Tag: action and adventure

REVIEW: Ryan Quinn and the Rebel's Escape by Ron McGee

REVIEW: Ryan Quinn and the Rebel’s Escape by Ron McGee

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ryan Quinn has grown up all over the world. Now that he’s an 8th grader, his family is living in New York City, and Ryan has a chance at a normal life.

The first clue that his life is anything but normal comes when Ryan notices a guy following him through the city. The next comes when the CIA visits his mom’s store, looking for his dad, who is supposed to be on a business trip. When he sees his mom dragged off by a kidnapper, any illusion that his life is normal is gone for good.

Ryan will need the help of his best friend the tech genius and a mysterious young woman if he’s going to have any chance of finding his dad or saving his mom. Ryan’s been surrounded by secrets and lies all his life – and some of the biggest ones may still be yet to come.

Review

A fun teen spy adventure! Think Alex Rider or young James Bond. Ryan has skills he never realized were for the secret life his parents were leading. He lets concern for his family drive him to do things no normal teen would do. And he brings some new friends along for the ride.

You have to suspend disbelief a little to enjoy this. I know a lot of 8th graders. Not one would know what to do in half the situations Ryan encounters. But it doesn’t matter. He’s an endearing kid with fun friends and a compelling mission. I was happy to go along for the ride.

Major cliffhangers at the end set up book 2, Ryan Quinn and the Lion’s Claw, which will release this fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Anju by Ammi-Joan Paquette

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Anju by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Juniper is torn. She knows her home kingdom of Torr has been attacked and her father, the king, has probably been taken prisoner. She would love to head home and save the day – if only she knew how!

But more than half of their horses have been stolen. Maybe, if they can recover the horses, they would be in better shape to mount a rescue. And maybe by then she’ll have a plan.

The search for the horses will lead Juniper to her mother’s people, the Anju. Once she finds them, she’ll have to decide where her place is – in Queen’s Basin with her small group of subjects; in Torr, rescuing her father; or with the Anju, the family she has never known.

 

Review

This is such a fun series! The characters from book one are back, but we get to see Juniper and Cyril the most in this story – and that’s awesome. The new Anju characters are a fantastic addition.

I loved seeing Juniper wrestling with her place and her role with the Anju. This is an identity story but it is also a story about leadership and power and how to use both responsibly.

In some ways, this is an interlude. The story ends up only dealing with the big crisis in Torr in only small ways – they find a spy ring, they wrestle with the role of the Anju in a possible retaliatory strike, and Juniper wonders from afar what is happening in her kingdom. But all those pieces set up the third book – Princess Juniper of Torr – nicely. And the Anju pieces made for a terrific story on their own.

This is a satisfying sequel to Princess Juniper of the Hourglass. I am looking forward to book three!

Rating:♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Alien Nation by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

First Lady, Kitty Katt-Martini, has negotiated the unexpected road to the White House fairly smoothly, all things considered. She’s foiled multiple bad-guy plans du jour. She spun the last attack so it blew back on the hateful aliens at the core of so many plots against them. She’s “Megalomaniac Girl,” and she knows how to think like the bad guys and figure out how to save the day!

But the Mastermind is still at large. Enemies from previous engagements are lurking, waiting to strike until they think they’ve been forgotten. And many humans around the world are still uneasy – if not downright hostile – about aliens being in charge of anything.

So when Kitty and the gang get the word that several previously unknown alien races are fleeing to Earth for asylum, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to triumph once again. So many things could go wrong. And if they can’t get things together on Earth, or manage the new arrivals smoothly, what’s going to happen when a ravenous horde of aliens follows the refugees with intent to devour everyone on Earth?

science fiction romance

Review

I have no idea how Gini Koch manages to churn out two 500+ page books a year in addition to her other writing, promotion, and personal activities! But I am so glad she does. These books are dense, chock full of action, sarcasm, humor, plots to foil and enemies to defeat. And I love every one of them!

This is book 14 in this science-fiction/romance/mystery/action series. I highly recommend reading them in order to get the most out of the character development and the “big reveals.”

My favorite aspect of this series is the characters. Kitty is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is sassy and smart. She defends the voiceless and the oppressed. She holds onto the hope that she can turn some of their enemies to the side of good – and she does. The cast around her is huge (another reason to read the books in order so you know who is who and how they connect to the main storyline), full of fantastic characters with their own well-defined skills and personalities. A lot of the humor in the stories comes from these relationships and the history between the characters, so the better the reader knows the characters, the more fun he/she has with the story.

This particular book is a celebration for long-term fans because some of the long-running plot lines seem to come to a satisfying conclusion. , Readers won’t know for sure, though, which enemies and plans are still in play until we see what happens in the next books in the series. Book 15, Alien Education, releases May 2, 2017 (release dates subject to change).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Magnus Chase is the son of the Norse god Frey. He lives at the Hotel Valhalla because he died an honorable and brave death (see book 1). And now he gets to die over and over in battles to prepare for Ragnorok. Even though Ragnorok hasn’t started – yet – Magnus has plenty to keep him busy. First there’s the fact that Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, has been stolen. Then he gets a volatile new floormate, Alex, the shape-shifting, gender-fluid son/daughter of Loki. And then Loki arranges a marriage between his other daughter, Samirah, a Valkyrie, to an earth giant. Loki assures Magnus that this plan will rescue the hammer. But when as Loki ever been trustworthy?

hammer-of-thor

Review

This feels like all of Riordan’s other books, in a good way. You have the main, overarching quest and then the side trips that put everyone – and the time table for their quest – in danger. But the side trips are so important to the reader because that is where we get to know our heroes even better. Riordan is intentional about adding diversity to his cast of characters, a trend in children’s literature these days. Sam is a devout Muslim and Alex is transgender. And they aren’t token characters. These characteristics are key plot points in the story. There is some speculation online that Alex may become a love interest for Magnus in a future book. Readers who are not familiar with LGBT characters and story lines may have questions for parents/teachers about the things they read in The Hammer of Thor. Percy Jackson fans will be happy to know that Annabeth makes an appearance. And the last sentence of the book is a teaser that has many fans squealing for joy.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥