Fantasy

Book Review: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens

Author
Sanderson, Brandon
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

After reading through the last two books in Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz series, I was hesitant to continue with the fourth book, Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens. What I found innovative and hilarious in the first book had become a bit more annoying by books two and three. Book four, however, was a refreshing addition to the series. It helped that the jokes were funny enough that I actually laughed out loud. Moreover, the lore and overall arching plot of the series seemed to coalesce into something that made sense and was actually driving toward a satisfying conclusion.

While I can’t completely disregard the previous two books in the series, I felt that there was probably enough backstory explanation in Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens that these other books could be potentially be skipped over altogether. After all, we learn a lot about Alcatraz, his family roots, and the Smedry talents in this book, and I almost wonder if some of these plot points couldn’t have been spread out into previous volumes. It also helped that this book had a clear goal and objective to drive the story toward its various conclusions.

In previous books in this series, Alcatraz has announced that he is awesome or a liar. Here, he admits to being “stoopid,” which adds some humility to the character that had perhaps been missing earlier in the series. There were plenty of other things I liked about this book, including the chapter numbers, the “Shakespearian chapter,” and Alcatraz’s cousin who is really bad at math. The twist near the end also added some realism to both the protagonists and antagonists that I’m now invested and want to see how the series finishes out in the next (and I assume final) volume.

A hilarious return-to-form and vital link for the Alcatraz series, I give Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens 4.5 stars out of 5.

Reviewer's Name
Benjamin W.

Book Review: Artemis Fowl. The Arctic Incident

Author
Colfer, Eoin
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

Sequels can be tough. There seems to be a need to incorporate what made the original successful, while also trying out new ideas at the same time. Additionally, the characters need to grow and show that they can handle any new problems thrown their way. In The Arctic Incident, the sequel to Artemis Fowl , I found more of the same military sci-fi fantasy elements present, but with changes to the characters that took away a lot of what I liked about them in the first book. And by characters, I specifically mean Artemis Fowl.

While the first book in this series contained a confident, coy, and conniving teenage super-genius, The Arctic Incident took Artemis Fowl and expanded those brief moments of emotional vulnerability into an entire character. Perhaps this was due to Artemis joining forces with the same magical creatures that he swindled out of their gold in the first book, or maybe it was due to Artemis finally being able to reunite his family. Either way, this main character didn’t seem nearly as interesting to me in this book as he did in Artemis Fowl.

Furthermore, despite containing slightly different enemies and goals, The Arctic Incident pulled out the same tricks utilized in the first book. I did learn a little more about the magical realm contained in this series, but not nearly enough to justify a full book here. I guess when it comes right down to it, I’m not a fan of the Mulch Diggums character since he generally seems like an addition to the series that’s only there for fart jokes. Granted, I know this series is for children, but I also know how quickly this type of humor falls flat for me, especially when it’s practically repeated verbatim from the first book.

A “meh” sequel that lost a lot of what made the first book good; I give The Arctic Incident 3.0 stars out of 5.

Reviewer's Name
Benjamin W.
Genres

Book Review: The Odyssey

Author
Homer
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

This epic poem is one of the most fascinating pieces of literature I have ever read. Following the story of Odysseus, it is an epic journey where gods and mythical monsters try and impede his journey home. There is mythology intertwined with adventurous storytelling, and the style of writing, while obviously more difficult than modern writing, is not too challenging that it makes the poem hard to read. I would recommend reading it for both its historical significance and because of how interesting the story itself is. While it will take some time to get through, the story, I believe, is worth the time. The monsters that Odysseus encounters barter with him and tell him stories that deepen the plot; his interactions and relationships reveal mysteries and provide new motivations or points of interest.

Everything is complexly interconnected and it does take a bit of historical context or background knowledge to understand all parts of the story, so it is an undertaking. However, the fantastic and timeless story is entirely unique. I would give it five out of five stars.

Reviewer's Name
Molly Q

Book Review: The Invaders

Author
Flanagan, John
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

In the book, The Invaders, Hal, the protagonist finds himself going after the Andomal. The Andomal is a sacred artifact and treasured by his people in his country. The thief of this treasure, Zavac, has besieged a city to plunder an emerald mine well hidden from the outside world. Hal must help this city to find and take back the Andomal. The main character Hal can be easily related to as he is smaller than many of his other countrymen.
However, he makes up for his lack of physical dominance by being extraordinarily smart. I enjoyed this book because Hal has to decide between going after Zavac or helping his friends. This was interesting to me because he makes choices like I would have made. This is one of the best books I have read this year. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Ranger’s Apprentice. This series, Brotherband, takes place after Ranger’s Apprentice. However, you do not have to have read any of the previous books to be able to follow along this new series. The author, John Flanagan is one of my top 5 favorite authors. I have enjoyed most all of the books he has written.

Reviewer's Name
Alexander M

Book Reviews: The Outcasts

Author
Flanagan, John
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

In the book, The Outcasts, Hal, the protagonist finds himself being forced into BrotherBand training to become a Skirl, also called a ships captain. Hal, unlike most others from his country relies on his intelligence and wit rather than strength. This makes him an Outcast, pun very much intended.This book kept me on edge since the intro was very suspenseful.
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read many books. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Ranger’s Apprentice.
This series, Brotherband, takes place after Ranger’s Apprentice. However, you do not have to have read any of the previous books to be able to follow along this new series. Ever since I read the first book Of The Ranger’s Apprentice I have really loved the author John Flanagan. The main character Hal can be easily related to as he is not physically strong but, he is strong in the mind. This is what I liked most about the character Hal.

Reviewer's Name
Alexander M

Book Review: Heart of Iron

Author
Poston, Ashley
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Heart of Iron is an interesting Sci-fi romance. Following the adventures of Ana, her best friend robot Di, and her spaceship crew, this book gives an interesting perspective of what it is to love and what you know about your own identity. I only gave this book 4 stars because it just hops into the action without explanation which leaves the reader a little confused. It also had many metaphors that were very odd and didn't make sense within the context, but overall I enjoyed the story. Heart of Iron is great for lovers of romance, sci-fi, and pirates.

Reviewer's Name
Maddie K

Book Review: The Hound of Rowan

Author
Neff, Henry H.
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Join Max on a thrilling adventure throughout the school year at Rowan Academy! This book was a really great book with lots of adventure and magic. It is sort of like Harry Potter (don't compare these two series because as similar as they can be, they can be VERY different too) but in my honest opinion, if someone were to ask me Hogwarts or Rowan? I would probably say Hogwarts. However, this book is an amazing adventurous, magical, good vs. evil type of book.

There are a few kisses throughout this book, including one where David captures a photo of Connor and Lucia and keeps the photograph. There is a few sentences on one page where Connor does something questionable, but they do not focus on it or keep bringing it up.

Overall, this book was really good an besides those few parts that I mentioned above, it is a fine book.

Reviewer's Name
Aubrey S.

Book Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

Author
Rowling, J.K.
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

I was really excited when Fantastic Beasts came out because Harry Potter was over and I loved the make-believe world of wizards and witches. Before Fantastic Beasts was released I was curious what J.K. Rowling was going to do next, I didn’t think she was done writing books altogether. Fantastic Beasts turned out to be a great read and satisfied my imagination with magic.

Fantastic Beasts, a fictional novel by J.K. Rowling, follows a magical young man named Newt on a journey to find his beasts that escaped. Newt Scamander is a wizard unlike any other, he uses not only his powers but the powers of his magical animals. In Fantastic Beasts Newt has lost some of his creatures and needs to find them before they wreak havoc among the regular people’s lives and more importantly before the truth about wizards being real is revealed to everyone. Newt meets lots of strange people almost as fascinating as his beasts and even befriends a person named Jacob on his journey.

Something I’ve wondered for a long time is why J.K Rowling wanted her book to be designed in the format of a screen play, maybe she thought it would make the characters feel more real and personal. I think that J.K. Rowling really got everything right with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them even down to the art which creates very detailed imagery and gives you a sense of what she is thinking about when she makes these strange beasts.

Reviewer's Name
Seth
Genres

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

Author
Riordan, Rick
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

An excellent introduction to Greek mythology and adventure, Percy Jackson and the Olympians provides an engaging storyline and an interesting set of characters. Perfect for early interest in literature and mythology alike, it was one of my first favorite series of books. I would recommend reading for ages 9 to 12, but it can be enjoyed at any age!

Reviewer's Name
Settare

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author
Collins, Suzanne
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

The Hunger Games is a very descriptive novel that I am really fascinated by. Sometimes I like to think about the odds of a government similar to the Capital forming and what district I would be divided into would be. I think that it is kind of interesting that Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 because not only is it the last district it isn’t really anything special it’s just the coal district.

The Hunger Games, a dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins, follows a young women named Katniss Everdeen and her fight to survive the tragic Hunger Games. It’s Election Day at the start of the book And Katniss’ sister,Prim, just turned of age when her name is put into the drawing for the Hunger
Games. When it came time for a girl to be elected for the Hunger Games despite the odds Prim’s name was drawn but Katniss wouldn’t let her go to the hunger games where she would meet her death so she volunteered. The Hunger Games is a televised event where two people from each of the twelve
districts are sent into an arena and fight to the death until there is only one person remaining. The last person standing is named the Victor. The Hunger Games acts as a reminder to the districts to never rebel against the Capital.

I think that the Hunger Games is an example of what happens when government takes “control freak” to the next level, they send people into an arena to die just because they want the district to know they can. I wonder why the districts haven’t rebelled, it’s not like their lives could get much worse if they did.

Reviewer's Name
Seth