REVIEW: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

Title: The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)

Author: Eoin Colfer

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Paperback, 385 pages

Published: Published September 15th 2006 by Miramax/Hyperion

ISBN: 0786849568 (ISBN13: 9780786849567)

 

About the Author:

 

Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.

 

He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.

 

Official Site: http://eoincolfer.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10896.Eoin_Colfer

 

Synopsis:

 

Ten thousand years ago, humans and fairies fought a great battle for the magical island of Ireland. When it became clear that they could not win, all of the faeries moved below ground—all except for the 8th family, the demons. Rather than surrender, they used a magical time spell to take their colony out of time and into Limbo. There they have lived for decades, planning their violent revenge on humans.

 

Now the time spell is unraveling, and demons are beginning to materialize without warning on Earth. If humans were to find out about them, all faeries would be exposed. To protect themselves, the faeries must predict when the next demon will materialize. But in order to do so, they will have to decipher temporal equations so complicated, even a great brain like Foaly can't understand them. But he knows someone who can: Artemis Fowl.

 

So when a confused and frightened demon imp pops appears in a Sicilian theater, Artemis is there to meet him. But he is not alone. Someone else has unlocked the secrets of the fairy world and managed to solve complex mathematical problems that only a genius could. And she is only twelve years old...

 

My Thoughts:

 

The Lost Colony is the fifth book in the renowned Artemis Fowl Series. 

 

In this book, Artemis figures out where the demons are likely to pop out and finds out that the Demon Realm is in huge trouble and needs help. He plots a plan to save the world of demons, but when his arch-nemesis Minerva manages to capture the demon first, things began to get interesting. 

 

It introduces a new character Minerva Paradizo, a pretty 12-year-old French girl who happens to be as smart as Artemis and also Artemis' crush! Yes - his crush! I really liked loved the idea of having an Artemis-Fowl-Female-Counterpart (and a possible love interest!). It seems that Artemis Fowl is definitely growing up and finally hit puberty! Yay!

 

Full of action, adventure, and fun. To all solid Artemis Fowl fans, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with this book! If you are on the lookout for some smart and adventurous story, this would be good for you.

My Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent read.

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In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme made by The Story Siren.

For Review:

1. The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
thanks to Disney-Hyperion

2. The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
thanks to Disney-Hyperion

3. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
thanks to WestSide Books

4. Winter in Wartime by Jan Terlouw
thanks to Lemniscaat USA

5. The Weepers by Susanne Winnacker
thanks to Marshall Cavendish

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Please leave a comment/link to your own In My Mailbox post, or share what's in your mailbox in the comment box.

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REVIEW: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Title: Scars

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction

Format: Paperback, 248 pages

Published: Published March 24th 2010 by Westside Books

ISBN: 193481332X (ISBN13: 9781934813324)

About the Author:

"I love to read. Books nurture me, helped me survive the abuse I endured as a child and teen. I also love to write. I write fantasy books and edgy, realistic fiction for teens.

My fantasy books often hold hope that I need, and feel others might need, too, while my realistic fiction is gritty, intense, and emotional. All of my books have fragments of the abuse I experienced. I write about some of the harsh things teens go through...things that I think shouldn't be hidden. But I also write about healing, hope, and love, and finding courage and strength."

Official Website ~ http://www.cherylrainfield.com/

Synopsis:

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

Watch the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF5xEKY0LAU

My Thoughts:

The concept is highly interesting. It talks about the story of fifteen-year-old Kendra, a former sexual-abuse victim who cannot even name the person who molested her. For Kendra, cutting is a way to forget her painful past. I have never found any other sexual-abuse books that were so interesting to read. Miss Rainfield’s writing style is fascinating. I loved how she describes how the main character is feeling. I didn't enjoy every aspect of the book though. The main-idea was highly disturbing, not to mention the sub-topics like cutting, lesbo love, homosexuality, and homophobia.  I think the ending is a little bit frustrating, after all the drama and emotion, it ended … erm … unsatisfying for me. I didn't like the story, nor dislike it. Maybe somewhere in the middle. I was worried that once I finished this book I would be filled with sadness over leaving these characters, and yeah, I was sad to put it down, but the overall experience was pleasing. I'm torn about whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I'll give it 3 for now. The book is short and can be read in one sitting. Overall, a satisfying book.

My Rating:

 3 out of 5 stars

Satisfying!

Overall a good read.

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REVIEW: Amaranthine by Tricia Rigli

Title: Amaranthine

Author: Tricia Rigli

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Paperback, 314 pages

Published: Published April 10th 2012 by Create Space

ISBN: 147517568X (ISBN13: 9781475175684)

About the Author:

Tricia Rigli had a romance with writing at a young age. Her first story brought on rave reviews from every teacher at her elementary school that it got passed on to. But it wasn't until reading The Interview with the Vampire in middle school that she truly developed a passion for the written word, and for the supernatural. It was her love for Anne Rice's fictional character the Vampire Lestat, in fact, that inspired her to write her first novel Amaranthine. What if Lestat were a real person? She thought. Wouldn't it truly be clever for a real live vampire to hide behind fiction. And what would the fate be of the person who uncovered the rouse? Honestly, how many of us haven't dreamt of our favorite character coming to life. The rest just fell into place.

Tricia Rigli graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and now lives in Sahuarita with her devoted boyfriend, where she plans to write many more books about the creatures she fell in love with.

Official Website:  http://triciarigli.weebly.com 

Synopsis:

Amaranthine is a tale of the dark side of desire. Crimson Wilkinson is a seemingly normal high school senior who, bored with life, finds her kicks in reading a popular vampire series. But her boredom is well remedied when she becomes an active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the dangerously gorgeous and sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. The rush she once so longed for becomes a burden as Crimson discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful once they are made into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community's number-one most wanted, some who want to kill her before she can become a threat and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.

My Thoughts:

All I can say is...wow. Rigli is so vivid in her description and detail. I found myself reading more and more and more of it and ended up really, really enjoying this one. Amaranthine was thoroughly enjoyable and I will forever remember some parts of it. I loved all of the characters (and the supporting characters as well!); they were all really well-written and had their distinctive attributes. The plot is so unpredictable; it was nothing at all like I expected it to be, it was actually better than I imagined. It’s a great start for a new series. I got into the story from the start until the end. I had a lot of questions on mind while reading and as I read the book, I finally understood what was going on and discovered the answers to my questions.  I found everything about the book to flow well and consistent, however there were a few moments where I felt she went a bit too quickly on key scenes. Overall, a good read and I look forward to the next book in the series. I really enjoyed this one and had a blast reading it! I am so happy that I got a chance to read this wonderful book.

My Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent read.

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REVIEW: Fright Flight by Lisa Ard

Title: Fright Flight (Dream Seekers, #1)

Author: Lisa Ard

Genre: Childrens

Format: Paperback (52 pages)

Publisher: Published October 12th 2011 by Puddle Town Publishing Group

ISBN: 1614130248 (ISBN13: 9781614130246)

 

About the Author:

Lisa is a children's book author, avid reader, stay-at-home mom, part-time business consultant, school volunteer, library board president, Sunday school teacher, book club member, chauffeur, volleyball coach, wife and mom, not necessarily in that order.

Book Synopsis:

Being twelve years old can be challenging, but add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick's need for a little self-control. A "sweet" dream devouring the world's largest ice cream sundae can end with an enormous stomachache. A fall from a bike means Patrick wakes with a broken arm. Try explaining that to the emergency room doctor Oh wait - that would be Patrick's mom. She's a dream seeker too, as are Patrick's sister and brother. If Patrick follows the family's dream-seeking rules he can have cool nighttime adventures. But if he forgets...

My Thoughts:

First of all, the cover of this novel is very nice and it fits the story perfectly. From the very beginning, the story swept me away to another world! I loved world building and the concept of dreams turning into reality but I feel like the writing style could have been a bit better. There seemed to be a lot of plot twists and action that made this story interesting. There is a slight cliffhanger at the end, and I'm really sure it will be interesting to read the next novel when it comes out. Those on the lookout for good fantasy and magical adventure should immediately get their hands on this book. I'm eager to see how Lisa Ard comes up with the next book!

My Rating: 

4.5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent read.

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