Ender's Game

Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is the youngest child in the Wiggin family. Ender was part of an Earth program to produce some of the most brilliant officers and became a third child. Ender was constantly teased as a "third" since there was a limitation of a two-child policy. He had a close relationship with his sister Valentine, but feared his brother Peter, loved manipulating and tormenting him.  

Ender has had a monitoring device as long as he has remembered. The monitor has acted as a source of protection and guidance. However, when he has this device removed he is now vulnerable to everything.

            Battle School is in a facility outer space where the most talented children are trained to fight against an alien species known as buggers. Both Peter and Valentine have gone to Battle School, but were sent back after a few years in the program. To Ender’s surprise, he was also accepted into Battle School and was faced with the decision to either stay on Earth with his family or help fight against the buggers.

            In Battle School Ender quickly surpasses his fellow classmates and was placed with an older group of boys, his capabilities were overlooked until he lead his team to victory. Ender is soon promoted to a squad leader to some of the youngest cadets in the school. However, with the disadvantage of inexperienced classmates, Ender is able to lead his squadron to victory and the competition. Many squads try to mimic his battle tactics, but Ender is able to come up with new tactics every time. Even with his success, Ender soon finds the game unfair and no longer wants to participate.

            I absolutely loved reading this book and found the story of preparing kids for a battle that may no longer exists a very interesting plot. Some topics that Card brought up throughout the book include: family, friendship, strengths and skills, identity conflicts, trust, and individual needs versus the common good.

            I do want to warn the reader that there is quite a bit of foul language throughout the book and should be considered before reading. Also I’d like to point out that a film of Ender’s Game will be coming out on November 1, 2013. I look forward to watching the film and see how the book was interpreted. I challenge anyone who hasn’t read Ender’s Game to read it soon, and I hope that they are able to enjoy reading it as much as I have.

The Titan's Curse
by Rick Riordan


The Titan's Curse is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series. The book is about Percy Jackson who is the son of Poseidon. Percy has to fight monsters and save the day.
He is what is called a demi-god. He goes to a special camp where he learns how to fight monsters. Yay for him.

This book begins in the middle of winter while Percy and two other demigods, Annabeth the daughter of Athena and Thalia the daughter of Zeus, are on their way to find some two new demigods and bring them to their camp. At first all is well until they get ambushed by a power monster. The Manticore. They are rescued by the Hunters of Artemis but in the commotion the Manticore and Annabeth fall off a cliff.

Soon afterward Artemis is captured on a hunting trip and Zoe Nightshade a hunter, Thalia, and Percy's friend Grover go off to save her from an evil guy called The General. Percy who is not allowed to join in this quest follows behind the hunters in hopes of being able to help out and to save his friend Annabeth. On the way there they battle many monsters and ran away from evil skeleton warriors. Finally they get to the mountain and save the day.

I think this is and enjoyable book filled with suspense and comedy. It is well told and has many funny allusions to Greek mythology. This book is my favorite in the series. It does exhibit some rude comments from Percy's Pegasus Blackjack but besides that its clean. A

 

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.

 

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

     Heir Apparent is easily one of the funniest books I've read. Enough said.
     Giannine Bellisario wants to be a normal 14 year old like everyone else, but it's hard when your parents are divorced and you live with your grandmother because your father is working all day. Consequently, Giannine doesn't know her father very well, but still gets gifts from him. It's Giannine's birthday, and her father has sent her a $50 certificate to Rasmussem Enterprises, a popular gaming center.
     Rasmussem Enterprises is popular partially due to their total immersion virtual reality games. Giannine uses her certificate to play one virtual reality game called Heir Apparent. Unfortunately, the CPOC, or Citizens to Protect Our Children, were waiting outside Rasmussem in a riot against the gaming center stating that the video games were satanic. What's more, they raided Rasmussem and attacked the equipment - while Giannine was hooked up. Now Giannine only has so many tries until she's dead - both in the game and real life. Will she make it to the end of the game or die first?
     As I said before, this is one of the funniest books I have read, which largely improved my rating for the book. Giannine was very sarcastic at times and an overall likeable character - despite the occasional swearing. She interacted with the other characters well, and seeing as the game story made her a king, she kind of had to. Her choices added to the story, and to the theme, which I interpreted as mostly to make good choices; they can affect you in the long run.
     As for the grade I'd give the book, it would probably be an A easily. I mentioned more benefits than downgrades to the book, which should show that the benefit far outweighs the downgrades. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this book - it is seriously awesome.

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is told by, and is about, a teenager in his junior year of high school at Pencey Prep. Throughout the story he is just telling you of his adventures around New York City. Now, one might begin to ponder at the fact that he is a junior in high school, and is wondering around New York City. Well, it is because although the main character, Holden Caulfield, is in a family of intellectual thinkers (his brother is a writer who lives in Hollywood), Holden is a rather lazy scholar, resulting in the fact that he was expelled. Holden does not want his parents to find out that he was expelled, so he waits until the Christmas break on the Wednesday of the next week to go home and visit family. At that time, when he arrived home he planned to either inform his parents of the tragic news, or run away and work somewhere else, visiting when able. He has a few days to spend in New York before Christmas break and he tells us of his crazy adventures, including the fun places he goes and the interesting people he meets and talks to.

This book perfectly outlines the basic thoughts and actions that the average teenager feels and experiences when alone, or when the chance comes up to make a decision. The writing is in a style that a teenager would most likely be speaking in, as a young adult in the 50’s- including using the same phrases over and over again, using slang and swearing to get his point across no matter what the case is and no matter who he is talking to. On multiple occasions, to get his point across, Holden mentions the fact that he is stupid. However, I do not think he is dumb. It is just that he does not care. Other than the fact that he doesn’t care, He seems to be quite smart and caring. For instance, he has this daydream of a bunch of children playing in a rye field, and it happens to be on the edge of a cliff, and he is to be the sole guardian of the children if they fall of the cliff, to catch them if they fall. To be the “Catcher in the Rye.” He thinks himself to be the sole protector of children, or to protect their innocence. When in an elementary school visiting, he sees graffiti which reads “f*** you”, and he is infuriated with it, wiping it off with his sleeve, knowing that if a child saw it they would be uncomfortable. He appreciates when a child like his sister, who is expected to be at a lower level of language, understands what he is saying. Throughout the book, Holden mentions how many people he thinks are good for nothing d*** phonies. This might be a result of the fact that very smart people constantly surround him, and his own brother is a genius writer in Hollywood. Being used to being around these kind of people, he seems to build up a high expectation about the entire society, looking down on them unless they are as good as his smart friends, or his smart brother. Leading him to opinions that are quite dreary and dull, showing that he is sort of a depressed person. In fact, when he gets home, he has a mental break down and gets sick, resulting in a stay in a mental help hospital to regain his well-being.

I give it an A! This book is a quite interesting read to say the least. If you get past the constant use of the same phrases, and constant swearing, it is a read that you wont forget. It has many things that really put your teenage thoughts into consideration. It also shows what a life for your first time without parents in a social environment can be very different indeed. I highly encourage someone to read this; it is an experience that will leave you pondering life for days. If you leave this suggestion behind you, and decide not to take the short time to read this book and gain new knowledge, then Holden Caulfield thinks that you are a big phony.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare is an incredible book written for young adults. The main idea with not only this book but, most of the books in the Mortal Instrument series, is good intentions will lead to success. Many of the characters find this easier said than done.

     
          In brief, this starts out where City of Ashes left off; Valentine is currently in possession of two of the three Mortal instruments. With the Mortal Cup and the Mortal Sword he can now raise demons and plans to destroy any Nephilim, A.K.A. Shadowhunters, that have ever interacted or consorted with a Downworlder. Clary and the Lightwoods set off for Idiris to find a potion to save Jocelyn, although, Jace has other plans in mind. When Magnus opens the portal to Alicante, the Lightwoods and Simon are attacked by hordes of demons and are forced to jump through the portal without Clary. Now with no way of joining the group, Clary must use her newly found talent and create a portal rune to take her into Idiris. When Clary jumps through her makeshift portal with Luke close behind, she quickly finds that she can't get into Alicante without authorization and instead is thrown into Lake Lyn and forced to hike to the gates.

After several chapters of exploring the new city and meeting new people, Clary journeys to find the Book of White that Jocelyn has hidden in a brilliantly named book (that you will just have to read to find out) in the Wayland manor. She is now accompanied by the handsome Sebastian, who Clary seems drawn to in a way. So not only does Clary have to worry about her mixed feelings for Jace and Simon, but what has now become an odd love square between them and Sebastian.

As the Nephilim prepare for the oncoming war, Jace and Clary must journey into the past to find out their true heritage. Once Jace has gone in search of Valentine, Clary must find a way to lessen the tension between Downworlders and Shadowhunters and create an alliance rune so they can all truly fight as one.

Without spoiling too much, I have to say that the ending of this book was probably the best out of all three and I would definitely read it again. This book was my favorite so far and will always be memorable. Especially, Jace's and Simon's wise crack jokes. One of the big issues that this book brings up is that you should always know where you stand and even if you feel your intentions are good they may be looked down upon by the angels and other people and are not always for the benefit of others but for yourself instead. I am in total agreement with Cassandra that in order for change, everyone needs to come together and work as one. This book goes to show that there are people in the world like Valentine but that there are also people like Clary and Jace. One person can make a difference and change the world.

All in all, City of Glass is my new found favorite in the series. Don't worry; most of your questions from the previous books will be answered in this book. Even though this book didn't have a suspenseful cliff hanger, it is still compelling you to read the next. I do have to advise you that this book is mildly gory and will be slightly confusing during the process of tying everything together. Besides that, this book will make you want to sit in the corner with your blanket, teddy bear, and all the Jace you can handle. It's an excellent read and you should definitely consider cracking open this series.

The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan

The lightning thief takes place in New York City.The story is about a boy named Percy Jackson who goes to a private school for troubled kids called Yancy Academy. Percy is a troubled kid. He is actually a Demi-God which is a half god half human thingy. His dad is the Greek god of oceans, Poseidon, and his mom works in a candy shop. His mom is currently married to a fat poker guy named Gabe Ugliano.
Percy doesn't know is dad is Poseidon. There are also monsters who want Percy dead.

The story begins in the middle of a school day when his Latin class is on a field trip to the Greek museum. Soon he is going to his apartment where his mom tells him they're going to the beach. When they get there Percy's best friend Grover (who turns out to be a satyr) comes out of nowhere and tells them to get out of there and go to a special summer camp where Percy will be safe from monsters. So as they are driving they get ambushed by a large cow man called a minotaur. The Minotaur initially destroy the car and turns Percy's mom into glowing light. Percy and his friend escape to the camp called camp Half-Blood where they learn about the master bolt and how the gods think Percy stole it. So Percy is sent on a quest to find out who stole the master bolt (and save his mom) and to bring it to mount Olympus before the gods all destroy each other. accompanieng him is his friend Grover and a daughter of Athena Annabeth. On the way he fights monsters and gets sidetracked and eventually get to the underworld where they confront hades and find out he isn't the bad guy. and eventually Percy finds the thief gets the master bolt and saves his mama.

Some concerns about this book is that a lot of the Greek allusions can be mildly confusing if someone doesn't have any background knowledge about Greek mythology. Also Percy is ADHD and can be hard to follow at times.Besides that the book is a great fast paced novel with a lot of mystery and suspense mixed in with Action. I think Rick Riordan is a great Teenage book writer and is really funny. He is probably the best author i know at creating complex and very likable characters. But i think that his second book series The Heroes of Olympus is drastically worse then the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.All in all The Lightning thief is a great book with good plot and very colorful characters. A

     The world is coming to an end. Just another average day for Maximum Ride. In the final Maximum Ride book Nevermore by James Patterson; Max is faced, yet again, with the impending end of the world. Max and the rest of her flock of enhanced avian-humans must find and destroy the Doomsday group before it's to late. In a race against time Max encounters many obstacles in which she can either face head on or turn and run. You'd think that having the responsibility of saving the world was enough; Max is also stuck in the middle of a love triangle with two gorgeous teenage boys who will stop at nothing to win her over, even if it means killing each other. In the end, Max must choose between the drop-dead good looking Dylan who was made to be her perfect match or Fang who has been her best friend and go-to guy since the beggining of her very existance. With the end so close, Max must make a final stand with her flock at her side and either save the human race or begin a new generation of advanced humans.
     This book is thrilling, romantic, and, of course, sarcastic. It was definitely interesting, I especially loved the way James Patterson handled the pre-apocalypse and teenage romance. How can you not love a romantic dinner in a flaming treehouse? Patterson gives Max a choice to destroy the humans or save them. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that he handled it well and with great descretion. The main point of the book is that everything comes to an end eventually and whether you choose to accept it or change it is a choice that you must make alone.
     All in all, Nevermore was one of my all time favourite books and I definently recommend it to anyone but, I do caution you that it has mild profanity and some violence. Even though, I still loved it and it was an amazing book.

The Lightning Thief by: Rick Riordan

This fascinating book "The Lightning Thief" is a great fiction/Greek Mythology/fantasy type of book. Rick Riordan (the author) in my opinion is one of the best authors ever. This book is is so intriguing and entertaining.

Oh no! Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen! Who would steal it??? Of course they would choose the poor innocent guy who doesn't know the first thing about Greek Mythology... Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon (Poseidon is the god of the sea and the brother of Zeus). Percy Jackson is just a regular guy, besides the fact that he is a delinquent, until the day he is told that he is the son of Poseidon, Zeus including all of Mount Olympus thinks he stole Zeus' master lightning bolt, and that he has ten days to bring it back and find out who did it. Pretty tough for a guy who probably didn't believe what they were saying at first. Anyway, he and his best friend Grover (which he met at a regular school and Percy just found out that he is a saytr) get sent to a place called "Camp Half-Blood" to train for the mission ahead. So to shorten things up he leaves and goes on this crazy adventure that includes chopping of Medusa's head, eating burgers with Ares, and fighting Hades. Its not looking good for him and his friends but Percy's life pretty much depends on finding this lightning bolt. Can they find out who actually stole Zeus' bolt? Can they do it in ten days?

This is literally one of the best books I have ever read. It kept me up all night reading and reading and reading. It was so good. I don't think I would've changed anything in that book although you might want to study up on your Greek Mythology because it gets really hard to remember all of the names of the gods and goddesses. I really like how the author put this in modern day times instead of the 70s or 80s or something like that. I think that it was a great idea and it couldn't of been any better than it was. A+

Fang- James Patterson

Fang is the sixth book in the Maximum Ride series. There is a little bit of background information I should give you before you read the rest of the review. Maximum and her six best friends, pretty much her family have been running from a megalomaniac for a few months. Before that they were running from a different insane corporation. A few things you need to know about the flock as they're called.

Gazzy at age 8 can make anything you give him into an explosive and is also known as the gasman. You can probably guess why. Angel at age 6 can read minds and "persuade" people or a better way of saying it is, control minds.Nudge at age 11 can hack into almost anything and can pull metal to her body without touching it. Iggy at age 14 is blind but he can see colors. Fang at age 14 can sneak up on anyone and also breathe underwater. Max at age 14 has a voice in her head that tells her what choices to make. It mainly tells her that she has to save the world. Also, they all have wings.

They were all raised in dog crates and escaped with a man named Jeb. Jeb left them to their own devices when Max turned 12. Max ended up taking control and raising the other kids. She became a sort of mother to them and in return they all trust and follow her orders.

Max and her flock are on their way to help the starving children in Chad, Africa. As they fly in they get shot at by men on camels. That's just the usual routine for these kids. In Chad they meet a maniacal scientist named Dr. Gunter-Hagen. Who wants Max to subject herself and her flock to more tests and terrible treatment. Of course Max's first priority is the flock so she absolutely has to say no. Little Angel has been trying to steal the leadership of the flock, and she wants to be "improved". However, Max can't let that happen. Max escapes the crazy doctor by leaving Africa altogether. She settles down in Colorado but that results in even more problems. Like the reappearance of erasers. (Erasers are large wolf like creatures. Like werewolves. They are one of the retired or failed experiments and were all supposedly killed off.) Dealing with fighting is easy for Max she knows how to act in that situation. When it comes to solving the problems of her emotions, she is completely useless. Max has been pining after her best friend and second in command for awhile, so when she finally gets him you'd think that everything would be all fine and dandy. Well, for Max of course it can't end like that. Max slowly finds herself focusing more and more on Fang and less on the well being of her flock. The two of them are always trying to get alone time and the flock can't handle the disappearance of their leader and mother. Max and Fang can't be together and focus at the same time, so how will they make their relationship work? When Angel realizes that the flock may be in need of a new leader she is more than ready to step up for the job. Though Angel may think she knows everything, in reality she can't handle being a leader. The flock needs Max but in their hour of need, she might not be there for them.

This book is not only about saving the world but also about the experimentation aspect of the world. You may be thinking, "There are not any kids with wings running around as far as I know!" Well, that's true but that's also not the aspect that I feel the book really focused on. I think the book and series in general are about where genetic experimentation may go in the future. Sure, for now we can only take human genes out of and insert human genes into embryos. But what about when scientists decide they want to broaden their horizons? It may be blonde hair and blue eyes now, but all it takes is one scientist who thinks that creating a new kind of creature would be fun and bam! We suddenly have kids with wings that can read minds. Genetic experimentation may be helpful now but what if your child was the one that had to grow up in a dog crate? Change is good but changing too much can affect everything and not only in a positive way. I believe that is a deeper meaning within this book.

While you can read this book without reading any of the others I encourage you to read them in order. Everything you as a new reader need to know is explained in each book but it will make a lot more sense and be a more thrilling read if you read the other books first. I love this book. It is suspenseful and action packed, the romance is a side story compared to the action that goes on. I give this book an A+ rating.

Infamous By: Sherilyn Kenyon

• Infamous is the third book in the Chronicles of Nick series. I have reviewed the first two in the series. Here's the first one and here's the second. This book is very inappropriate. The very first thing that happens in the book is that a bunch of fake photos are shown to students destroying someones reputation. Immediately after this another student's reputation is also ruined. After this a website is released that gives hurtful information on every student.

After this happens the main protagonist Nick sets out to stop it. So he immediately goes to Bubba's store to get help tracking down who registered the domain. There he gains the help of Mark Bubba's best friend. Despite bring a computer genius Mark cannot find the person who registered the domain as the used a company to register it. Just after making this discovery Nick sees a the future of the girl who's reputation is destroyed and rushes off to save her from this fate. On his way back he get's beaten because someone thought he was the one who gave away information.

This sends Nick to the hospital. Here he's put into a coma chemically. This was the worst thing to do to Nick as it sends him to Azmodea. A place where Nick was told never to go because it's pretty much the worst place for him to go. So everyone and there mom is trying to protect him. Everyone including Pestilence of the four horseman. That shows how important t is to get nick out of there. During his trip to Azmodea we learn many important plot points that if I told you the book would be spoiled for you.

In closing it's a very good book with a lot dramatic twists. It's well worth a read. I give it an A+. Show me what you think in he comments if you read it.