Tag: mythology

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Review: The Colossus Rises

The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1) by Peter Lerangis

I give this book a 4.

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I read and listened to this book on my Kindle which may account for some of the comments I make below.

This is the story of Jack McKinley and some others kids who find out that they the descendants of Atlantians and are all about to die, oh but they all get superpowers before they kill over. It may not sound like it, but I liked this book. It’s very middle grade and sometimes annoying, but overall quite entertaining. When I first heard of this new series it was compared to the Percy Jackson series, but I don’t think that is a good comparison. I think this story is something a little different.

The only character I really fell in love with in this first book, I haven’t read the others yet, is Jack. Not that the other characters weren’t likable, but Jack was the only one who seemed to be in touch with reality. He seemed accessible to me beyond this world of mythology and magic in a way none of the other characters were.

While this story is very clever and full of action, is lacks sophistication and with good reason. This is a story about kids battling against the world to save their lives. These are not hormonal teens, yet, caught up in adult activities, but kids just trying to get through the day. I like that there is a real sense of innocence to this story that many middle-grade and YA stories just don’t have.

The mysteries, the history, and all the clues of this story were really cool. Some things were a discovery for me while quite a few were not. It didn’t take me long to figure out what was happening each time a new problem arose, but I will admit there were some turns I didn’t see coming.

The descriptions in this story and the world building were pretty good, but sometimes I had trouble figuring out which literal direction things were happening in. On the plus side, I thought the illustration were a nice added touch. Throughout the book there is tons of humor to lighten a mood when needed.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mythology, history, and is willing to read middle-grade fiction. The kids should really enjoy it.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Ascension

Ascension (Gryphon #4) by Stacey Rourke

I give this book a 5.

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This book begins just where the 3rd one left off. Celeste and the whole clan are an absolute hot mess, but they still manage to have a few laughs. The Gryphon has been quite for the whole series, but he’s about to start answering some questions. While the Council can no longer be counted on, The Conduit and her posse will stand strong and save the day, or die trying.

There is so much going on in the story that to try to sum it up would only confuse you and do no justice to this amazing story. Let me go ahead and warn you now that friends and enemies will die in the greatest battle Celeste could have ever imagined. Characters that you thought were gone will return while others you’re hoping will stop by, are officially laid to rest.

This is the most serious and emotional book in this  series, but like I said the laughs are still there, even up to point of making movie references while charging into battle.

This book is just how this series should end. I am happy!

I recommend that if you’re interested in this book, read the other three first, but as long as you have a sense of humor, you’ll be able to find something you like about this story. If you’re anything at all like me, you’ll love it.

See my review of Sacrifice here.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: The Once and Future King

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

I give this book a 4.

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Everyone knows the story of King Arthur, or at least, some part of it. I thought about trying to read Mallory and decided to pass. Then I thought of the cute Disney film, The Sword in the Stone, and learned that much of it came from the first “book” in this story. Truth be told, I was always curious about this book, but never took the time to read it, so at last I had an opportunity to listen to the audio book and took it.

For the most part, I adore this book. This is everything the story of King Arthur should be, a combination of realism and fantasy, innocence and guilt, and as always an underlined lesson to be learned. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a children’s book, but I guess it could be, as long as an adult is around to do a lot of explaining. If you can get a teen to sit down and read (or listen to) a book of this length, I think they will enjoy it.

I must say there are a few long passages that seem to drag the story along, over describing or explaining things, but I’ve been guilty of that myself. I would have to say that my least favorite part of the book was the whole love triangle. It seemed really silly to me, but most love triangles are, so that wasn’t a big deal and it is actually part of the original mythology. There were also some very drawn out political discussions that I could have done without, but if you’re a fan of politics in general, you’ll be quite pleased. My favorite part was, of course, Arthur’s youth.

It’s a shame that it took me so long to getting around to this story. It’s clear how this story has inspired others of its kind and I’m glad that to have finally experienced it.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords