A World Without Heros

Beyonders: A World Without Heroes is written by the author Brandon Mull. Each book has a different story that makes for a new adventure. Some of the books he has written are The Candy Shop War and the famous Fablehaven series. A World Without Heroes takes kids from the world that we live in and puts them in a new one. A world without heroes…

Jason Walker was just a normal boy like you and I. Except, Jason is always looking for more; he is curious about everything. One day while working at the zoo, Jason heard music coming from the hippo. He leaned closer to the music, and fell into the hippo's mouth. Jason realized that the hippo wasn’t eating him, but transporting him to a new world.

Jason lands in the middle of a wooded forest.  He quickly gets himself acquainted with the new world he is in.  Jason sees a group of musician's that look like they are going to fall off of a waterfall. Jason thinks that they are in need of help, and  saves them. He ends up having to flee from the waterfall because the musician's aren't happy about being saved.  The musician's live in a world without heroes.

After wandering around the new world, Jason meets the Lore Master. He gives Jason a place to stay, and takes him to the library. Jason comes across a book that "shows" him a syllable to the infamous 6 syllable word. When the Lore Master finds out that Jason has acquired this information, he sends him to the Blind King.

When Jason meets the Blind King, he learns that this person is not really a King or blind. He is a hero that failed at the same quest Jason is now on. Jason is introduced to Rachel, a girl his age that is also from earth. The Blind King tells them that it is their job to collect all 6 syllables.

Jason and Rachel go through many different adventures to try and obtain the 6 syllables. Each adventure is definitely challenging. Along the way they meet allies that assist them in completing the quest of destroying the Evil Emperor. The question is will they find all of the syllables? And if they can, will the secret word actually work?

Brandon Mull has a writing skill that keeps his books fresh and new. I enjoyed this book. The story is fast paced with intriguing characters.  I am excited to read the next book. I hope it will be as good as the first! A+

 

 

Ruby Red

By: Kerstin Gier

           Gweneth Shepard's family has never been normal.  Her cousin Charlotte has been prepared through out her life to travel in time.  Now as Charlotte turns sixteen she is expected to make her first journey into the past.  Everything changes when Gweneth (not Charlotte) unexpectedly travels into the past in the middle of class.  As it turns out Gweneth's mother lied about her birth date, making her the one with the ability to travel in time.           

           

            Once this fact is revealed Gweneth is thrown into an entirely different world of secrets and magic.  She meets the only other time traveler, eighteen-year-old Gideon de Villiers.  She now is able to control where she travels in time, and must work to uncover the secrets that have been following her through this whole experience.

I really love this book.  The way it is written is just brilliant.  Most books I have read that involve time travel just go way too deep into the subject and the “laws” of time travel, which ends up just confusing me.  Also, the character development and pacing is just phenomenal.  The way you see the characters and their differences in the whole situation couldn’t be written better.          

This book brings up the big idea of time travel in today’s world.  Set in present day London it suggest that their might actually be people or technology that is able to travel in time.  I have always been fascinated by the thought of time travel and to hear other people’s ideas on the subject was just amazing.    

In short, this book is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone.  Although, be aware this book was originally written in German then translated into English so there are a few lines that don’t sound quite right but for the most part it is absolutely flawless.  I’ll give it an A+ any day.

Return of the King: J.R.R Tolkien

        The Return of the King, by J.R.R Tolkien, is the final book in the series, The Lord of the Rings. It continues again Frodo and Sam's quest to reach Mount Doom and destroy the ring.
        War is kindling over all of Middle Earth. Sauron is gathering armies from all over Middle Earth and planning to plant the final blow on Minas Tirith. Now King Theoden and the riders of Rohan must go and aid Gondor in the battle that will decide the doom of their time. But, will Gondor and Rohan be enough to defeat the armies of Mordor? No of course not. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimili, along with other rangers go to the Paths of the Dead to awaken a dead army. Meanwhile, Frodo has been stung by Shelob (the giant spider) and has been taken by orks to the tower of Cirith Ungol. Now Samwise the brave must go through a tower of orks to rescue Frodo so they can continue their journey to destroy the ring.
        I thought that this was an amazing book, and I thought that it was well written except for some slow parts, but I guess that is the way they wrote book back then. I  also really liked the courage of Sam and Frodo, because they get in the most impossible situations and they still persevere through basically anything. They even come home to a destroyed place, but they still fix that too.
      All in all, since this was an amazing book, I would give it a grade of and A+, and I would recommend anyone to read the Return of the King, after they read the Fellowship and Two Towers.
       

The Return of The King

      The Return of The King by: J.R.R. Tolkien is the third and last part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The book begins with Gandalf and Pippin riding by horseback to Minas Tirith. As they are riding to Minas Tirith great forces of evil are gathering to try and defeat the race of man. These great forces start by capturing Osgiliath, then Sauron's forces gather on the Pellanor Fields to begin the siege of Minas Tirith. Then, of course, the good guys win, but that doesn't mean that the fighting is over. The part of the Fellowship that is in Gondor is going to distract Sauron by knoking on his front door, the Black Gates, and starting a war to distract him from Frodo and Sam. Now on to Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor. When they left off, Frodo had been captured by orcs and taken to the tower of Cirith Ungol. Then, being the trusty sidekick that he is, Sam comes and saves Frodo from the tower so they can continue their quest to Mount Doom. Once they have traveled across Mordor to the foot of Mount Doom, they must scale the mountain to destroy the ring. Once they destroy the ring they can head back to the peaceful and quiet land of Hobbiton right? Wrong! When they arrive they find that the Shire had been overrun by Saruman. After things get taken care of in Hobbiton, Frodo feels the need to leave Middle Earth at the Grey Havens along with Bilbo and Gandalf, therefore, ending the trilogy.
     This book was amazing to read! First of all because it's Lord of the Rings...duh. It was also great to read because of the feeling of success you feel from Frodo and Sam destroying the ring once and for all. Although, I didn't really like the ending because I didn't really understand why Frodo wanted to leave, especially Gandalf and Bilbo. When I finished the book I was thinking, "I've read Lord of the Rings... now what do I do with my life?!?" Overall, I hope you end up reading this amazing trilogy.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

     Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the second most read book in the world, written by J.K. Rowling. It is a marvelous book telling the story of the wizarding wonder, Harry Potter. Harry Potter has lived a miserable life in Privet Drive for as long as he can remember. His aunt and uncle abuse him daily while spoiling their son Dudley. Harry has practically given up on hoping for a good life when he gets a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. His uncle destroys the letters as they come and eventually moves away to avoid them. Then, Hagrid, a half giant and the gamekeeper of Hogwarts rescues him from the Dursleys and into the wizarding world.
      Unfortunately, the world of wizards is not a safe place. Hagrid tells Harry that his parents were killed by Voldemort, the darkest wizard there ever was. Voldemort tried to kill Harry too, but it backfired, leaving only a lightning shaped scar on Harry's forehead. Nobody knows if Voldemort is dead or just trying to regain his power. Because of this miraculous story, Harry goes to Hogwarts as a celebrity
     While at Hogwarts, he learns all about magic and plays Quiditch, a sport played on flying broomsticks. He also becomes friends with Ron Weasley, a poor but honest boy. Harry and Ron, as well as the know-it-all Hermione Granger are running from Filch, a sort of hall monitor, when they walk into a forbidden room with a three headed dog guarding a trap door. As the year goes on, Harry and Ron become suspicous of Snape, the Potions professor. On Halloween night, a troll gets into the castle, and they think that Snape let it in as a distraction. The troll ends up in the girl's bathroom while Hermione is inside. Harry and Ron end up saving her and becoming friends. Unfortunately, not all students at Hogwarts are Harry's friends. Draco Malfoy, a prideful jerk whose father was a supporter of Voldemort, becomes enemies with Harry.
     This book is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. I could not disagree with any of the themes and morals in this book. One of the biggest themes is that friendship is a key role to make it through trials. Harry relied on his friends as well as vice versa to defeat their enemies and make it out of life threatening situations. This book also taught of bravery, courage, and that hard work yields rewards. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a thrilling story that you just can't put down. A.

   

Ravens Gate, by Anthony Horowitz

From the author who wrote the Alex Rider series comes a new series, The Gatekeepers, which starts out with Ravens Gate. This book begins with a 14 year old boy named Matt going to rob a warehouse. The raid goes wrong and he runs into the security guard who ends up getting stabbed. The police arrive and arrest him. After a night in jail, he must go to live with an elderly lady named Mrs. Deverill in a remote town called Lesser Malling. After spending some time there, he notices strange events after he tries to escape. He tries to find info on something he heard called Ravens Gate but fails.
Matt's suspicions are confirmed later when he sees Mrs. Deverill and the villagers of Lesser Malling practicing a ritual of some sort by an abandoned nuclear plant. He thinks she is witch. Anyone who tries to help him dies mysteriously. After finally escaping, he finds more info on Ravens Gate and finds out that it's a type of portal that that will let ancient beings, called the Old Ones who inhabited the earth long ago (like the Forerunners in Halo) to come into the modern world. However, knowing this puts him at risk of being killed.
        The mystery and the suspense of this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book was an interesting and exciting read because of that, however, it was a little strange in parts. It had very good descriptive details and a good plot. I recommend it to fans of Anthony Horowitz as well as those who enjoy fantasy.  B+

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

     The Alchemyst by Michael Scott is an amazing story about two twins who are magicians and they do not know it yet. (Yes, just like Harry Potter.) These two twins, Sophie and Josh, are just two normal teenagers who have jobs at a coffee shop and a book store. Then, some weird, gray, dudes come into the book store (where Josh works) and is looking for Nicholas Flamel. ("Wait a minute, is he the immortal mention by Albus Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter book?" you may ask. Why, yes he is!) So, Nicholas Flamel comes about and starts to get terrorized by these big gray dudes. We later learn that they are Golems, not Gollum, and they are created by a evil Necromancer. (Person who can bring back the dead.) His name is Dr. John Dee. This specific individual sets off a huge turn of events that occur to Sophie and Josh that will not be mentioned in this review.
     For those who have read Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, we may recall the Sorcerers Stone to be keeping Nicholas Flamel alive along with his wife Perenell Flamel. But in this book, it is referred to as the Philosophers Potion. (Get it, from the British copy?)
     I somewhat enjoyed this book because everything was really obvious to what will happen next. If you happen to be a big Rick Riordan fan, then this book for you. I suggest that you dip into a little bit of Greek and Egyptian Mythology before reading this. At some parts, the book can be quite lame due to poor choice of words. I would recommend reading this book to anyone who can't pick out the obvious.

Once Upon A Marigold

       Well to begin with, I wasn't too big of a fan of this book. I'm not sure why because I normally really like fairy-tales. In my opinion, I felt like this book took too long  to get to the climax. Others may disagree, but that's how I felt this book went. It was an OK book, but not one that I would re-read in the near future. This book was written by: Jean Ferris, she truly is a great author! She did a very nice job at creating a different kind of fairy-tale. 

       This fairy-tale was about a boy named Christian. When Christian was little, he went and hid in the forest until his family stopped searching for him. Christian was a prince and hated the way he had to act in his castle and how there were so many rules. One day he came across a troll named Ed. Ed lived in the forest in a cave. When Christian met him, he told Ed that he wanted to live with him, and that if he didn't let him, then he would go back to his castle and tell everybody that Ed kidnapped him! So as the years went on and Christian and Ed lived in the forest as a family, Ed started watching another castle through his telescope. He saw 4 beautiful princesses and a queen and a king. He watched them while they grew up and became fine young women! Then, Christian started p-mailing one princess named Marigold. After a while Christian and Ed decided it be best that Christian should live on his own and leave the cave. So, Christian went and got a job at the castle, where he could be closer to Marigold...Will they ever truly meet each other? Will everything turn out right and go as planned?
       Because I didn't like this book that much, I don't think that it's going to be a memorable one for me. Although, the story did have a good moral. I think that the book was trying to tell us that no matter if you are a "prince" or a "princess" or if you have everything, or nothing. You are just as capable of living your dream as any other person in the world. Whether they are rich, poor, happy, sad, loving, rude, it doesn't matter. just shoot for the stars and odds are, you'll be able to pick one for yourself at some point. I would give this book a B-.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini Adventure, Action, Magic, Dragons, fiction

Eragon by Paolini

The book, Eragon takes place in a land called Alagaesia in an empire controlled by an evil guy named Galbatorix. The story is about a boy named Eragon who is a farm boy and lives in a town called Carvahall. Both his parents are assumed to be dead and he lives with his cousin Roran and his Uncle Garrow.

On a hunting trip in a range of mountains called The Spine, Eragon discovers a blue stone which later turns out to be a dragon egg. When his Uncle is killed by two creatures called the Ra'zac he goes out to find revenge and is accompanied by an old story teller named Brom who helps him to become a Dragon Rider. On their quest they battle monsters and get help from their friends to find and kill the Ra'zac.

When they are ambushed by the Ra'zac, Brom is killed by a knife wound but a guy named Murtagh comes and chases the Ra'zac away then helps nurse Eragon back to health. Afterwards they are forced to flee from the empire where they seek the help of a band of rebels called the Varden.

 The story line of this book is incredibly similar to star wars. Both of them start on farms. Both of them have an old yet cool mentor who was once a hero. Both of them save a girl. And both of them go and join a rebellion to defeat an Empire.



I think that this book is a very intriguing book and is quite worth reading. (Even though the movie is crap) The storyline of this book is very interesting and has a good bit of suspense to it. It is a well written book. A



The Princess Bride

        Every book with princess in the title has got to be good, right? Well in this case that is without a doubt true. The Princess Bride is an amazing fantasy that is so well written. This love themed action packed book takes you on a great adventure in search of love. It kept me super entertained throughout the who entire book.
        In this story a very beautiful young woman named Buttercup lived on a farm with her parents, horse, and a farm-boy named Westley whom she has known nearly her whole life. It turns out that she was madly in love with this boy. But as soon as she confesses her love to him, he is quickly swept away to America. Shortly after he leaves he is said to have been killed by pirates. As you can imagine, Buttercup was devastated and vowed to never love again. However, she was actually supposed to marry a prince in a very short amount of time. Not having the will power to marry anyone but Westley she runs away. In the process she manages to get kidnapped by three goons. With no hope of escaping these men she expects to die.
        She expects to die, that is until a mysterious hero comes to her assistance and saves the damsel in distress. This man is later revealed to be none other than her lost love Westley. Obviously the two of them were ecstatic to be reunited with one another. But their reunion was just the beginning of this story and their crazy adventure. The task of staying together becomes more and more difficult as you read through the book. And their love for each other grows increasingly through each hard moment.
        I absolutely loved this book. Love is such a strong theme in this book and it is basically what makes The Princess Bride a story. This book clearly states that love is stronger than any other feeling. It is amazing what two people who are in love will do. The extent of things they will do is crazy. Also, a clear message in this book is once you have love don't ever let it go. Because if you let love go you will regret it for the rest of your life. The effort put into love is worth it in the long run.
        Don't worry, this book is not all a mushy love story. There is so much action packed into this book it's crazy. There are blistering winds, scorching desserts, and daring sword fights. I was quite certainly kept on my toes through the whole book. It is crazy how intense this book was throughout the process of reading. Without a doubt, this book is amazing. I would for sure give it an A.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The three heroes in this book are named Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, Jason, son of Zeus, and Leo, son of Hephaestus. It starts off on a field trip, where all three of them are attending Wilderness school (for “bad kids.”) Jason has no recollection of the school or Leo who claims to be his best friend and Piper who is apparently his girlfriend. They are attacked by storm spirits called venti, and their camp director, Coach Hedge, is carried away by them. Of course, Coach Hedge is a satyr assigned to keep Piper, Leo, and Jason protected, just like Grover in Percy Jackson. A girl named Annabeth takes the trio to Camp Half Blood, the only safe place for demigods. There, a lot of the characters backstories are made known. Annabeth reveals to Piper that Jason was never her boyfriend, and he used something that is used to cover up all the magic that muggles mortal humans would not understand, called The Mist. To add to that, Piper’s dad has been kidnapped by a giant who wants her to betray her friends in exchange for her father. We learn that Leo is a rare child of Hephaestus who can produce fire, as well as resist it. His mother was killed by a fire he started (as well as other things you’ll learn about later in the book), and Hera was his babysitter. Jason’s whole quest is to regain his memory, but Chiron the centaur tells him he should be dead, and he strangely knows all the gods for their Roman names rather than the Greek ones. They embark on the journey on an epic, metal, happy dragon named Festus (Festus means happy J.)  Before they leave here’s what they know: the gods aren’t communicating with any of their children and they’ve closed off Olympus, Annabeth’s boyfriend Percy Jackson is missing, and Hera has been captured by a giant. Not much to go on, but they know they need to save Hera, and Piper’s dad while they’re at it. They start off by going to see the god of the north wind, Aeolus, and later run in to all sorts of things like Cyclopes, a hypnotizing witch, King Midas, and much more.

Riordan is an amazing author! I loved the Percy Jackson series, and this one isn’t far behind. My favorite thing about him is the characters he creates. Jason’s very down to earth, very serious, but it’s because of his conflict with memory loss. Piper’s conflict adds the most suspense to the story. She’s afraid to get close to Leo and Jason because she knows she’s just going to have to betray them. Leo’s my favorite character. He adds so much humor to the story, and he’s just plain awesome. But deep inside he’s really sad because of his mom and crazy childhood with Hera as his babysitter. He describes running from foster home to foster home, making friends, and laughing it off, then running again, “Don’t stay in one place for too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.”

It’s difficult to compare to Percy Jackson. I don’t know which one is better. Percy Jackson was funnier I think, and The Lost Hero is more complicated. The clash between Greek and Roman worlds is pure genius! But again, quite complicated and I liked how carefree-ish the Percy Jackson series was. The suspense in The Lost Hero kept me on edge wanting to read. My love for the character in both books is equal. It’s a tough comparison.

Overall, I would totally recommend this book to anyone. It’s a great read, you don’t really have to read Percy Jackson first (but it’s nice so you know Annabeth and Percy and have more knowledge on Half Blood Camp.) You also don’t need too much background knowledge on Greek and Roman gods, because it is explained in the book. A

Beautiful creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 
This book was very interesting it was about a boy named Ethan  and this girl named Lena she is the new girl in town.Immediately two girl named Savannah and Emily do not take the a liking to her they thought that she was weird was because her uncle was known as the weird man in their small town Gatlin. Before she arrived Ethan had a dream about this girl  who was falling but he could not catch her.Then she arrived he thought that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.Turn out that she in one of his classes along with the girls who do not like her.They were in class one day and Savannah started to say bad thing about her family and lena tried to control herself  but then something came over her and she broke the window in the classroom without touching it and then ran out of the classroom Ethan ran after her . He ran after and followed her to a big mansion and then though a garden  where she sits on the grown crying and he say what wrong then she say all i wanted was to be normal then all of a sudden they have a flashback were im not going to tell you because it will ruin the story but after the flashback they talked then became friends.Soon after that he asked her what are you she said i cant tell you .Later on in the story he fines out that her family has power but she get to pick if she light or dark light mean good dark mean bad. This was a really good book for young adult  and if you like magic this is the book for you .

Entwined

Entwined

Written by : Heather Dixon

       When  Azalea's mother, the queen, dies, she is left with the responsibility of caring for her 11 younger sisters. With her father rejecting them and attending to Royal Business all the time, Azalea's and her sisters have to fight for themselves. First of all, the sisters all love to dance, and all have a special talent for it. But while in mourning, the girls can't dance, can't know the time, and have to wear all black. Before their mother died, she taught them  many dances and made sure they mastered all of them. Just before the queen died she gave Azalea a handkerchief with silver embellished initials. Azalea doesn't know what to think, but she is grateful for the gift.  

         The king leaves on Royal Business for a year, leaving the princesses in the care of the castle staff. These princesses are very depressed. They can't go outside and they can't do the thing that they love most, dance.When Azalea presses the silver handkerchief to the D'Eathe mark, a secret passageway appears. Now I know what your thinking, "Oh wow, another cheesy story with princesses and secret passages." NO! This book is not cheesy at all. The passageway leads to a forest. They hear music, and see people dancing under a huge pavilion. They want to join so bad, but decided they should have an invitation first. Just as they were about to leave, a very handsome and mysterious man appears. His name is Keeper, and he asks them to stay. They accept, and dance the night away. When they return the next morning to their room, they are all exhausted, but that doesn't stop them from going back the next night, or the next. They continue to go to the pavilion for a long time. But one night, Keeper asks them to look for a magical object. He tells the sisters that if they destroy this object then he will be set free, and can go above ground. Azalea accepts, and begins looking immediately.

          The book continues to tell of their struggles to find this magicked object, but they cannot find it. Azalea becomes desperate, and eventually the Keeper becomes mean, and forces them to look harder. He begins taking their things and keeping them, hence the name Keeper. A huge battle takes place in which many of the men that the girls love fight Keeper. The book has a quirky twist at the end, you wouldn't expect some people to fall in love with some people. I really did enjoy reading this though.  It was different enough from the average twelve dancing princesses books that it kept me involved and excited. It was very entertaining, and will stay up there in my favorite books list.

          I loved this book. It was really great and really entertaining. This book brought up some themes. One of the biggest ones, in my opinion, was to never give up fighting on what you believe is most important. Azalea and her sisters always do what they think is best, or always try to right their wrongs in whichever way possible.

         All in all, this book was amazing. I would suggest Entwined for 13-17 year-olds. There is nothing inappropriate, and there really isn't any intense violence either. Entwined was beautifully written, and gets and A for sure!

THE LOST HERO

 If you are looking for an extremely suspenseful book that will keep you turning the pages until the very end, the lost hero is definitely the book to choose. From the very beginning it sucks you in and makes it indubitably hard to put down. 

     It all starts out with a boy named Jason who wakes up on a school bus holding hands with a girl named Piper who is supposedly his girlfriend. Next to him is a boy named Leo who is apparently his best friend. All three of them go to a place called "The Wilderness School" or a place for "bad kids" as Leo puts it. What Jason did to end up in the peculiar place with a bunch of weird people, he hasn't a clue. All he knows is things seem very, very wrong. This is all proven when he eventually ends up at a strange camp with a bunch of teenagers in orange t-shirts. Things get even more complicated for Jason when he finds out he is the child of a very important god. When he gets chosen for a quest the plot thickens and the three friends are faced with a lot of really hard trials. Jason has a memory problem. Piper has a very big secret. And Leo has a way with tools. Faced with trials and a quest that could ultimately demolish the earth, it comes down to a matter of hours to save it.

     What is really cool about this book is that we aren't just in one person's head the whole book. This book transfers back from Jason, to Piper, then Leo. It gives a lot more insight and a better understanding of the book to see the point of view from those three characters. Overall I would give this book an A+. I honestly have no complaints about this book and it ends in a cliff-hanger that leaves you pining to read the next book. This is a fantastic book for both boys and girls. It is packed full of action, suspense, and romance. It is a sure fire guarantee this book will keep you interested the whole time and leave you hungry for more.

Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star By Brandon Mull

     This book is the second book in the Fablehaven series it is a great book and is a great sequel to the first book. I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first I do have to say I did have a hard time finishing it cause it’s a little slower moving.

       The story starts towards the summer again. Things the summer before had been a great excitement for Seth and Kendra but now things were just as normal in a normal teenager’s life. Or so Kendra thought. Then things started getting weird a new student arrived at the school and all the girls were just swooning over him but Kendra could not see what they all were all seeing because what she saw was a Fablehaven creature. Things were about to take a turn for the worse. Then the next day after school Kendra was confronted by a man named Errol Fisk. Little did Kendra know talking to this man would turn everything upside down and put her and Seth right back where they had been the previous summer at Fablehaven. This is where they would be fighting a bigger and greater enemy than the year before.

        This is an okay book and if you liked the first you will most likely like this book. It does start slow but it is pretty enjoyable through the middle section. It’s a fun fantasy to read. But if you didn’t like the 1^st book or don’t enjoy fantasy I would suggest not reading this book. B-

 

City of Fallen Angels by: Cassandra Clare was, as always, a beautifully written book. Being the fourth book of the series and having such high expectations after the third, it did not disappoint. *SPOILERS*

            This book begins a few months after where the third left off. Everything is serene. Valentine and Sebastian are dead. Clary and Jace are officially a couple, and Jocelyn and Luke are getting married. Finally. It seems as if nothing could disturb the peace. They had never been so wrong. Shadowhunters have been found dead in several territories with no known suspects. Also, Simon is being hunted by mysterious hooded figures that would go to dangerous lengths to please their master. Camille has returned to take back her place on top of Manhattan. Simon, who still struggles with his existence as a downworlder, is fighting for his life to keep out of the reach of power hungry vampires.

            But Simon is not the only one having troubles. Jace who seemed to finally be free of his past is now sucked into something even worse that he can imagine. A great and ancient power has returned with dark plans for Jace and is not going to let anyone get in their way.

            Clary, now expanding her skills and knowledge as a shadowhunter, digs deep into the secrets of the past. Clary finds that Lilith, the first demon, has returned to raise Sebastian. Clary must stop at nothing to keep her from succeeding.

            Without spoiling the ending to much, this book was amazing and came together very well. What’s a good book without a killer cliffhanger?

            This book really goes to show that no love is perfect. Every character has a story and must learn to overcome the obstacles laid out before them. All in all, life and love are not easy.

             This book is filled with tragic romance, betrayal, suspense, and of course, sarcasm. Although, it was slow in some parts, I still enjoyed it. The world of angels lies before you in this book and I definitely recommend the series. I do have to warn you that there are intense kissing scenes and mild profanity. Not to worry, it was an amazing book and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly suggest you do.

 

The Hobbit By: J. R. R. Tolkien By: Andrew Williams

Bilbo Baggins, a simple Hobbit, never asked for adventure. It literally came knocking on his door, 13 dwarve and Gandalf the wizard show up to tea to hire Bilbo as a thief in their quest to reclaim a hoard of treasure. It's stashed far away and guarded by a fierce dragon, Smaug. Bilbo will have to cross the Misty Mountains, troll and goblin country, and the untamed wilds of Mirkwood, where straying from the path can be deadly. In exchange, he gets an even share of the treasure and quite a story to tell. One of the dwarves in Bilbo's parlour is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain son of Thror, King under the Mountain. The dwarves of the Lonely Mountain were a race of highly-skilled craftsmen, workers of stone and metals, wealthy and strong. That is Thorin's rightful inheritance, but the kingdom was lost to the worm dragon Smaug. Now Smaug sleeps deep in the heart of the mountain on his huge heap of treasure. One of the most significant events in the book is when Bilbo finds a magic ring, deep in the heart of the Misty Mountains, after he has been captured by goblins and taken down, down into the deep tunnels and black halls of the Great Goblin. The ring is a pretty handy thing to find because it enables Bilbo to escape from his captors and later on it helps him to confront Smaug the dragon. The ring makes you invisible. In the end, the confluence of events, including his daring rescue of the Dwarves, from a horde of larger-than-life spiders in Mirkwood, teaches Bilbo that he does indeed have a strength within himself. Bilbo finally faces the worst of his fears, conquers them, and confronts the deadly dragon Smaug, deep in the the Lonely Mountain. The moment when Bilbo overcomes his fear is the moment in which he, finally and completely, transforms from who he was into who he was always meant to be. Bilbo achieves his full potential and, as a result, gains treasures far greater than the gold he carries away from the Lonely Mountain, and like all Hero Quest stories, Bilbo must go back to his home. He and Gandalf finally take their final steps toward The Shire, Gandalf says, “My dear Bilbo! Something has happened to you. You are not the Hobbit you once were.”

beyonders: a world without heroes

Beyonders: a world without heros
By: Brandon Mull


   To start off with this was an amazing book. Beyonders is a fantasy/ action/ adventure book about a thirteen year-old boy named Jason. this character started out as a normal middle schooler that liked to play baseball and worked at his family zoo. While he was working there he heard music coming from the inside of a hippo, this made him curious to investigate so he dicieded to take a closer look. When he leaned closer he fell into the mouth of the large animal and traveled to another world known as Lyrian. The main idea of this book is how Jason travels across this new land trying to get home while meeting characters good and evil. But to return home he must travel to get syllables to a word that will destroy the evil ruler of the land, Maldor.
   This was a very good and memorable book because of the new land and creatures Jason meets along the way. This author is one of my favorites because of how he can create his own world. He faces many problems such as trust in allies, minions of Maldor, evil monsters, and finding a way to his world. This book has opened my mind with what kind of stories an author can tell. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and shocked me with a twisted ending. I highly suggest reading it, you wont regret it. A

 Insurgent by: Veronica Roth

     Insurgent picks up right where the first book, Divergent, left off: the Abnegation compound has been taken over by the Dauntless soldiers under the attack simulation, leaving behind a broken city.  After Tris and Tobias have managed to turn off the simulation forcing people to wake up and see the blood they now have on their hands.  Some choose to join the cause they we're just fighting for and others choose to fight it.  The one's who try to fight against it must now flee to the other compounds to protect themselves, but this is officially war and no one can just say neutral.

     Veronica Roth did a great job writing this book.  The first book to the series was beautifully written and doesn't disappoint her readers with it's sequel.  Were there times when I thought the pacing was a little off and wanted the story to move a little faster, yes, but that is to be expected.  What I love about this book is the way Veronica Roth manages to develop every character in the series no matter how small they may be.  You are introduced to each character in the first book but you get to see how far they have come and who they now are.  Another thing I really like about the book is the way that after Tris and Tobias begin their relationship they don't fall into the cliche of living happily ever after.  They have problems and it is clearly shown and I love that.

     After reading this book it really makes you look at the world in a new light.  Everyone can't just fit into one category like they are trying to do in this society.  One person is not just smart, or just fearless.  We each have a little bit of everything in us.  Everyone in their own way is smart, brave, selfless, kind, and honest.  You can't just take a human being and put them in a box of what they are and what they're not.  That just limits the person, and they can't show who they really are.  If we do that what kind of person does that make us?

    Overall this book was absolutely fantastic.  Though be forewarned there are some heated kissing scenes, but it really just adds to the story.  I would recommend this series to anyone but start with the first book (the review can be found here). I give this book two thumbs up and an A+.

Ruins by Orson Scott Card is the second book in the Pathfinder series. In this book Rigg, a 15 year old boy that can see paths and go into the past, and his friends live on a planet called Garden. On Garden there are 19 colonies and each has an invisible wall that is impossible to pass. By going into the past, Rigg and his friends find a way to pass through the wall.
  
On the other side they find out that the people in this colony have found out that the world is going to be blown up by the people from Earth in three years. Rigg and his friends then decide that they should try to stop the people from blowing up their planet. The rest of the book is about the group trying to save their world. 

One big problem I had with this book was how confusing some scenes were. In the book they talk a lot about time travel and it doesn't make any sense. Here's an example, "During the microseconds when the ship's nineteen computers were separately calculating and activating the jump." There are whole pages where they talk about stuff like this.     

I thought that this book was o.k. Most of the book didn't have a lot of action and was kind of boring. I feel like the author went way too slow and this book could have been a lot better if it was faster paced. However, the last 100 pages were fast paced and action packed. Also there were tons of mini cliffhangers that kept the book interesting. So for these reasons I'm giving it a B minus.