What We’re Reading

The Cronus Chronicles, Book 2: The Siren Song | Anne Ursu

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After returning from their successful mission to the Underworld, Charlotte and Zee have returned to life as usual. Minus the nightmares/generally strange dreams, and the fact that Charlotte is grounded forever, because it turns out, once you learn that the gods are real, lying to your parents just doesn’t work anymore. Life is just too real for that. Still, it’s not all bad. When a cute new boy moves to town, and seems to have an interest in Charlotte, it’s hard not to feel at least a little uplifted.

Unfortunately, things don’t stay smooth for long.

There’s the strange old man Charlotte, Zee, and even Mr. Mielswetzski have seen around town. And Jason gone missing. And Zee taking an interest in Maddy, Charlotte’s best friend, only to dump her
and pick up with an Ashley. And let’s not forget the total personality make-over he could have done without. And to ice Charlotte’s cake, her father has won an award, and the family is going on a cruise. A History cruise. Every day to disembark and visit local sites. Every teenager’s dream.

Or not.

Still, at least she can get out of the house.

Things go amiss on the cruise almost from the get-go. Her parents arrive late to breakfast on their second day raving about Thalia the lounge singer. It starts pouring just as she’s about to lay out by the pool. Her parents make a date to meet her for breakfast the next morning (after locking her in her room due to a misunderstanding), and miss the appointment. Upon exploration Charlotte discovers the ship to be empty, and in the Mediterranean. Just a wee bit off course from the East Coast.

Eventually, Charlotte finds the passengers and all the crew locked in the Lounge with Thalia, who happens to be a Siren, and her powers don’t work on Children. It’s up to Charlotte. Who, by some
stroke of fate, isn’t alone. Jason, whom she thought she’d seen the day before, is indeed on board. There to help her. Turns out, he knows about her escapades in the Underworld. His dad’s a god, kin to Poseidon. Poseidon doesn’t take well to people messing with his family, and it turns out Philonecron is his grandson. Which puts Charlotte on the hit list. For which an entire ship full of people are about to pay the price. So of course they do the only sensible thing. They head for
Poseidon’s yacht, with the plan of stealing his Trident to control Thalia and free the passengers and crew.

After a near miss with a couple sea monsters, Charlotte and Jason make it to the yacht. They hatch a plan.

Charlotte, never big on patience, sets off on her own. Suffice it to say her plan takes a turn for the disastrous, but fate seems to be on her side, handing her an unlikely ally, and one more shot to save the day.

Again.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3: The Titan’s Curse | Rick Riordan

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The action is non-stop in this installment of the series, right from the get-go. Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are on their way to Maine to answer Grover’s call for help. Unsure of what they’re walking into, they don’t have much of a plan, which leaves them without much to go on when the first people they encounter are a couple of the school administrators.

After managing to squeak by that sticky situation, the kids are undone again as the monster-in-residence at the school makes off with the half-breeds Grover found. Percy goes after them alone, unable to find any of his friends, and lands himself in yet another bad spot. The gang arrives to help him out just in time to realize it’s all a trap. Only some completely unforeseen assistance gets them out of the jam, but not without losses.

The group arrives back at camp only to prepare to leave again on a mission, ultimately, to save the world. Their friend-turned enemy Luke has gotten himself in with the wrong crowd, and a plot to overthrow the Olympians is under way. Three Hunters and two campers are chosen to go after the goddess Artemis, who needs to be at the meeting on the solstice or all hell will break loose. Percy, unwilling to be left behind, follows along unbeknown to the rest, unwilling to sit idle while he has a friend in trouble.

As foretold by as prophecy before the group departed, they suffer loss along the way, and obstacles at every turn. Will they succeed in their quest, or will Kronos awake and the Titans be restored?

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The Cronus Chronicles, Book 1: The Shadow Thieves

This is definitely a series to get into. Ursu has a really great, spunky writing style, that will pull you right in and keep you guessing, laughing and worrying all at once.

We begin in the middle, where Charlotte Mielswetzski comes upon a stray kitten on her way home.

Actually, it’s more like it comes upon her. It’s not there, and then it is. And every time she tries to leave it behind, it gets in her way. So, she brings it home. And her parents fall in immediate love, much like she did, though they warn her not to get too attached, since someone may claim it.

Charlotte decides to call her Bartholomew. It may be a boy’s name, but she figures Mew is the coolest nickname for a cat ever. So it works out. But she doesn’t have Mew to herself for very long. Once her cousin Zee shows up, Mew takes an instant liking to him and leaves Charlotte behind.

At this point, we jump back to the beginning, which is the story of Zee’s summer in Exeter with his Grandmother Winter. Sadly, it will be Grandmother Winter’s last summer alive. She makes the best of it while she has the time. And on her death bed, she has a final premonition. It tells her that something bad is coming for her grandson. And she doesn’t have the time to warn him. All she can manage is the word “Metos.”

Not long after she passes, a strange illness starts taking the children of Exeter. It seems everyone Zee knows is stuck down. Too weak to even sit up, no doctor knows what’s wrong with them.

When he goes home to London, the same thing happens again. He’s convinced he’s causing it. And after seeing a boy attacked by two strange men-like creatures, he stops leaving the house.

The attacks stop, but his parents are sure he’s lost it, and send him to the states to stay with his cousin and her parents.

After Charlotte’s friends start falling ill, and school gets closed for the rest of the week because of the number of kids absent, she and Zee have a heart to heart. They still don’t know just what is going on, but they do know that no one would believe them.

A chance rescue at the hands of their English teacher, whose name happens to be Metos, Charlotte and Zee vow to stay inside. This plan fails, however, when Charlotte is awakened by Mew to run through the night after a sleepwalking Zee. Then they recieve a note from Mr. Metos telling them to follow the bird who brought it. He’s been caught.

Of course, he didn’t send the note, and the two wind up exactly where he didn’t want them–in the Underworld. Their task? Escape the bad people and stop the overthrow of Hades. Nooo problem.

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Psyche in a Dress | Francesca Lia Block

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Psyche loses her first love to self-doubt, sure that she can’t be enough for a god. After he leaves, she sets about punishing herself in hopes of getting him back. She travels through Orpheus, Hades, her mother, Demeter. Eventually, she moves back home to work for her stepmother, who is fond of turning her into flowers and other things with which to make her dresses. But even Aphrodite can see how Psyche suffers, and one day brings her a book. A book so much like her life that she writes the author, and they agree to meet.

Finally, she has found her Eros. And is content in knowing that when he leaves this time, she will have a part of him with her always. Their child.

Follow her journey, in this modern retelling of popular greek myths.

Forewarning: there are brief instances where the language is fairly expicit; therefore, I would probably recommend this book for older teens only. But it’s only a couple of words, and it’s only a couple of times.

Any FLB lover will definitely appreciate Psyche. But it’s not Weetzie Bat, I guess that’s all I’m saying.

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book Two: The Sea of Monsters | Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has finally done the impossible–he made it through the school year. If he can just get through the last day. When he gets to gym class, and realizes there is something very wrong with the members of the opposing team, he knows he’s in trouble. When they begin to grow in size, and throw balls of fire, he’s sure he’s sunk. And if not for his friend Tyson’s bulk and immunity to fire, he would have been. But somehow, with Tyson’s help, and the sudden appearance of Annabeth, he manages to escape. Leaving the school on fire, Percy heads towards camp, where things are even worse.

Camp is under attack, its borders weakened. The tree which normally strengthens their protection has been poisoned and is dying. The more times passes, the more the danger grows. Chiron the Centaur has been dismissed, and the replacement Activities Director is a bad seed. Percy feels he has to do something. When he shares his recent dreams with Annabeth, they think they’ve found a way to save them all. But Tantalus will have none of it, and offers the quest instead to Clarisse, who has no love of Percy or his friends.

Hope seems lost, but when Percy sneaks out to the ocean to clear his head, he finds some very unexpected help awaiting him. Annabeth and Tyson manage to arrive just in time for the three of them to take off on their unapproved quest, and just miss being eating by the patrol harpies.

Along the way there are many mishaps, and of course a few surprises. And while Percy and his friends do manage to save their camp, the outcome, as has to be expected with the evil Kronos involved, is not what any of them expected.

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief | Rick Riordan

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Percy Jackson hasn’t had the easiest time of it. No father, evil step-father, loving mother who he’s always parted from, new school every year… Then his math teacher turns into an evil monster, who he kills when his Latin teacher throws him a pen that morphs into a sword, and he really knows something’s different about him.

There’s not a lot more to say, without giving away most of the plot, but let’s just say that the peaceful trip to shore Percy and his mother plan turns anything but, and the ensuing adventure of trying to reach Half-Blood Hill is just the beginning.

Fantasy or adventure fan? You’re sure to fall in love with this series!

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