Teamwork Makes the Prophecy Work (The Blood of Olympus – A Book Review)

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5)

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: 2014

On Goodreads

My Rating:

Rated H for Heroism in the darkest and bleakest moments and unconditional love and friendship.

 

Nico had warned them.

Jason’s ghost is his mother.

Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors.

Leo fears that his plan won’t work.

Piper must learn to give herself over to fear.

The seven demigods of the prophecy to stop Gaea from rising come face to face with some of their worst fears and must find ways to confront and get past them in order to help Romans and Greek unite and to be able to defeat the goddess of the earth. Nico Di Angelo helps Reyna and Coach Hedge get to Camp Half-Blood with the statue, but the travel is wearing on him. If he shadow-travels too much he’ll become nothing more than a ghost. Annabeth and Piper face great fear and must lean into it if they hope to do their part in this prophecy. Battle is on the horizon and sacrifices will be made to save the world.

 

The Heroes of Olympus series is one of the series on my New Year’s resolution and this is book 5 of 5.

 

Goodreads

Goodreads

Goodreads

The Lost Hero review

The Son of Neptune review

The Mark of Athena review

The House of Hades review

First off, I’m sorry my lovely bookworms. It has been a little bit since I’ve put up a review. The holiday season is making work super crazy. I’m ridiculously glad Black Friday is over. Working that was exhausting. I’m still trying to catch up on sleep, but I have a review for you! WOO!

So, I totally got incredibly weepy throughout this book! Such a great ending and openings left at the end. Gah, the end! Beautiful and tragic, yet not! So many emotions! For those who have read this series, you get it! You traveled on all of these adventures with these demigods, watched them grow and develop and your heart drops just a bit at the end, knowing the journey is over. From a couple of cyclops to angry Romans to Hercules to Hecate and so much more. This was such an incredible book and a great ending, though not an ending, too.

I do have a bit of a bone to pick and it is spoiler-y. Piper captured a horn from the god of the Tiber and I found it to be sad because the other one had been stolen already. She manipulated him and his feeling to get it and it was pretty sucky. I do wish she would’ve returned it to him in some way. She was forced to trick him and I think it would’ve done so much good to return it to him. The parts surrounding Piper and the horn just broke my heart a tad.

Giphy

There was so much acceptance, realizations, and teamwork. In the end, while the seven demigods worked together to defeat Gaea, everyone united to fight an epic battle. I loved that it wasn’t ever just about one single person but about everybody because it affected everybody and each person had a part to play. Even the gods came swinging in and it’s always pretty cool when they can get past their high horses to help out the kids they don’t ever see.

 

Overall

A fantastic conclusion to the epic Percy Jackson universe, yet also opening to more stories to come. I definitely need to reread the Apollo trials now. LOL. They’re going to be so much more different than before.

 

Quotables:

“Fear can’t be reasoned with. Neither can hate. They’re like love. They’re almost identical emotions…” (Piper, p. 206)

“A Roman does not wait for death. She seeks it out, and meets it on her own terms.” (Reyna, p. 373)

 

More to come soon…                                                                                                

  -K.

 

P.S. Song today? The Afterman by Coheed and Cambria.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Midnight Tease

Hello, book delinquents!

Tis the season to be merry, cheery, and joyful! Also, —in my case—very cold. LOL. I do enjoy the Christmas season. With epic Christmas movies like Black Christmas, Gremlins, and
Krampus, and then epic Christmas decorating. I have to be honest, I’m not big on Christmas songs, though I do have a couple favorites. I love making Christmas treats though! It’s something mum and I do and I love spending time with her. I believe Rice Crispy treats are on the list this year along with fudge and gingerbread.

Aside from Christmas cheer, I do have quite a bit to read up on this month. I’m excited to be moving forward with my TBR. While there are a few that are on my list from the last two months, there are some new ones as well. So, not to keep you waiting, here we go, the last Midnight Tease of the year!

If you’re up this late then you’re a night owl like me. Since you’re up and probably munching on a midnight burrito (which sounds delicious) here’s what’s coming up this month!

 

Coming Soon…

 

OverDrive

The X-Files: Ground Zero

Author: Kevin J. Anderson

Okay, guys, I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m a MASSIVE X-Files fan. It goes on my list next to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, The Walking Dead, and Planet Earth. From the theme song to the epic storytelling of the unexplained, it’s a home for me. I love believing in the things that science can’t explain because sometimes it’s like that. So, I’m quite excited to read this one.

 

Goodreads

The Host

Author: Stephanie Meyer

How many times have I put this on my TBR this year? LOL. I’m so determined to at least get started on it.

 

Jennifer Estep

Widow’s Web

Author: Jennifer Estep

This is a part of a mass-market series. There’s some paranormal juju dealing with assassins that have some powers related to the arachnid family. While I get creepy shudders about it, I’m also super intrigued.

 

Currently…

 

Goodreads

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower #6)

Author: Stephen King

 

Goodreads

Goodreads

Zom-B: Baby & Gladiator

Author: Darren Shan

 

Up For Review…

 

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5)

Author: Rick Riordan

 

Amazon

Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? What’s your favorite Christmas movie. Mine is definitely Gremlins. Let’s chat in the comments below!

Sundown Rundown – November 2019

Hey there, book-lovers.

It’s the end of November and that means it’s time to look back on what I’ve read this month. There have been some doozies for sure, and by that, I mean some big reads. So, I didn’t get as many done as I’d hoped, but I did get to some of the ones I really wanted to. A pro and a con!

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, Christmas is well on its way. Before we can get to December, here’s a chance to see what I’ve read this month and catch up on the reviews you might’ve missed.

 

Barnes and Noble

Wolves of Calla

Author: Stephen King

Roland and his ka face off against vile creatures known as the wolves to try and help a town from losing their children once again, but they have problems closer to home they must solve as well.

 

Goodreads

The Mark of Athena

Author: Rick Riordan

It’s not easy to try and make peace with an old enemy, like the Romans or Greeks, when you’re trying to stop the goddess of earth from arising and destroying the world.

 

Goodreads

Wicked Saints

Author: Emily A. Duncan

Dark, culty magic swirls around a girl believed to be the one that can end a brutal war.

 

Amazon

Stargazing at Noon

Author: Amanda Torroni

Lost in the universe of stars, space, and love and heartache.

 

The House of Hades

Author: Rick Riordan

Officially and truly friends, at last, demigods of both the Greek and Romans gods must work together to close the doors of the Underworld to keep monsters from leaving the dark depths.

 

Favorite Book: Stargazing at Noon was unbelievable gorgeous, picturesque, and stunning. Descriptive and breathtaking words. Just swept me away and I’m all right with that.

Least Favorite Book: Wolves of Calla was good, but it felt extremely drawn out. Sometimes a story takes patience, but I wasn’t feeling it this time. I still look forward to the next book in the series.

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Goodreads

 

Thoughts? What book did you enjoy reading the most in November? Let’s chat in the comment below!

Way Down We Go (The House of Hades – A Book Review)

The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4)

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: 2013

On Goodreads

My Rating:

Rated H for heart-wrenching moments of near-death, unexpected truths, and going to hell and back, literally.

 

Hazel stands at a crossroads.

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed.

After losing Percy and Annabeth, the remaining crew of the Argo II could go home to stop the war that’s brewing between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter or go to the Doors of Death where the two demigods will be waiting on the other side to close the doors between the mortal world and the underworld. Whichever they choose, time isn’t a virtue. Gaea, mother earth and of giants, is close to awakening and destroying the world.

Meanwhile, Annabeth and Percy, in Tartarus, discover old enemies and a brand-new meaning of pain as they journey to the Doors of Death to close them. Some enemies turn into friends and there are some enemies they never expected to cross paths with.

 

The Heroes of Olympus series is one of the series on my New Year’s resolution and this is book 4 of 5.

Catch up on previous reviews of the series:

Goodreads

Goodreads

Goodreads

The Lost Hero review

The Son of Neptune review

The Mark of Athena review

 

This book was non-stop action and anxiousness and I loved it! Compelling adventure and so many heartfelt moments that made the story even more loveable. Dark times and temptations come for each character, leaving them faced with decisions that truly change everything. I was shocked that’s for sure.

WiffleGif

The character development is unbelievable and astounding! The return of familiar characters, like Nico De Angelo and Calypso, was also welcoming. Seeing them again also brought to the surface that a few things have come to bite Percy Jackson in the butt. I felt for these characters, but also praise Riordan for showing that even the most heroic and caring people can fall on the wayside and be subject to misgivings, even if it’s unintentional, and that’s really important. Nobody is perfect, but that doesn’t take away from the kind of person you are.

The subject of love is quite a biggie as well, during this book. There’s even a harrowing encounter with Cupid, and as with every god they’ve encountered it was dangerous and life-altering. (I’m actually loving all the different gods they encounter. It gives a lot of kudos to gods people don’t typically think about.) While Percy, Annabeth, and a few others find themselves locked in it, others struggle, like Leo and Nico. While one suffers from being the odd man out the other struggles with feeling betrayed by someone they thought they cared deeply about. The touching moments met the heartbreaking ones, really showing that navigating emotions isn’t easy no matter what age you are.

Mrwgifs

The setting of the book splits in two, though the journeys lead to the same place. Percy and Annabeth brave Tartarus while Hazel, Frank, Piper, Jason, and Leo are topside, working to get to them. There’s such a stark difference with each POV of the book and each of the places the characters travel to and it’s so important. All of this keeps the book from feeling dry and drawn out. Utterly breathtaking waters and monsters, and completely enamoring places that’ll shake you up and leave your heart overwhelmed.

 

Overall

True love and loyalty is always a theme in the Percy Jackson series, but this book reminded me of how harrowing a hero can be and sometimes how unrewarding and rewarding it can feel. That promises aren’t easy to keep. That even when it’s hard, you must be strong in the face of adversity. I repeat myself by saying Riordan is phenomenal and that you should read his books, but if it hasn’t sunken in yet, maybe it will this time. LOL.

 

Quotables:

“The past is close to the surface in this place. In ancient times, two great Roman roads met here, News was exchanged. Markets were held. Friends met, and enemies fought. Entire armies had to choose a direction. Crossroads are always places of decisions.” (Hecate to Hazel, p. 22)

“Monsters are the zits on the skin of Tartarus…” (Annabeth, p. 161)

“The dead see what they believe they will see. So do the living. That is the secret.” (Pluto, p. 190)

“Love is on every side. And no one’s side. Don’t ask what Love can do for you.” (Cupid, p. 286)

 

More to come soon…                                                                                                

  -K.

 

P.S. Song today? Way Down We Go by Kaleo.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

It’s In the Stars, He Said, It’s in You (Stargazing at Noon – A Book Review)

Stargazing at Noon

Author: Amanda Torroni

Published: 2019

On Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating:

Rated D for being positively divine and devastatingly spellbinding, reaching through my heart, body, and soul.

 

Things I learned from the moon:

at times you feel like a sliver of yourself.

There is beauty in this too.

An expansion of Torroni’s original book of the same name, more poems have been added, covering all kinds of material, far and wide. Filled with gorgeous metaphor, weaving incredible images in your mind ranging from philosophers delving into the planets to navigating intimacy like one maps the stars.

 

Absolutely breathless. Soft giggles of wonderment. Deep sighs of daydreams and longing. This is my absolute favorite book of poetry. I’m pretty sure it’s going to rest by my head for the rest of time and the pages will get worn and bent from being turned and read so much.

Giphy

I’m so very in love with the moon. There’s never a moment I don’t admire her. To come across a book of poetry that utilizes the moon with heartache, love, loss, and nostalgia has swept me away completely. I’m pretty sure I left my body. I couldn’t put this book down and by the time I did it was nearly 5:30am. So. Worth it.

It’s a work of art. I don’t say that just because words and poetry are art, but because the cover with its rippling water that reminds me of the way summer sun reflects on the ocean or glimmers on a lake as the sun begins to set. Even inside the book, there are bursts of unbelievably beautiful, curving and wild font that brought so much more to the poem. Each section was marked by a phase of the moon, from its beginning to end.

Giphy

 

Overall

This was a moving book for me. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t enamored and mystified and completely lost in its words. Recommended? Hell yes.

 

Quotables:

I don’t feel like this is a quotable book, but here are a few poems that turned me into a puddle of sighs.

 

Pop Rocks & Soda Pop (p. 10)




We were electric that night
the power lines collapsed

& you laughed because
our cell phones died

& I, for the life of me,
could not find a flashlight.

There were plenty of candles,
not a single match, 
& 
only the palest moonlight

catching your skin
through open windows

as we listened to the winds howl
                        
                  the thunder clap
                        
                  the sky break
                        
                  the branches snap

& we explored the storms

that have long existed,

braved the blizzards within,

traded breaths & tangled limbs,

all of this until the winds calmed
                        
                  the thunder died
                        
                  the sky healed
                        
                  the branches sighed

& we collapsed like power lines

because we were electric that night.






Stargazing (p. 12)


I wasn’t admiring

the freckles on your skin;

I was stargazing.

& when I said I wanted

to make love to you,

I meant all of you.

& when you felt my fingers

tracing poetry

over parts of you that

were supposedly broken,

know that all I saw
were prisms, refracted light,

& everything I wanted

to make mine.






The Brightest Thing (p. 16)


I need you to know something—

that when you’re feeling defeated

beat up & down
on your luck

when you feel like you haven’t done

anything of enough

that the most important things in life

cannot be built with your hands.


& even on days you feel burnt out
                        
                   dim in the darkness
                        
                   lacking sheen


I need you to know—

you’re still the

brightest damn thing

I’ve ever seen.






Two Truths, One Lie (p. 82)



The kitchen table appears and an arm’s reach

between us. We play two truths and one lie.

   

   1. Some nights you stay awake counting stars. One for
      
      every regret. Two for every time you wished you were
      
      someone else.

   

   2. You don’t love me.

  
 
   3. A black wolf visits you while you dream.



You never dream.

More to come soon…                                                                                                

  -K.

 

P.S. Song today? Navigator by MOONZz & Restless Modern.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Thanksgiving Book Tag!

Tenor

Hello, lovely bookworms!

I hope you’re well this cold and cozy season. It’s nearly time for the foodiest holiday of the year. Thanksgiving! Now, I know that not everyone around the world celebrates, but it’s during this time I like to feel thankful for the friends and family I have. I’m very lucky to have what I have even if it doesn’t feel like a lot all of the time. I am lucky to be alive. I know it’s this time of year, with the sun going down earlier and the ridiculous cold settling into bones, turning them to stone, that those who live with depression can feel it the heaviest. For those who bear their struggle with the dark cloud, the wall, the deep hole in the ground you work to climb out of, the ten-ton shadow that sits on your shoulders and whispers twisted truths, know that you are not alone and that you are loved. I bear my own dark cloud and some days are easier than others, but I’m incredibly grateful for those in my life, especially those who get those funny feelings to check in on me (like mum).

Now, the foodiest time of the year! There’s a book tag for that! Here it is. From The Sassy Book Geek I bring you a tag that will get your stomach rumbling and your brain too.

 

1. Bread- What book is purely fluff, and has no real plotline?

Goodreads

Echoes by Alice Reeds

I was thrown off by this one because I didn’t fully understand what was happening to the two main characters or understand the main plot and got lost in their back-and-forth bickering/flirting.

2. Turkey- What book made you want to fall asleep?

Amazon

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

An amazing story. So beautiful and tragic and LONG!  The longevity and immense detail weren’t bad but it did cause me to fade in and out of sleepiness at times.

3. Gravy- What book makes the whole series worth reading?

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

There are many series that I’ve read. I want to go with my utmost favorite, but there have been some new ones that I’ve been diving into. It seems like it would be the first book in a series that really hooks you and gets you to plummet into a book series, but sometimes the first book comes out meh and you get this flash of hope that the next one will be the one to drag you under. The third installment to The Great Library series pulled me in deeper into a dangerous world of knowledge. The first two books were amazing, but this one really amped up the risk and emotions and left me reeling. I’ve yet to get the fourth and final book to read it, but I’m hoping soon. It is on my list. LOL.

4. Stuffing- What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

Riordan Wiki

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

            I choose the entire series because one: I’m in the middle of reading it currently, and two: It’s been nothing but action. I feel like it’s even more amped up than the Percy Jackson series that precedes it. It’s definitely a winner in the action department with a fight or battle around every corner that could possibly end with dead demigods or crazy results. I’m certainly out of breath after a battle.

5. Mashed Potatoes- What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

Goodreads

Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

I need to be more specific in this case. The book wasn’t absolutely dreadful. Not by any means. But I felt like there could’ve been so much more. It could’ve been more fleshed out. I just wasn’t as hooked as I wanted to be. I still enjoyed it, but I wasn’t totally satisfied.

6. Cranberries- What book has the sweetest romance?

Goodreads

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I could’ve gone with something more complex, toxic, up and down, but I wanted to go with a book that pulled my heart in so many different directions and compressed it as if squeezing it in one’s hands and making me breathless and heart-stopping. The magic-infused within it makes it shine.

7. Corn- What’s the corniest book you’ve ever read?

Barnes & Noble

Zom-B by Darren Shan

Still reading this series, but there are always moments that I get caught on that are totally funny and goofy. I keep reading because I’m quite interested in the character development and seeing what happens at the end, but overall, it’s kind of silly with a side of gore.

8. Green beans- What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

I’ve really been enjoying this series, but there have been times that I’ve found myself wishing some parts had been shortened so that the story could move forward. I know that not everyone agrees and that the King man is highly revered for his long novels. I hold him in high respects myself. I really loved his memoir. IT’s truly helped me as a writer. But, even some of the authors we respect and admire the most can seem longwinded here and there.

P. S. I do have The Tommyknockers on my queue AKA the back of my couch, and I can’t wait to get to it. I also think it should be up on the remake list of movies only because I’d love to see the differences with all of the CGI and such.

 

9. Pumpkin Pie- What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

Scarlet Reader

I’ve fallen back on The Arcana Chronicles (Kresley Cole) and Morganville Vampires (Rachel Caine) many times when I feel like I just seem to not reach a good book. It sucks when book after book seems to not reach you, but these series always get my blood pumping and reach my sweet spots.

10. Dog/Cat- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

I love turkey, but if I’m honest I’m going to steal some green bean casserole. Does that make me a vegetarian dog, because I’m definitely a dog person, even though I had a dream about a purple cat the other night, well then yes it does. I love my mom’s casserole and am always getting seconds of it.

We Heart It

Tag, you’re it! That’s right, I’m doing some tagging this time, but if you don’t feel up to it that’s alright. I just find fun tags like this to be a great way to connect and get friendly with other blogs and also share interests. If I made you hungry, sorry (not).

Odd and Bookish

Kiera’s bookish thoughts

Spellbound Library

Marianna Reads

A Book. A Thought.

A Little Haze Book Blog

Miscellany Pages

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

A Dark New World (Wicked Saints – A Book Review)

Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1)

Author: Emily A. Duncan

Published: 2019

On Goodreads

Goodreads

My Rating:

Rated X because you won’t trust a single one of these people with your life unless you want to doom the world or yourself.

 

A girl named Nadya, who hears the whispers of the gods inside her head.

A prince surrounded by desperate suitors and deadly assassins.

A monster hidden behind pale, tortured eyes—and a smile that cuts like a knife.

Nadya has grown up in the monastery for most of her life, revering the gods, and she is the only known cleric that is able to communicate with all of them and not just the one she is bound to. After the monastery is attacked, she runs into a band of unexpected allies that seek to end the brutal war between Kalyazin and Tranavia, a god-fearing land and a godless one. With the high prince on their trail, it may seem tricky. But, the high prince is also trying to escape the suitors and assassins around him. A prophecy of dark magic and heresy that has been long known is put in motion and two countries may be in worse danger than this war never-ending.

 

I guess the perfect place to start with any review is stating right off the bat if you enjoyed or disliked a book, or at least that typically how I like to get started. To be honest, I’m not sure which direction I lean. Complex. That’s it. There was a lot of hype (mostly my own) about this book and it was even on the NYT bestsellers list for a while. This is one I’m going to want to reread later on. While the cover is completely mystifying and is really what attracted me—following the mini-blurb on the jacket inside the book—I really find that this story, this journey really stands next to those like LOTR (J. R. R. Tolkien), Mortal Engines (Phillip Reeve), and The Magicians (Lev Grossman). There is so much attention to not only detail but emotions.

War, religion, faith, and love are the strongest themes I came across while reading. The characters were always questioning everything as well as themselves, except for Rashid and Parijahan of course. Those two knew to the very point of their hearts what they wanted without a single drop of doubt. I truly loved those characters. Great for relief in intense moments and were proof that—in this book anyhow—there are people you can trust at face value because they’re upfront with everything with nothing to hide. Can’t guarantee anybody else in this book. LOL. Not even the main characters: Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz.

This story was pretty dark. It had me questioning every page. I certainly didn’t trust any of the characters. Serefin is obviously an alcoholic which really bothered the heck out of me. Nearly every time his POV came up he was waking up with a nasty hangover. Each of these characters really struggled, and I get that they live in war-torn countries, but damn, they are messed the eff up. It was making me go crazy.

The cult-y touch with the blood magic versus what the gods of this world provide was epic though. That had me impressed. That, and the histories offered at the beginning of each chapter. So much depth!

Giphy

 

Overall

I truly wish I had more excitement. There’s so much to talk about, but I don’t have any enthusiasm in me about it, which is a bummer. I think it’s just because so much was loaded into it that I was having a bit of trouble keeping up and catching on. Duncan really delved into her creation of a world whole-heartedly and it’s amazing. This isn’t a dislike review. Those are much more different. This is definitely a recommend for those who love fantasy and magic. Certainly, worth a shot.

 

Quotables:

“The was magic, it was power, it was mankind stepping out of the shadows and finding out the world had been kept in the dark by these gods.” (p. 50)

“Blood was not to be spilled for the sake of power. Magic was a divine appointment from the gods.” (p. 113)

“A boy made king of monsters for a kingdom of the damned.” (p. 346)

 

More to come soon…                                                                                                

  -K.

 

P.S. Song today? When the Darkness Comes by Grace Fulmer.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!