The Lost Hero

Source: Purchased

My Summary:

Jason can't remember who he is or how he got on a bus of misfits.  He has a girlfriend?  Piper wishes she could forget that her dad is missing and she needs to obey the voice from her nightmares to get him back.  Leo isn't sharing his strange abilities or how they were the cause of the death of someone he loves.  Thrown together, the three need to figure out what's going on and who they can trust.  Can they learn to trust each other and work together to complete a dangerous quest to save a Goddess that may want them dead?

My Thoughts:



5 stars - a must read

Rick Riordan does it again.  Love this new series set in the world of Percy Jackson's adventures.  The same Greek Gods are there ignoring the mortal world even though they claim their children as promised to Percy.  Add the Roman version of the Gods, acting a whole lot fiercer and things just got a whole lot more interesting.  Needless to say, the world building is fabulous.  Really enjoyed this new Roman perspective.

The characters are just as good as Percy's lot.  There's a lot of the old favorites hanging around in the background too.  And hints of more of our favorites to come.  I love Jason.  He's trying to remember the memories that have been taken from him.  He's becoming friends with Leo, learning to trust him with his life.  He's feeling things for Piper that maybe he shouldn't because who knows what's in those hidden memories.  He's a great reluctant hero.  He knows he's done great things but why is he the leader?  I love this aspect of him.  Greatness with some humility.  Piper is still learning that she's a demi-god.  Newly claimed she's not so excited with her Goddess mother.  What can she do but talk people into doing stuff they shouldn't.  Unsure how she can help but desperate to get her dad back, she makes a fabulous heroine.  Leo is the fixer with secrets.  Wanting to be noticed by the girls but clearly the sidekick, Leo comes through time and again to save the day.  Love his passion and obsession with making things work.

The plot is action packed and full of twists and turns.  Love it when a book leaves lots of clues that I don't even notice until after they have been explained near the end of the tale.  Such is the case with this book.  The story comes together concluding the first phase of long struggle to save the world.  Loose ends are tied up and clues explained but I was left wanting and needing to dig right into book two as I realize just who that book is about and what's going on.
This is a must YA book for anyone who loved Percy Jackson.  The fun hasn't ended, it's just shifted to add great new characters and new threats.  Love it.

Rick Riordan | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

I am not compensated for the links in this post.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Love this book sooooo much that it deserves another post!

My summary:

Helen is almost seventeen and lives with her Dad. Her mom went missing in action years ago. Helen is tall, blond, pretty and different. There’s the running, very fast running; then there’s the strength, too strong for a teenage girl; and the strange nightmares of desert journey’s where her feet get cut and bloody. She doesn’t know what all of this is about but she doesn’t want everyone on the small island of Nantucket to notice. Then the hallucinations start at school where there are three women crying bloody tears, but of course that’s only when the new Delos family is around, especially Lucas. Maybe she is going mad but Lucas knows more than she does and he sees the hallucinations too. Can she team with Lucas to figure it out or will they end up killing each other? The fates will have something to say about it for sure.

My thoughts:

5 stars – must read

There are two kinds of books I really like. The first is a book that I can’t put down. I read it so fast because it is just that good. The second is a book that I have to put down periodically to emotionally recover before I continue. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini is the second kind. I became so invested in these characters so quickly that it felt like reading a second or third book about them. I was attached. When they struggled, I had to put the book down and recover before I could keep reading but I had to continue.

The relationship between Helen and Lucas is dynamic and extreme. It’s impossible to write about one without talking about the other and that is really what the story demonstrates. So I won’t try to talk about them separately. Helen and Lucas have strong emotions between them. They are different and the same. They are both beautiful and powerful. One is skilled while one is learning but it’s not always clear which is which because they change roles from time to time. It is impossible to be together and impossible to be apart and that is how I felt reading the book. I love these characters.

The story has some threads I’ve seen in other books, a powerful character unaware of that power and a stranger explaining things to them. It has elements of Greek Mythology in it and uses the Trojan War specifically. But this book weaves those threads together to create a unique story with twists and turns that had me messaging other bloggers to get help breathing through it!

I have this book on my shelf in my classroom.  I loan it frequently to my students.  It's a favorite of many of them.  Check out this student review.

Here's the US trailer.

BUT I like the UK one better.




Now as we come closer to the release of book two, I am so excited.  I have students that are continually asking me when Dreamless comes out and if I might get it early.  I've shared the new cover and the excerpt with them.  We can't wait!  If you haven't read Starcrossed, then get on it! It's one of my favorites for 2011.  Then you can be waiting with the rest of us for Dreamless.

Josephine Angelini | Starcrossed | Dreamless | Twitter | FB

Buy Starcrossed | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 

I am not compensated for any of the links in this post.