Romeo and Hamlet's Excellent Adventure

Published:  February 4th, 2014
Such Sweet Sorrow
By: Jenny Trout
Entangled Teen
ISBN-13:  9781622661589

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo...  But true love never dies.  Though they're parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he'll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father's crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility -- a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside.  When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure, and the chance to avenge his father's death.

In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel.  Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn't surrender souls without a price.....

Review

     Romeo's poison didn't work quite the way it should have, and now he's alone dealing with the aftermath of Juliet's death.  He enlists Friar Laurence to help him find a witch who can tell him how to bring Juliet back from the dead.  The witch tells Romeo that he has to go North to a kingdom whose King has just been murdered.  By the time he reaches Denmark, Romeo meets Hamlet for the first time in a tavern.  And of course they pretty much hate each other on sight, which almost ends in a duel.  Then Romeo and Hamlet each learn about the other, resulting in them agreeing to work together.  Hamlet will let Romeo into the Afterjord, if he agrees to help along his quest to avenge his father's death, by telling Hamlet what he finds there.  Romeo of course, pulls Hamlet in after him and they are both thrown headfirst into battling mythical creatures and overcoming harsh tests, to prove themselves worthy of re-entering the world.  Can they save Juliet and make their way back aboveground, or will they be trapped in the underworld forever?

     So, the synopsis of this book led me to believe it would be one of two things: a hot mess, or an awesome retelling.  While a little bit of both, it was more of the first by a landslide.  This book just has way too much going on in it!  It not only tries to incorporate Hamlet AND Romeo and Juliet, but tries to bring in multiple types of mythology such as Greek, Norse, Celtic, etc.  I appreciate what she's trying to do, but it gets overwhelming in the scope.  I never really felt like the characters or the plot were fleshed out enough to give a new persepective to some old stories.  While reading, I just had such an odd feeling towards the entire book.  Juliet was nothing like her Shakespearian self and as other readers have pointed out, it was nice to see her be an ass-kicking, sword-wielding warrior girl.  But how exactly (and when) did that happen, when she's spent her whole time alive as a pampered noblewoman and her whole death chained up and unawares?       Romeo spent most of the book as a complete douchebag, with a hair-trigger temper and a serious problem listening to directions.  Hamlet was a jerk too, but at least him being the original emo, loner dude made that somewhat believable.  Also, how in the Hell did Friar Laurence and Romeo get all the way from Italy to Denmark?  Isn't this supposed to be somewhat medieval?  It's not like Romeo could just book a flight to Denmark and how did he find out where he was supposed to go?  The witch didn't even tell him an exact location, just told him to go to a kingdom with a murdered king!  All in all, especially with a cliffhanger ending that hints towards this being a series, this just wasn't the book for me.  Maybe if there had been more focus on building the plot, and less jumping from myth to myth I could have connected to it more.

VERDICT:  2.5/5 Stars

*I received this book from Entangled Teen, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published February 4th, 2014.*

Walking On Water

Published: October 4th, 2011
The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2)
By: Rick Riordan
Hyperion Book CH
ISBN-13: 9781423140597

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem - when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for and evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery - although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely - enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Review

   Percy Jackson has gone missing from Camp Half-Blood, but that might not be the biggest problem.  He barely remembers his own name, has no clue he's a half-blood anymore and can only recall Annabeth's name - nothing else.  He manages to fight his way to Camp Jupiter, a haven for Roman demigods.  Percy is seen as a bad omen because he is a son of Neptune and is treated with distrust.  But Mars decides that Percy, klutzy demigod Frank and mysterious Hazel have to go on a quest to free Thanatos (Death) from Alaska, the land beyond the reach of the Gods.  Will they make it in time or will all be lost?  Is Hazel who she claims to be or is she hiding something, and what does Nico D'Angelo have to do with it?  I honestly loved this book!  I was supper excited that Percy was back in the game after not being part of The Lost Hero, although I really liked Jason, Piper and Leo a lot.  This book was so mutli-layered that it honestly made me an even bigger fan of Riordan's writing.  I thought Hazel's back story was awesome - I won't say anything more than that for fear of causing spoilers for those who haven't read the book yet.  I really liked Frank, who in the end proved to be great person and exhibited some major change.  The quest was fun, but it made me miss Annabeth and Grover.  I really hope that the next book unites everyone and manages to keep up the pace.  Also, I hope Riordan doesn't drag the series out too much.  I love Percy and his friends, but I don't want this to go the way of other series that don't quit while they're ahead and end in the most mediocre ways ever.  All in all, a wonderful thrill-ride of a book.  Highly recommended for fans of the first book in the new series and if you haven't read ANY of the Percy Jackson books, what the heck are you waiting for????? :)

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

Everneath, Yet Above Expectations

Published: Jauary 24th, 2012
Everneath
By: Brodi Ashton
Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray
ISBN-13: 9780062071132


Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Review

  Becks has been away for awhile...the equivalent of a 100 years in the Underworld.  She has agreed to go back forever and lose herself in the Tunnels (basically becoming a mindless power source) in exchange for six more months with her friends, family and Jack - the guy she left behind.  But that means dealing with the destructive aftermath of her unexplained disappearance.  Becks tries to come to terms with the fact that she's going to have to leave again, all the while trying not to cause any more pain than she already has.  Plus she has Cole, the everliving who spirited her away to begin with, following her around and trying to get her to spend eternity with him as Queen of the everlivings' High Court.  Becks doesn't love him like he wants her too because she still loves Jack with all her heart.  Can she find a way to stay with her family and Jack when the Tunnels come to claim her as Forfeit?  Or will she decide to choose spending an eternity with Cole?  This book was fun, in that it retold equal parts Orpheus and Eurydice, with Persephone and Hades.  I am a love of Greek mythology and this was fresh, interesting take on a myth that honestly hasn't been overdone (quite yet anyways).  The characters were interesting and the day-by-day format after Becks is returned from the Everneath (a.k.a. the Underworld) made things go fairly fast, yet last awhile at the same time.  Jack wasn't as one-dimensional as your average 'goody-goody', normal human love interest normally is.  Cole also wasn't one-dimensionally evil and had depth to his personality.  At the same time, it was annoying that Cole continually went after Becks, even though she obviously didn't want him at all.  Overall this was worth the read and I will be looking forward to the next book in the series, especially after the cliffhanger ending! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*