Pendragon, Book Nine: Raven Rise by D.J. MacHale

Pendragon is a big story.

First off, I have to brag. Pendragon is the best series I have ever read (and I usually don't pick favorites.). It can be faster-paced than Harry Potter, more insightful then Artemis Fowl, funnier and wittier than the Percy Jackson series, and more thought-provoking than Terry Pratchett. It is the single most underrated series today.

The basic story goes like this: Bobby Pendragon, 14, finds out he is a traveler. Travelers keep Halla (Halla is everything there will ever be, it turns out Earth is just one "territory" out of many) from the evil traveler Saint Dane. Along the way, Bobby learns more about himself and what the heck a traveler really is.

So. Book nine. Bobby comes home to Second Earth to find that the turning point is about to happen. He must fight for the traveler's last stand. Along the way, he meets old friends and enemies.

The book is awesome. A fast pace, great problem and solution and TERRIFIC ending set the series finale up for greatness. Although we are left with a lot more questions than answers, I am sure D.J. will pull through. Now, how do we last the year or so until book 10?

(PS-I strongly recommend you read books 1-8 first, or you will not get ANY of this one.)

Review: Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan

Okay, sorry for the lack of reviews lately. This is because we are doing a revamp, and we're now featuring 3 REVIEWERS!!! What does this mean to you, the casual reader? Well, we'll be reviewing a whole lot more books, and many new types and genres. Yay-hoo!

So this is a book I was VERY excited about. I love this series, and the action really heats up in book four of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

I never really got "into" this series, but now these books are so good I am treating it like Harry Potter. It has the same type of breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat adventure, with diverse characters. If you're not caught up, try the Lightning Thief, book one in the series.

So, in book 4 Percy and his friends are attacked by cheerleaders. They then go to find out that Luke and his army are planning to get into Camp Half-Blood by using the Labyrinth, an underground maze spanning the entire USA. They are then sent on the quest (with an unlikely hero) to find the maze's creater, Daedalus, and ask for help.

With an amazing ending and a chapter called "I Open A Coffin", this one surely lives up to expectations, and gives enough answers to satiate readers before the final book comes out in 2009. This is a MUST-READ book. 'Nuff said.

Review: Barnstormers Game 2, by Loren Long and Phil Bildner

Hi, guys. This is my first time reviewing on Bibliophobia. so bear with me. This book is book 2 in a series called Barnstormers. It is about baseball in 1880, and has all sorts of cool trivia and facts.

I think this book is a great follow-up to book one. More strange stuf is happening, and it's up to the Travelin' Nine to figure out just what. This story has more "meat" in it (it's also much longer) and you'll enjoy it more. The pictures on almost every page are very neat, and at the beginning of each chapter is something very cool (you'll have to get the book to figure out what...). All in all, a great book.

I can't figure out anything innapropriate about this book. Sorry.

100 views and new game

Hiya, evrybody!
Today is a day that will go down in history as the day we reached 100 views on Bibliophobia. Yes, I know. Very touching. In honor of that, I've decided to add the new game of the month a day EARLY (I know, astonishing) so here's PAC-MAN!
-Greg
(P.S. Coming up is a review of the new Maximum Ride book and Barnstormers, and I'm currently reading Whales on Stilts by M. T. Anderson. Cheers!

Review: Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

Okay, first things first: I didn't finish this book. So if there is some amazingly unbelievably good ending to it, tell me and I'll change the review. But there's a reason I didn't finish.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. Right now, I'm considering that friend's sanity. Robin McKinley is a fairly well-known author, so you would think her books would be tolerable. Think again.

I'm sorry. I really am. I hate bashing books. But this one was very... boring. It's about a boy who works at (what else?) a haven for dragons in... some where. The thing is, by the second chapter (47 pages in), you have no idea what is going on. Characters are introduced, but you are very confused as to who they are related to or what they are. The author attempts to go back and summarize it as an afterthought, but it is very confusing.

The writing is slow and monotonous, as if when the writer finished she had 100 pages to fill and put mindless mush in it for the publishers. You'll not find your self connecting with the narrator, but with me, who is asking him to please stop whining. Do yourself a favor and don't even try it. This book also has WAY too many curse words than necessary. I suppose this is to make it more teen-ish? Who knows.

New Stuff on the site

Just wanted to make it aware that I have added some new features to my site - like a clock and Game Of The Month. The game of the month will change - you guessed it - every month! This month's is the Red Button Game. Enjoy!

Review : Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

I have long been a fan of the first book

in this series, Diary of Wimpy Kid (not in the least because the main character's name is Greg.) I think it is very funny and is written very convincingly in the mindset of a teenager.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Advance Readers Copy, so this is an old review. This second book in the series puts Greg in a bad situation. His brother has been blackmailing him to do his every whim after he finds out one of Greg's most embarrassing secrets (yes, you find out what it is, and you'll be suprised). This book is probably the funniest book so far. The author really flexed his creative muscles on this one. I actually laughed out loud on this one, and I'm very hard to please. There are as many classic moments in here as the first one. If you liked the first one or are a sucker for the funnies in the paper, this one is definetly for you!

This book doesn't have any innapropriate words or subjects, but you can tell it was written for teens. It is suitable for all ages, but I think teens would "get it" more. Nonetheless, my nine-year-old neighbor loved it. Go figure.