15 June 2010

Book Review: Some Minis


Allies of the Night is the eighth book in Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series. For 600 years, the vampires and their bloodthirsty cousins, the vampaneze, have had peace, but now that the Vampaneze Lord has risen, as prophesied, the war has begun.  Darren, Vancha, Crepsley, and Harkat are doing everything they can to kill the Vampaneze Lord and prevent the destruction of both worlds.  Their journey brings them back to Crepsley's hometown where once again a vampaneze is terrorizing the population.

Cirque du Freak entertains, a bit superficially, but still worth it.

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge, YA Reading ChallengeHogwarts Reading Challenge,

Beastly by Alex Flinn is a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast, set in modern day New York City and told from the Beast's perspective. Our Beast, Kyle, is an arrogant richie rich who finds himself transforming into a hideous, hair covered freak after slighting the wrong witch. The whole set up is a bit cliched, but for some reason, it really worked.  The story was entertaining, the action fast-paced without feeling superficial, and the themes seem highly relevant for today's youth.

A movie version is coming out soon, but from what I hear the casting is a bit off - pretty actresses playing the not-so-pretty characters.

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Other ReviewsThe Book Zombie; Books and Movies; You've Gotta Read This; Miss Remmers' Review;

Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge, YA Reading Challenge, Read the Book See the Movie, Once Upon a Time, Hogwarts Reading Challenge,


The Titan's Curse is the third in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympian's series.  I've already reviewed The Lightning Thief, book and film, as well as The Sea of Monsters, and if you've read any of those, you know I love this series.

For a fun YA read without the overly dramatic focus on burning, unrequited, tragic passion, there is nothing better than Percy Jackson.  Fast-paced stories with unique, Greek-god-driven plot lines, this series is my guilty pleasure. I love the mythology present in the book, and I am intrigued by the whole Titans versus Olympians, mysterious prophecies, hero children elements of the stories. While many bemoan the fact these books are written for young adults, I love it.  It makes for quick read for one.  And honestly, I enjoy reading a YA book that actually reads like it was written for young adults.

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Other Reviews: Becky's Book Reviews; Bibliofreakblog; Age 30+; The Zen Leaf;

Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge, 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge, YA Reading ChallengeFlashback ChallengeOnce Upon a Time, Hogwarts Reading Challenge,

13 comments:

  1. Hey there! I am back! But attempting to get my life back in order isn't much fun. I agree with you on Beastly. It should be obnoxiously cliche, but I read it like in a day or two. Apparently the movie has been delayed? I've not actually confirmed this, but is what I heard.

    Got the 101 things I learned in film school! Love it!

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  2. I need to try that Rick Riordan series one of these days. And I hear you on the casting of Beastly :\

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  3. Hey girl! Wow! Thanks for linking to my review! I'm glad you liked "Beastly" - I agree, I don't know why it worked ... it just did.

    I've got an award for you!

    http://www.missremmersreview.com/2010/06/award-61510.html

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  4. Sandy - Glad you got 101, and I hope you enjoy it. Beastly could be a good movie if they just tried...

    Ana - Percy Jackson is such a quick fun read in my opinion.

    Reagan - Exactly! And thanks for the award!

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  5. You know ... I need to do some mini reviews like this ... I am getting way too backed up on books. Sometimes a nice little bite-sized review is all you need!

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  6. Jenners - I hate it when I have reviews scheduled more than like five days out, so every now and again, I have to throw in a mini-review post. Most people get twitchy when they are behind, but I get freaked when I'm ahead...

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  7. I like the mini reviews! And Percy Jackson and the Olympians is such a fun series.

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  8. Stephanie - Mini-reviews are so lovely and low pressure to write. I'm so glad others like Percy Jackson!

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  9. THANK YOU for reviewing YA fiction for the summer.
    I have 2 teenage boys and I'm at a loss.

    We loved Percy and the Olympiads, so this is wonderful. Thank you.

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  10. Beastly sounds right up my alley. I find it hard to turn down anything remotely related to a fairy tale retelling, so I'll have to put my paws on it at some point.

    I have Sea of Monsters all ready to go at home. Now if I could just clear up a little more free time!

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  11. Empress - I'm a big fan of YA (the fantasy kind anyway). Have you guys tried Gregor the Overlander? I love that series.

    Andi - I'm the same with retellings of fairy tales; they are just so fun.

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  12. I really like this mini-review format! These all sound like fun books. I haven't read any of the Lightning Thief series, but I really like the premise of them.

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  13. Aarti - Thanks! I'm trying to do mini-reviews a bit more often. I really enjoy the Lightning Thief series; I actually just finished book 4 last night!

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