Reviews of Teen Books by Genre: Adventure

The Mogadorians have invaded. Earth is falling under Setrakus Ra's rule. However, new hope has arisen for the Loric, new Garde have arisen. Now the new Garde must choose whether they will fight with the Loric or if they will fall to the Mogadorians. The epic saga continues with another exciting adventure. Pittacus Lore continues to twist the plot in new and exciting ways that will keep you engaged. I highly recommend this page-turner to any middle or high school aged reader.

In the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Lightning Thief, Percy the protagonist has been accused of stealing Zeus’ Lightning bolt. Percy must get it back to avoid all out war among the gods. Along the way he makes some new friends and meets some strange characters.

This book is one of the best books I have ever read. This book is very unpredictable. My favorite types of books are the ones that are unpredictable and this one has one of the best twist ever in a book. This book did well in the bookstores and was made into a movie. However, in my opinion, the book is substantially better than the movie. The book has lots more parts that are really funny and the movie leaves out great parts of the story. I would recommend this to anyone interested in mythology as it is based on Greek gods and their over the top stories. Yet, this is an excellent book and is good for almost everyone, even if you are not a Greek mythology expert because it is pretty easy to follow along.

Reviewer grade: 9

In the 4th book of this series Hal find himself helping the King of another country across the sea. Hal travels to this country by boat and it takes him about a week. One of Hal's rivals, Tursgud, is also in the area. By the time Hal arrives, Tursgud has raided a village and captured 12 villagers. Tursgud goal is to sell the captured villagers as slaves. Hal decides the Brotherband should go rescue the villagers. I enjoyed reading this book and this series.

Throughout the book I was kept guessing what would happen next. I was never sure about what Hal would do. My favorite part of the book is when one of the Brotherband's plan completely fails and they have to come up with a completely new plan. There were no parts of this book I did not like. I would not recommend reading this book before reading the previous books in the series as you may likely have trouble understanding the characters and the situations they are in. However, this entire series is excellent and worth reading all of the books in the series. I would recommend this book series to anyone who enjoyed reading the Ranger's Apprentice by the same author, John Flanagan. This series is in the same time period and the same world as the Ranger's Apprentice.

Reviewer Grade: 9

This is a personal favorite series of mine, it is a very interesting, very fun book. Since it is the introduction to a 12 book series, at times it can feel a little boring, but once you get into it, it's the best series ever. Comparing it to other novels it feels very similar to the Percy Jackson series, in that the writing style is somewhat similar. This book is a must read for any teenager or pre-teen.

Zafira has gained respect amongst her community for being the only person brave enough to dare the forest of a the Arz – a rapidly growing magical forest from which most who enter don’t return. She’s known as the Hunter. However, all respect Zafira has gained would be lost if folks were to find out that she was a girl. Nasir has a name of his own: Prince of Death. He assassinates all who cross his autocratic, despotic father, no matter how he feels on the subject. As the Arz grows and resources get more scare, both Zafira and Nasir find themselves on a journey to find a magical relic long buried on a dangerous island long presumed lost.

Another nearly impossible to write description! The worldbuilding in this thing is complex, and its really hard to give a short summary of the plot outside of “awesome” girl and scary-but-hot boy go on a quest for a magical object. While I do love complex worldbuilding, it bogged down the story for the first 40% of the book, and I kept getting confused by which peoples had what characteristics if they weren’t the peoples of our main two protagonists. Speaking of our two main protagonists, they were the least interesting characters in the story. Zafira is your standard strong-but-still-insecure-attracted-to-the-bad-boy YA fantasy protagonist, and Nasir kills people for no reason. The author tries to describe it away (his girlfriend will be brutally tortured), but this guy kills hundreds of people to (maybe) spare the lives of a few. Utilitarian he is not.

Anyway, after a lot of labored worldbuilding, we finally get to the island and team up with some other folks on the same quest. After this, the book is a lot of fun for about 30%. The characters have great chemistry, and the new ones are all dynamic and interesting people (beings) who we learn about slowly through the switching perspectives of our main characters. There’s a heist vibe and some great chemistry between friends and enemies alike . If that section had been the whole book, you would be reading a very different review. However, unfortunately, the book then focuses on a romance between our two leads, and I never found it to be convincing or compelling.

TLDR: This book was so close to being a really fun read, but a forced romance between two largely un-compelling leads overcame my love of the supporting characters, their chemistry, and some really fun worldbuilding elements.

I think folks who liked The Gilded Wolves or the Throne of Glass series will find things to like here. For this reader, it was mostly a miss. 2 stars – it was ok.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for the eARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. We Hunt the Flame will be available for purchase on 14 May, but you can put your copy on hold today!

An excellent introduction to Greek mythology and adventure, Percy Jackson and the Olympians provides an engaging storyline and an interesting set of characters. Perfect for early interest in literature and mythology alike, it is one of my first favorite series of books. Although it's a childish book, it attracts readers of all ages with its fun dynamics and interesting plot line. It is a clever modern twist on traditional stories. I would recommend reading for ages 9 to 12, but it can be enjoyed at any age.

The second book of the Michael Vey series is not a disappointing sequel. In the book Rise of the Elgen, Michael Vey, the Protagonist is still looking for his mother. In the first book his mother had been captured by the Elgen. The Elgen are a group of people who want to take over the world. I found this book to be very unpredictable most of the time. However, there were a few times where it was not difficult to figure out what was going to happen. One of my favorite characters in this book is Ostin (pronounced like Austin).
Ostin, who is extremely intelligent, is relatable as he is gets picked on because he is a little different. Yet, Ostin is very strong minded and one of the smartest characters in the whole book. What I like most about this series is it has very original and unique characters. This book is one of the top 10 books I have read this year.

Reviewer Grade: 9

In the book The Prisoner of Cell 25, Michael Vey, the protagonist, who has the power of electricity discovers that their are others like him. He decides to find the others but Michael’s mother gets kidnapped and he must rescue her. It turns out that his mother is held at the same place as the other kids that share his powers. I picked this book because my English teacher read it to the class and I liked it so I went ahead in the book. This book was slightly predictable at points. Ostin Michael’s friend Who is very smart is relatable as he is anti social but intelligent. This book is by far the best first book in a series I have ever read.

Grade 9

In the book, The Hunters, Hal, the protagonist finds himself still going after the Andomal like in the previous book, The Invaders. This Andomal is a sacred artifact and treasured by his people in his country, so Hal must retrieve it. The thief of this treasure, Zavac, whom Hal has been pursuing for awhile now has fled into a pirate haven. Hal has no idea how to get the Andomal if Zavac is in this haven.

This book was full of surprises and rarely predictable. I enjoyed this book because Hal finds a very creative way to try and win the Andomal back. Again, Hal uses his intelligence rather than his strength to overcome his difficulties. That is what I like most about Hal, how he uses brains, not brawn. So far, I feel this is the best book of this series, The Brotherband. I would recommend this book series to anyone who has read the Ranger’s Apprentice. The author, John Flanagan is one of my favorite authors and I have read almost all of his books because I find them exciting and they keep the reader wanting to read more.

Reviewer: Grade 9

The book "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan is an excellent read for pretty much any age group. The main characters, Carter and Sadie Kane, embark on their first adventure in this book. When their dad accidentally summons an Egyptian god and is entombed in the Underworld, these twins must risk everything to find him. With the help of their mysterious uncle, Carter and Sadie must practice using their hidden magic to defeat anything in the way of them and their father. "The Red Pyramid" is an amazing story with lovable, relatable characters and the ending will want you craving more!!

I enjoyed this book and when I finished it in 7th grade, I was glad to find out that there were two more books in the Kane Chronicles. "The Red Pyramid" is suspenseful and you will not be able to put it down. I loved all the characters in this book and have already read it three times. The main reason I chose this book was because one of my friends recommended it, and I am so happy I decided to read it!! The whole book was exciting and I would be happy to read it a fourth time. I am excited to read more books by Rick Riordan and hope they are just as great as this one.

Reviewer Grade- 8th grade

In the book, The Invaders, Hal, the protagonist finds himself going after the Andomal. The Andomal is a sacred artifact and treasured by his people in his country. The thief of this treasure, Zavac, has besieged a city to plunder an emerald mine well hidden from the outside world. Hal must help this city to find and take back the Andomal. The main character Hal can be easily related to as he is smaller than many of his other countrymen.
However, he makes up for his lack of physical dominance by being extraordinarily smart. I enjoyed this book because Hal has to decide between going after Zavac or helping his friends. This was interesting to me because he makes choices like I would have made. This is one of the best books I have read this year. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Ranger’s Apprentice. This series, Brotherband, takes place after Ranger’s Apprentice. However, you do not have to have read any of the previous books to be able to follow along this new series. The author, John Flanagan is one of my top 5 favorite authors. I have enjoyed most all of the books he has written.

In the book, The Outcasts, Hal, the protagonist finds himself being forced into BrotherBand training to become a Skirl, also called a ships captain. Hal, unlike most others from his country relies on his intelligence and wit rather than strength. This makes him an Outcast, pun very much intended.This book kept me on edge since the intro was very suspenseful.
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read many books. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Ranger’s Apprentice.
This series, Brotherband, takes place after Ranger’s Apprentice. However, you do not have to have read any of the previous books to be able to follow along this new series. Ever since I read the first book Of The Ranger’s Apprentice I have really loved the author John Flanagan. The main character Hal can be easily related to as he is not physically strong but, he is strong in the mind. This is what I liked most about the character Hal.

Leviathan Wakes is the first novel in the science fiction series, the Expanse. It follows the stories of Jim Holden and Detective Miller as they attempt to uncover a plot to start a war within the planets. This book is incredible. Every character feels alive and unique, and you really begin to connect with them as the plot moves forward. The plot itself is stellar, and is relentless in its suspense, intrigue, and action. I would highly, highly recommend to anyone who loves science fiction, or is just looking for an amazing book to read.

This book is amazing. The story follows the tale of Edmond Dantes and his quest for revenge against the three men responsible for his incarceration. It is a very simplistic concept, but upon reading the novel one will find a book filled with characters that live and breathe, action that is relentless, and many subplots threaded throughout the novel in intricate ways. The book, while extremely long, is entertaining all the way through. The ending is satisfying and ends the book well. I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan on action novels, or revenge novels.

Join Max on a thrilling adventure throughout the school year at Rowan Academy! This book was a really great book with lots of adventure and magic. It is sort of like Harry Potter (don't compare these two series because as similar as they can be, they can be VERY different too) but in my honest opinion, if someone were to ask me Hogwarts or Rowan? I would probably say Hogwarts. However, this book is an amazing adventurous, magical, good vs. evil type of book.

There are a few kisses throughout this book, including one where David captures a photo of Connor and Lucia and keeps the photograph. There is a few sentences on one page where Connor does something questionable, but they do not focus on it or keep bringing it up.

Overall, this book was really good an besides those few parts that I mentioned above, it is a fine book.

I liked this book because it was very suspenseful. This book was unpredictable and I found that part particularly enjoyable. I picked this book because it is from a very good series. I can relate to Will because he is not easily spooked. However, when he is spooked, it is really, really bad.
This is one of the best books I have read this year.

Reviewer Grade: 9

In the sixth book of the Ranger’s Apprentice, Will, the protagonist, is a full fledged ranger. He is tasked with infiltrating Macindaw and finding who is leading a coup on the lord there. The book is kinda slow to build up the story and events. However, it is worth continuing to read because it gets really good. I liked this book because it leaves you on your toes once you get into it. This book is hard to predict but it is possible to guess what is going to happen. One of the best books I have read this year.

Reviewer Grade: 9

In the fourth novel of the series The Ranger's Apprentice, The Battle for Skandia, Will, the protagonist, finds himself stuck in Skandia. Will must help the Skandians repel an invasion. I liked this book because it leaves you wondering, who is going to win. This was a book that was very unpredictable, which I find very enjoyable. I picked this book because it is the fourth book in a really good series. I can relate to Will because he finds himself being required to help those who do not want help. This is by far the best book I have read all year so far. I would recommend this series to anyone who prefers speed and intelligence over raw strength.

Reviewer Grade: 9

In the third novel of Ranger’s Apprentice, The Icebound Land, Will, the protagonist, finds himself a captive of the Skandians. The Skandians are a group of people who raid coastal cities. He is bound to become a slave of the Skandians. The reason I liked this book is because it was very unpredictable. I can relate to the character Will because he is intelligent and thinks outside the box. The best part of this book is the beginning because it makes the reader excited to read the rest of the book to find out what is going to happen. I picked this book because the first and second books were very good.

In the sequel to the Ruins of Gorlon, the Burning Bridge, Will, the protagonist, discovers a secret bridge from the mountains to his homeland. He decides to burn the bridge to prevent those on the other side from getting to his homeland. If the people on the other side got to his homeland there would be war. I liked this book because it was very intense and stayed interesting for the entire book. Also, I could relate to the character Will because he is witty. Sometimes this book is very misleading and unexpected. However, it was still a very good book. If fact, this was one of the best books I have read this year. The reason I picked this book is because I really liked the first
book of the series.

Reviewer Grade: 9