3 by Lissa

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
reviewed by Lissa
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a fast paced and intriguing book. In the story the hero, Percy Jackson finds out that all of the ancient Greek myths and gods are real, and he is a son of Poseidon, god of the seas. Zeus’ master bolt has been stolen, and Poseidon is being blamed. Percy has to go on a quest to find the missing bolt and return it to Olympus before the summer solstice to prevent a war between the gods that would "make the Trojan war look like a water balloon fight." This book expands on the original Greek myths, building off them in a logical continuation, unlike so many renditions that try to rewrite the past. The Lightning Thief is one of my favorite books, which balances a smooth running plot with sarcasm and humor. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology, or even anyone who enjoys adventure or fantasy books.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
reviewed by Lissa
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an absorbing book, which balances grim dystopian settings with the ideals of hope. This book is the story of a girl, Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the nation of Panem. Panem is an authoritarian nation, where, as punishment for rebellion, every year each of the twelve districts has to send two tributes to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers to go to save her little sister from what, in district 12, is most nearly a death sentence. This book starts slow, but captures the attention of the reader as you follow Katniss in her journey to the Capitol and finally to the arena of the Games. There is realism in this book in that the characters don’t just shake off the things that happen to them. They leave both literal and mental scars. I would recommend this book but with the warning that it can be very grim, and not everyone lives happily ever after.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
reviewed by Lissa
What if you had an exceptional talent, one thing you where meant to do? What if it was killing? In Graceling by Kristin Cashore the main character Katsa is a graceling, someone with an exceptional skill. Gracelings can have a talent for anything from panting to swimming, but Katsa’s grace was shown to be for fighting and killing when she was young, and ever since she had worked for her uncle, the king of Middluns, using her grace to intimidate all of his various underlings and minor nobles. However she meets Po, a prince of Leinid, and leaves her home to help him find his kidnapped grandfather. Graceling is an exciting action novel, with overtones of finding your own fate. I would recommend this to people looking for an interesting action book that also has some thinking involved in the plotline. It is an excellent book.