 year-old boy.

Anna is, needless to say, CREEPY! There is a bit of build up to meeting her. And when you do, you won’t be disappointed. She is a very, very angry ghost with no control over her actions. I can’t say more than that without giving a lot away. But I will tell you that you might end up liking Anna just as much as you like Cas.

The supporting cast of characters in this book is amazing. Cas’s mom is fabulous. They have a great supportive relationship that is free of drama. Cas’s new friends end up being extremely strong people that will do anything to help each other. Even the people in this book that lose their lives are surprisingly well developed.

Needless to say, I loved this book. So much so that I will be anxiously waiting for the second installment, Girl of Nightmares, due out next August. Apparently I am a masochist as we all know I will again be turning on all the lights and cowering in the corner until someone walks me safely up to my bedroom.



~ Nat

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

* * * 

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers.  Complete opposites – like fire and ice – Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof.  Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin.  She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move – only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events.  Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world.  Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

                       

I liked Skye.  She’s athletic, confident, gets straight A’s at school and she’s the champion skier on her school ski team.  Her only insecurity is that her parents died when she was very young leaving her with a hollow feeling all her life.  She is very fortunate in that she was adopted by her mother’s best friend whom she lovingly calls, Aunt Jo.  Yep, Skye is a pretty normal teen with some pretty normal friends living in a normal town.  So "overwhelming" would be the understatement of the year when Asher and Devin show up and all these crazy, mysterious things start manifesting.  And they always seem to appear wherever she's at.  Under normal circumstances, any time there’s a “creeper” no matter how hot following you around everywhere, you’d be likely to be a bit jumpy.  But this is YA world.  Why call the police?  Why file a report?  Why talk to an adult? Why hike up an isolated trail on a mountain in a group when you can encounter said stalker on your own and just continue to be creeped out?  Oh the amount of suspension of disbelief it requires to not throttle a character for stupid moves.  (Yes, I know I said I liked Skye but it doesn’t mean she’s infallible.)

When Asher and Devin finally reveal themselves and their purpose, Skye is well, shattered.  While she needs time to digest the information that has ripped apart whatever she has known about her family, they're quite adamant that she pick up the pace and learn about her true nature and how to harness her powers.  She is essentially at the crux of a battle that has been slowly simmering for ages.  She's the "wild card" so to speak and the decision she makes about which direction to go in i.e.  with Asher or with Devin, decides the fate of the whole world.  She has no idea what to believe and who to trust. Time’s a tickin’ and things are happening that she cannot even begin to comprehend.  And you thought acing that chemistry test was the worst thing on your plate! 

There are so many things I enjoyed about A Beautiful Dark.  I loved the slow reveal.  While certain events happen fast I had fun trying to guess who was good or evil and watch how they'd try to outmaneuver each other at every turn.  Then there’s also the mystery surrounding Skye.  Once she finds out who she is, she still has to learn to fit into those big, big shoes and it doesn’t come easily.  That I found to be very believable.  And finally, the beautiful descriptions of River Springs, Colorado where this story is set were just breathtaking.  Believe me, it was beautiful enough to make this BiblioJunkie who is averse to all things cold-weather related, want to visit.  Don’t get me wrong.  No skiing down the slopes for me.  I’ll just happily sit in the foyer of the resort next to a warm fireplace with my hot chocolate in hand staring out at the gorgeous snow while contemplating if I'm Team Asher or Team Devin.

Jocelyn Davies delivers a different take on the currently popular angel theme in this lovely debut.  She has created a slightly different mythology that I'm very keen on reading more about.  Go silver!

- Bel

Interview With Hannah Harrington Author Of "Saving June"

Yesterday we featured a review of Saving June, the first novel from Hannah Harrington.  Today we’re very thrilled to present an interview with the brilliant Hannah herself as she talks about her book and other topics of interest ...

Congratulations on your smashing debut!  Saving June is one of the best sursprises of the year.  What was the genesis of it?

Thank you so much!  I first had the idea for Saving June while I was in high school.  When I was seventeen, I’d lost a relative of mine to suicide and the “splitting the ashes” thing was something that actually happened.  The summer after I graduated, I was living out of my car and working as a pizza cook.  The radio would always be on in the kitchen, so I was spending a lot of time listening to music and kicking the idea around in my head.  A few years later I found some of the bits and pieces I’d written back then, and decided to sit down and write out a full first draft.  So some of it comes from my personal experiences, and of course some of it is inspired by music I love.  It all ended up tying together!

I have to be honest, I was kind of nervous about reading it because obviously suicide is a hard topic and I assumed it would get very depressing.  Instead the story unfolded so differently from what I expected and I found myself laughing aloud many times.  Was it your intention to avoid getting too dark or did the humor just evolve on its own?

Part of it just evolved from having two characters, Harper and Jake, who both resort to sarcasm pretty regularly, but I definitely did want to keep it balanced so it wasn’t an endless angst fest from start to finish.  I felt like having moments of lightness helped the parts where Harper is more actively confronting her own grief have more impact.  And since Harper’s journey is about gaining a greater appreciation for life, I wanted her to have times where she was able to enjoy herself and her experiences rather than being weighed down too much by what she was going through.

Saving June is very heavy on the music which being a music junkie myself, I appreciated.  You even included a soundtrack at the end of the book.  (Very cool by the way.)  So which came first – the story or the music?

Both, sort of?  I knew as soon as I had the idea that the mix CD June was listening to was going to play a part.  I think when I was shaping Jake’s character I made the decision to have music be the bigger focus.  It was a great hook for his character and also really easy to carry through the story. 

One scene in particular, which references an Eric Clapton song, was very touching and it’s one of my favorite scenes.  Were there moments when you found the song directing the course of the scene?

Actually, the specific mention of “Tears In Heaven” in that scene was only written pretty late into the editing process; I just went back and thought it worked to include it there, since I knew the origins of the song and it seemed relevant to what Jake was saying.  I don’t think there were any scenes I wrote intentionally to shoehorn in a song or band or music history anecdote – most of it just came from what I felt was naturally fitting as I was writing the scene.

All three of your main characters, Harper, Laney and Jake are wonderful and equally impressive.  What was it like creating their various dynamics?

They’re all very strong personalities, but in thinking them up, a lot of it was about how they played off Harper, since it’s her story.  Laney being very vivacious and impulsive helped me bring a lot of light into all of Harper’s darkness.  It was important to me to have their friendship be very reciprocal in support, even though a lot of it is Laney putting Harper first since she’s the only one not so wrapped up in her own grief and problems.  With Jake, I liked the idea of him and Harper having a somewhat antagonistic dynamic that allowed them to challenge each other.  He’s the one who doesn’t hold back from pushing her in ways she needs to be pushed, and Harper pushes right back.  As far as Laney and Jake – I definitely wanted to avoid any love triangle shenanigans, so I think as Laney picked up on the vibe between Harper and Jake, she was never going to go there; and with Jake, him butting heads with Laney a bit but eventually coming to care for her too was nice, because it really was the gesture he makes toward her that ultimately wins Harper over.  And in turn underlined how much Laney matters to Harper.

I LOVE Jake.  He’s like VH1’s “Behind The Music”.  I think he may have his own fan club after this.  Do you think he can throw a mix CD together for me?

I love when people love Jake!  It’s always fun to write the snarkier, more blunt characters.  I’m sure Jake would make anyone who asked a whole stack of mix CDs.

That song Jake writes for Harper is, as my fellow BiblioJunkie Nat accurately put it, “achingly beautiful”.  Will there ever be a recorded version of it that we can hear?

I don’t have any plans to do it myself, but I’d be thrilled if someone wanted to try and arrange it!  Plus, trust me, you do not want to hear any of my attempts at singing.

Aside from Saving June have you written other songs?

I haven’t!  I can play a bit of guitar, but I’ve only done cover songs, nothing original.  And like I said, I really cannot sing.  I was a little apprehensive about writing a song in the book, since I’m not a poet, and songwriting seems similar to poetry to me.  I’m glad people thought it worked well!

What are you currently working on?

Right now I’m preparing for my second book, SPEECHLESS, which will be released September 2012.  It’s the story of Chelsea Knot, a girl who takes a vow of silence after her gossip mongering has unexpected consequences.

I have to ask this question because here at BiblioJunkies we like to regress every so often, so here goes: which fictional character would you like to go on a date with?

Troy Barnes from the TV show Community!  He’s adorable, and I have a ridiculous crush on Donald Glover.

You’re at a restaurant and decide to order in reverse – dessert first.  What would that delicious treat be?

I could give you like ten different answers for this since I have such a sweet tooth, it’s ridiculous.  But right now, I think I’d have to go for a slice of yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting and a glass of milk.

So what’s your top 5 on your iPod right now?

“Someone Like You” – Adele

“Little Lion Man” – Mumford & Sons

“Maybe This Time” – Liza Minelli

“Worn Me Down” – Rachael Yamagata

“Love You ‘Til The End” – The Pogues

Finally, can I raid your music collection…please?

Any time you want, as long as I can raid yours!  I love sharing my music and hearing about other people’s tastes.  It’s the best way to discover new artists!

Thank you Hannah for taking the time to answer our questions –  even the silly ones!  And we look forward to more exciting things from you! 


And thank you to everyone who stopped by!  Follow Hannah on Twitter @hhharrington_


Saving June will be available November 22.  Read it!

~ Bel