Book Review: THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL SERIES

 Author: Michael Scott
Number of Pages:
The Alchymest ~ 375
The Magician ~ 461
The Sorceress ~ 483
The Necromancer ~ 389
The Warlock ~ 380
The Enchantress ~ 509
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

"He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time."
                                                - Goodreads.com

When I first picked up these books, I though they were going to be like any other fantasy book. Little did I know that this series was full of complex plot lines, characters with incredible depth, mythology that would make my head spin. There is just so much detail in these books. That's the main reason I didn't write my own summary for this one- there are so many tiny details that I had no clue where to begin.

There were so many things I like about this series. First, it was different from a lot of other fantasy books I have read (and trust me, I've read A LOT of fantasy). It was based on mythology, but not common mythology. There are many books out there that are based on Greek, Egyptian, or Roman mythology, such as the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Now, as much as I love Percy Jackson, it was nice to read about something different. These books were a little mixture of everything, but it was mainly based on the mythology of Atlantis, and how it fell. I found this extremely interesting because I had never really though about this side of mythology before.

Also, I liked how all of the covers are nearly as detailed as the books are. I mean, look at them! Each cover tells a story of its own, sort of leading you to wonder what the story behind it tells. These covers are also really neat because after reading each novel, you will understand (with a little thinking, of course) why the book is titled what it is. All these little bits and pieces of additional elements make these books the amazing series that they are.

Another thing I really liked about this series was how everything sort of came full circle at the very end. Since I am very picky with endings, I usually do not like them. However, I absolutely loved the ending of this series. Everything came to a close, and most importantly, it made sense according to what happened in the book.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) I rate this entire series 5 out of 5 stars.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: THE INHERITANCE CYCLE

Author: Christopher Paolini
Number of Pages:
Eragon ~ 503
Eldest ~ 704
Brisingr ~ 763
Inheritance ~ 860
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date:
Eragon ~ January 1, 2003
Eldest ~ August 23, 2005
Brisingr ~ September 20, 2008
Inheritance ~ November 8, 2011
"When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…"
                                                                 - Goodreads.com

This was my second time reading the first three books in this series and my first time reading the last one, and I have to say it really blew me away. Christopher Paolini is an extremely talented writer. All of the chapters flowed together, as well as the books themselves. There was so much detail that I felt like I was actually there with Eragon and the other characters. Also, all of the characters grow immensely throughout the series, and it's cool to see how their relationships develop.

I was really impressed by the last book. I always have mixed feelings about the last book in series. The last book can really make or break the series as a whole, because if the ending is bad that's your last impression of it, so you're less likely to go back and reread it. But I have to say, the ending was really good! I was a little disappointed by the lack of relationship between Eragon and a certain girl (I won't say who because it would give too much away) but I guess it was for the best. The ending wasn't corny, and there was no vague, too-happy epilogue to ruin things. It was a great read!

 I know that  a lot of people don't like these books because they're "too detailed" or "too long." WHAT?!?! So what you're saying is that you don't like them because the writing is "too good" and the plot is "too action-packed." Come on, people! Give this series an honest chance! I know that they are long and that they have a lot of detail, but that doesn't make them bad books.

My Rating:
Eragon ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
Eldest ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
Brisingr ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
Inheritance ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

That's right: I give the entire series a 5 out of 5 smileys!!!! It is one of my all-time favorite series ever, along with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. This is a series well worth your time!

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!!

Yours,

Aceba



Book Review: PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (1-4)

Author: Sara Shepard
Pages:
Pretty Little Liars  ~ 286 pages
Flawless ~ 330 pages
Perfect ~ 298 pages
Unbelievable ~ 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Dates:
Pretty Little Liars ~ October 1, 2006
Flawless ~ March 15, 2007
Perfect ~ September 1, 2007
Unbelievable ~ June 1, 2008

"Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series."
                                                        - Excerpt from Goodreads.com
These books are awesome! I have to say, I wasn't sure about reading them at first. I'm usually not one for the Gossip Girl-esque books filled with drama and stuff, but this one has me hooked! It's not so much the drama that I find interesting, but the whole murder plot back story thing with Alison. I love how everything is weaved together, and how there are so many teeny tiny details that have to fit perfectly into place. I give Sara Shepard a lot of credit!
I love the idea of a stalker sending anonymous messages. Not that I would want it happening to me, but I think it's a unique concept that is different from a lot of other books. However, if this series did not have the mystery of Alison's murder included in it, I probably wouldn't read them. The writing is good, but again, I'm just not one to fall in love with the drama.

As much as I love these books, I really don't think that the series should continue on past these four books. What, is it just going to drag on forever? I mean, I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series, but you don't necessarily have to. I think these four books are perfectly fine on their own.

My Rating:
Pretty Little Liars ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.
Flawless ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.
Perfect ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.
Unbelievable ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.
I give the series an overall 5 out of 5 smileys. These are some really awesome books!

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes, but only if they a.) are a girl b.) don't mind a bit of drama and c.) like mysteries. I don't think guys would find this book enjoyable to read AT ALL. I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't think they would like it. There's a lot of drama in it as I explained before, so they would have to be okay with that. Lastly, it's more of a mystery series than anything else, so if you don't like mystery, you might not like these books. But yes, I would absolutely recommend this series to a friend.

And just in case you guys are wondering...

NO, I do not watch the TV show.

Personally, I don't think that books should be made into TV shows, because ultimately it will end up running out the material because the books will end, and then it will turn into something that the books were totally not, and it just doesn't end well. Movies from books are completely okay, but TV shows just aren't. That's just how I feel about it though.

Yours,
Aceba

Series Review: THE MAZE RUNNER SERIES

 Author: James Dashner
Number of Pages:
The Maze Runner : 379
The Scorch Trials : 490
The Death Cure : 384
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

The Maze Runner is about boy teenager named Thomas, who wakes up in the middle of the Glade, a village that is surrounded by a huge stone maze. All of the people in the village, the Gladers, are guys as well- until one girl mysteriously appears. No one knows why they are in the Glade, how they got there, or what their life was like before they appeared there. Will the Gladers find their way out of the maze before the Grievers, the monsters that prowl the maze at night, get them? Will they make it out alive? To find out, you must read this amazing book!

I would write a short summary about the next two books in this trilogy, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure, but I don't want to give anything away. Just trust me when I say that if you like The Maze Runner, you'll love the rest of the series!

This series was absolutely awesome! It's very sci-fi, sort of futuristic, and extremely action-packed and suspenseful. It is sort of graphic, but nothing too bad- and trust me, I can't deal with gory details, and I was fine reading this. It's got a little something for everyone- suspense, fighting scenes, sci-fi monsters, romance, drama, humor- what more could you want?

My Rating:

The Maze Runner ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. This is by far my favorite book in the entire trilogy. I love the concept of the Glade and the Maze. The ending of this book is very fast-paced, but it isn' so confusing that you have no idea what happened. Once you read this book, you'll definitely want to read the rest of the series!!!

The Scorch Trials ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. This was my second favorite book in this trilogy. It picks up right where the last book left off, which I appreciated dearly. The setting is totally different, which mixed things up a bit. The ending of this book is confusing, but once I read it again it completely made sense. I loved the idea of betrayal in this book- Thomas didn't know who to believe, and neither did I. I think it stuck out to me because people are forced to deal with betrayal in real life, and it's interesting to see that the author predicted that in the future, it would still be something we have to deal with.

The Death Cure ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. I have to say that although this book was great, it was my least favorite out of the whole trilogy. What I did like about it was that you learn a lot of the secrets that have been kept from both the characters and you throughout the first two books. Again, betrayal plays out in this book as well, only not as much as it did in the second book. Also, I loved how they made a huge reference at the end of this book to the first book- I can't tell you what it was, because that would ruin the surprise. The ending of this book was very confusing, though. I still don't really know exactly what occurred. I think there could have been a longer epilogue or something. Still, it was a great book.

Overall, I give this series a 5 out of 5 smileys. This is one of my all time favorite series ever!

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes, in fact I have recommended it to many of my friends. My brother is actually reading it right now. He doesn't really read books often, but he loves it! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS SERIES, READ IT NOW!!!!!

Luego,
Aceba

Book Review: THE MIDNIGHTERS

Author: Scott Westerfeld
Number of Pages:
- The Secret Hour : 297 pages
- Touching Darkness : 439 pages
- Blue Noon : 505 pages
Publisher: Eos

When Jessica Day moves to Bixby, Oklahoma, her life becomes suddenly more complicated. One night she wakes up at midnight and the whole town is bathed in a strange blue light, and everything is still- everything, that is, except for Rex, Jonathan, Melissa, Dess, and the evil darklings. She learns that she is one out of five people in Bixby that was born at the stroke of midnight, therefore she is able to live in the 25th hour of the day, when everyone else is asleep. The darklings are after Jessica because she has a power that could, if used properly, save Bixby from impending doom. But will these five unique teenagers be too late?

I absolutely loved this trilogy!!! It was totally unlike anything I have ever read. The characters are all different and there personalities and morals really change and develope by the end of the third book. Dess was my favorite character- her sarcastic voice made me laugh and her love of numbers made me think about my own relationship with math. My least favorite character was Jonathan- he was just too selfish and he seemed like he didn't care about anyone other than Jessica. As I was reading I really felt like I was in the blue time with them.

I also loved the whole concept of having a secret extra hour in the day, an hour where only you and a few other people were able to roam the streets and do whatever you wanted. Overall, this was a fantastic series and I am so glad that I decided to read it!!!
Rating:
Individually, this is how I rate the books:
- The Secret Hour ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
- Touching Darkness ~  :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
- Blue Noon ~ :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

As a whole trilogy, I rate this series 5 out of 5 smileys!!!!

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely!!!!

Yours,
Aceba

Book Review: THE GEMMA DOYLE SERIES

Author: Libba Bray
Number of Pages:  A Great and Terrible Beauty has 403 pages, Rebel Angels has 548 pages, and The Sweet Far Thing has 819 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

This trilogy is about a sixteen year old girl named Gemma Doyle, who is alive during the Victorian age. Gemma has spent years and years living in India with her family. One day, after an unpleasant fight with her mother, Gemma experiences a strange vision- one that shows her mother committing suicide. Shockingly, her vision comes true.

Gemma is soon sent to England, where she is to attend Spence Academy, an all girl boarding school with a reputation of turning rebellious girls into mature women. It is at Spence Academy that Gemma learns the reasons for her visions and dark secrets about her family's past. Throughout the series Gemma and her friends Felicity, Ann and Pippa are swept up in a tangle of magic, realms, and the dark past of a mysterious all-women society called the Order. It soon becomes Gemma's fate to save the realms from the all-powerful Circe- or at least die trying.

This series was fantastic!!!!!!! There was a perfect balance between historical fiction and fantasy. This series is filled with an abundance of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages, even when you know you should be doing something else (like sleeping. Yeah, that was a big problem for me ;)). From the very beginning I felt like I could really relate to Gemma and her friends.

Also, I really liked how this series was divided up. Instead of creating a long series with a bunch of shorter books, Libba Bray made it so there were only three, really long books. This is good because you don't have to spend a lot of money buying six books to finish the series. Of course, some series (such as Harry Potter) need to be long because there are just so many details that need to be covered. But I felt that this series was divided up correctly.

My Rating:
~ A Great and Terrible Beauty: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
~ Rebel Angels: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys
~ The Sweet Far Thing: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Rating Overall: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys!!! This series was truly remarkable. These are the first books written by Libba Bray that  I have read, and I will definitely be picking up another one soon!!!!

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!!! Although I do have to say, I think this is definitely a series that guys probably wouldn't enjoy reading. I could be wrong, but it seems to be more geared towards girls.

Book Review: THE TOMORROW SERIES

I have recently read the entire 'Tomorrow' series by John Marsden. This series consists of seven books:

1. Tomorrow, When the War Began
2. The Dead of Night
3. A Killing Frost
4. Darkness, Be My Friend
5. Burning For Revenge
6. The Night is for Hunting
7. The Other Side of Dawn

This series is about a group of Australian teenagers written from the point of view of a girl named Ellie, who is among the group. One summer they decide to go camping out in the bush for a few days without any parents. They ask their parents for permission and they say that they can go. So while all of their families are at the Showground for a fair/carnival of some sorts, the teens pack their bags into the Landrover and drive into the bush headed for a basin called Hell, where an old Hermit was said to have lived in a cabin that he built.

But while they are away the unthinkable happens. When they go back to their houses from their innocent camping trip, they find that their houses are abandoned. Their families are nowhere to be found. Many of Ellie's dogs are dead, and it appears that no one has fed them for a few days.

It turns out that they are in the middle of a war zone. Their country has been invaded and their families are being held at the Showground. During the course of this series the teenagers have to fight their way through a terrible war, experiencing loss, love, hatred, betrayal, exhaustion, misery, shock, and surprisingly, happiness. As they fight for their families and friends they become closer as a group (and sometimes farther apart). Will they win the war??? Will they ever be able to see their friends and families again??? Will they even survive??? The only way to find out is to read this suspenseful, action-packed series.

I have to say, this series really surprised me. When I first realized that there were seven books in the series, I was like, Great, now I have to sit through reading all of them just to find out if they survive. But after the first book, I found that I had started to care and feel for the characters, and I just had to find out what happened to them. John Marsden does a great job at narrating the book from a teenage girl's point of view, and you really get to know each and every character. This series did drag on during some parts, but for the most part it was very suspenseful and kept my interest almost the entire way through.

There were a few things that I didn't like about it, though. First, the teenagers plan tons of crazy things they could do to sabotage the people invading their country. This is totally unrealistic, because when you think about it, how can a small group of teenagers bomb an entire bridge over a highway by themselves? How can they go what seems to be days and days without food and water, and without stopping to take a rest? Some of it was just a bit too unrealistic for me. I'm not saying that they didn't suffer, because they definitely did. I'm just saying that in real life I doubt they could have pulled half of that stuff off without a scratch on them. But, I guess why they call it fiction.

If you have a weak stomach when it comes to things gory and gruesome, then this series may not be for you. The teens do acquire many injuries and Ellie writes about them with a good amount of detail. I'm not so good with that kind of stuff and I was fine, but I'm just giving you a heads up.

Also, it seemed as though the series was kind of split in half. When I finished reading the third book, I was like, Oh, that's kind of a crappy ending to the series. I didn't realize that it went on for four more books. If you really wanted to, you could probably just stop reading the series at book three and feel satisfied. I didn't, but some of you probably could.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) I'm going to give this entire series a 4 out of 5 smileys. Here is how it breaks down book by book:

• Tomorrow, When the War Began : :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) I give this one a 5 out of 5 smileys. It was a great start to the series!
• The Dead of Night : :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.
• A Killing Frost : :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.
• Darkness, Be My Friend : :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. I was kind of disappointed with this one. It seemed like it was just dragging on too much.
• Burning For Revenge : :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. Same with the one before it. To me, it was very slow.
• The Night is for Hunting : :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys. This one was a big improvement compared to the fourth and fifth books in this series.
• The Other Side of Dawn : :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys. This was an okay end to the series.

Would I recommend it to a friend? : Yes, if he/she was not afraid to read a very long series. This would be a great read for both boys and girls, because it has a lot of action but it also has some romance.

Yours,
Aceba

Book Review: PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS

I finished reading the series late last night, so now I will review each book as well as the series as a whole.
Book #1: The Lightning Thief - I already wrote a review on this one. Click here to see it.

Book #2: The Sea of Monsters - :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. I really liked this book because it was very funny and enjoyable to read. You find out a bit more about Percy's family and there is a very big cliffhanger at the end.
Book #3: The Titan's Curse - :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys. So, I can't really tell you specifically why I didn't like this book as much as the other one, because that would be giving away an important character in the series. It was still very good, but I felt like it was kind of repeating itself over and over. There are a lot of new characters in this book.
Book #4: The Battle of the Labyrinth - :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys. I really liked this book because there is a really cool twist at the end. I also found the whole concept of the labyrinth to be really interesting and creative. It was suspenseful to read because I never knew what was going to be in the next room in the labyrinth.

Book #5: The Last Olympian - :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys. The last book in this series was okay. My favorite part was the ending, which had a huge twist. But the whole book was mainly about this huge battle, and it was just describing fighting scenes and repeating over and over again what Percy was thinking. Everything happened so quickly, and I would be reading and I would get really confused, so I had to go back and reread some parts.

The whole series: :0) :0) :0) :0) I give the whole series a 4 out of 5 smileys. It was a great series, but I felt like the battles and stuff were repeating themselves. After a while I caught on and realized that Percy was always going to win, because what's a series if the main character dies??? I did love how it was so creative and funny and the author made it seem like Greek mythology plays a big part in the modern world.
Would I recommend the series to a friend?: Of course, but most of my friends have already read it, which is why I'm recommending it to YOU!!!

TTYL,
Aceba