"The Thin Executioner" by Darren Shan

To start this post, I don't think I could use anything better then the words from the back of the book;
"The executioner swung his axe- THWACK! -And another head went rolling into the dust."
Jebel's family has him, his two older brothers (both strong and admired) and his father. Jebel's father, Rashed Rum, "...the greatest executioner Wadi had ever seen.", the executioner, who was valued as Royalty in Wadi, plans to retire. The competition that will take place to decide who will be the town executioner is probably going to be won by one of his sons; even he thinks so. He doesn't think that it will be the thinner, younger son, Jebel, and doesn't even bother to mention Jebel in the speech where he'll announce his retirement. The simplicity of him not mentioning Jebel will cause Jebel to embark on a dangerous quest, one that he'll probably die from the journey of, to prove that he is strong, and ask for invincibility from the god at the end of the quest.

Jebel starts his quest- and starts the story- as a very immature, completely shallow, character that anyone who is at all civilized is probably going to hate. However, during the book he grows up a lot, and gains a conscience. He grows a lot as a person during the novel. That, is why I like it. By the end of the book he's a lot different then from the beginning, in a very good way. The emotional journey filled with battles and danger is an interesting read. I'd give it 4 stars! It was a deep book, dealing with issues like violence, slavery, and really whether it's right to murder anyone for whatever reason.  

This book is also by the author who wrote the famed "Saga of Darren Shan", or more commonly called, "Cirque Du Freak" series, which I have yet to read (it's on my bookshelf right now though so there.). I've read reviews though that say it's nothing like his other books, and fans of "Cirque Du Freak" will not automatically enjoy this book. It's still good though- pick it up!

"The Red Pyramid" (Kane Chronicles, Bk 1) by Rick Riordan

"The Red Pyramid" is the first book in one of the new series by Rick Riordan, "The Kane Chronicles". Rather than following the lives and events of Greek demi-gods (children of the Greek Gods and a mortal parent) and Camp Half-Blood like in "The Heroes of Olympus" and the "Percy Jackson" series, it's the epic adventure tale of Sadie and Carter Kane (brother and sister) who have the 'Blood of the Pharaohs' from their mother and father. These two siblings have been living on different continents since the death of their mother years before, but when it's 'visiting day' for Carter and his dad (Julius Kane, acclaimed Egyptoligist) and they visit the British Museum to see the original Rosetta Stone artifact, they're brought closer together in light of a crisis. Now, they begin the adventure of discovering everything no one ever told them about themselves, with their blood of the pharaohs. Pick up the book to see what happens!

I really liked this one. I would give it 5 stars! I've never disliked the books I've read by Rick Riordan, though so yeah.. When the 2nd one comes out in May I'll be sure to read it too! I think this is a very promising first book for the series. It's an exciting and rather epic adventure filled with suspense, godliness, and mythology (like Percy Jackson and the Lost Hero)!

If you'd like to find out more about "The Kane Chronicles" and the rest of Rick Riordan's books go to his blog here, and the website for "The Kane Chronicles" here. 

"The Gift" -James Patterson & Ned Rust (Sequel to Witch&Wizard)

Whit and Wisty are back in this action-filled adrenaline rush of a sequel to "Witch & Wizard". Whit and Wisty are back for more rebellion, action, escapes, fighting, and further discoveries about Wisty's gift. I really can't say much more without spoiling the first book so on that note I'll stop!

I highly recommend the first book and its sequel! I think they're great books, with an amazing concept. They're very fast paced, just like all of James Patterson's books, which we have reviewed several of. Another note is that Ned Rust also collaborated with James Patterson for the second Daniel X book, "Daniel X: Watch the Skies".

I actually liked this book better then the first one, it was a rare occasion for me but I liked the sequel better- that never happens! I thought it was just as action packed and interesting, but I thought most of it just seemed to be written better than the first one, and I think it was portrayed in a less confusing manner- the first book seemed to confuse me a bit....

Anyway, you should definitely pick up "Witch & Wizard" and "The Gift". 4 1/2 Stars!

"The Lost Hero" (the Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

(Cat actually wrote this review a month or two ago and forgot to post it)
"The Heroes of Olympus" is a new series of books about Camp Half-Blood, like in the Percy Jackson series (which, by the way you should read first) and the greek demi-gods and that whole situation. This time, the story does NOT surround Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. (Although I'm not gonna lie, you're going to get to them :P they're a part of it too, it's just not entirely about them!) Instead, the lead characters are Jason, Piper and Leo.

As the book begins, Jason literally wakes up (with no recollection of anything, let alone how he got there) next to a 'very pretty girl' Piper, who he comes to find out is supposed to be his girlfriend. His best friend, Leo, is also there. Apparently, him and his friends have all participated in criminal activities and are now stuck in a school for juvenile delinquents. They all have different backgrounds, personalities, and reasons, but they all ended up in the same place. Of course, you automatically know they must be half-bloods/demi-gods, because this just doesn't happen to normal people, especially when they're on a 'field trip' and are attacked by greek monsters and...

To find out what else happens, pick up "The Lost Hero". I thought it was a great book! I think I almost like it better then the original Percy Jackson series. It's a bit different, especially in style. The book is quite a bit longer then most of the Percy Jackson books, and also, the story also switches perspectives every two chapters between Jason, Piper, and Leo, which I thought worked really well for this book. It was exciting and interesting, and walked perfectly in the middle for me of being too much like the Percy Jackson series and feeling like you're reading the same thing, and it being too different. :) You should read it!

"Witch & Wizard" by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Witch & Wizard is a story surrounding a brother and sister by the name of Whit and Wisty. The story starts -after the prologue- as Whit and Wisty are woken in the middle of the night, with troops of the "New Order" (N.O.) surrounding their house, trying to capture them. As far as Whit and Wisty know, they are normal teenagers, but according to the N.O. -which is also the new popular political party-, they are dangerous criminals. What are they talking about? Well according to the N.O. which likes everyone to be normal, and align to a certain look and idea, Whit and Wisty aren't normal, they're Witch & Wizard.
What happens next? Well you'll have to read it to find out.

The next question would be did I like it? Yes, and no. I thought it was a brilliant concept, kind of like that of mixing situations that remind of "Maximum Ride" (also by James Patterson), "Harry Potter", "The Hunger Games", and ongoing themes of a nazi-Germany situation and probably that of the Salem Witch Trials. I think the story was great, itself. However, I did not think the execution was nearly as great as the idea. I had several problems including, James Patterson's use of short, (as in 2-3 pages) 'chapters'. I usually enjoy this a lot, for "Daniel X" and "Maximum Ride" as examples, it was great and really carried the story on. This story, I think would have done better with longer chapters, such as 5-6 pages at least. I think the short chapters really just made it kind of choppy and confusing, although I realize that was probably just me. That's the other thing, I found probably the first half of the book just plain confusing... There were a few other, say, 'quirks' but all in all I did enjoy this book. I give it 4/5 stars!

Also, weirdly enough, I believe the sequel to "Witch & Wizard" comes out today. "The Gift"

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit -J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit is a whimsical fantasy tale about the soon-to-be adventures of a hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. He’s lead a quiet life so far, and likes to stay in his home, his lovely hobbit hole. He likes to keep it that way. All that changes when the great wizard Gandalf comes to visit him, wishing to involve him in an ‘adventure’. Just when he thinks he can get away from such things, thirteen dwarves show up at his doorstep. Did I mention he doesn’t particularly enjoy unwanted visitors, sharing food, or being busy?

To find out what happens in this classic tale,  a prequel  to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, read it!

I give this book three and one half stars! It was a fun book, didn’t take too much thought. It’s kind of hard to get through for some people or kind of slow because of the old English and all that, but it’s a classic and that’s what you get, you should really kind of expect it, but I really do recommend this book.