Mythology Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Indelible Rambings of a Wadzi

Action May 24, 2012

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy

Alex Rider Series: Ended with Scorpia Rising

I loved Alex. He was like a young James Bond, only cooler and funnier. He went through a lot and this is obvious form the way the series evolved. When he was captured in the earlier books, he would always banter with the villains. Later though, it was far too serious for this and there was a much darker tone. The threats became much more sever. In the first book, he was threatened to have his face carved. In Ark Angel, he nearly faced having a finger chopped off. In Snakehead, he nearly had his organs removed. Very severe. But through it all, Alex has persevered and I very much like his character development.

Favourite villain: Yassen Gregorovich (first appearance: Stormbreaker)
Favourite vialliness: Julia Rothman (first appearance: Scorpia)
Favourite mission: Skeleton Key

Wicked Lovely Series: Ended with Darkest Mercy

I’ve blogged about the Wicked Lovely series before, but basically it is about the different faerie courts. This includes the Summer Court (mostly featured in book #1 and #3), the Dark Court (mostly featured in book #2 and book #4), the High Court (mostly featured in book #3) and the Winter Court.
What is unique about this series is that there is an ever changing multiple narrative throughout the series. This series will entice and grip you. Don’t forget to read Faery Tales & Nightmares, the companion novella!

Favourite character: Irial, King of the Dark court
Favourite couple: I’m caught between Leslie & Niall, and Aislinn & Seth.
Favourite book: Ink Exchange

Missing/ 1-800-Where-R-U-? Series: Ended with Missing You

Jess Mastriani is your typical 16 year old girl with anger management problems. Things take a turn into weird lane when she gets struck by lightning and gains powers to locate missing people through her dreams. Thinking that her new ability is a gift, she begins making anonymous calls to help the police find missing people, but then the FBI try to find her. Then she accidentally finds someone who didn’t want to be found. (Synopsis for the first book, When Lightning Strikes)
And of course there has to be some romance, so queue Rob Wilkins, bad boy extraordinaire. They met in detention! He helps her out through all the madness. But what with him being on parol, he doesn’t think that the two of them can be together. 🙁 Sad times.
This series is exhilarating and thrilling. With action, drama and romance all wrapped in one.

Favourite book: Sanctuary
Strange fact: The protagonist, Jess, and I BOTH play the flute!

How appropriate that the last book is called ‘Missing You’! I miss you too Jess!!!

The Mediator Series: Ended with Twilight/ Heaven Sent (UK title)

Suze Simon is your usual ghost buster extraordinaire! So she’s basically not a typical 16 year old. When her mother remarries and moves them to sunny California, she has a lot of adapting to do, what with her new school run by nuns! Then there’s the hot ghost who’s been dead for over a 100 years living in her bedroom. I don’t know what she had to complain about. This six book series was engaging, and thrilling. There was romance and just a hint of horror (come on! I scare easily!). Read it before you’re undead!

Creepiest character: Paul Slater
Favourite villain ghost: Jesse’s ex

The Hunger Games: Ended with Mockingjay

Oh, I’m sure there isn’t a single self respecting teenager alive (living in America and most countries in Europe, at least) who doesn’t know about the amazing Hunger Games Trilogy.

Favourite Tribute: Apart from the protagonists it would have to be Finnick. Sexy!

The Kane Chronicles: Ended with The Serpent’s Shadow

So Rick Riordan has ditched his toga for a crook and flail. In this amazing new-ish series (well, the last book was out May 1st 2012), brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane find out that they are descendants of two great pharaohs. And that they are magicians! You’d think that would be awesome if not for the ancient gods that their father accidentally unleashed on the world. And now if they don’t stop Set, the evil god of Chaos, it’ll be the end of the world- no pressure! ( my synopsis for book #1, The Red Pyramid)
This series captured much of the same humour that made The Percy Jackson series so amazing. This one has two equally engaging narrators and it’s filled with adventures you’ll love to relive.

Favourite god: Bes (Anubis came REALLY close)

Favourite goddess: Bast

Favourite Carter quote: “Noble” I agreed. “That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of pigeons”- The Serpent’s Shadow

Favourite Sadie quote:

Favourtie Horus quote-
Carter: “She’s almost as annoying as you”
Horus: “Impossible! No one bests Horus!”- The Red Pyramid

Favourite Ra quote: “I like Zebras… Weasels are sick”

Most detested villian: Setne

WELL, THAT’S ALL OF THEM. FAIR THEE WELL!

*sobs

Action May 16, 2012

The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow

Goodbye! For now!

Best Quote: MANY! But I don’t want to give too much away.

Shocking Resolution (No spoiler): The resolution to the love triangle between Walt, Sadie and Anubis.
Favourite Appearance: Neith, goddess of hunting and weaving
Favourite Magician: Apart from the Kanes (and Walt is too easy), it has to be Felix. He is soo cute! Got to love him and his penguins.
Useless information I have gained: The names and purpose of the five parts of the soul, as dictated by Egyptian Mythology.

This is the grand finale to the epic trilogy that is The Kane Chronicles. It does not disappoint as Riordan has included a lot of action, drama, and of course, CHAOS! Once again, Carter and Sadie both narrate- and interrupt each other from time to time. They do a bit of travelling, although I would have to say that the travel in the other books was a bit more extensive. The travelling in this novel is mostly through the Duat rather that actual places that we know of, such as how they travelled to Russia in the previous novel.

Relax because Anubis does indeed make an appearance, thank the gods. I very much like him but Riordan does not focus very much on his character development, possibly because this is not a YA Romance novel. I guess we must all just leave the majority of his character to our imaginations… Similarly, Zia Rashid, Carter’s crush, is also here. I really like her and you will be happy with their ending, although there is a bit of an awkward chapter here. Read it and then you will understand.

At the centre of this novel is the struggle between good and evil- Ma’at and Isfet. I’m not a fan of Apophis, but I really linked Kronos from the Percy Jackson series. I’m not sure why. He was incredibly cruel and sadistic. Maybe more so than Apophis. This is rather typical of children’s novels but I like how sometimes the right choice does not seem obvious. Although the prophecy is not as clear as that of Percy Jackson, one thing is made clear from the beginning- Apophis will swallow Ra. So technically it’s not like I was giving you a spoiler.

I rather liked the opening to this novel, although I think it kind of gave away too much. Having said that, there is no way that they would have recorded their account of how they saved the world if they had not been there to do so. Therefore, it was already clear that Apophis failed but the novel is not so much about ‘Will the world fall?’ but the journey of how they saved the world.

My only actual criticism is that Riordan did not reveal very much about quite a few of the supporting characters. Jaz was in ‘The Throne of Fire’, making her seem fairly important but she did not do very much in ‘The Serpent’s Shadow’. Similarly, I was left wondering which god will Felix follow the path of?

I had expected the problem that arose from saving the world all along, what with the need for balance. This may not make sense right now unless you have read this book, so I advise that you do so immediately. This is me being pushy (haha!). Riordan also implies that whilst this may be the end of the series, you may be seeing more of the magicians in the future. I can’t wait!

I GIVE IT A FIVE STAR RATING!!!

Action April 9, 2012

Never to be Read?

For a person like me it normally takes about 3 days to read a novel. Sometimes a week. But for all my efforts, every now and again I come across a novel that I just cannot finish. Sometimes it’s because they’re boring; other times I’m reading two novels at a time and one just catches my attention more. Here some of the books I have started and am yet to finish:

Artemis Fowl & the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer

Having read the entire series, apart from this one, I was thoroughly disappointed. I loved Arty and all of his adventures. I honestly think that Colfer should have quit whilst he was ahead after about the with book. Once he brought time travelling into the mix, it just got confusing. One Artemis Fowl is quite enough, and having him try and out-smart himself was bizarre but interesting. With The Lost Colony, Colfer introduced the demons, the over race of fairies. Did he really have to call them that? Why not ogres? But besides the name, the race seemed pretty cool and I really liked the new character, Number One.

I did my best to read The Atlantis Complex but I just didn’t things were the same without Commander Root. The events were somewhat confusing and watching Artemis deteriorate into madness was unbearable. Knowing that this book has something to do with Opal Koboi also irks me. I’ve seen enough of this pixie, and now I think that she should just die.

With that pleasant thought, I warn Artemis Fowl fans about this novel and future ones to be written. And Eoin Colfer, I still love you as a writer and I hope you redeem yourself.

Odin’s Voice by Susan Price

I came SOO close to finishing this novel. I reckon I got distracted by another one, as I often do. It’s a pity because it was actually a good book. Set in a futuristic world where the old gods are still worshipped, it follows two very different girls whose worlds are entangled. It is a world where slavery is very prominent and those that are bound by it are called bondsmen, and freewomen and freemen rule. It is the perfect entanglement of the ancient and the futuristic. Unlike Riordan, Price has chosen to go for Norse Mythology.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

This is an uncommon case of the movie is better than the book. The book was just far too slow paced. I tried, Paolini. I honestly tried.

Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

This wasn’t so bad but I found that I just didn’t enjoy the reading this style of writing. I don’t hate 3rd person or anything, though I do prefer 1st. I just didn’t feel very connected to Harry. I think this is often the same with Alex Rider from Anthony Horowitz’s series but in this case the action and suspense is enough to let me ignore this. HP is more mystery based but I barely even got that far. I put this book down halfway through, not willing to let myself endure anymore of it.

Sorry to those millions of fans, but I don’t see the hype.

Coming Soon January 15, 2012

COMING SOON!

COMING MAY 1ST 2012!

The Finale in the Kane Chronicles is coming soon from the Best selling author, Rick Riordan.

[SPOILER WARNING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET READ THE THRONE OF FIRE]

In this book we will finally find out whether Apophis can be destroyed, if Ra will ever truly be himself, and of course whether or not Anubis and Sadie will ever have anything between them. Not to mention Zia and Carter! Is Bes gone forever or will he get his Ren back? And will Walt survive the curse?

This is an AMAZING cover and once again, I envy the Americans. I haven’t seen the UK cover and no doubt I will cry when I do.

APOPHIS IS GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOOOOWN!

Adventure January 7, 2012

The Kane Chronicles series

2012 sees the end of Rick Riordan’s best seller series. I imagine that it will surely end with a bang. For those of you who do not know, The KC series set to be a trilogy, and is about Carter and Sadie Kane, two seperated teenage siblings who discover that they are the descendants of pharoahs, with awesome magician powers to match.

When Set, the evil god of chaose is let loose on the world, Carter and Sadie must join forces to stop him from letting chaos reign forever.

The novel is pretty close to home, in comparison to The Percy Jackson series. Riordan sticks to what he knows, mythology. But don’t think that he has just copied his usual formula. The Kane Chronicles brings something new and fresh to children’s books, and once again, it is even suitable to adults!

I do love these front covers and I am jealous of the Americans. The British covers are not nearly as impressive, apologies to the cover artist.

Here’s a video in case my explanation is not clear.

The series has not one, but TWO wise-cracking narrators. Who said brothers and sister can’t share? I love both books in the series so far equally. Riordan is definitley good at building suspense and keeping his readers wanting more. The novels are somewhat educational, with great insight into Egyptian mythology. Once again, Riordan makes the ancient myths relevant to modern day society.

The Throne of Fire: I was incredibly excited for this sequel and it did not to dissapoint. It was thrilling and exciting. The Kanes did more travelling and met more friends along the way. There was one particularly outstanding new god who I simply have to raise my glass to for his awesomeness. The Kanes are joined by two new magicians, who happen to be their apprentices. The world is once again in peril and only Ra, the ultimate, super ancient sun god can save the world. But how are they going to find a god who has been missing for thousands of years, yet alone awaken the dozing god?