Hello! My name is Chie. I am likely to be the girl you'll see whose eyes would bulge out of their sockets at the sight of a book store and be seized by waves of epileptic shock whenever there is a book bargain. I'll probably be the one pushing you out of my way to get through the book bargain bins and tediously combing through the pile. (I forget my manners when it comes to books). I am tone deaf and have two left feet. But I would endure the embarrassment of a performance in exchange for books (terms and conditions apply). I have created this blog in order to find kindred souls. Those who would gladly share the same passion for books and reading because although reading is solitary task most of the time, it's no fun having no one to ramble to after..
Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to say where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Review: It is finally time for to review a new Harry Potter story and that feels amazing. What doesn't feel amazing is that my thoughts are so conflicted, I finished reading this play and immediately stamped 5.5 on my Goodreads review. It wasn't that I loved the story, it was that I loved being transported back to a world I love, to characters I adore so much and to experience that magic once again. I had tears in my eyes whilst finishing this book because it brought back all those nostalgic feelings. The problem was that the story wasn't good as I had hoped and the more I think about the book, the less happy with it I get. It's currently on a 3/5 with the potential to go lower if I dwell on it anymore. So, no more dwelling, time for reviewing. And don't worry, if you haven't read the book yet then I won't spoil it. I will keep this part completely non-spoilery and have the spoilers after a massive warning, for all those who have read it.
This was never going to be the story that most Harry Potter fans wanted. For one thing, it is a script of a play, and not a novel. We all knew this before buying so it's not a shock, but it does mean it's a weird new way to experience the Harry Potter world. This is something that is supposed to be experienced and watched, not read. The other main issue is that, no matter how largely they write her name on the cover, this was not written by J.K. Rowling. And that is a terrible thing to me as it meant that I felt the characters were just lacking in a way they wouldn't have been if she had wrote it. The characters always just felt a little off and not like the characters we spent seven books getting to know.
The story itself was not at all what I was expecting, but I am mentioning nothing about it here. I think it is better to go blind. We all know this book takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and follows Harry's son Albus rather than Harry. We meet some brilliant characters in this, but also some bad ones. My main issue with the story was that it felt all a bit ridiculous and that alot of it didn't make sense. I, quite honestly, can never view this play as canon because it all just feels ridiculous and as if it would never happen. Another major issue is the gaping plot holes that this book leaves us with, and I hate gaping holes!
So yes, overall I was disappointed, I loved some aspects of this but was really pissed about other, I need to go into spoilery detail to explain that. If you haven't read this yet or seen the play then now is the time to skip out.
I am actually excited to review this and go into all my spoilery thoughts. I have to, I won't be able to contain myself otherwise. I need to lay it all out on the table. First, I need to get this out of the way: I LOVE HARRY POTTER! If you know me in real life or from my blog, Twitter, or Instagram, then you already know this. Harry Potter is my life and has been since I was a teenager. And because of my Gran I bought the whole set of books. Harry Potter was basically my childhood and I loved every minute of it. It was a childhood of midnight releases of books and films. Harry Potter is life and forever will be. But I am never going to be one of those people who is blinded by my love for something. I wanted to love this play, I really did, but I didn't in the end and that is because it has alot of flaws and problems and things I didn't like. Plus, I feel that this is important, it is a script for a play and I feel it is better to experience as a movie.
I will do a very quick summary for anyone reading the spoilery side even if they haven't read the play. Basically the story focuses on Harry's son Albus as he begins attending Hogwarts and gets placed in Slytherin. This is a huge deal and Albus ends up sucking at magic and forever living in his fathers shadow, which he resents, and their relationship is basically strained. Harry is a terrible father for some reason. Scorpius Malfoy is the most adorable bean of all time, and him and Albus become best friends. who are totally in love with each other - we'll get to that later -. Amos Diggory shows up out of the blue with his niece Delphi, wanting Harry to go back in time and save Cedric's life. Harry even though the one last surviving time turner has been found, lies and says he can't. Albus then decides to do it himself, with the help of good ol' Scorpius. Of course going back in time and changing one tiny detail changes everything. So then they keep having to go back, changing things until we eventually figure out that Delphi is the love child of Voldemort and Bellatrix and she wants to go back in time to prevent him from ever killing Harry, so that he would never have been defeated. And, yeah, the simplified version of this messy plot.
The first thing I have to mention is probably what anyone who has read it wanted to discuss the most... Voldemort had a love child with Bellatrix Lestrange! REALLY?!?!?! I got to that point in the book and suddenly understood why I heard people saying that they felt this read like a fan fiction. My mouth dropped open and disappointment set in. It just makes zero sense tom me, and the explanation of it and timeline of those events also makes no sense to me. I just don't see Voldemort as someone concerned with having a child. His plan was to get the Deathly Hallows and master death, so he wasn't looking for an heir. And, come on, it's like the guy has even one tiny paternal bone in his body. The only thing that does make sense is that if Voldemort had a kid with anyone, it would be Bellatrix, you can totally see her wanting to have his baby. I still don't get how this all happened and no one knew. And that it was never alluded to in the final book. She apparently gave birth in the Malfoy Manor before the Battle of Hogwarts. So where was the baby whilst she was off fighting? Why did Draco not know about it? Or did he and just never felt like he should mention it? Come on, this is the most ridiculous Harry Potter story line in the history of ever and I am going to pretend that it is a fan fiction and not cannon because otherwise I'd have to rate this a 1/5 and I just can't deal with that right now.
The next thing we have to discuss is the main plot device here: Time Travel. Why?! Do not mess with the time travel, it's far too overused and just results in endless plot holes and problems. This book is not an exception to that rule. Especially when we take into account that the main plot here is that Albus and Scorpius want to use the time turner to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory's life.
They have a time turner that can take them back years and they are going to use this to save Cedric Diggory. Can we all take a moment to appreciate how utterly pointless and stupid that act would be if we think about the fact they could go back in time and strangle tiny, evil baby Voldemort and save thousands of people?! Oh no, let's just go back in time and save one boy.
That is like someone giving you a time turner in our world and going back in time to save Anne Frank, rather than killing Hitler. If you kill the evil overlord then you would save all the people that died at their hands. So the whole time I am just sitting here wanting to slap everyone for just being so stupid. But it is obvious why they can't all suddenly realise they have the power to murder Voldemort and prevent everything. It would mean that everything that came after that would completely change and the first seven Harry Potter books would never have happened. So of course we can't have that, so we will just have this giant stupid plot hole instead.
The next biggest problem with this book is the characterisation and how wrong it is in this play. Ron is suddenly reduced to just a little bit of comedic relief. He just eats food and pulls pranks and apparently got so drunk at his wedding and that he forgot most of it. Why has Ron suddenly turned into a Weasley twin too? I know he liked pranks and found them funny before but he was no Fred or George. And why is he giving a small boy a love potion as a joke gift? He was put under the influence of love potion and it wasn't an experience he particularly enjoyed, so I can't see him then being stupid enough to give one to a child. I hated seeing what Jack Thorne reduced his character to here, it was not fun to read.
Harry was even worse, I hated him being the world's worst father who would be horrible to tell his son that sometimes he wished he wasn't his son. I just don't see Harry ever saying that. I feel he would love his children, no matter how difficult they could be and appreciate being able to be there for them, as he never had that as a child. And watching him treat Professor McGonagall made even for even more unpleasant reading. Am I supposed to believe that Harry, the guy who flipped out when a Death Eater spat on her, would then go and treat her with so little respect? Nope, I am not buying that.
Hermione was just as hard to read, especially in the timeline where she and Ron and never got together. She basically becomes a female version of Snape. She's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts who treats the children horribly. She's nasty and bitter, and apparently all because she didn't wind up with Ron?! No. Are we really reducing Hermione down to this? She is a strong, brave, kind person and I don't see her ever turning that bitter because of a guy. She is so much better than that. Why did J.K. Rowling give this her stamp of approval?
And I am still sold on the fact that getting humiliated one time would suddenly turn Cedric Diggory into an evil Death Eater situation but it is just awful. I don't believe for one second that Cedric would allow that one moment in his life change him so completely that he suddenly goes to the Harry Potter dark side and start working for Voldemort. No.
I have another big issue and that is, Scorpius and Albus are blatantly in love with each other. The issue isn't that they love each other, the issue is that it seems super obvious to 90% of people reading and yet it is never addressed. Come on, they totally love each other and I ship it endlessly. I just get so sad to see the potential to have our first openly gay couple in the Harry Potter universe squandered. These two were just utterly adorable. Not just watch them fill a play with so much homoerotic subtext and then just brush it all aside at the end. In my mind they become the most adorably squishy couple ever, get married and join the Potter and the Malfoy households.
It wasn't all bad though and there were aspects that I really liked. The biggest one being Scorpius Malfoy. He is adorable and I just loved his character. He is so sweet and kind, and I was just happy with his character. I also loved that Albus and Scorpius were both Slytherins, and both kind, wonderful Slytherins. I have a big spot for Slytherin house so I was happy that this plays shows that Slytherins are just as awesome. I also loved when Ron told Hermione he wanted to renew their wedding vows.
Writing this review actually felt quite therapeutic, but I must admit that the more I think about the story the more upset I get, I just wanted this to be amazing and everything I was hoping for, and it wasn't, I feel this was definitely missing J.K. Rowling's touch and I wish she had been the one to write the script, as I feel the characters would have felt more real if she had. It wasn't all bad and I enjoyed the story whilst reading. It blew my mind reading it, as I tried to figure out how they were going to pull this off on stage. I can't ever consider this as a canon because it is just had too many plot holes and makes little sense when you think back on the Harry Potter Books.
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.
But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed, Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.
Review: Rick Riordan has done it again (and again and again). I don't know which god (Nordic/Roman/Greek/Egyptian?) Is responsible for inspiring him - though I have a feeling they would all clamor for the credit - and I have no complaints. The Hidden Oracle got my heartbeat racing - and I didn't even read the synopsis before buying.
As soon as I bought my copy. I hunkered down and read it straight. Reading The Hidden Oracle felt like one big fun adventure, especially since seeing the world through Apollo as a sixteen-year-old human was highly amusing. It's not that I needed full concentration to enjoy this, but because I wanted to lose myself in this world. How I missed Camp Half-Blood.
If you've been reading Percy Jackson/The Heroes of Olympus series, then you know that Apollo is one of the most arrogant gods, although he has his nice moments. The book was peppered with praises of his godliness and awesomeness. I love how Riordan modernises the portrayals of the Greek gods as seen in Homer's Illiad. If we had these books back when we were studying Illiad, I think alot of class would easily ace our quizzes on which god did what.
I love seeing Apollo fall - literally and figuratively - several times. It was humbling of a god who through his carelessness, brought so much downfall to humans (and consequently, the gods) the past few years.
And Meg, whose last name was not mentioned, as a twelve-year old kid blowing raspberries and being a great antithesis to his godly arrogance was easily charming that the end of the book had me anxious on her behalf. She has the potential of being an awesome and precious character.
We are also treated to a few glimpses of Percy Jackson which always thrills me, and Nico is also a secondary character. If you're a fan of Nico and his... revelation, you're in for a treat with The Hidden Oracle. We also get Leo Valdez back, and I am excited to see what other machines he's going to come up with in the next books in the series. We are also treated to scenes of Mother Rhea as a trippy hippy, and she is one of the characters I am most excited to know more about.
There is a surprising revelation in who the villain is - and I have a feeling this is the last book in the Olympus bracket (explaining would ruin the story). Hopefully we'll get more glimpses of our beloved heroes from his other series as Apollo faces formidable villains in The Trials of Apollo series.
Just like Riordan's other books, his writing transported me right in the thick of things and Chiron's red heels (read the book!). I would definitely recommend this to all fans of Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and young adult fantasy, mythology and just generally great stories. Go get it.
Authors: Various Authors Edited by: Rick Riordan/Leah Wilson Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson's world - a place where the gods bike among us, monster man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.
Find out:
Why Dionysus might be actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have
How to recognised a monster when you see one
Why even if we aren't facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our lives.
Review: Demigods and Monsters is a compilation of comprehensive essays about anything related to the world of Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. It features the insights of eight famous authors (Rosemary Moore, Cameron Dokey, Paul Collins, Carolyn MacCullough, Ellen Steiner, The Gods Among Us, J&P Voelkel, Jen Han, Sarah Beth Durst, Hilary Wagner, Hilari Bell, Elizabeth E. Wein, Kathi Appelt, Sophie Mason, Nigel Rodgers) regarding the series and guess what? Rick Riordan himself wrote the introduction. That was just WOW.
I really appreciated what Rick wrote in the intro that is served as my fire of inspiration to read through the whole book. Mind you, I am not a sucker for overly technical papers that you'd just die of boredom. But this has totally changed my whole perspective of reading essays and of looking at books on a general note. I just couldn't believe that these authors could come up with alot of takes with a supposed-to-be straightforward series. You know what, the book actually gave me this feeling of being with a wizened man and he is telling me, "You are only seeing the outside.. Look closer.... Read closer." I hope you get what I mean.
From now on, I am most certain that I will look at books at a different level. It's like stepping outside of your comfort zone and just absorb the most extraordinary things that could happen. And then finally, putting it into writing. The essays that have been featured in this cover the following:
Newbie guide to recognising a monster
Monster in the retail world - Why should one take caution even when buying a donut?
Fulfilling a heroic destiny even when one is suffering from a handicap
Choosing between a life of being forever young and immortal; or being old and wrinkly
Valid reasons of choosing an almost mad god to run kids summer camp
How gods and goddesses affect our daily lives
How would Percy Jackson fare when faced with other mythological monsters
Do you really want a god or goddesses to become one of your parents?
Just because one rules the World of the Dead doesn't mean he is wholly bad
A comparative study between the heroes of the past and of today
Having a handicap could very well mean that one is destined to fulfill extraordinary things
The dangers of foreseeing the future - Do you really want to be a seer?
Stories of the past would always be alive if we continue to believe in it... Influenced by it
Comprehensive glossary of ancient Greek myth
How good is that? And the good thing is that the essays did not give lifeless accounts of the author's views. Instead, I was treated to amusing reminisces of the Percy Jackson scenes that I love and provided me with equally hilarious new stuff to think about. My favourite essays from this compilation would that be of MacCollough about being a hunter for Artemis and that of Wagner's take on Hades's and Nico's side of heroic goodness.
Would I recommend this book? ABSOLUTELY! This book is a perfect enlightenment for those who want to look closer, to imagine beyond the realms of what was written in the pages. If you are an aspiring book analyst, book reviewer, or a student cramming to get his/her books essays right, then this book is must
Synopsis: The adventures unfolds in this third book in the best selling Seven Wonder series.
Three friends left.
Jack McKinley and his friends defeated the Colossus of Rhodes, unearthed the treasures of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and recovered two of the seven lost Loculi - only to find they've been betrayed.
Two sided split.
With Babylon in ruins, Marco on the Massa side, and ancient secrets coming unraveled, the Select don't know who to trust or where to turn. Their G7W powers are growing furious pace, their worlds have been turned upside down, and the Massa are on their heels. But Jack, Aly and Cass have no choice but to fight on.
One life lost.
With the fate of he world in the balance, the friends find the next stop on their quest, where they have to face down their own demons and engage in an epic battle with foes long gone. When promises are broken, blood is spilled, the Select have to destroy the one thing that might save them all.
Review: The characters. As a Select and a bearer of G7W, a gene which could give you exceptional talents and skills, you would expect them to be extra ordinary in some ways right? It did hold true for Ally and Cass, but as for Jack, let's just say up until this point, I couldn't see anything special about him. Charismatic and resourceful yes. But the kind that Ally, Cass, and Marco have? I don't think so.
Also, our main character faints alot. It really is not such a big deal but considering they were conditioned to protect themselves and to fight, well, you would expect some kind of a fight scene that doesn't involve running away or throwing something random at an enemy, now would you? It's like all their hard work were thrown out of the window. It's pretty much useless so why bother telling the readers that they were trained? On the bright side, you get to see them work things out through their wits, Some were actually pretty funny and decent. Whilst other were kind of forced.
What stopped me from giving it four stars was the fact that the author failed to make me feel connected to the characters. I don't seem to mind what will happen to them to the point when something extremely tragic happened to the characters. I barely even felt an ounce of remorse. For the sake of not giving away any spoiler,let's just say that this one particular moment was supposed to make me feel extremely sad for them, but you know. And mind you, I am a very emotional person.
I think the only time I was moved was when Jack got together with his Dad. I wouldn't even deny that I got teary-eyed on that part. The rest though, I could hardly care.
All in all, this was a quick, fun and easy read kind of book. Full of adventures and settings which could delight any kids or kids at heart. You could definitely find yourself chuckling a couple of times throughout your reading experience. The author brings you to alot of cool new places, unlike the second book which was mostly stuck in Babylon parallel world, so it doesn't sound repetitive. But if you are looking for something less than your formulaic usual read then I don't think you would love it. Liking it though is very plausible.
The Unofficial Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion: The Norse Heroes, Monsters, and Myths Behind The Hit Series
Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 Time: 6:22 AM
Author: Peter Aperlo Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Long ago in the legendary land of Asgard, battles raged throughout the Heavens and Earth between powerful gods, Viking heroes and deadly monsters.. These timeless tales of bravery, deceit, and love come alive in this all-new illustrated guide.
As enthralling today as when first told around arctic campfires, these ancient myths are the inspiration for Rick Riordan's captivating new Magnus Chase books. An ideal source of Norse mythology for anyone reading his novels.
Important Reminder: This book is not associated with or authorised or approved by Rick Riordan or his publishers. This book is an independent and unauthorised fan publication. No endorsement or sponsorship by or affiliation with Rick Riordan, his publishers, or other copyright and trademark holders is claimed or suggested. All references in this book to copyrighted or trademarked characters and other elements of books by Rick Riordan are for the purpose of commentary, criticism, analysis, and literary discussion only. Review: Apparently the Norsemen of old tales had alot of the to make up stories about the Viking gods, heroes, giants, and other mythological creature during those long winter nights, because their well-populated pantheon makes the ancient Greeks and Roman tales pretty paltry.
With the release of Rick Riordan's already bestselling first novel in his new series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, adventure loving young adult readers are going to need to bone up their Norse gods and goddesses, elves, dwarves, giants, and monster lore, and Peter Aperlo's just published The Unofficial Magnus Chase and The Gods of Asgard Companion: The Norse Heroes, Monsters, and Myths Behind The Hit Series is the perfect guide to have handy as they follow Magnus Chase, former homeless Boston orphan, who discovers that he is the demigod son of the god Frey with the mission of averting the end of the world and becomes a genuine hero of Asgard all in one day. All the many players who populate Magnus' story, plus many more, are identified in this small handy volume.
Peter Aperlo's unofficial guide offers a fascinating and illustrated rundown of Norse history and social mores, a generous sampling of some of the more famous Norse myths, and an extensive Who's Who biographical dictionary of the Scandinavian pantheon of deities, mortals, heroes, monsters and otherwise villainous characters that is sure to be indispensable in reading Riordan's first book and his proposed series. Apelo offers a bonus pronunciation guide to Old Norse vowels and some links to further reading into the world of Viking archeology. All this in an inexpensive paperback or even cheaper e-book that young readers can keep at hand, especially since the sequel, The Hammer of Thor is forthcoming in 2016. And with Riordan's Disney connection through the publisher of this series, there are surely prospects for a movie or so, with the Boston setting offering plenty of colourful location shots for the action.
Who knew that a ride on one of Boston's famous Swan Boats could secretly be a Viking Cruise? How wicked is that?
Bloomsbury Reveals Plans to Celebrate Twentieth "Potter" Anniversary
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Time: 7:51 PM
Last October saw the release of the first Jim Kay Illustrated Harry Potter. The next in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, is due to be released this coming October. The first in the series had already sold over 94,000 copies in the UK. In the lead up to the release of the second illustrated book and following the second successful Harry Potter Book Night on February 4, Bloomsbury have revealed their upcoming Potter plans. With the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone looming in 2017, plenty of plans are in place to celebrate this exciting anniversary. Special Hogwarts house editions of the first book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone will be published in 2017 to coincide with the anniversary.
The plans also include ways of celebrating the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, which is due to be released this coming November. An updated version of the school text book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them originally published in 2001, will be released early 2017. The new edition will contain new content from J.K. Rowling.
Bloomsbury also plan to publish Illustrated editions of The Hogwarts Library books and the releases will be staggered from 2017.
Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling's three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle of the Bard in 2018, and Quidditch Through The Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.
Scholastic, Little Brown UK to Publish "Cursed Child" Script this Summer!
Only a couple of weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child would be published as a book sooner than I originally hoped, meaning those fans unable to make the trip to London to see the show wouldn't be missing out on reading the next chapter of Harry's (and Albus') story. Now, I have confirmed - the full script of Cursed Child will be released on Harry's (and Jo's) birthday: July 31, 2016. Of course this is only a day after the play officially opens (although it does run in previews for a few weeks prior) which means that readers around the world will get the chance to read the story almost in real time, greatly reducing the risk of running across spoilers on the internet.
In the U.S., the book will cost $29.99, and in Canada it will priced at $39.99. The British hardcover will be £20. A digital edition will be released via Pottermore simultaneously. Information released by the publishers states that this edition will contain the script of the play as it stands during the production's preview period - a Special Rehearsal Edition. As further rehearsal and transition to performing in front of the live audiences may produce changes to the script, this edition will be available for a limited time - a Definitive Collector's Edition with the final version of the script will be released at a later date.
The CEO of Little Brown Book Group UK, David Shelley said of the announcement:
We are so thrilled to be publishing the script of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to see the play in book format - and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them.
Scholastic's promotion for the book's release has already got me excited. And planning which robes I am going to wear to the midnight release of course. Wait, there's no such thing as midnight release here in the Philippines.
Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to say where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Review: It is finally time for to review a new Harry Potter story and that feels amazing. What doesn't feel amazing is that my thoughts are so conflicted, I finished reading this play and immediately stamped 5.5 on my Goodreads review. It wasn't that I loved the story, it was that I loved being transported back to a world I love, to characters I adore so much and to experience that magic once again. I had tears in my eyes whilst finishing this book because it brought back all those nostalgic feelings. The problem was that the story wasn't good as I had hoped and the more I think about the book, the less happy with it I get. It's currently on a 3/5 with the potential to go lower if I dwell on it anymore. So, no more dwelling, time for reviewing. And don't worry, if you haven't read the book yet then I won't spoil it. I will keep this part completely non-spoilery and have the spoilers after a massive warning, for all those who have read it.
This was never going to be the story that most Harry Potter fans wanted. For one thing, it is a script of a play, and not a novel. We all knew this before buying so it's not a shock, but it does mean it's a weird new way to experience the Harry Potter world. This is something that is supposed to be experienced and watched, not read. The other main issue is that, no matter how largely they write her name on the cover, this was not written by J.K. Rowling. And that is a terrible thing to me as it meant that I felt the characters were just lacking in a way they wouldn't have been if she had wrote it. The characters always just felt a little off and not like the characters we spent seven books getting to know.
The story itself was not at all what I was expecting, but I am mentioning nothing about it here. I think it is better to go blind. We all know this book takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and follows Harry's son Albus rather than Harry. We meet some brilliant characters in this, but also some bad ones. My main issue with the story was that it felt all a bit ridiculous and that alot of it didn't make sense. I, quite honestly, can never view this play as canon because it all just feels ridiculous and as if it would never happen. Another major issue is the gaping plot holes that this book leaves us with, and I hate gaping holes!
So yes, overall I was disappointed, I loved some aspects of this but was really pissed about other, I need to go into spoilery detail to explain that. If you haven't read this yet or seen the play then now is the time to skip out.
I am actually excited to review this and go into all my spoilery thoughts. I have to, I won't be able to contain myself otherwise. I need to lay it all out on the table. First, I need to get this out of the way: I LOVE HARRY POTTER! If you know me in real life or from my blog, Twitter, or Instagram, then you already know this. Harry Potter is my life and has been since I was a teenager. And because of my Gran I bought the whole set of books. Harry Potter was basically my childhood and I loved every minute of it. It was a childhood of midnight releases of books and films. Harry Potter is life and forever will be. But I am never going to be one of those people who is blinded by my love for something. I wanted to love this play, I really did, but I didn't in the end and that is because it has alot of flaws and problems and things I didn't like. Plus, I feel that this is important, it is a script for a play and I feel it is better to experience as a movie.
I will do a very quick summary for anyone reading the spoilery side even if they haven't read the play. Basically the story focuses on Harry's son Albus as he begins attending Hogwarts and gets placed in Slytherin. This is a huge deal and Albus ends up sucking at magic and forever living in his fathers shadow, which he resents, and their relationship is basically strained. Harry is a terrible father for some reason. Scorpius Malfoy is the most adorable bean of all time, and him and Albus become best friends. who are totally in love with each other - we'll get to that later -. Amos Diggory shows up out of the blue with his niece Delphi, wanting Harry to go back in time and save Cedric's life. Harry even though the one last surviving time turner has been found, lies and says he can't. Albus then decides to do it himself, with the help of good ol' Scorpius. Of course going back in time and changing one tiny detail changes everything. So then they keep having to go back, changing things until we eventually figure out that Delphi is the love child of Voldemort and Bellatrix and she wants to go back in time to prevent him from ever killing Harry, so that he would never have been defeated. And, yeah, the simplified version of this messy plot.
The first thing I have to mention is probably what anyone who has read it wanted to discuss the most... Voldemort had a love child with Bellatrix Lestrange! REALLY?!?!?! I got to that point in the book and suddenly understood why I heard people saying that they felt this read like a fan fiction. My mouth dropped open and disappointment set in. It just makes zero sense tom me, and the explanation of it and timeline of those events also makes no sense to me. I just don't see Voldemort as someone concerned with having a child. His plan was to get the Deathly Hallows and master death, so he wasn't looking for an heir. And, come on, it's like the guy has even one tiny paternal bone in his body. The only thing that does make sense is that if Voldemort had a kid with anyone, it would be Bellatrix, you can totally see her wanting to have his baby. I still don't get how this all happened and no one knew. And that it was never alluded to in the final book. She apparently gave birth in the Malfoy Manor before the Battle of Hogwarts. So where was the baby whilst she was off fighting? Why did Draco not know about it? Or did he and just never felt like he should mention it? Come on, this is the most ridiculous Harry Potter story line in the history of ever and I am going to pretend that it is a fan fiction and not cannon because otherwise I'd have to rate this a 1/5 and I just can't deal with that right now.
The next thing we have to discuss is the main plot device here: Time Travel. Why?! Do not mess with the time travel, it's far too overused and just results in endless plot holes and problems. This book is not an exception to that rule. Especially when we take into account that the main plot here is that Albus and Scorpius want to use the time turner to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory's life.
They have a time turner that can take them back years and they are going to use this to save Cedric Diggory. Can we all take a moment to appreciate how utterly pointless and stupid that act would be if we think about the fact they could go back in time and strangle tiny, evil baby Voldemort and save thousands of people?! Oh no, let's just go back in time and save one boy.
That is like someone giving you a time turner in our world and going back in time to save Anne Frank, rather than killing Hitler. If you kill the evil overlord then you would save all the people that died at their hands. So the whole time I am just sitting here wanting to slap everyone for just being so stupid. But it is obvious why they can't all suddenly realise they have the power to murder Voldemort and prevent everything. It would mean that everything that came after that would completely change and the first seven Harry Potter books would never have happened. So of course we can't have that, so we will just have this giant stupid plot hole instead.
The next biggest problem with this book is the characterisation and how wrong it is in this play. Ron is suddenly reduced to just a little bit of comedic relief. He just eats food and pulls pranks and apparently got so drunk at his wedding and that he forgot most of it. Why has Ron suddenly turned into a Weasley twin too? I know he liked pranks and found them funny before but he was no Fred or George. And why is he giving a small boy a love potion as a joke gift? He was put under the influence of love potion and it wasn't an experience he particularly enjoyed, so I can't see him then being stupid enough to give one to a child. I hated seeing what Jack Thorne reduced his character to here, it was not fun to read.
Harry was even worse, I hated him being the world's worst father who would be horrible to tell his son that sometimes he wished he wasn't his son. I just don't see Harry ever saying that. I feel he would love his children, no matter how difficult they could be and appreciate being able to be there for them, as he never had that as a child. And watching him treat Professor McGonagall made even for even more unpleasant reading. Am I supposed to believe that Harry, the guy who flipped out when a Death Eater spat on her, would then go and treat her with so little respect? Nope, I am not buying that.
Hermione was just as hard to read, especially in the timeline where she and Ron and never got together. She basically becomes a female version of Snape. She's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts who treats the children horribly. She's nasty and bitter, and apparently all because she didn't wind up with Ron?! No. Are we really reducing Hermione down to this? She is a strong, brave, kind person and I don't see her ever turning that bitter because of a guy. She is so much better than that. Why did J.K. Rowling give this her stamp of approval?
And I am still sold on the fact that getting humiliated one time would suddenly turn Cedric Diggory into an evil Death Eater situation but it is just awful. I don't believe for one second that Cedric would allow that one moment in his life change him so completely that he suddenly goes to the Harry Potter dark side and start working for Voldemort. No.
I have another big issue and that is, Scorpius and Albus are blatantly in love with each other. The issue isn't that they love each other, the issue is that it seems super obvious to 90% of people reading and yet it is never addressed. Come on, they totally love each other and I ship it endlessly. I just get so sad to see the potential to have our first openly gay couple in the Harry Potter universe squandered. These two were just utterly adorable. Not just watch them fill a play with so much homoerotic subtext and then just brush it all aside at the end. In my mind they become the most adorably squishy couple ever, get married and join the Potter and the Malfoy households.
It wasn't all bad though and there were aspects that I really liked. The biggest one being Scorpius Malfoy. He is adorable and I just loved his character. He is so sweet and kind, and I was just happy with his character. I also loved that Albus and Scorpius were both Slytherins, and both kind, wonderful Slytherins. I have a big spot for Slytherin house so I was happy that this plays shows that Slytherins are just as awesome. I also loved when Ron told Hermione he wanted to renew their wedding vows.
Writing this review actually felt quite therapeutic, but I must admit that the more I think about the story the more upset I get, I just wanted this to be amazing and everything I was hoping for, and it wasn't, I feel this was definitely missing J.K. Rowling's touch and I wish she had been the one to write the script, as I feel the characters would have felt more real if she had. It wasn't all bad and I enjoyed the story whilst reading. It blew my mind reading it, as I tried to figure out how they were going to pull this off on stage. I can't ever consider this as a canon because it is just had too many plot holes and makes little sense when you think back on the Harry Potter Books.
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.
But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed, Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.
Review: Rick Riordan has done it again (and again and again). I don't know which god (Nordic/Roman/Greek/Egyptian?) Is responsible for inspiring him - though I have a feeling they would all clamor for the credit - and I have no complaints. The Hidden Oracle got my heartbeat racing - and I didn't even read the synopsis before buying.
As soon as I bought my copy. I hunkered down and read it straight. Reading The Hidden Oracle felt like one big fun adventure, especially since seeing the world through Apollo as a sixteen-year-old human was highly amusing. It's not that I needed full concentration to enjoy this, but because I wanted to lose myself in this world. How I missed Camp Half-Blood.
If you've been reading Percy Jackson/The Heroes of Olympus series, then you know that Apollo is one of the most arrogant gods, although he has his nice moments. The book was peppered with praises of his godliness and awesomeness. I love how Riordan modernises the portrayals of the Greek gods as seen in Homer's Illiad. If we had these books back when we were studying Illiad, I think alot of class would easily ace our quizzes on which god did what.
I love seeing Apollo fall - literally and figuratively - several times. It was humbling of a god who through his carelessness, brought so much downfall to humans (and consequently, the gods) the past few years.
And Meg, whose last name was not mentioned, as a twelve-year old kid blowing raspberries and being a great antithesis to his godly arrogance was easily charming that the end of the book had me anxious on her behalf. She has the potential of being an awesome and precious character.
We are also treated to a few glimpses of Percy Jackson which always thrills me, and Nico is also a secondary character. If you're a fan of Nico and his... revelation, you're in for a treat with The Hidden Oracle. We also get Leo Valdez back, and I am excited to see what other machines he's going to come up with in the next books in the series. We are also treated to scenes of Mother Rhea as a trippy hippy, and she is one of the characters I am most excited to know more about.
There is a surprising revelation in who the villain is - and I have a feeling this is the last book in the Olympus bracket (explaining would ruin the story). Hopefully we'll get more glimpses of our beloved heroes from his other series as Apollo faces formidable villains in The Trials of Apollo series.
Just like Riordan's other books, his writing transported me right in the thick of things and Chiron's red heels (read the book!). I would definitely recommend this to all fans of Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and young adult fantasy, mythology and just generally great stories. Go get it.
Authors: Various Authors Edited by: Rick Riordan/Leah Wilson Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson's world - a place where the gods bike among us, monster man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.
Find out:
Why Dionysus might be actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have
How to recognised a monster when you see one
Why even if we aren't facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our lives.
Review: Demigods and Monsters is a compilation of comprehensive essays about anything related to the world of Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. It features the insights of eight famous authors (Rosemary Moore, Cameron Dokey, Paul Collins, Carolyn MacCullough, Ellen Steiner, The Gods Among Us, J&P Voelkel, Jen Han, Sarah Beth Durst, Hilary Wagner, Hilari Bell, Elizabeth E. Wein, Kathi Appelt, Sophie Mason, Nigel Rodgers) regarding the series and guess what? Rick Riordan himself wrote the introduction. That was just WOW.
I really appreciated what Rick wrote in the intro that is served as my fire of inspiration to read through the whole book. Mind you, I am not a sucker for overly technical papers that you'd just die of boredom. But this has totally changed my whole perspective of reading essays and of looking at books on a general note. I just couldn't believe that these authors could come up with alot of takes with a supposed-to-be straightforward series. You know what, the book actually gave me this feeling of being with a wizened man and he is telling me, "You are only seeing the outside.. Look closer.... Read closer." I hope you get what I mean.
From now on, I am most certain that I will look at books at a different level. It's like stepping outside of your comfort zone and just absorb the most extraordinary things that could happen. And then finally, putting it into writing. The essays that have been featured in this cover the following:
Newbie guide to recognising a monster
Monster in the retail world - Why should one take caution even when buying a donut?
Fulfilling a heroic destiny even when one is suffering from a handicap
Choosing between a life of being forever young and immortal; or being old and wrinkly
Valid reasons of choosing an almost mad god to run kids summer camp
How gods and goddesses affect our daily lives
How would Percy Jackson fare when faced with other mythological monsters
Do you really want a god or goddesses to become one of your parents?
Just because one rules the World of the Dead doesn't mean he is wholly bad
A comparative study between the heroes of the past and of today
Having a handicap could very well mean that one is destined to fulfill extraordinary things
The dangers of foreseeing the future - Do you really want to be a seer?
Stories of the past would always be alive if we continue to believe in it... Influenced by it
Comprehensive glossary of ancient Greek myth
How good is that? And the good thing is that the essays did not give lifeless accounts of the author's views. Instead, I was treated to amusing reminisces of the Percy Jackson scenes that I love and provided me with equally hilarious new stuff to think about. My favourite essays from this compilation would that be of MacCollough about being a hunter for Artemis and that of Wagner's take on Hades's and Nico's side of heroic goodness.
Would I recommend this book? ABSOLUTELY! This book is a perfect enlightenment for those who want to look closer, to imagine beyond the realms of what was written in the pages. If you are an aspiring book analyst, book reviewer, or a student cramming to get his/her books essays right, then this book is must
Synopsis: The adventures unfolds in this third book in the best selling Seven Wonder series.
Three friends left.
Jack McKinley and his friends defeated the Colossus of Rhodes, unearthed the treasures of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and recovered two of the seven lost Loculi - only to find they've been betrayed.
Two sided split.
With Babylon in ruins, Marco on the Massa side, and ancient secrets coming unraveled, the Select don't know who to trust or where to turn. Their G7W powers are growing furious pace, their worlds have been turned upside down, and the Massa are on their heels. But Jack, Aly and Cass have no choice but to fight on.
One life lost.
With the fate of he world in the balance, the friends find the next stop on their quest, where they have to face down their own demons and engage in an epic battle with foes long gone. When promises are broken, blood is spilled, the Select have to destroy the one thing that might save them all.
Review: The characters. As a Select and a bearer of G7W, a gene which could give you exceptional talents and skills, you would expect them to be extra ordinary in some ways right? It did hold true for Ally and Cass, but as for Jack, let's just say up until this point, I couldn't see anything special about him. Charismatic and resourceful yes. But the kind that Ally, Cass, and Marco have? I don't think so.
Also, our main character faints alot. It really is not such a big deal but considering they were conditioned to protect themselves and to fight, well, you would expect some kind of a fight scene that doesn't involve running away or throwing something random at an enemy, now would you? It's like all their hard work were thrown out of the window. It's pretty much useless so why bother telling the readers that they were trained? On the bright side, you get to see them work things out through their wits, Some were actually pretty funny and decent. Whilst other were kind of forced.
What stopped me from giving it four stars was the fact that the author failed to make me feel connected to the characters. I don't seem to mind what will happen to them to the point when something extremely tragic happened to the characters. I barely even felt an ounce of remorse. For the sake of not giving away any spoiler,let's just say that this one particular moment was supposed to make me feel extremely sad for them, but you know. And mind you, I am a very emotional person.
I think the only time I was moved was when Jack got together with his Dad. I wouldn't even deny that I got teary-eyed on that part. The rest though, I could hardly care.
All in all, this was a quick, fun and easy read kind of book. Full of adventures and settings which could delight any kids or kids at heart. You could definitely find yourself chuckling a couple of times throughout your reading experience. The author brings you to alot of cool new places, unlike the second book which was mostly stuck in Babylon parallel world, so it doesn't sound repetitive. But if you are looking for something less than your formulaic usual read then I don't think you would love it. Liking it though is very plausible.
The Unofficial Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion: The Norse Heroes, Monsters, and Myths Behind The Hit Series
Author: Peter Aperlo Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Long ago in the legendary land of Asgard, battles raged throughout the Heavens and Earth between powerful gods, Viking heroes and deadly monsters.. These timeless tales of bravery, deceit, and love come alive in this all-new illustrated guide.
As enthralling today as when first told around arctic campfires, these ancient myths are the inspiration for Rick Riordan's captivating new Magnus Chase books. An ideal source of Norse mythology for anyone reading his novels.
Important Reminder: This book is not associated with or authorised or approved by Rick Riordan or his publishers. This book is an independent and unauthorised fan publication. No endorsement or sponsorship by or affiliation with Rick Riordan, his publishers, or other copyright and trademark holders is claimed or suggested. All references in this book to copyrighted or trademarked characters and other elements of books by Rick Riordan are for the purpose of commentary, criticism, analysis, and literary discussion only. Review: Apparently the Norsemen of old tales had alot of the to make up stories about the Viking gods, heroes, giants, and other mythological creature during those long winter nights, because their well-populated pantheon makes the ancient Greeks and Roman tales pretty paltry.
With the release of Rick Riordan's already bestselling first novel in his new series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, adventure loving young adult readers are going to need to bone up their Norse gods and goddesses, elves, dwarves, giants, and monster lore, and Peter Aperlo's just published The Unofficial Magnus Chase and The Gods of Asgard Companion: The Norse Heroes, Monsters, and Myths Behind The Hit Series is the perfect guide to have handy as they follow Magnus Chase, former homeless Boston orphan, who discovers that he is the demigod son of the god Frey with the mission of averting the end of the world and becomes a genuine hero of Asgard all in one day. All the many players who populate Magnus' story, plus many more, are identified in this small handy volume.
Peter Aperlo's unofficial guide offers a fascinating and illustrated rundown of Norse history and social mores, a generous sampling of some of the more famous Norse myths, and an extensive Who's Who biographical dictionary of the Scandinavian pantheon of deities, mortals, heroes, monsters and otherwise villainous characters that is sure to be indispensable in reading Riordan's first book and his proposed series. Apelo offers a bonus pronunciation guide to Old Norse vowels and some links to further reading into the world of Viking archeology. All this in an inexpensive paperback or even cheaper e-book that young readers can keep at hand, especially since the sequel, The Hammer of Thor is forthcoming in 2016. And with Riordan's Disney connection through the publisher of this series, there are surely prospects for a movie or so, with the Boston setting offering plenty of colourful location shots for the action.
Who knew that a ride on one of Boston's famous Swan Boats could secretly be a Viking Cruise? How wicked is that?
Bloomsbury Reveals Plans to Celebrate Twentieth "Potter" Anniversary
Last October saw the release of the first Jim Kay Illustrated Harry Potter. The next in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, is due to be released this coming October. The first in the series had already sold over 94,000 copies in the UK. In the lead up to the release of the second illustrated book and following the second successful Harry Potter Book Night on February 4, Bloomsbury have revealed their upcoming Potter plans. With the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone looming in 2017, plenty of plans are in place to celebrate this exciting anniversary. Special Hogwarts house editions of the first book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone will be published in 2017 to coincide with the anniversary.
The plans also include ways of celebrating the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, which is due to be released this coming November. An updated version of the school text book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them originally published in 2001, will be released early 2017. The new edition will contain new content from J.K. Rowling.
Bloomsbury also plan to publish Illustrated editions of The Hogwarts Library books and the releases will be staggered from 2017.
Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling's three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle of the Bard in 2018, and Quidditch Through The Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.
Scholastic, Little Brown UK to Publish "Cursed Child" Script this Summer!
Only a couple of weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child would be published as a book sooner than I originally hoped, meaning those fans unable to make the trip to London to see the show wouldn't be missing out on reading the next chapter of Harry's (and Albus') story. Now, I have confirmed - the full script of Cursed Child will be released on Harry's (and Jo's) birthday: July 31, 2016. Of course this is only a day after the play officially opens (although it does run in previews for a few weeks prior) which means that readers around the world will get the chance to read the story almost in real time, greatly reducing the risk of running across spoilers on the internet.
In the U.S., the book will cost $29.99, and in Canada it will priced at $39.99. The British hardcover will be £20. A digital edition will be released via Pottermore simultaneously. Information released by the publishers states that this edition will contain the script of the play as it stands during the production's preview period - a Special Rehearsal Edition. As further rehearsal and transition to performing in front of the live audiences may produce changes to the script, this edition will be available for a limited time - a Definitive Collector's Edition with the final version of the script will be released at a later date.
The CEO of Little Brown Book Group UK, David Shelley said of the announcement:
We are so thrilled to be publishing the script of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to see the play in book format - and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them.
Scholastic's promotion for the book's release has already got me excited. And planning which robes I am going to wear to the midnight release of course. Wait, there's no such thing as midnight release here in the Philippines.
