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The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy

2.5/5

“Lester(Apollo)

Still human; thanks for asking

Gods, I hate my life” 

Summary: After being banished from Mount Olympus by his father Zeus, Apollo restored the Forest of Dodona with his “controller”, Meg. His next challenge is to restore the next Oracle. Along the way he meets new friends and old enemies. Follow Apollo/Lester and his comrades on their journey!

Review: I’m going to break this review up into two parts. Positive and negative - we’ll start with the negative :(

Negative: So! I love love loved the first book and I love the characters and overall plot line, however I felt as though “ The Dark Prophecy” was a bit weak. Having grown up with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus series’, I expected more mature writing as the series’ go on. In “The Hidden Oracle” it felt like a nice breath of fresh air, but as the tone grows darker in The Trials of Apollo, I hoped that the writing would too. I expect and yearn for mature writing and am disappointed by the childish diction. Apollo constantly makes references that young audiences wouldn’t understand, so why tailor the writing towards one? I work in a bookstore and can say that 60-70% of the people that picked up this book were over the age of fourteen. When I would start up conversation about the book, they’d refer to themselves as the one that would be reading it. Besides the writing itself, I felt that the plot was rushed and was overwhelmed by the introduction of so many new characters. Not that much plot and character development can fit into 400 large-print pages. I was on the fence about how many new characters we met - figures from Apollo’s past and ones new to him as well. It seemed like a lot to process and I found myself forgetting who people were at times. Another aspect I am unsure about is the amount of shameless plugging of past characters. We see characters that were introduced in the last two series and hear mention of our beloved Heroes of Olympus. As much as I love all of Rick’s characters, I feel like it’s time to move on a bit. It seems as if he is trying to gain back the hype that the other two series gained by bringing back characters.  I also wished we could have explored Leo and Calypso’s relationship a bit more. They seemed to be arguing and annoyed at one another a lot. Plus, has Leo really not tried to contact his friends or want to see them immediately!!! I really didn’t want to score this book a bad review because I loved “The Hidden Oracle” so much, but I do feel as if Rick is pumping out books without really working hard on perfecting them.

Positive: Among the negative, I still laughed, still gasped, still thoroughly enjoyed every second reading “The Dark Prophecy” and can’t wait for “The Burning Maze”. Apollo is going through more character development which is amazing to see as when we were introduced to him, he was your typical Rick Riordan-type conceited god. I would recommend continuing the series if anyone is on the fence about it. It’s well worth it - to finish a well-thought out story. Plus, there’s a really big surprise at the end that perfectly leads into the next book. I cannot wait to finish the story!

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Rick Riordan But Every Time He Publishes A New Book It Gets Gayer

Rick Riordan But Every Time He Publishes A New Book It Gets Gayer

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[insp]

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(mild spoilers)

Geekerella

Ashley Poston

4.5/5

“Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.”

My Immediate Thoughts: I have never written a review right after I’ve finish a book, but I need to do this. I need to get everything out. This book, though it may initially seem like a cliche/overdone plot, is absolutely incredible. Ashley Poston perfectly exhibits what it’s like to be a fan, a hardcore fan belonging to a hardcore fandom. She creates a series - Starfield - and characters - like Carmindor and Amara - and a convention - ExcelsiCon - and a fandom that you just want to be a part of. Poston’s acknowledgements at the end of the story sent shivers down my spine. She dedicated her book to those who cosplay, write fanfiction, draw fanart, run forums, collect Funko-Pops, collect books, frame posters. We, who boldly go. If I could write the entirety of her acknowledgements, I would. In my pictures of the book, I decided to include my favorite Pops, a small portion of the shirts that I spent too much money on, a little cluster of my posters, the accessories I wear on a daily basis - all a tiny collection of my plethora of merchandise. I am proud to belong to so many fandoms. But for a while, I forgot that I was a part of something much bigger than fiction. Geekerella helped me discover that. There is so much more to say, but I’ll let you read the book to understand my feelings.

Summary:  Elle Wittimer is completely infatuated with the classic sci-fi show, Starfield. She’s witty and independent and lives a similar life to Cinderella, with an evil stepmother and two oblivious stepsisters. One day, Elle decides to finally attend her father’s convention again, ExcelsiCon, and saves up enough money to attend the event. She intends to enter the Cosplay Competition, and win. With the help of her fiery coworker, Sage, her parents’ memory, and the mystery boy she’s been texting, Elle goes to the con. 

Darien Freeman is a teenage heartthrob. However, he didn’t sign himself up for that. He grew up a total geek, until his dad-manager pushed him towards acting. After years on drama Seaside Cove, Darien lands the role of Prince Carmindor from Starfield - his dream role. When he is told that he must attend ExcelsiCon, he fills with dread. The convention comes with too many bad memories. However, he has his assistant Gail, his body guard Lonny, and the girl he can’t seem to stop texting, so Darien goes to the con.

Review: I fell in love with the characters and the story from the moment I picked up the teaser of Geekerella last year. I couldn’t wait for it to come out in May - and when it did, I pounced. Everyone knows the classic Cinderella story and all of its remakes, but it was about time for nerds to take over. I praise Ashley Poston for understanding geek culture and injecting it into every part of her story, from the blatant references to other shows, movies, and actors to the hidden geeky habits of her characters. I am not one to cry while reading books, but I got too attached to the story and characters that I couldn’t help but bawl every time the plot twisted. I found the hardships that Elle and Darien face easy to relate to and understand even though I don’t have an evil step-family nor am I a teen, male actor. How could I not see that coming? I constantly asked myself whenever something sad happened, It’s the story of Cinderella but modernized! The influence of the classic Disney story was subtle, which I greatly appreciated. Another amazing aspect of the story is of the friendship. The building relationships between Elle and Sage and of Elle and Darien were so refreshing to read. They weren’t forced. They weren’t fake. 

The downside. I did not reward Geekerella a five star review for one reason: I felt the ending was a bit too rushed. The buildup to the convention was perfectly executed, but the actual event was a quick whirlwind of scenes that didn’t fit together enough for me to completely enjoy. 

Nevertheless, I urge any fangirl/boy/other to pick up Geekerella. Cry as I did. Cheer as I did. Smile when you’re alone reading in your room as I did. Tell all your friends about the book only to have them tell you that they don’t care as I did. Relate to the story and feel like you finally belong, as I did.

There isn’t enough to say to cover how I feel so I’ll end with this: Thank you Ashley Poston. Thank you for making me believe that anything is possible.

https://kitchissippi.com/2017/03/02/march-break-book-recommendations-teens/

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Lost

I haven’t been on in a while. Haven’t posted a review in months. Haven’t touched Tumblr in weeks. I was never much for social media platforms like Tumblr, but recently I’ve been feeling lost. I need to find my way back. So, I’m posting a really long and heartfelt review after this. 

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get to know me meme ★ 5 favourite ships of all time: [2/5] ron/hermione

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione’s arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet. “Is this the moment?” Harry asked weakly, and when nothing happened except that Ron and Hermione gripped each other still more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. “Oi! There’s a war going on here!”

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I love Karen Hallion’s illustrations

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Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (via slyherin)

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(mild spoilers)

The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle

Rick Riordan 

3.5/5 (a strong 3.5)

“I will never understand how you mortals tolerate it. You live your entire life trapped in a sack of meat, unable to enjoy simple pleasures like changing into a hummingbird, or dissolving into pure light.”

Summary: The Hidden Oracle takes place after the Demigod/God battle against Gaea. Our beloved Heroes of Olympus continue on with their half god/half human lives. Meanwhile, Zeus blames Apollo, of all people, for the battle because of Apollo’s descendant Octavian siding with Gaea and aiding in the destruction. The King of Gods casts the young God out of Olympus and onto Earth to roam as a human. Along the way, teenage Apollo takes refuge in Camp Half-blood and discovers that many things are going wrong; the Oracle hasn’t been repaired, partly his fault, and demigods are going missing. It’s up to human-Apollo and his demigod friends to journey through the Trials of Apollo

Review: It was sincerely difficult to choose just one quote to represent this book. Throughout the novel, Apollo keeps his poetic and egotistical personality, making The Hidden Oracle a humorous read. Rick Riordan is known for his quick wit and sass in his series and this is no exception.

When I first discovered that Riordan was creating a new series I was expecting all new characters and a completely new plot line. However, The Trials of Apollo is indeed an addition to the Heroes of Olympus series. Old characters are revisited and ones that we fell in love with, but didn’t get enough of in the last series, are back and better than ever. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, that the books are spin-offs to prior series, but I wasn’t expecting to see Percy Jackson again.

Rick Riordan did a wonderful job with character development throughout the novel. It is only the first book in this new series, but I have already started to notice changes in the young God. The narration is a bit dramatic, but that’s just Rick Riordan’s take on Apollo for you.

I rated this book a strong 3.5/5 because I felt like Rick is focusing more on quantity than quality. He has come out with so many books in the past ten years, it’s amazing. However, it could just be his method of writing. I just wished he slowed down a bit and focused more on the content of his writings.

Despite my opinion on the speed of book releases, The Hidden Oracle was still a joy to read and very hard to put down each night. I am glad that I get to grow up with these books. They don’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

Oh yeah, I squealed a lot.

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Harry could feel Ron shaking. The echoing bang of the slammed cellar door had not died away before there was a terrible, drawn-out scream from directly above them. “HERMIONE!“ Ron bellowed, and he started to writhe and struggle against the ropes tying them together, so that Harry staggered. ”HERMIONE!“ “Be quiet!” Harry said. “Shut up, Ron, we need to work out a way -” “HERMIONE! HERMIONE!” Hermione screamed again from overhead, and they could hear Bellatrix screaming too, but her words were inaudible, for Ron shouted again, “HERMIONE! HERMIONE!”. . Harry felt the ropes fall away and turned, rubbing his wrists, to see Ron running around the cellar, looking up at the low ceiling, searching for a trapdoor. Ron was now trying to disapparate without a wand. . Hermione’s screams echoed off the walls upstairs, Ron was half sobbing as he pounded the walls with his fists.

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Best wishes for a Valentine’s Day free from turbulence!

The Bella C. Landauer Collection of Aeronautical Sheet Music is a treasure trove of mainly late 19th and early 20th century sheet music with aeronautical themes. Find covers from the collection here or visit our Books Online for full digital copies of the sheet music under subjects like popular music or popular instrumental music.

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hipster blog

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“I got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what’s gonna happen or who I’m gonna meet, where I’m gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people. I figure life’s a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it. You don’t know what hand you’re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count.”

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I Am Princess X

Cherie Priest

3/5

“I am Princess X!”

Summary: Libby and May are the best of friends. They are video game playing, pizza eating, comic creating little girls. Libby and May bonded over their heroine, Princess X until one day Libby and her mother’s bodies are found in the lake after running their car off the road.

May never gave up the fact that her friend might have escaped from their car crash. One day, May sees it; a Princess X poster. But where on earth did it come from? Princess X belonged to Libby, her dead best friend. May discovers a whole online comic dedicated to their childhood creation. Follow May on the adventure of finding Princess X.

Review: When my eyes first laid upon I Am Princess X, I knew i needed it. The cover itself is pleasing to the eye and then you have the gorgeous, simplistic illustrations decorating pages inside. Who doesn’t love a good graphic novel? 

The initial idea of I Am Princess X was brilliant but I did not believe it was executed properly. When I picked up the book for the first time, I was surprised by its size. Without even having read it, I wanted more. Throughout the whole book the back of my mind was telling me it wasn’t enough; not enough intrigue despite the intriguing plot. It was all too quick, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

I have a hard time getting through books that have a slow pace but it was pleasant to breeze through I Am Princess X. Although, it would have been a slightly better book with more detail and suspense. 

Despite my liking for the plot and illustrations, I rated this a 3 out of 5 because it felt childish and predictable at times for a YA novel.

To conclude, this book had been on my list for a while and I do not regret reading it. It was still a quick, thrilling read. Libby and May’s friendship was heartwarming and the start of so many fanfictions.

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The Quest for Princess X Starts Now!

Read her story…

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breaks my heart

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