Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer ( Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1 ) - Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . . 

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer is a new series by the world famous Rick Riordan.  He is Annabeth Chase’s cousin.  If you have read Percy Jackson, you know who I am talking about.  If you haven’t go and read it! You are missing out ( then you will know who I am talking about and you would have fallen in love with her, just like I have ).

Anyways, we are not talking about Percy Jackson here.  We are talking about Magnus and he is pretty hilarious.  One thing I love about Rick Riordan is that his characters never act mature and like they know exactly what the world has in store for them.  They are sarcastic.  They mess up an amazing amount of times and they are real.  I love Rick Riordan’s characters ( which now include Magnus and Blitz and Hearth and Sam and all of the other secondary characters which had an impact in this book ).

This book was set in Boston and a million other places.  It was set in the present time but, in a world where norse gods and Egyptian gods and Greek gods all exist.   I will not be surprised if Rick Riordan comes up with a book with the Hindu gods and goddesses once.  ( I would so love to read that book ).  

I think due to being set in such a world, it makes mythology so much more interesting.  Something we would learn about in our history lesson which would be really boring is suddenly something we want to learn about.  

The overall theme of the book was Norse mythology which I talked about in the previous paragraph.  It was about Norse gods and the different norse gods like Frey and Freya and Idon.  

Another thing about this book that I loved were the titles.  They were hilarious and they made the book so much more entertaining.  Every time I entered a new chapter, I tried to guess what the chapter was about based on the title.

The ending was great.  The heroes got what they deserved.  In the middle of the book I had been complaining that Magnus was not a fighter but, in the end that was confirmed that no Magnus was not a fighter but, that does not mean he could not stop the villains in other ways and that is exactly what he did.  He used his powers of healing and nurture and growth and goodness in his heart to stop the villains which may not work practically but, this book is anything but practical.

I have read a lot of books by Rick Riordan.  The famous Percy Jackson series.  Heroes of Olympus.  The Red Pyramid series.  This may not be as great as those books but, it certainly was up to that level.  So, I would obviously read more books by this author and I will recommend it to other people to read if they have not read it already.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Wow! Now that's a book to read! What I liked about this book was that it was ingenious. It was a different idea from most other books I have read and it was not generic.
I have never heard of a girl having an allergy to everything outside before and being trapped inside a house because it is impossible for her to go outside but, apparently it is a rare disease which actually exists which scares me. Imagine a life like that. I thought Madeleine was extremely smart for a girl who did not know all the obvious things most children would grow up with. Not knowing what it was like to be outdoors, hang out with friends, go out for movies or parties or shopping. I mean, there is so much out there which we just take for granted and Maddy is extremely strong willed not to miss any of that. But, then again how do you miss something when you never had it in the first place? But, wouldn't she want to know what was out there. Who was out there other than her mother and Carla, her nurse.
I loved her nurse, Carla. I thought she really believed in Maddy and I thought she was like the mother even though the mother was right there. She was always allowing Maddy to live and telling her that its ok to get the bad feelings as well as the good.
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie, I want a love interest like that. Just that amazing and caring and considerate and even though he knows everything about her, there is to be known and knowing how impossible being together is, still wanting to try, not running away at the first sign of trouble.
Her mother was interesting. I had nothing against her in the beginning of the book. I just thought that she was like a child. Like she wanted to be taken care of more than Maddy did. It was all about her mother. She gets lonely when Maddy does not spend time with her, even though she can still go outside and work and see the world when Maddy can't.
The book was well written. I loved the illustrations and the small chapters in the middle with the diaries and the dictionaries and all the other stuff. I just loved this book!! Everyone should read it!

☂☂☂☂☂

Fixer ( Fixer #1 ) - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This thriller YA is Scandal meets Veronica Mars.

Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.

And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist.

From the moment I started this book to the moment I ended it, I do not think I got time to breathe. If people are looking for suspense in ya, this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked that there were no pretences, there was no holding back. The main character Tess was strong and confident and knew who she was where she lived. However, when she was sent to live with her sister Ivy, everything she knew was thrown for a loop. Ivy was a fixer, a problem solver in politics who made problems and messes go away or come out. She was powerful in the world of politics and Tess found herself being swooped up in that world.
In Hardwicke, a private school which she had been enrolled in, Tess started solving problems and becoming like her sister Ivy but, that was not always a good thing. The problems took her into secrets she should not have known and made her have a huge target on her back. With her friends she had made during private school who all had powerful parents who had something to do with what was going on, Tess found herself in a huge scandal which was a danger to everyone around her as well as herself.
Every secret uncovered was a breath I had to hold. Every mystery discovered made me grip the handles of my chair. I was scared 99% of the book and that was a good thing because it got emotion out of me.
In previous books I reviewed I always complained about there being no anticipation build up. No waiting for something to happen. Everything being told and therefore no excitement coming out of the books.
This book about made up for all those books that ran dry around double times.
I loved this book. I am not going into detail about the characters but let me tell you this. All of them, Tess, Vivvie, Asher, Henry, Ivy, Adam, Bodie and all those other politicians that made life hell for these people as well as the secondary characters were well developed. They all made an impact on the story in their own way. They all were smart, even the villains. The plot was great, the characters were great. I just want to read the next book!!! 

☂☂☂☂