Cracking a Code: Review of The Lost Code

Summer camp is supposed to be weeks of unadulterated bliss when you're a kid.

Hiking, swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts, you don't even mind waking up early because it just means that you  to spend more time in the great outdoors doing awesome great outdoorsy things.

Unfortunately for teenager, Owen Parker, his summer camp experience at Camp Eden isn't the island of paradise he envisions.

Summary:

Decades ago, people were able to live on the surface of the Earth. The ozone layer protected Earth's inhabitants from being exposed to the sun's harmful rays. They weren't forced to live underground or in artificially regulated domes. Plants once grew on the planet's surface and there were live animals that were used for food. Food wasn't something that was created by a scientist in a lab.

Owen Parker has never known this other life, life before Mother Nature had her revenge on Earth's people. All he knows is that he has always lived underground with his ailing father, protected from the sun's harmful rays. When Owen receives an invitation to attend Camp Eden, his father encourages him to go, hoping that his son can experience some of the normalcy of adolescence.

Owen's experience at camp is anything but normal.

Sure, there are the usual things, like being tormented by fellow camper, Leech, and his posse. But there are also the not so normal things like being underwater for ten minutes, almost drowning in Lake Eden, and living to tell the tale.  

Things don't quite return to business as usual for Owen after he "drowns." In addition to finally being noticed by the girl of his dreams, Lily, Owen begins to notice that other strange things are happening to him. He has two wound-like slits on the side of his neck and almost overnight he has become more agile and a better swimmer.

Owen begins to wonder if it was Lily's quick thinking that saved his life, or was it something else? Things begin to take an even stranger turn as Camp Director Paul, suddenly has a vested interest in him.

Whatever is going on with Owen, one thing is for certain, the answers lie in Lake Eden.

 
Review:

First let me say that fans of The Hunger Games need to read Kevin Emerson's The Lost Code.

The non-stop suspense, adventure and easy to love characters made this a fun and memorable introduction into The Atlanteans series. I couldn't put it down!

While considerably less violent than The Hunger Games, there are still enough gory, Sci-Fi-esque scenes to satisfy your need to see blood. Like The Hunger Games, The Lost Code, has huge undertones of hopelessness and despair that really tug at your heart and make your eyes water in situations where your eyes should not water; like in Starbucks or while on public transportation.

However, this dystopian novel hits a little more close to home.

I know there are some naysayers when it comes to global warming, but The Lost Code is a very possible "what if" scenario for when the earth finally decides it has had enough of how we humans are treating our home.

Camp Eden is the focal point for this novel. I wasn't sure how that was going to work as the setting for the novel, but what Owen and the other teens discover about the unassuming little "summer camp" will leave you reading through the novel at a breakneck pace, anxious to read more. As a kid, I remember we'd joke that Safety Patrol Training Camp was the equivalent of hell. (As a sidenote: It's not, just in case there are any parents here that are thinking of sending little Tommy or Julia. I was just a lazy kid.) In this novel, camp quite literally *is* hell.

I have to also give kudos to Emerson for creating a very compelling main character that many teens (and adults) can relate to. Owen isn't a macho captain of the football team type, or the resident cool guy with the tendency to lean against lockers or stairwells.  He's tall, scrawny, and awkward and prone to extreme nerdiness. In high school you either knew him, or you were him. I was the latter so I felt an instant connection with his character.

This book is so much more than your typical dystopian or coming of age novel. There is a huge lesson to be learned by the end of this novel and one that many of us would do well not to forget.

The Lost Code quickly became a favorite and I can't wait to see what's in store for Owen in book two!

Rating: 5/5

Look for The Lost Code, book one of The Atlanteans in bookstores and wherever e-books are sold, on May 22!

Sometimes You Just Need a Champion...

Summary:

In the second installment of Champion of the Sidhe series, Lugh is on the trail of a fey artifact that can possibly save the doomed fey race. It won't be easy, of course.

 The pretty fey woman Lugh meets in the marketplace in Bristol seems almost too good to be true. She only wants to help him in his quest to save the fey race and rebuild the fey lands  - the Mounds. It doesn't take Lugh long to realize that appearances can be deceiving, even among fey.

Review:

I tend to prefer the stories in The Sidhe series that involve Lugh and Jhaer. S.A. Archer's  Champion of the Fey was no exception.

Lugh was the Sidhe's golden boy; seemingly a warrior for good and a defender against evil. In this story Lugh is still fighting to find a way to save the fey but it's refreshing to see that even the fey's champion can slip up and make mistakes. I supposed you could say it makes him "more human" but Lugh was never human to begin with so it makes him seem more vulnerable.

Based on what we've seen in this book and in End of the World, Lugh's weakness seems to be fact that he is so determined to do the right thing. However, I'm really glad that we're starting to see another side to him. I can't wait to see what Archer has planned for Lugh in the next book.

Pick these up and give them a read, you won't be sorry that you did.

Rating: 5/5

Look for Champion of the Fey and Defender of Magic, book three in the Champion of the Sidhe series from Amazon or wherever eBooks are sold. Find out the suggested reading order, on The Sidhe's website.

And You Think You're Having a Bad Day...

Summary:

When your best friend is a vampire there's very little that should shock you. London Eyer thought she knew everything there was to know about the supernatural, until she meets her friend Selena's latest meal, Rico. Vampires enjoy the taste of fey blood. It's like a drug to them and Selena is no exception.

  

Unknown to London, Rico is a fey and as a trade off for feeding from him, Selena offers London's services to Rico; but Rico is a Sidhe and a very powerful one. When he realizes that she is the one responsible for the capture of two changelings (half fey/half human) Rico puts a curse on her and it's one that isn't so easily broken.

Now London must look for the changelings and get them to Rico before the curse can take its full effect. It's a race against time to end the curse before it turns deadly.

Review:

S.A. Archer's Cursed is the first book in Touched, one of three story arcs in The Sidhe series.
This novel was a bit more "paranormal romance" and had more "suggestive scenes" than what I would normally read... so, erm, there's that.

But there were enough plot twists and strong action sequences to balance out the romantic elements. I also read and enjoyed End of the World and Aftershock and was looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Despite the fact that Cursed is a novella, Archer does a good job of illustrating the world London lives in without over doing it or describing too much and somehow still giving the the reader enough information to paint their own mental image.

London was likable enough and she wasn't too unbelievable, despite being what I would call a "tough" character. I will admit that she is a bit typical of urban fantasy characters (ie. - private detective specializing in all things supernatural) there was still an element of vulnerability in London's personality that allowed the reader connect with her. Both London and Selena were interesting enough to make me want to pick up the next book.

What I love most about the series as a whole is that the novellas are short enough to read during a lunch break, but interesting enough for you to sit in one spot for an hour and read them all.

Rating: 4/5

Look for Cursed, book one in the Touched series, from Amazon or wherever eBooks are sold.

And Along Came a Spider...

I have a confession of sorts. I haven't had a chance to read a novel in its entirety this past week.

*recoils*

In all fairness, I am starting a new job (yeah!) and am doing some reading (it's for my job) before I start on Monday. I know... excuses, excuses...

I'll finish the novel later in the week and write a review then. :)

For now, enjoy this review of Anansi Boys. It is a personal favorite of mine that I hadn't gotten around to review yet... until now.


Summary:

With a name like Fat Charlie Nancy, it was almost expected that Londoner, Fat Charlie would be the blunt of all playground jokes as a child and would be emotionally scarred well into his adult life. And for that, Fat Charlie only has his father, Mr. Nancy, to thank.

Despite their differences and their distance, Mr. Nancy still manages to make his way back into Fat Charlie's life. While on a night out on the town in Florida Mr. Nancy unexpectedly drops dead and Fat Charlie travels to the U.S. for the funeral. Fat Charlie doesn't realize it yet but his father will continue ruining his life, even from beyond the grave.

It isn't long before Fat Charlie realizes that his father kept may secrets from him. Two secrets in particular are difficult for Fat Charlie to wrap his brain around. One is that his father was really the trickster god, Anansi the Spider, and two, Fat Charlie has a brother that he has never met. When his long lost brother, Spider, appears on Fat Charlie's doorstep, it is clear that Spider is the complete opposite of Fat Charlie. It isn't long before Fat Charlie's mundane life, full of order and routine, is turned upside down. 

Review:

Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller and author. The whimsical and witty way in which Gaiman writes Anansai Boys really helps to turn this African folktale into a wonderfully entertaining novel. If you enjoyed Big Fish.

It was hard for me to like Fat Charlie's character at first. He has a very mundane life - complete with a dead end job and boring fiance. Fat Charlie doesn't like to take risks or try new things and he consciously works towards avoiding embarrassment.

His brother, Spider, is the epiphany that makes Fat Charlie realize everything he has been missing in his life. While these two go on the adventure of a lifetime and learn more about their father, Fat Charlie also realizes some very important things about himself and learns the importance of balancing life and work.

Despite this being a lighthearted, comical tale, there are some lessons that we can all learn about the bond of family, living life to the fullest, and working towards your goals.

Rating: 4.5/5

Look for Anansai Boys and other books by Neil Gaiman on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

Oh The Hunger Games Trilogy...

Only you have the ability to make me smile, cry, and feel like bashing people's skulls in while reading the words on your pages.

Hopefully that came off as dramatic as I intended it to, if not well... I tried.

Unless you're living in an abandoned shed in the middle of the woods, completely cut off from human civilization you've probably heard of Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games. The movie was released last month

Although this series is marketed towards young adults - older readers will absolutely fall in love with this trilogy. Well, okay, maybe not all readers. Some people don't stomach the blood, guts and gore thing very well. Believe me. It gets violent.

I decided to go back and review all of the books. As the saying goes, better late than never. Who knows, maybe there's someone out there who's on the fence about reading the trilogy or has only seen the recent movie but not read the books.

Here goes...

The Hunger Games

In Katniss Everdeen's 17-years-of-life she has only known poverty at the hands of The Capitol. Katniss and her family live in Panem, a post-apocalyptic world ruled by The Capitol, a corrupt dictatorship.

Decades ago there were 13 Districts but they rebelled against the Capitol. To show their power the Capitol destroyed Distinct 13 and forced the residents of the remaining Districts to send their children into a sort of reality TV show style competition. This competition came to be known as The Hunger Games because children could get their name put into the lottery for the games more than once if they needed more food for their family. No child in any of the Districts has ever been exempt.

For Katniss, the drawing of the names for the 74th annual Hunger Games has just turned into a nightmare. Her 12-year-old sister Primrose has been picked to fight in the games. Katniss who has lost her father recently in a mining accident is terrified of losing her sister. She frantically volunteers - sacrificing her own life to save her sister's.

Now Katniss is in a fight to the death against tributes from other Districts and her old classmate from District 12, Peeta Malark, who she is hesitant to kill. There can be only one victor and Katniss knows that she has to do anything to survive and get home to her family.

---

Catching Fire

Katniss' welcome home isn't like anything she imagined. The life she had before the games is gone and her direct defiance of the Capitol has put her in an awkward position. It doesn't take long for President Snow to realize he has been tricked and Katniss' rebellion has caused an uprising. All of the Districts begin to rebel.

President Snow isn't happy. This becomes apparent to Katniss when she is told to convince the Districts that her intentions in the arena were never to directly disobey the Captiol. Otherwise President Snow has no problem taking the lives of her  friends and family.

To make matters worse, the 75 year anniversary of the Hunger Games is approaching and because it is a monumental year the Capitol  decides to change up the rules.  

Going into the arena is even harder for Katniss the second time around. Everything is different and the harsh tropical terrain makes it even hard to find food and water.

Katniss must rely on her bonds with past Hunger Games winners, who have also made it back into the ring, to survive. With their help she just might be able to save herself and her friends.

---

Mockingjay

District 12 has been destroyed; another example from the Capitol to remind the rebelling Districts that they are in control.

But the Districts are ready to fight back and they willing risk everything to do so. With Katniss, the Mockingjay, as the symbol of their rebellion and a District that they had long forgotten leading the rebellio, they are confident that only good will come from uniting the Districts.

Katniss begins to feel confident about finally taking down President Snow. But her confidence is short lived once she discovers that some of her friends are not only imprisoned, but are also being tortured by the Capitol.

Despite the fact that she is fighting a war and filming anti-Capitol messages for the rebel fighters, Katniss knows she must do something to get her friends back before it's too late.

---

I know this is probably cheating, but since these novels are part of a trilogy I'm going to review the books as a whole. *recoils*

 

Review:

 

Let's get right down the business. 

The Hunger Games trilogy is amazing.

Suzanne Collins really makes you feel sympathy for her characters. When you read you feel like you are right there with Katniss. You feel her pain, reveal in her happiness and cry like an infant when she is sad. It's been a while since I've read any book, let alone an entire series, that made me so connected with the main character.

Katniss is far from perfect and she knows this. Many of the other characters see her as cold and uncaring. She has even been called selfish, but she will do anything to save her family and friends. Katniss was always strong  but volunteering for the hunger games turns her into a fearless leader. Katniss was born to be a hero. Usually I am not the biggest fan of novels where the main character seems to have a "hero complex" (sometimes it can limit character growth and development), but it worked for me in this trilogy.

I think this is because there is a reason for Katniss' unwavering courage and her ability to face demons head on. Living in poverty and having to become the sole provider for her family after her father's death and her mother's slip into depression has caused her to toughen up.

Onto the secondary characters. I have so many favorite secondary characters in this series that it's ridiculous. Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Effie Trinket, Cinna, Portia, Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason... they all have traits and characteristics that can make them irritating in Katniss' eyes but also makes them valuable allies.

I will say that Mockingjay was probably my least favorite in the trilogy, but it was still an excellent and engaging read.

Why, you ask?

For starters, the last few chapters were soooo anticlimactic. Without giving too much away, there was one scene in particular where I thought one thing would happen but it didn't and went in a completely different (somewhat disappointing) direction. Although, it did make for good suspense. The very end was also extremely unexpected, but it was a good kind of unexpected. There was definitely a "didn't see that one coming" moment to be had. As a sidenote - there are a lot of those throughout the books with each one being slightly more shocking and unexpected than the last.

So get ready to break out the Kleenex, folks! I can almost guarantee that you will go through an entire box by the time you're done with this trilogy. Or... er, maybe that's just me... I am such a sap. I was sobbing big, fat tears when the trilogy ended; only because I wanted to read more about Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire.  

Rating: 5/5

 

Look for the Hunger Games Trilogy on Amazon or wherever books are sold!