The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
If you appreciate sarcasm and biting wit, this book is for you. Toggling between the perspectives of a disgruntled demon and a proud magician's apprentice, the novel negotiates the pitfalls of so many vengeful schemes, ploys for power, and manipulation of weaker beings. In a fantastic, magician-controlled London, the boy and the demon get entangled in the snow-balling conflict they've unknowingly entered. The series reminded me a little of reading C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. While Stroud's novel isn't written in letter format, it's tone and perspective challenges the way we see the world just as Lewis did. I can't wait to get started on the next book, The Golem's Eye.
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
I started reading this book with a friend who had already read it once. She recommended it highly, but I'm not sure if I'm sold on it yet. The novel is focused in a late 19th century all girl's school, but it's not limited to the petty intrigue of the girl's who live there (although there is certainly plenty of teenage cruelty and love). What's more important is the exploration of magic, evil, and death--which serve as reminders that there is more to life than striving to acquire an advantageous marriage. As the young girl's learn the potential and limitations of the magic available to them, they unravel the mysteries of the murders and disappearances of their forbears. Having finished the first novel, I can't say that I loved it, but I can say that I am intrigued enough to read the next book in the series because the foreshadowing in this first book promises a great adventure and some romance to come.
All Young Adult Rick Riordan Novels
I loved the action and the mystery of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I have a great appreciation for this series and its educational revisit to ancient Greek mythology through the lens of the modern child/teen. What can I say? The books are fast-paced, pure adventure, with a bit of teen romance. I love action and battle in movies and books. The series is epic, literally. I laughed at the humor of the banter between characters and the ironic moments, appreciated the devotion of friends, and the lessons about modern honor. The Kane Chronicles thus far are much darker than Percy Jackson, but having been a child obsessed with ancient Egyptian culture, I find the books fascinating. The Red Pyramid was a nice refresher, which enlightened my recent visit to the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art. Finally, I just finished The Lost Hero, the first book in The Heroes of Olympus. It was by far my favorite Riordan novel. It had the action, adventure, and humor that I have loved in Riordan's other books, but I felt the gravity of the situation much more poignantly in this book than I have in his others. Jason, is a great hero.
