The Tree of Books: June 2016

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Hidden Oracle

Title: The Hidden Oracle
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 376
Rating: 5 Stars
Purchase this books:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository

After being cast down to Earth as a sixteen year old mortal boy, the great god Apollo is forced to make his way through New York as he tries to figure out how to get his old, powerful being back.

I loved this book. Everything about this novel was fantastic. I was a little skeptical about reading it, because while I did enjoy the Sword of Summer, I didn't love it as much as the originals. This novel though? This one might possibly be my favorite Riordan book yet. Of course, some of that might have to do with the fact that you do finally get to see what's been going on with the characters we met earlier on. Which, I must warn you, the nostalgia is a little powerful during this book.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone of you did this, but back when I first read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I chose my own godly parent. I was a self-acclaimed daughter of Apollo, blessed by Athena. I know, it's a mouthful, but I had trouble picking a favorite between Athena and Apollo. But in the end, Apollo was my favorite god, because he was just so light-hearted, and I felt like at times he was the most normal god. (Which isn't saying much, but still.)

So the point of me telling you all that was to show you that Apollo is my favorite Greek god. And as you can imagine, I was quite thrilled when I found out a whole series was being released about him- from his perspective.

That brings up another interesting point. I believe this is the first time we've read from a god's point of view. The gods and goddesses are known for their eccentric tendencies, and I was always wondering what was going on in their minds when they did the crazy things they did. Now we have a whole novel, told in first person, from the perspective of a god. It was just fun (and quite comical at times) to read from a god's point of view.

And to my delight, this book continued in Rick Riordan's beloved humorous tone, and I found myself laughing at multiple points in the novel.

So if you're at all skeptical about reading The Hidden Oracle, don't be. It's well, well worth your time. A well deserved 5 stars to this one.

Oh! And watch out for chapter 15! Each chapter title is a famous, Apollo haiku, and chapter 15 happens to be my personal favorite.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Crown

Title: The Crown (The Selection #5)
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA Dystopian
Pages: 278
Rating: 4 Stars
Purchase this book:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository

As Princess Eadlyn's Selection continues, tension between the people and their future queen gets worse. She has to not only pick her soul mate from the group of randomly picked boys, but also is faced with getting the people on her side.

I found the conclusion to this fantastic series to be okay. Honestly, I was hoping for a bit more. The book itself is already very short compared to its predecessors, and I'm always wary of short concluding novels. I love the Selection series a lot, it remains one of my favorite book series of all time, and I think that's because it's just so addictive. So while I was slightly disappointed by how this series wrapped up, I must say that The Crown didn't lack that captivating aspect.

However, I can't give The Crown the five stars I was hoping I could give it. I just feel like it didn't live up to the heart wrenching, plot twisting, mind blowing books I'm used to from Kiera Cass. Don't get me wrong, I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it.

Plus I didn't like how this Selection wrapped up- but don't worry, I won't spoil that for you. Truthfully I could write an essay on my feelings on the end of this novel, but I'll stick to my typical, spoiler-free review.

Anyway, I just wasn't as emotionally attached to the plot of this book as I'd hoped.

So why did I give this four stars? Because I did still like it, I still found it captivating, and I still think it's a very unique, amazing book that's a part of an even more amazing series.

So go read the Crown; you won't be too disappointed.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

I Swear I'm Not Dead!

Ahhhhh!

Long time no see, my friend.

Perhaps you've noticed my absence- I must apologize. With my school year wrapping up recently, a trip to visit family, and a bunch of other crazy stuff, I've been pretty inactive.

So this is my pitiful letter to you, in which I apologize for not being the committed blogger I feel I've been in the past. I do hope to have new content up and running ASAP, and I plan on catching up on many of your lovely blogs.

Thanks for not hating me,
Julia

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Five Seven Six

Title: Five Seven Six (The Boy with Words #2)
Author: C.E. Wilson
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
Pages: 200
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review
Purchase this book:
Amazon

White Frost can't stand being confined to her underground colony. She longs to live and breathe in the world above her- in Kes' world. But it soon becomes apparent that she must choose either or. She cannot continue to split her time between above and below. She cannot continue to lie to keep herself safe, for the truth has seeped out.

This is the second book in C.E. Wilson's series The Boy with Words. I reviewed the first book, Five Seven Five, back in December, and I really liked it! The conclusion was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Five Seven Six. In order for me to substantially review this novel, though, I will be including some minor spoilers for Five Seven Five. If you've not read part one and do not want any form of spoilers, I would refrain from reading this review.

Like before, I find the whole concept of this novel to be very unique. I've never read anything before where the protagonist is a tiny, teeny human- but isn't aware of it. Watching everything from White's point of view was very interesting, considering we, the readers, are more like Kes. I enjoy the pacing of the plot. I finished it pretty quickly, and enjoyed every moment of it. I found every plot twist believable and every cliffhanger addictive.

I'll say that I think I prefer White and Kes as friends as opposed to in a romantic relationship. I just find that they seem a lot closer when Kes is looking out for White as a brother, not a boyfriend. Of course, the way C.E Wilson writes this, I feel like you're able to form your own opinions and allow them to actually apply to the book.

Once again, I have to appreciate White's love for the little things in life, as well as her no-nonsense, confident aura. She's a very independent character who doesn't take "no" for an answer. The other characters are also nicely crafted. Kes continues to be the dorky, sensitive boy we loved in part one. And Salt is still one of those characters who seems good, but when you look closer, is a little more complicated than that. But on top of these characters we met in part one, we meet a few other characters. For example, we meet Kes' father- which introduces an interesting conflict that involves a complicated father-son relationship. (It reminded me of the relationship we saw between Park and his father in Eleanor and Park.) Anyway, I enjoyed the new and old characters in this book.

If I had one complaint to make, it would just be that the dialogue got a little repetitive. Like, characters tended to over-reiterate themselves. But that was it, and honestly, it wasn't a big problem for me.

Being a conclusion novel, I must give my thoughts on the actual conclusion. Which is to say that I was definitely satisfied with it. Often times books with dystopian qualities (such as this one) end with a vague, ambiguous ending that doesn't really leave me feeling like I just completed a series. This one did. I won't tell you anymore (spoilers!) but I definitely enjoyed it.

So you should definitely read Five Seven Six, and if you've not read Five Seven Five at all, then I would certainly recommend starting it! It's a fantastic book, and I really did enjoy it. Four stars to C.E Wilson.