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The Last Star by Rick Yancey

Title: The Last Star (Fifth Wave #3)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 338

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - 365 Days of YA; Finishing the series; 52 Books - W29

The enemy is Other. The enemy is us. They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us.

But beneath these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves.

In these last days, Earth’s remaining survivors will need to decide what’s more important: saving themselves . . . or saving what makes us human.

I wasn't too excited about The Infinite Sea, but this volume redeemed the series for me. Thankfully we got back to some character development instead of constant action. And we get a satisfies, if not predictable, conclusion to the story. I almost wish this series was a two-parter instead of a trilogy. A lot of fat could have been trimmed from the second and third books to make one volume.

Ffith Wave:

  • #1 The 5th Wave
  • #2 The Infinite Sea
  • #3 The Last Star
tags: 365 Days of YA, 4 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, Finishing the Series, perpetual, Rick Yancey, science fiction, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 07.19.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Title: The Infinite Sea (Fifth Wave #2)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam 2014

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 300

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

While waiting for N to finish The 5th Wave so we could watch the movie, I picked up the second in the trilogy. The second volume in the series just felt like a bit of a letdown. It was much shorter and focused on action action action. There was hardly any character development. I would have like to get to know some of the characters more. Instead it's action on every page. After a while, I was tired of the action and wanted things to slow down. Hopefully the conclusion of the trilogy is better...

Fifth Wave:

  • #1 The 5th Wave
  • #2 The Infinite Sea
  • #3 The Last Star
tags: 3 stars, Finishing the Series, Rick Yancey, science fiction, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 06.21.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

Title: The Magician's Land (Magicians #3)

Author: Lev Grossman

Publisher: Penguin 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 416

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W25

Quentin Coldwater has been cast out of Fillory, the secret magical land of his childhood dreams. With nothing left to lose he returns to where his story began, the Brakebills Preparatory College of Magic. But he can’t hide from his past, and it’s not long before it comes looking for him.

Along with Plum, a brilliant young undergraduate with a dark secret of her own, Quentin sets out on a crooked path through a magical demimonde of gray magic and desperate characters. But all roads lead back to Fillory, and his new life takes him to old haunts, like Antarctica, and to buried secrets and old friends he thought were lost forever. He uncovers the key to a sorcery masterwork, a spell that could create magical utopia, a new Fillory—but casting it will set in motion a chain of events that will bring Earth and Fillory crashing together. To save them he will have to risk sacrificing everything.

Finally Finally Finally dove into this one. J read it awhile back and warned me that I should reread the first two before tackling the conclusion. I'm glad I did. There were lots of little things that I forgot about that come back int he third book. But overall, so brilliant! This volume has a much better pace than the first two books. Plus we get some great twists and turns that I totally didn't see coming. And we encounter all the old characters as well as a few new ones. I loved the switching between Quentin's story and Eliot and Janet. It was nice to return to Fillory and see how the storyline ultimately played out. I would have finished the book in 4 days, but the toddler kept stealing my iPad to play games and would subsequently run the battery down. So It took me more like a week and a half.

tags: 5 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, fantasy, Finishing the Series, lev grossman, Read My Own Damn Books
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 06.21.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Title: The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 2014

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Pages: 528

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W19

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them-and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Such a great end to the Heroes of Olympus series. I loved coming to the end of this great epic story. Seeing all the demigods come together to battle Gaea was great. My favorite is still Annabeth, but I have to say this book made me love Nico. Riordan has a great way of switching between the characters for the narrative, but still allows the reader to dig into each character. This volume dove right into the story, but kept the nice character driven moments for growth. After reading this series, I'm curious to start some of Riordan's other series. I'm thinking the Kane Chronicles next to cover some of the crossover stories and then the new Magnus Chase series.

Heroes of Olympus:

  • #1 The Lost Hero
  • #2 The Son of Neptune
  • #3 The Mark of Athena
  • #4 The House of Hades
  • #5 The Blood of Olympus
tags: 5 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, fantasy, Finishing the Series, Read My Own Damn Books, Rick Riordan, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 05.08.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Warrior (Iron Fey #7; Call of the Forgotten #3)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2015

Genre: YA Paranormal (Fey)

Pages: 330

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retelling; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W18

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world was cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Faery—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the fey and human worlds will be changed forevermore.

A fitting end to the Iron Fey series. I can't say it was my favorite book from the series, but it was good. The last book left the read with one hell of a cliffhanger. I'm glad this one picks up basically where that one left off. We get to see the final confrontations play out. We see growth in relationships. And Ethan and Keirran finally find their places. I'm glad I stuck with the series to see the end. But I must say that Grimalkin and Puck are still my favorite characters. Too much fun!

The Iron Fey

  • #1 The Iron King
  • #1.5 Winter’s Passage
  • #2 The Iron Daughter
  • #3 The Iron Queen
  • #3.5 Summer’s Crossing
  • #4 The Iron Knight
  • #4.5 Iron’s Prophecy
  • #5 The Lost Prince
  • #6 The Iron Traitor
  • #7 The Iron Warrior
tags: 4 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, Fairytale Retellings, fantasy, fey, Finishing the Series, Julie Kagawa, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 05.01.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Title: Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 458

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series

A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

Finishing off this series with a good book. I liked the third one much more than the second book. This time we get actual movement with the storyline. We meet a few new folks (Sharon was my favorite) and encounter some old friends. Plus there's tons of action and adventure. And of course, lots of photographs. I am amazed at how Riggs incorporates the photographs into the storyline seamlessly. It's just like they were meant to be in the book. Very glad I finally got the rest of the series from the library.

Miss Peregrine:

  • #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
  • #2 Hollow City
  • #3 Library of Souls
tags: 4 stars, fantasy, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Ransom Riggs, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 02.27.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

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Title: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 396

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series; 52 Books -W5

September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

I finally got to pick up the sequel to Miss Peregrine and it did not disappoint. I love seeing the characters travel through 1940 London and attempt to save Miss Peregrine. I especially loved their visit to the menagerie and meeting Addison. The wights and hollowgast were thoroughly scary. Something about the storyline and writing wasn't quite as tight and magical as the first book, but I still really enjoyed reading it. Hoping to pick up the last book in the trilogy soon.

Miss Peregrine:

  • #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
  • #2 Hollow City
  • #3 Library of Souls
tags: 4 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, fantasy, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Ransom Riggs, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Monday 02.01.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Title: The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus #4)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 2014

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Pages: 590

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Popsugar - YA Bestseller; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W2

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don't succeed, Gaea's armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

I so enjoy this series! I love the allusions to classical myths and legends. I love the twists Riordan puts on the various gods and goddesses. This was a fast paced enjoyable read for a rainy week. I am excited to see how this series ends. I'm sure we will re-meet many characters and monsters in the last volume of this series.

Heroes of Olympus:

  • #1 The Lost Hero
  • #2 The Son of Neptune
  • #3 The Mark of Athena
  • #4 The House of Hades
  • #5 The Blood of Olympus
tags: 5 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, children's literature, fantasy, Finishing the Series, Heroes of Olympus, Percy Jackson, Popsugar, Read My Own Damn Books, Rick Riordan
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 01.15.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2016 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

2016, Finishing the Series, Reading Challenge, Bea's Book Nook

From Bea's Book Nook:

The details:

  • All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc.)

  • It doesn't matter if you have 1 book or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Mercy Thompson book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.

  • The qualification period is January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. Books must be read during this time frame to count. Sign up is now until December 1, 2016.

  • Take the button above and post about it on your blog. Use the link below to sign up and make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge, not to the home page of your blog.If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us which series you are reading. Or you can join the Goodreads group for this challenge by clicking here.

  • Each month there will be a post where you can link up your reviews. Write a review - 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, "The characters were a delight but the story was slow and confusing. It was disappointing."

  • Any format and length of book counts - print, audio, ebook, etc.

  • You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.

  • Choose a level below.

Level 1 (Novice series reader) - Complete 1 series. Level 2 (Testing the waters) - Complete 2 -4 series. Level 3 (Experienced) - Complete 3 - 6 series. Level 4 (Expert series reader) - Complete 7 or more series.

I'm going for Level 3 Experienced of 3-6 series. I've definitely got a list of ones to finish this coming year.

tags: Finishing the Series
categories: Reading Challenges
Saturday 01.09.16
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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