Rating: 3.5/5
The Lost Hero by: Rick Riordan 
Series: The Heroes of Olympus 
Page Count: 557 
​Genre: Middle Grade
Synopsis: 
​Jason has a problem.
He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret.
Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools.
When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who;s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?

Review: SPOILERS FROM NOW ON! 
Just I cannot express how much this book was to me, deciding to pick up the heroes of olympus after a few months of finishing PJO. Now, I am annoyed at myself for waiting, because OMG this book.

 We met Jason, Leo, and Piper of course in usual Rick style, having to go immediately on a quest. Cause that is what Rick always does, Jason has amnesia, given to him by  Hera. Always saying he'll get his memory back in due time. Which is annoying af to me. Also discovering that Thailia is his sister?! And known her his whole life, oh the smiles oh the happiness. It made me so sad when she joined the hunters, and now we can see her again. 

The battles, the battles... They were as usual so amazing, and heart wrenching at the same time. King Midas, just I loved that battle so much, honestly it's my favorite battle in this whole book. I didn't have too much hope that they would win. Especially after Midas turned Leo and Piper into gold, but then Jason used his Zeus powers. And OH. MY. GOD. I gasped so loud, in shock and laughing at the same time as Midas's son was gold statue and Midas was buried in gold. Then Hedge comes just walking in like nothing happened, cause he was a eating a SNACK?! I have serious dislike of Hedge, he is the most useless saytr I have ever read. 
And then the final battle, where Jason literally fought with a freaking piece of wood as a weapon after his lance broke. Let me repeat: A piece of wood. Rick pulling his usual, "I'll let you think a character is going to die, but nah I won't kill them". I was almost in tears when Jason had that spear hovering over his chest, with time going in slow motion. Just there is no words to properly express how much I felt in that moment.

The ending, I saw it coming legit halfway through the book. Since we know Percy is missing and Jason speaks in Roman terms, plus the tattoos. And the other camp, that means Percy is at the other camp for Roman demigods. I called it, read that part, and then proceeded to do a happy dance cause I figured out the ending. Yes, I like this plot twist, but I need Percabeth in my life. Now that Jason is figuring things out with his amnesia, in the Son of Neptune, we'll see amnesiac Percy. This will be fun, yes I mean fun. I know the name of the other camp, but I'm not going to spoil anything for Son of Neptune. 

Piper, her secret, she is my favorite out of the three. And she's a bada** for being a child of Aprohdite, I mean "arms go bye, bye" one of my favorite Piper quotes. Plus her father, and having to give up and give him the vial of memory potion, I felt so bad for her. 

Festus *insert crying emoji* I wish he didn't have to go, and he could've stayed a dragon. But, he is meant to be a ship, and at least we still have Festus in some way. Leo, has had struggles, and then has to lose Festus which effects him a ton clearly. While greiving for Festus, he still is able to be in battle. ​

Final Thoughts: 
This wasn't what I was expecting out of a Riordan book, yes don't get me wrong, I liked it. It was good, but slow, something that I have never expected Riordan to make, a slow feeling book. Yet I still highly suggest this series, especially after reading all of the books in the series (I read this back in late June, and have just procratinated on posting it.), it gets so much better, the pace quickens quite a bit. You get attached to characters, and just. . . there's more comments I have but I can't say cause spoilers for the other books. I'll say that in those reviews. PLEASE DO read Riordan if you haven't, I started out with The Kane Chronicles and that's what I suggest y'all begin with. Though starting with Percy Jackson and the Olympians is also a good option, to read this series you've gotta read PJO first. 

Rating: 5/5 Stars 
The Lost Voices by: Sarah Porter
Series: The Lost Voices 
Published: July 4th, 2011
Page Count: 291
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: 
What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?

Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. 

A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.

Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?

Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Review: SPOILERS FROM NOW ON! 
Wow this book guys! So I have read it in one sitting and it was amazing, I do not like a few things about it for a few reasons but we'll get to those in the review.  But I highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone! I especally love how Sarah changed up the interesting view on mermaids, on the factor of their sirens a less written about thing in mermaids. 

We meet Gum who's a 11 year old mentally disabled boy, he's cute and there's Luce out protagonist 14 years old. How they play together is honestly adorable and I just wanted a tiny bit more of it. 

A few chapters into the book we get her change into a mermaid, and quite honestly how they have to have something traumatic happen to them is not cool and is the one thing I don't like about this book. For Luce to change we had to get her drunk uncle who've been hitting on her whenever he got drunk, but he began groping her under her clothes and tried to rape her. Her feeling this cold sensation and she felt like she turned into liquid, which she did and went over the cliff into the sea. 

Luce causing trouble 2 seconds into being a mermaid of course, her singing to a ship that was massive and the other mermaids in the tribe had to help her take it down and clean it up. Then we meet Queen Catarina who starts yelling at her, and only doesn't kick her out of the Timahk for breaking it. Me and Luce both are confused on what the timahk is, and why it is so important. Later on learning it's the mermaids code of conduct, explained by Miriam and Samantha. And larvae babies or toddlers turned and they can't defend themselves so they die easily but they can't hurt them because of them technically being mermaids. 

Now one of my favorite things about Luce is her ability to make her song different, where it offers forgiveness instead of the regular song. It works even better, and she can also control the waves with her song as well. And then Luce dreaming of a orphanage of 14 girls, who all came and became metakaza. 

We got told Catarina's story back in Russia she was sold for booze and cigarettes, in her old tribe Queen Marina falling in love with a human and willingly went onto the shore to try to change to human but died in the process. How mermaids die out of water is horrible, their heart stops from all of the pain you experience. Which later on Miriam died doing so, and at the funeral they had no choice but to sing to the huge yacht. Which oddly a boy sang her song back to her, which then she saves  A girl notices her, she could become metakaza and doesn't want to, her name was Tessa. 

One of the girls from the orphanage named Anais, is whiny and makes the whole tribe including Catarina. Anais makes the tribe greedy, sinking ships with expensive things on them just to get the stuff. As well, the tribe gets drunk quite often, and once when their drunk they catch Catarina kissing a human boy and beat at her until Luce saves her and takes her to a separate cave away from the home cave. But sadly and stupidly Cat leaves the cave when Luce goes for food and something to brace Cat's arm since they broke that. 

Now the whole book she kept dreaming of her father, and I think in book 2 Waking Storms he might be very important. 

Final Thoughts:
This book though, it was so good considering I never put it down once. I got sucked into the book as I did with book 2 Waking Storms (review posted soon). If someone like Luce as in real life she would be a great best friend, as I felt she was literally with me the whole entire time. Just this series will be the death of my sleep tonight. 

The Red Pyramid by: Rick Riordan 5/5 stars  
Series: The Kane Chronicles 
Published: May 4th, 2010 
Page Count: 516 
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade 
Synopsis: 
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. 

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. 

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe - a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

Review: SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON!
As usual Rick has made a incredible, pretty fast paced, super enjoyable, and hard to put down read. Unfortunately when I read this it took about a week to read because of my life being so busy, and frankly having little to no time to read. But still when I finished this book I was blown away into 200 pieces, and still steaming about a few hours later. 

In the beginning we meet Carter aged 14 years old as usual traveling all around the world with his father in his one suitcase. Going to visit Sadie his sister raised by her grandparents living in England and sees her father twice a year. They go to visit a museum in Washington D.C. and their dad releases 5 Greek gods when using the Rosetta Stone to summon one particular Greek god. After that a gift that her dad gave her is a necklace which is The Eye of Horus randomly starts getting hot around Sadie's neck. 

Now before Sadie gets deported to USA she gets to meet her Uncle Amos who at first was really mysterious to me, but grew and warmed up to me pretty fast. But anyway he takes us to his home in New York the 42nd nome of the world (Egypt was orignally divided into nomes but it went global). Seeing that Uncle Amos's house is a House of Life with the ankh symbol that Sadie is able to read hieroglyphics. Then we meet Khufu a baboon bulter type and I love him so freaking much! 

Carter feeling dream travel or when your Ba travels to Duat, them learning that their father Julian was trying to summon Orisis the God of the Underworld to raise their mother from the dead. The first try Carter and Sadie get to go into the library the only place that Uncle Amos didn't allow them under any circumstance. Learning that their father summoned The Demon Days with Mother Nut producing 5 children in 5 days, and Julius unlocked those trying to contact Orisis.

Turning out that Sadie's cat Muffin is really the God of Cats- Bast who was protecting Sadie all along, I had a feeling that Sadie's cat would turn out to be a god of some sort. Being used throughout the whole entire book to help Sadie and Carter and along with Zia who was really a Shabiti discovered in the last few chapters in the book of the battle of The Red Pyramid. 

Zia bringing them to the first nome in Egypt in the House of Life main center, meeting the Chief Lector at the time was Iskandar. At least until Iskander dies and then Desjardins takes Chief Lector... Worse day ever for Sadie and Carter who are trying to get killed basically every moment of their life. Which Sadie almost died looking at past events in the Hall of Ages, which almost killed her and her ba. Zia bringing them the next morning to a cleansing and getting the hieroglyph tattoo needed to perform magic. Seeing all types of magic you can do and they were amazed, and quite honestly so was I. Being a magician adding to the giant list of why don't these careers exist in real life so I can be one. 

To fight the battle on the Red Pyramid with the Red Lord they travel to Washington, DC the largest magician monument in the world. Which us learning that Sadie is a godling for Isis and Carter is a godling for Horus, they are really useful throughout the whole book and without the gods they probably would've died at the beginning of their magician journey. And we meet Anibus- the god of funerals, and it's so cute how she has a crush on a god, but he does appear to her as a teenage boy so that probably has something to do with it. 

Appartently Elvis was a magician because they break into his house to steal some magical items. Then we think that Bast dies, but its really just the cat she took form to Muffin dying. In the epic battle scene which OMG Rick can write some freaking amazing battle scenes and just books you never want to put down so *bows* hands down to the amazing genius. Carter having to take Sekhmet down who is a killing machine to put it bluntly, but once shes full of blood she goes back to the heavens or wherever. While Sadie and Zia battle Desjardins who it was the best battle scene I've ever read, or really all of his battle scenes he's ever written. 

Final Thoughts:
This book was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone ever, even if you don't normally read mythology or middle grade this is a definitely must read series! It is great and will have me reading all of Rick's work. Plus Sadie's sarcasm is literally my spirit animal, and Carter is so funny and I love him for that! Rick can write the best characters I think ever written, their so strong that they feel like your in the room with them. And hands down and unlimited praise because of that. So anyway I have already read and finished the second book the Throne of Fire and can't wait to read the third and final book in this trilogy, though I'll miss all of the characters. 

Lady Midnight by: Cassandra Clare 5/5 Stars 
Published: March 8, 2016
Series: The Dark Artifacts 
Page Count: 668 (not including a Long Conversation short story)
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Synopsis: It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it

Review: SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON!
Wow Cassandra Clare has yet to disappoint! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2016 and so worth the wait. I understand that some have had to wait 2 years for this book but my first book out of Cassie that I had to wait for out of her and waiting until May 2017 will be the longest wait of my life feeling wise. I had all of the feels and they were in a huge range of sad, happy, angry, and just plain astounded. 

So we walk in on our opening scene meeting Kit at the Shadow Market who has the sight and is Johnny's Rook son or at least what he claims since he's hiding Kit from the Clave. Emma talking to Johnny and him telling Emma and Cameron Ashton her boyfriend at the time about some murders exactly like Emma's parents back in the Dark War. Julian and Emma parabatai being separted as Julian was on mission in London along with Ty, Tavvy, and Livvy. Him returning via Malcolm Fade the High Warlock of LA. 
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Emma talks to Clary about once monthly us also learning that Jace and Clary became the head of the New York institute and that Simon and  Clary became parabatai. I was so hoping that Jace & Clary became the heads and I kinda knew already even without reading Shadowhunter Academy that Simon and Clary would become parabatai. 

Then an official delegation coming from the faeries which shadowhunters aren't even supposed to be dealing with after The Cold Peace was created at the end of CoHF to the institute, when we meet Kieran an another of the Wild Hunt, Iarlath of the Unseelie Court, and the third rider was Mark taken in the attack on the LA institute in the beginning of The Dark War. Mark is staying at the institute for 2 weeks until the investigation that the fae agreed to help Emma with by decoding the text on the bodies of the dead. Mark not trusting anyone for days and refusing runes even when he clearly needed them. 

Since I ship Malec so badly I was so happy when discovering that Alec & Magnus had adopted on 5 year old warlock orhpan who had navy blue skin named Max. Emma learning that Julian while in London on a set of tarot cards, which I will get since you can buy them online. Shortly after learning that ley-lines are a very important part of the necromany magic Mark takes Emma to an spot where Mantrid demons are protecting the entrance, which shortly after Diana their tutor setting up an watch on the convergence site learning that during the daytime the site completely closes up where no one can enter. 

Ty & Livvy masters of the hidden computer in the institute finding out one of the bodies was Stanley Well and going to visit his house discovering his dead girlfriend named Ava Leigh with her left hand cut off roughly at the wrist some varying at which side, just like all of the other dead bodies found. Really that mention being one of my tiniest most important details to the massive plot twist later on in the book. But also discovering a ticket for an performance The Lottery later on in the month which they pocket. But also a arrow shot Julian in the shoulder which he pulled out (mcstupid!). It bleeding are Iratzes many times but finally an Iratze which oddly glowed healing Julian instead of calling the Silent Brothers since this was an secret mission. Sending the shreds of Julians gear to Malcolm to analyze, Malcolm reporting that Julian should've died since the arrow was tipped with a rare form of Belladonna and demon poison. Which at this point I was seriously wondering why Emma was able to heal him since normal parabatai magic couldn't of, and Emma and Julian love each other though it is forbidden by the Clave and besides the Silent Brothers and a few of the higher Clave members it isn't known why this is. 

The language written on the dead bodies is before Shadowhunters. The Lottery is a monthly thing where there's no mundanes just faes and weres. Belinda Belle beginning this months lottery a blue invitation (6 month plus member) Mr.Sterling who has 2 days of freedom before the Hunt, hunts him down and no one can help. Of course shadowhunters being shadowhunters don't listen to that rule. Which I really like and wish other downworlders will do that. Emma and Jules going to visit Johnny Rook about the Lottery, him explaining that in 2 days he will be an sacrifice so The Guardain who nobody knows who it is collects the energy of death. But all the while Ty discovering Kit. Which finally someone discovers him?! 

Emma getting a text that the Convergence has been entered going alone and telling none opening an port leading her to the middle of the ocean there full of demons. Jules feeling that Emma can't breathe due to her lungs being full of ocean water him almost drowning on land. Getting Emma out of the ocean and causing a nice little intense kissing scene that goes a little bit deeper on the beach. 

Then us meeting "Perfect Diego" that Christina is not in the best mood with because of something that he did back in the Mexico institute. It was Diego who shot Julian with the poisoned arrow. Which instantly made me dislike him. Diego being part of the Scholomance and was brought in to help with the necromancy case. 

Christina following Mr.Sterling into the bar and finding out that he had to kill someone in the two day time period and get anything and everything he ever wants for life, Belinda being the first Lottery winner also not having a hand. But killing Sterling and they take both of his hands before leaving 

In LA 2008 Julian walking in on Uncle Arthur cutting himself to get rid of the voices of angels and demons in his head, what the Clave calls Lunacy meaning the angel blood is rejecting. 

Why Christina left Mexico is because Jamie Diego's brother who Christina was planning on becoming parabatai with him, and dating Perfect Diego. Turns out that Jamie was really drunk and didn't mean it. 

They discovered that the necormancer is trying to bring back Annabel Lee from the Lady Midnight. Gywn the Hunter appearing since Mark shared a secret of his clock being his main power tool to give Mark 20 whips, but Julian then Emma both getting whipped instead trying to hide the injuries from Tavvy, Ty, and Livvy. Christina, Mark and Jules afraid that Emma won't wake up taking a day to wake up talking to her mom and dad. 

The ending of the book is so satisfying since Emma, Christina, Mark, Julian, Ty, and Livvy going to fight The Guardain who then we find out is Malcolm. Taking Tavvy as the 13th victim naturally being a Blackthorn all to raise Annabel from the dead, with them fighting and fighting and  Diana appearing right when they walk into the convergence. After one of my personal favorite battles that Cassandra has ever written we get Emma finding the black book inside of Malcolm and her kicking him into the portal into the ocean. Now if you ask me he isn't dead it was too easy, but at the epilouge we get Annabel rising from the casket which who even knows how that the Blackthorn blood needed to be shed it could've been just a drop or since Malcolm supposedly died it could've been his blood who raised Annabel. And Nightshade had been putting addictive demon powers into the pizzas to get more business so that when the Inquistor came they wouldn't get punished for defying the Clave with a secret mission.

One of the biggest and most important details in the ending seeing Jem and Tessa and finding out that Kit is Christopher the last herondale, and  Jem telling Emma with his ex-silent brother knowledge that if parabatai fell in love they got power hungry and betrayed all of their friends and family. Though I think that they can be super parabatai without it being them becoming murderous. Mark is staying with his siblings and is being allowed to be runed again. Which Mark and Christina is honestly the cutest thing ever! Now intead of Emma just telling Jules about the super parabatai she's deciding to lie to him and pretend she loves Mark, pure stupidity Emma.
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With the non ARC versions you also got a long conversation with our beloved TMI characters. So Sizzy is engaged, Malec has 2 children, and Clace PROPOSAL?! Though Clary is might not say yes seeing how hesitant she was when Jace asked at Simon (now a shadowhunter) and Isabelle engagment party.
Now this book I felt all of the feels and just want more immeadately wanted Lord of Shadows. Cassandra doesn't ever disappoint ever! Like I did tear up multiple times and felt the love, hate, sadness, joy, and betrayal that Cassandra always does to her readers.