Happy Birthday Percy Jackson!

What better day than the birthday of Percy Jackson to post my review (finally) of The Last Olympian (2009, Disney Hyperion). This is one of my favorite kid's series, it ranks right up there with HP, Fablehaven and The Hunger Games as the best in terms of fantasy in my opinion.

They have something else in common, too -- they're all ended (with Mockingjay's release next week at least). I don't know why I put off reading The Last Olympian so long, except to say that maybe I just didn't want to see it end.

Rick Riordan visited my kids' elementary school right around the time Sea of Monsters (book 2) was coming out. He fit right into the "one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet" category and I remember thinking, I hope this guy finds success. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

It wasn't long after that the series took off and shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. (See? It pays to be nice to me!) 

But I digress. The Last Olympian wraps up Percy's story and all the tension over the prophesy well. We revisit many of the colorful characters from the series as they all band together (with some surprising additions) to defend Olympus from a takeover by Kronos (now in full possession of Luke's physical form).

To say any more would be to give too much away, but it's an exciting, satisfying end to a fantastic series. (In fact, my youngest says this particular book is his favorite of all of them, but I'd lean more towards Titan's Curse.) I'm hoping the film series continues (because now I can't picture anyone but Logan Lerman as Percy and every time Riordan points out Annabeth's blonde hair I think, no, that's not right...)

So despite this review being a long time coming, I'd like to end it by thanking Rick Riordan for a wonderful trip through mythology and for teaching us all something -- not just about the Greek gods but about the importance of standing up for what's right. Oh, and to keep in mind that prophesies aren't always what they seem. 

Only 11 more days....

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

If you go into Shiver (Scholastic Press, 2009) thinking it's just another Twilight wannabe, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'd heard there was a lot of buzz about this book upon its release, and now I understand why.

Yes, it's about werewolves. Yes, it's a star-crossed teenage love story full of angst (but not the whiny kind, which was nice). Yes, there is action and a bit of gore, and yes, the story transports you to a world where you believe that being bitten by a wolf could actually transform you into something you weren't before. But in the hands of author Maggie Stiefvater, Shiver absolutely stands on its own.

As a young child, Grace was attacked by wolves and dragged into the forest behind her Minnesota home. Somehow she survived and now, years later, feels a connection with those same wolves — well, one in particular. She sees him only during  the winter months, and pines for him until the weather turns cold again.

The autumn Grace is 17 is different. A boy in her school is killed in a wolf attack, but his body disappears from the morgue. His father organizes a hunting party and shoots some of the wolves, and Grace finds a wounded boy with yellow eyes on her back porch. She knows immediately that this is her wolf in human form.

The more Grace learns about Sam and his pack, and how he became what he is, the more she realizes she has a greater connection to the werewolves in her forest than she thought. The ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger, but odds are you'll have already bought the follow-up Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2) by then anyway. 4 bookmarks.