Title: We Are Savages
Author: Jessie Atkin
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher: Brady and Dustin Publishing
Release date: July, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780985832902
Format: eBook
Source: Author

We Are Savages is the story of 12 year old Tris and what she finds when she runs from the responsibility of her household and descends through a rain grate into the child run world of Nowhere. "You go to bed angry or sad enough you can wake up just about anywhere," the Savages tell her. It is a brick utopia hidden in the sewers; made up of sweets, sports, hammocks, and fireflies. But even this haven, free of parents and protocol, is not everything it seems. Haunted by dark specters known only as Phocydes, feared for their reputation of consuming children whole, Tris works both to hunt and to hide from these hooded shadows. But something about them is familiar; something about them fires her curiosity more than her fear. And Tris slowly begins to realize that, no matter where you go, fear and responsibility are not things you can escape, the only thing to do is face them.



My Review:
This is the story of Tris Simon, a 12-year-old girl who would rather play with her army figures and read Harry Potter than wear dresses and be the young lady that her mother wants her to be. With her best friend and dog, Mars, by her side, she runs away after an unfortunate incident at home and finds herself whisked away to a strange land where there are no adults -- just lost kids like her. Here, she learns more about the effects of running away from your problems and faces much more than she had ever bargained for.Although it took me a while to get into during its initial chapters, I immediately took a liking to the protagonist, Tris Simon. She was a very realistic and relateable character in that, within the first few chapters, it was already apparent that she would be a character I'd love through the entire story -- I was right. She never wanted to be anything but herself, though her parents, her mother especially, would have preferred her to be the "young lady" that was supposedly deemed socially acceptable at her age. Even upon leaving her home and everything familiar to her, she remained in control of who she was and rose to the ocassion when called upon. She never changed for anything or anyone, which is an admirable trait for younger kids on the brink of adolescence these days.

The secondary characters that Atkin introduced were just as likeable. There was a very diverse group of kids in Nowhere, from the loveable and smart Declan, to the tough and resilient Aya, and the mysteriously charming Logan. Tris quickly formed relationships with all of these people and together, they faced even the most terrifying of events, discovering things about themselves that they would never have done in civilization. There's something here for everyone; if the reader doesn't see themselves in Tris, they might just find them in any one of these characters.

We Are Savages is very Alice in Wonderland meets Peter Pan, two of my favourite stories as a child. The land that Tris (literally) falls into is called Nowhere, an underground place where kids run the entire show; no parents, no chores -- just games, fun, and each other. Reading about the land from Tris' point of view just added that extra touch of thrilling adventure, and what she goes through in Nowhere is a hundred times more action than playing with her army men at home.

This is such a fun and refreshing read for anyone 10-years-old and above. I especially think this would be a great addition to a school library and I'd definitely recommend it to teachers to share with their young students. I loved the action and adventure scenes and loved that it touched on real issues that kids and preteens actually go through. The underlying overall message was about how you can't hide from your responsibilities and that you need to accept them. We Are Savages is a very lovely, light coming-of-age story that I'm glad I had the opportunity to read.

Thank you to Jessie Atkin for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus, Book 2
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Mythology
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release date: October 4, 2011
ISBN-10: 1423140591
ISBN-13: 9781423140597
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Percy is confused. When he awoke after his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain-fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. When the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now, because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to help the Fifth Cohort win at war games. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.



My Review:
Percy Jackson has no idea where he is and remembers nothing of his past, except for one name: Annabeth. He then arrives at a mysterious camp and meets new friends in Frank and Hazel, the unlikely heroes who will join Percy on new adventures that will hopefully lead him to bringing his memory back. The world is in danger, and it's up to them to join together and defeat a new enemy from rising.The Son of Neptune is the second book in Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series. We're finally introduced to the inner workings of the other camp, Camp Jupiter, which is the Roman counterpart of the Greek Camp Half-Blood. Being a huge fan of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, I missed Percy during The Lost Hero. So I was instantly overjoyed to know that he was back in this installment. We're introduced to two new main characters named Hazel and Frank, who accompany Percy on new adventures and have a few secrets of their own. I really liked Hazel and Frank as characters; definitely more than the first bunch in the Lost Hero (save for Leo; he is my spirit animal). I just liked this book more in general. I'm pretty sure that had to do with my love for Percy, though. I just really love Percy Jackson. If I could, I would shrink him down to size and put him in my pocket and carry him around with me everywhere.

Now, I'm not the biggest Percabeth fan, but Percy only remembering Annabeth's name was really sweet and I wanted so badly for them to be reunited. That's the thing about Riordan's series: the romance isn't an integral part of the books, but when he does focus on relationships, they're subtle but effective enough. The set-up for new relationships was really adorable and didn't take away from the main point of the book.The friendships are what I love most, apart from the mythological connections, in the books. I also love discovering which gods the kids are related to. It's like a big guessing game with all this build-up then all of a sudden you find out the truth, and you think to yourself, "that makes so much sense, why didn't I think of that before?" Bringing in the Greek-Roman relationship and differences between the two Classical periods was genius; that subject alone is enough for me to enjoy a book regardless. Mythology is my weakness.

Riordan has done it again. The pacing was nicely done and the characters were developed well -- I really felt like we got a good grasp of who Hazel, Frank, and even characters like Reyna and Octavian were; though I'd love to know more about them all, that's the good thing about a series. There's always time to expand. He has so much diversity in his characters and it's very refreshing to see. I love that there were no boundaries in terms of racial background and that he gave each character POV's, which enabled them to explore their past and family lives. The little allusions to the past books were also very nicely done, as well as the plot twists. Seeing old and new characters together to take on new stories and journeys is always a fun thing to read about. One of my favourite things about Riordan's writing style is the way he writes action. It's very descriptive and engaging.

I highly recommend this book, as well as the first in the Heroes of Olympus series to those who loved the Percy Jackson books. I myself was hesitant to read it because of my love for the PJ books, but the stories continue on and our favourite characters are still very much present. Percy isn't as fleshed out in this book as he is in the last series, but that's understandable. His time was then, and this time around, there are new characters for us to get to know and keep the stories going. The ending to The Son of Neptune was a complete cliff-hanger, but I'm thankful in my case that I finished it while I had the next book available to me.

My rating:

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