Isle of the Books

A World Without Heroes is the first book in the Beyonders Trilogy by Brandon Mull. The genre is juvenile fantasy. " Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail. In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes. "~Goodreads I liked the book, but the s

I apologize for not being consistent with my meme. My word for this week is monochromatic. Monochromatic  - of or consisting of one color (Dictionary.com) On a side note, the box that comes up with a defenition when you google a word has how it's used in subjects like physics and biology. That's pretty cool to me.  Please leave a link down below if you post this week!

The Crown  is by Kiera Cass. It is the fifth book in the Selection series and is romance. " When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone. Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. "~Goodreads As soon as I pulled the book off the shelf by first thought was how short it was. I was worried the story wouldn't be as complete because of that. I was wrong. Somehow, the rest of the plot and ending of the novel was accomplished. Like

"The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school."~IMDb They need to come up with better summaries for movies. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them did not disappoint me. It was what I expected and slightly more. I loved getting to see the wizarding world in North America come alive (and they did a spectacular job at it too). The characters were all cast perfectly. Eddie Redmayne made the perfect Newt. The others filled the parts excellently. That is one thing about the Harry Potter movies that stands out from others - they cast their characters well. Seeing all the beasts was great! The niffler is by far my favorite and I plan on getting a Pop! version. The bowtruckle was adorable as well. They did a great job bringing the fictional characters to life. It is different. The story is more lighthearted and it's definitely more humorous that the Harry Pott

Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. It is fantasy. " "A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached. It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend." From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secr

So this month is my blog's one year birthday. It's kind of hard to believe I've been blogging for that long. In honor I'm going to do 10 facts about me (because more than that seems difficult). 1. I am a cat person. Never have liked dogs. 2. I am learning to play the piano. 3. I love ethnic food. Italian, Indian, Chinese, you name it. 4. I really want to create a webseries for the Heroes of Olympus. I love the world of Camp Half-Blood a lot. 5. My top three candies are Reese, Sour Patch, and Midnight Milky Way. 6. One of my pet peeves is when all the Christmas decorations are on sale before Halloween. 7. As much as I like art and drawing, I am bad at it. Every once in a while something good is created, though. 8. I know for certain my major in college will not be anything in the medical or life sciences field. 9. Autumn is my favorite season. Summer is too hot for my liking, spring has pollen and bees, and winter is just weird where I live. 10.

The Fever Code  is the fourth book in the Maze Runner series by James Dashner. It is dystopian with some sci-fi. " Once there was a world’s end. The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled. Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man. Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy. The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze. Now there are secrets. There are lies. And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.  This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down. All will be revealed. "~Goodreads This review might contain slight spoilers if you have not read the first three books. I cannot put into words how excited I was for the release of this book. I probably checked the release date several times to see how close we were getting to it. It was one of my most highly anticipated bo

My word for this week is juxtaposition, which I came across while reading Sparked. Juxtaposition  -  an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. Sometimes the first definition found doesn't make sense, as is the case with this one. Lesson for the day: wording can make a huge difference. If you participate please leave a link in the comments so I can take a look. I'd love to see them!

The Legend of the Rift is the fifth and final installment in the Seven Wonders by Peter Lerangis. It is a middle grade fantasy. This book was provided to me by  SocialBookCo  in exchange for an honest review. Their goal is to help you find the cheapest deal for a book. You can click  here  to view a list of prices for The   Legend of the Rift and to purchase it. " Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the final installment of the  New York Times bestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! Jack, Marco, Cass, and Aly’s quest to find the seven magic orbs buried beneath each of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World has hit a perilous snag. King Uhla’ar has kidnapped Aly and taken her and an orb back through a rift in time. A giant, merciless behemoth guards the opening, and so Jack and his friends realize that their only hope to rescue Aly is to rush to find the rest of the lost Loculi. This mission takes them around the world—to the Temple of Artemis to fend off a mighty army and

This is my first post for the theme and I hope I'm able to post regularly.  My first word is I found in Throne of Glass. I decided to use context clues at the time, which I seem to do a lot actually. It's opalescent. Opalescent - showing varying colors as an opal does That makes a lot of sense considering there's lots of glass and shiny things involved. If you have a post please link it in the comments below so I can see it too :).

Halflings is by Heather Burch and is the first book in the trilogy.  It's in the paranormal genre. " Discoveries After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in their earthly mission, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. " ~Goodreads I definitely  read this more for the plot than the characters,

Throne of Glass  is the first book in the fantasy series by Sarah J. Maas. " After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up de

Neverseen is by Shannon Messenger as the fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. It's juvenile fantasy. " Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets far bigger than anything they’d imagined. But their enemies are far from done, and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species. Sophie and her friends fight with everything they have—with new allies joining them—but every choice has consequences. And trusting the wrong person could prove deadly. In this game-changing fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must question everything to find a truth that will either save her world—or shatter it. "~Goodreads Messenger is such an excellent writer. From the made up names, the world, and aspects,

Too Close to Home is by Tressa Messenger and is the first book in the Forensic Files series. It's a mystery and crime book. " When the beautiful blond senior head cheerleader, Melissa Cooley, is found stabbed to death on a teacher’s desk in the local high school this small coastal town nestled on the east coast of North Carolina goes into frenzy. To make matters worse another body of slacker boy, Ronald Marks, is found hanging from the field goal post only a day later. Pamlico County native Detective Carma Jones and her partner Harold Green set out on a search for this ruthless assailant who is causing so much havoc in her peaceful home town. No one is safe and everyone is a suspect. The twists and turns along the way lead them in a direction Carma would never have guessed with deep secrets meant to stay buried. Will she be too late to stop the real murder from killing again? "~Goodreads I first found out about this book through Theresa Delayne in one of her newsl

Cold Fury is by T.M. Goeglein and is the first book. It is a thriller and action. " Jason Bourne meets  The Sopranos  in this breathtaking adventure  Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).  Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.  Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing,  Cold Fury

Why do readers post reviews in the first place? Because we want to express our feelings on the book. And while we definitely all do that, not all book reviews are, well, reviews. Some might not even give us a good basis about whether we should read the novel or not. I like to read the reviews on Goodreads, from one star to five star and hear everyone's thoughts. Here are the Pros and Cons of reading book reviews. Pros: Good Detail- First, I don't mean as in spoilers. I avoid those unless I'm really iffy about a book. This one sort of applies to the next one. The review describes the book how it is-- if it's about a giant war and not saying it's about unicorns. Analysis- The reviewer analyzes the book well without ripping it to shreds. They provide great insight and give opinions that are helpful. (See Over Critique  below.) Perspective- Sometimes a new viewpoint is brought to our attention and it makes us think. That can be good (or can ruin it, which I don

Unraveling is by Elizabeth Norris and is the first book in the series. It is sci-fi/romance. " Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared. And that was before she died... and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet. "~Goodreads Almost the instant I started reading I was sucked in. There's no hesitation in getting the story started. As of late, I feel like I'm getting more into sci-fi, and finding something that wasn't typical was like  a breath of fresh air. And

Two Truths and A Lie is by Sara Shepard and is the third book in the Lying Game series. The genre is mystery. " Sutton Mercer watches from the afterlife as her long-lost twin, Emma Paxton, takes over her identity to solve her murder. But after ruling out her early leads, Emma still hasn’t found Sutton’s killer. A lot of people wanted her dead—but one name keeps popping up: Thayer Vega. When the gorgeous and mysterious Thayer returns to town, Emma has to move fast to figure out whether he’s back for revenge…or if he already got it. Set in a town where friends can turn into dangerous enemies and everyone harbors dark secrets, The Lying Game is a juicy new series that fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series—and the hit ABC Family show—will love. "~Goodreads Shepard has a way with words. Since there are only bits and pieces of conversations, it seems like that person is the murderer based on a snippet. So then I go back and forth, debating if the

Demigods and Magicians is by Rick Riordan. It is a cross-over series with Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles and includes all three short stories in the series. " Magic, monsters, and mayhem abound when Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase meet Carter and Sadie Kane for the first time. Weird creatures are appearing in unexpected places, and the demigods and magicians have to team up to take them down. As they battle with Celestial Bronze and glowing hieroglyphs, the four heroes find that they have a lot in common--and more power than they ever thought possible. But will their combined forces be enough to foil an ancient enemy who is mixing Greek and Egyptian incantations for an evil purpose? Rick Riordan wields his usual storytelling magic in this adrenaline-fueled adventure. "~Goodreads I was so excited to finally be reading the Son of Sobek. Percy is one of my favorite characters, and his reactions can produce a good laugh. Despite it being from Carter's perspective,

Island of Graves is by Lisa McMann and is the sixth book in the Unwanteds series. It is middle grade fantasy. " On the brink of war, the fates of both Artimé and Quill are at stake in book six of the New York Times bestselling Unwanteds series, which Kirkus Reviews called “ The Hunger Games  meets  Harry Potter .” Alex and Aaron Stowe are at a crossroads. Everything Aaron has worked so hard to build in Quill has crumbled. Fallen from the height of power and influence and left for dead in a foreign place, Aaron has lost everything, and now he must humbly beg for food from those who saved his life. In Artimé, Alex chooses his people over his brother and abandons his search for Aaron, closing the door on that relationship forever. The Artimeans need his focus now more than ever as they face the terrifying power of a new enemy who has taken control of Quill—the notoriously evil Gondoleery Rattrapp. Desperate to stop her, Alex embarks on a risky mission to enlist help from an unli

Flashpoint is by Gordon Korman and is the fourth book in the 39 Clues:Unstoppable series. The genres are juvenile fiction and adventure. " Tick Tock. Sixteen-year-old Amy Cahill only has few days to live. There’s a poison coursing through her, and her only chance is to collect ingredients for an antidote. Too bad the antidote ingredients are scattered around the world. And too bad that survival is by far Amy’s smallest problem. The antidote she needs is also the only thing capable of stopping a deadly enemy. J. Rutherford Pierce is on the brink of becoming the most powerful man in the world, and if he does, no one will be safe. Amy and her younger brother, Dan, will do everything it takes to bring Pierce down. Even if Amy must pay the ultimate price.   "~Goodreads One, I can't believe I finished the series. I don't know why I didn't earlier since I love these books. Now there's just the fourth series and a side book left (plus the games but that's not

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  is by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany and is the eighth book in the Harry Potter series. The genre is fantasy. " Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne,  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. "~Goodread

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes is by Rick Riordan in the genre of mythology. " Who cut off Medusa's head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I've had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I'm going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan's legions of devoted fans--and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you've got arrows in your quiver. We're going back about four thousand years to

Ruins is the third and final installment in the Partials Sequence by Dan Wells. The genres are sci-fi and dystopian. " Kira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games  with the provocative themes of  Blade Runner and  The Stand . There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that from happening. She has one chance to save both species and the world with them, but it will only come at great personal cost. "~Goodreads First of all, I can't believe I'm done with the series. Wow. It was a wonderful last book. Sure, there is a short story but it's not the same as a 400 page book.(Why is it called a sequence when it's basically a trilo

I always forget to check the question on Monday, but today I remembered! What is your favorite chunky book (over 500 pages)? The first book that came to my mind was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, my favorite book in the series. (Who can't wait for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?) However, I also like Eragon; I need to reread it. It's a good thing I don't feel like checking how long the Heroes of Olympus books are because that would make the decision a lot harder. So even though the question only allowed certain books picking a favorite is still difficult. Feel free to answer in the comments your favorite(s). Also, I hope to have a review up by the end of the week.

As some of you may know, I wasn't the happiest when the trailer for Allegiant released. I'm a big fan of the movie following the book and it looked like it hadn't. So I told myself if I wanted to see it I would wait to rent it, and I did. Caution: there may be spoilers. Read at your own risk. " Tris (Shailene Woodley) escapes with Four (Theo James) to journey beyond the wall that encloses Chicago. For the first time, they leave the only city and family they have ever known to find a peaceful solution. Once outside, they learn shocking new truths that render old discoveries meaningless. As the ruthless battle threatens humanity, Tris and Four quickly decide who to trust to survive. Tris must ultimately make difficult choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love . " After the movie finished the main thing I noticed was how they seemed to keep the book but twisted it around. The first time they went outside the wall I was screaming how there was suppo