Monday, April 26, 2010

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

I finished the 5th book of the Percy Jackson series last week. It was a good read and a good end to the series. (I think it's over anyways?) Of course it was a juvenile read, as it's written for juveniles. But still Riordan is a good, entertaining writer.

In this book Percy is 15(going on 16) and faces Kronos(the Titan of time), with his friends and the Olympians, to protect Olympus(which is in NYC atop the Empire State Building) from Kronos and all his minions who seek to destroy the power seats of the gods. It's chock full of action, defeats, victories, and mysteries. It's just plain exciting. Of course it's cheesy, it's written for kids. But despite that, it's still good.

If you're looking for a good series that's easy to read and full of action, I strongly suggest you pick up Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Where to start with this book. Hmmm. This is tricky really. Not only is laying out the synopsis difficult, but so is giving my opinion. The whole thing is really rather... layered.

In this book you have a small but very complex cast of characters. The main characters are many and their stories are all over-lapping because they're friends or relatives or acquaintances at least. It opens with one of the main characters, Elspeth Noblin, dying of cancer. Elspeth is the estranged identical twin of Edie, whom is the mother of mirror image twins, Valentina and Julia. Elspeth, although never having met her nieces, leaves all of her worldly possessions to them. There is a mystery as to why Edie and Elspeth are estranged. Why Elspeth has never had anything to do with Julia and Valentina. And why she wants them to have all of her stuff with the stipulations she gives. The twins end up accepting the inheritance left for them and move off to London where they discover new people, new places, new things about themselves, and that their aunts ghost is living with them. It's a little odd and very difficult to explain.

My feelings on it were good up until the last couple of chapters. I really liked the book, but I didn't like the ending. Is it worth reading? I'd say so. Niffenegger is a wonderful writer, and while I didn't like this one as much as her Time Travelers Wife, it was still a good quality read. I look forward to future books from her.