December Book Reviews

 The best in the Pittacus Lore series by far in my opinion. The Garde have found each other and are now ready to bring the fight to the Mogadorians.

As with all groups though some people play better with others and there are always secrets to uncover. As the gang all get to know each other whilst staying in Nine's Chicago penthouse full of gadgets, they learn more about their legacies. It's up to Four to lead them in the right direction but with Sarah and Sam to worry about as well is the pressure becoming too much?

I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy this or not but I was hooked from the first chapter. Father and son share stories and opinions from their lives and you can feel the enjoyment and friendship through the stories. 

By far the best part is the annotations though as they bicker on the page about Jack's use of grammar and Michael's constant name dropping. That and Jack's cartoons give much light relief.

A definite for any fan!

Edward and Leonora spend the Summer with their Aunt Kestrel... having not met each other before they are thrust together as each other's only companion. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Pip and  Estella from Great Expectations. Leonora, spoilt rotten by her mother wants only one thing... a doll. But when Edward gets it for her things do not go according to plan.

I enjoyed this book although it as nothing like what I expected. At only 153 pages it is slow to start and is pleasant whilst not being overly scary... I would say I was slightly disappointed but enjoyed the story for what it was.

Having been sent down from his home planet to erase all proof of a mathematical theory that will ruin the world our alien narrator takes on a bit more than he bargained for.

As missions go infiltrating a family and finding out who knows what doesn't sound too difficult. But when he gets caught up in this human mess called emotion, sees "his son" contemplating suicide, "his wife" unhappy with the way her life has panned out, suddenly erasing a theory doesn't seem that important any more. 

Written as an account for higher up the order Haig strikes the balance of description and emotion well and shines a light on what intrinsically makes us human.

This sequel sees us catching up with Wilhelm, the lovable rogue of Just One Day in the hospital in Paris after being  beaten up on the Paris streets. Everything starts coming back to him; Lulu, his day around Paris with her, the chance encounters. But not knowing Lulu's real name makes it almost impossible to find her again.

Over the next year Wilhelm travels as he always does but never loses the feeling of missing someone, missing her and trying to find his place in the world. This is a book of soul searching, of opportunity and possibility, of life and love and their importance.





The latest in the journeys of the demigods finds Percy and Annabeth travelling through Tartarus to the doors of death whilst the crew of the Argo II venture to meet them on the other side. 

During their journeys we learn more about these demigods, their hopes and fears, their vulnerability and their determination whilst visiting countries of the world and characters well know from myth and legend. Rick Riordan, the myth master himself has done it again... next intsalment please!

A festive-ish choice - what's winter without a couple of ghost stories. Kate Mosse has been on the list for a while and when I found she'd produced a book of short stoires I thought the time was right. 

Based on local folklore and legends of the this isle Mosse takes you through a kaliedoscope of emotion and it is a testament to her writing that some of these stories have stuck with me through the month. My favourite though is the story the book is named for The Mistletoe Bride.