Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Book Details

Author: Rick Riordan
Ages: 10+
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 375
Plot: This novel is the first in a series of five books which depicts the life of Percy Jackson, a twelve year old boy who suffers from dyslexia and ADHD and has been kicked out of multiple private schools. As Percy's life becomes more strange and peculiar he makes the amazing discovery that he is a demigod, half human half god, and the magical world of the Greek gods is real. With help from his satyr friend Grover Percy arrives at Camp Half Blood where he meets more demigods including Annabeth, one of the daughters of Athena, who he instantly becomes friends with. The novel follows the action packed and dangerous life Percy now faces as a demigod and how his life of being kicked out of schools and putting up with his smelly stepfather Smelly Gabe is over.
As Percy learns more skills and finds out who his father is his life gets a whole lot harder and he is put on a dangerous quest in order to prevent a war against the Gods.

I have recently read this book after my younger brother told me how interesting it was. I know very little about Greek mythology so, at first, I was unsure if I would enjoy it as much as other series I have read like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters all have well thought out back stories and the interesting mix of modern day and Greek mythology make the book interesting, unique and appealing to the target age group.

We first learn about Percy Jackson's life and his different school troubles; through humorous short sentences we immediately get the idea that Percy is a troubled yet charismatic character. As Percy's life becomes full of Furies, centaurs and magically enchanted pens Percy learns that his life is not what it seems and he soon learns that he is a demigod. After defeating a Minotaur Percy and Grover, his satyr friend, arrive at Camp Half Blood where demigods are safe to train and live without the fear of being killed by monsters. Percy meets many new characters who each have a difficult past and a range of skills, for example Annabeth and Luke. With the aid of Annabeth and Luke he learns how to fight and begins to fit in before his father,Poseidon, one of the three greatest Gods claims him as his son. From here, Percy's life is threatened by even more monsters and powerful Gods as he is accused of stealing Zeus' lighting bolt. In order to save his own life and prevent the outbreak of a war between the Gods Percy must find who stole the lightning bolt with the help of his friends Grover and Annabeth.

The quest in which Percy must take showcases the different powers and abilities that the Gods and monsters possess and how powerful Percy has actually become. As the book progresses the main trios friendship grows stronger making their unlikely friendship more relatable for the reader. Each character also has very different personalities, Percy becomes more brave and courageous as he faces more monsters and stands up to powerful Gods like Ares. Grover, my favourite character, at first appears to be quite timid and scared but as the quest continues and he tries to protect the innocent the reader can see that he too is brave and also a loyal and protective friend, at one point sacrificing his own safety for Percy's mothers freedom. Annabeth, much like her mother, is strong and intelligent and becomes a good friend to Percy, despite their parents rivalry.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a great book for those who enjoyed Harry Potter and is very good for those who are interested in Greek mythology. Overall, I really liked the plot and the main characters but in some points I thought that Percy was older than twelve, taking on a giant Minotaur was one of them, and I think it would have been more 'believable' if he would have been an older teenager. Despite this, I believe that this book mixes education, humour and excitement to create a truly unique piece. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Reviewed by Daisy Wallis

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book Details

Author: Veronica Roth
Ages: 13+
Rating: 10/10
Number of Pages: 487
Plot: Set in the future, this novel tells the story of a sixteen year old living in a secluded society controlled by a faction system. The society is separated into five distinct factions, Abnegation (those who favour selflessness), Erudite (those who favour intelligence), Candor (those who favour honesty), Amity (those who favour kindness) and Dauntless (those who favour bravery), in which everyone must conform or become factionless. In this divided society sixteen  year old Tris must find a way to fit in to hide her secret. In order to protect herself Tris ventures to a new faction, away from her family, where she learns that no one can be trusted and everyone is a threat to her survival.
As she learns how to fight and protect herself, Tris befriends initiates from a range of different factions and falls in love with one of the instructors, the mysterious Four. In order to protect the innocent Tris must team up with those who share her unique and dangerous 'gift'.

I have read and reread this book so many times I have actually lost count. I found out about Divergent through my English Literature teacher; at first I was sceptical as it seemed very similar to other dystopian novels/ series such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. How wrong I was. The clever plot is simple yet so intricately detailed as the book progresses that it becomes more than just another dystopian novel. even the characters have qualities that people can easily relate to and see in their friends or family members. I absolutely adored this book from the first chapter.

Beatrice Prior, or Tris as she is later known, is one of my all time favourite protagonists. She is brave, strong, extremely sarcastic and is not one of them characters you just want to scream at in frustration every chapter. Her almost awkward and reserved personality, I feel, perfectly portrays the members of the Abnegation faction and helps to emphasise the completely contrasting world she is now forced into. We are first introduced to Beatrice as she approaches the day in which she must devote her life to a faction. She must make the hard decision to either stay with her family in a faction where she feels that she does not belong or leave her family in hope for finding a place in this dictatorial society.

After making her decision and changing her name Tris now must fight in order to survive in her new faction where the weak and cowardly are discarded and made factionless. Through the initiation process we meet the mysterious Four. Four is a strong and hard character who seems to open up as he gets closer to Tris; as we learn more about Four we discover that he is not only brave, but also kind, intelligent and selfless - a perfect mix of the factions. Four, much like Tris, is so cleverly thought out that the reader instantly falls in love with him - well, I did anyway.

As we learn more about the set up of the factions, we learn that there is friction and sinister plots brewing amongst the factions and when violence erupts Tris must team up with Four to defeat the enemy. Secrets are revealed and shocking revelations unravel as the violence hits a shocking climax.

Divergent is an excellent example of a gripping read throughout. Roth's amazingly unique plot and mix of characters has helped to make this book a huge success. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or the Gone series by Michael Grant (which are also great examples of dystopian novels). I have started reading the next book in the series, Insurgent, which is just as gripping and amazing as the first! Furthermore, I would recommend that you read the book first before seeing the film adaptation, as it will give you more background information on the characters and understanding of the quite complex faction system. I recently saw the film and, unlike some film adaptations, it is everything I hoped it would be and more. Of course, some characters like Uriah have been removed (which is unforgivable!) but other than that the set, cast and action are everything I hoped they would be. I cannot wait to finish the series and read more about Tris and Four.

Reviewed by Daisy Wallis.