The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - 387 pages

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I really like this series, it's a fun, easy read.  This is actually the book that got me back into reading, and honestly my daughter as well.  I really enjoyed re-reading it!

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

 The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan, 151 pages

The Demigod Files contains three short stories from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy has an impromptu adventure with Clarisse, gets lost in the woods with Beckendorf, and finally is pulled to the Underworld with Thalia and Nico to face off with a Titan. 

This book doesn't contain spoilers for any of the Percy Jackson series, although it does help set up some of the events of the Heroes from Olympus series. 

Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan - 424 pages
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgaard #3

Magnus must go on a sea voyage to Jotunheim to stop Loki and the Ship of the Dead from starting Ragnarok -- the end of the world.

This is the final volume in the Magnus Chase trilogy.  It was a great conclusion in that the story drew you in from first chapter and kept you interested.  In fact, I didn't want to put it down.  However, I did think the ending was a little quick. 

Camp Half-Blood Confidential by Rick Riordan

Camp Half-Blood Confidential:  Your (Real) Guide to the Demigod Training Camp by Rick Riordan - 168 pages

This guide, "written" by Percy Jackson and his fellow demigods, introduces new kids to Camp Half-Blood.  It's a collection of tour guide descriptions of spots around camp along with stories about the various activities, places, and people.  It is definitely only for those who have previously read the Percy Jackson books.

For Magnus Chase -- Hotel Valhalla by Rick Riordan

For Magnus Chase -- Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds by Rick Riordan

This is a guide to the gods, goddesses, and creatures that make up the Norse worlds.  It is a fairly good introduction to Norse mythology for anyone whether they have read the Magnus Chase books or not.  However, there are some inside jokes that will make a lot more sense to those who have read the books.  It was an interesting audio to listen to.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan - 376 pages
The Trials of Apollo #1

Apollo has been punished by Zeus for allowing Gaea to almost awake and destroy the world.  He's been sent to earth as a teenage human boy.  He's immediately set upon by two thugs and is rescued by a nearly feral demigod god who attacks people with rotten fruit.  Now Apollo must serve this demigod all while trying to figure out what is happening to the oracles and why prophecies are no longer occurring.

This is the first book in Riordan's new Greek mythology series.  I didn't think I would like this book as Apollo as struck me as whiny and annoying, but I truly enjoyed it.  It was hard for me to put it down.  It was great to revisit some of my favorite characters from the previous Percy Jackson series.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Demigods and Magicians by Rick Riordan

Demigods and Magicians by Rick Riordan - 187 pages

This book contains three short stories about Percy and Annabeth meting Carter and Sadie Kane.  It was long rumored that Rick Riordan's series after completing the Percy Jackson series was going to be a mash-up of Greek and Egyptian mythology.  I would guess these were the short stories that could have been expanded into that series.  It was interesting to read the stories and the interactions between the two series' characters.  I would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jacksons series or the Kane Chronicles.

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan - 406 pages
The Kane Chronicles # 3

Sadie and Carter must find a way to defeat Apophis and they think it has something to do with shadows.
This is the conclusion of the Kane Chronicles.  I did enjoy the series and thought it had a fairly good ending to it.  You can tell Riordan was setting it up to continue the story of the Carters with the other mythologies from the final chapters.  However, he has not done it yet.  I'm not sure if he will or not.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan - 452 pages
The Kane Chronicles #2

Sadie and Carter must once again save the world.  In this installment, they must revive the god Ra to battle the rising Apophis.  To accomplish this they must make Ra's night journey through the twelve Houses of Night.

This is the second book of The Kane Chronicles.  Once again, I listened to it on audio.  I found it interesting that even though it was the exact same two actors narrating the book, they completely changed some of the characters' voices.  It was distracting trying to figure out their new voices in the story.  Other than that I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordanamy,

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan - 516 pages
Book 1 - The Kane Chronicles

Carter and Sadie Kane are devastated when their dad blows up the Rosetta Stone on Christmas Eve.  The worst part isn't that the police think their dad is a terrorist and that they were accomplices -- the worst part is that their dad released five Egyptian gods and one them overtook their dad and sealed him into a coffin.  Now they have to work together to rescue their dad and stop the Egyptian god Set from taking over the United States.

This is the first book in the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan -- the writer of the Percy Jackson books.  It is his take on Egyptian mythology.  The book is presented as a recording of the story of Sadie and Carter -- which worked well, especially as I listened to the audio version.  The two narrators did a great job of differentiating between the characters but yet still making it clear who was talking.  I thought the book was a little slow to start but seemed to pick up as it neared the end.  While it wasn't as engrossing as the two Percy Jackson series, I am intrigued enough to listen to the next two books in the series.

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan - 499 pages
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Book 1

Magnus has lived on the streets since that terrible night two years ago when his mother was killed by wolves.  Nobody in his family has looked for him since then . . . until now.  Now his Uncle Randolph wants him to find the Norse Sword of Summer.  And finding the sword is just the beginning of Magnus' adventures.

This is the first book in Rick Riordan's new Norse mythology trilogy.  I really enjoyed the book.  It was immediately engrossing even though I am not as familiar with Norse mythology.  I did feel a little idiotic that I didn't put together that Magnus Chase was related to Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson books until the second chapter -- especially as his name is very prominent on the cover.

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan - 387 pages

Percy Jackson has been recruited to write another book explaining Greek mythology -- this time focusing on Greek heroes.  He tells us the stories of several Greek heroes including Psyche, Perseus, Otrera, Hercules, Jason, and Atalanta.

I listened to this on audio.  For the most part I enjoyed it.  The slightly disrespectful take on the Greek myths are interesting and humorous for the most part.  I did find towards the end I was becoming a little tired of the very unhappy endings to the stories -- but that is the Greek myths for you.  Very few of them had happy endings.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan -- 416 pages

Percy Jackson never stays long at one school. His ADHD, paired with dyslexia, has gotten him into trouble after trouble. He almost lasted the whole school year this time--before he sliced his teacher and into dust. No one seems to notice, but Percy is pretty sure that's what happened.

Percy finally discovers that he is a demi-god, the son of a god, and that he must prevent a war among the greatest of the gods. He has been accused of stealing Zeus' master bolt, and the only way to prove his innocence is to find out who did steal the master bolt, steal it back, and return it to Zeus before chaos ensues.

I listened to the audiobook on overdrive.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan - 318 pages

This is a retelling of the Greek myths, mainly concerning the 12 major Olympian gods, as told by Percy Jackson.  There is a fair amount of humor and snark incorporated into the stories which made them fun to read.

December Books 2014

Blood of Olympus 502 pages by Rick Riordan
 Our heroes are still trying to make a deadline to stop Gaea from destroying the world. More hardships as well as humor are thrown their way and all the heroes must prove what they are made of.

Vampire Knight Vol 14 187 pages Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Vol 15 187 pages Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Vol 16 187 pages Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Vol 17 189 pages Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Vol 18 189 pages Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Vol 19 191 pages Matsuri Hino
 Okay so this is where the story gets weird and confusing. Kaname wants to end all purebloods lives including his and Yuki's so he starts killing them all. Yuki starts the night class again with some of the old night class and new members. Big battles happen and more confusion ending with Kaname's heart in a furnace to make hunter weapons and Yuki ending up with Zero and two kids.

Shifting Shadows 450 pages Patricia Briggs
 This book has the best of Mercy's world all rolled into one volume. Reader favorites and new, never published before stories.

The D.U.F.F. 277 pages by Kody Keplinger
 This one makes me glad I am done with High School and didn't know anyone like some of the people in this book.

Clariel 382 pages by Garth Nix
 Set six hundred years before "Sabriel" we see upsets in the magical community that flow over to the non-magical. We meet some old friends and discover some new along this new path in an old kingdom.

Apple Turnover Murder 292 pages by Joanne Fluke
 Hannah's old assistant professor is in town as her sister Michelle's advisor and Christmas guest. During the Christmas talent show he turns up dead and get what the dirty rotten womanizer deserves.

Plum Pudding Murder 303 pages by Joanne Fluke
 Crazy Larry is doing dirty business during Christmas in Lake Eden and it's up to Hannah to find out who knew enough to want to kill him.

Devils Food Cake Murder 322 pages by Joanne Fluke
 Rev. Bob and Claire finally get a honeymoon and an old friend comes back to hold the fort down while they are away. when he turns up dead it is up to Hannah to uncover the secrets of why he was killed. Meanwhile Norman goes out of town and comes back with his ex-fiance who drops a bomb on their lives.

Cinnamon Roll Murder 363 pages by Joanne Fluke
 During the Lake Eden jazz festival the Cinnamon Roll Six, the band hired to play, has a horrible wreck. Now Hannah has to figure out if the bus driver was murdered or if it was truly an accident as well as find out who killed the keyboard player in the hospital. We find out Dr. Bev is a lying conniving witch and the whole town pitches in to help break up Norman and Dr. Bev.

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder 323 pages by Joanne Fluke
 The evil Dr. Bev is back in town and engaged to a new man but still hitting on anything she thinks she can manipulate. Not surprisingly she winds up dead and it's up to Hannah to find the killer and clear her own name!

Blackberry Pie Murder 339 pages by Joanne Fluke
 A stranger shows up in town pinned under the bumper of Hannah's cookie truck. Now she needs all the help she can get to figure out who he was and stay out of jail for vehicular homicide.

Poison Study 427 pages by Maria V. Snyder
 One of my favorite series, this is the first book, has everything you could want. Magic, spies, politics, intrigue, and creepy bad guys getting what they deserve.

Magic Study 392 pages by Maria V. Snyder
 Yalena travels to her home to meet her family for the first time since she was kidnapped fourteen years ago. From there she travels to the Citadel to learn how to control her magic and all hell breaks loose as usual when Yalena is around. Murders, mistrust, and uncovering the past run rampant through her life in a country where she is supposed to be free.

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - 516 pages
The Heroes of Olympus - book 5

This is the final book in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.  Reyna, Nico and Coach Hedge are taking the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half Blood - if they can make it there.  Both Reyna and Nico are going to have to face their ultimate fears -- Reyna's past and Nico's loneliness.  Meanwhile, Piper, Jason, Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, Frank, and Leo continue on to Athens to try to stop Gaea from rising.  They too will have to face their fears to finally defeat Gaea.

This was a good end to the series.  It was much better than the last book which was slow and boring.  This kept the action going the entire time.  I particularily enjoyed Reyna's and Nico's stories as they were the characters we did not know as much about.  A great series ender.

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan - 596 pages
Heroes of Olympus #4

Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus making their way to the Doors of Death.  In the mortal world, the others are being led by Nico to The House of Hades to those same Doors of Death.  There they hope to meet up and close the Doors -- if only they can make it there.

I thought this was a very slow read.  Usually Rick Riordan's books are fairly quick to read and very engaging.  This book took a lot of time to draw you in.  Still, I'm anticipating the final book in the series coming out in September.

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

Demigods and Monsters edited by Rick Riordan - 242 pages

This book contains essays by children's and teen authors from around the world on various aspects of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  Obviously some essays were better than others.  Some were very interesting to read.  Others were incredibly boring.  One of the most interesting parts to read was Riordan's introduction where he states that he did not put any symbolism or greater hidden meaning into the books.  Which was then followed by the essays all about hidden meaning and symbolism.