Review: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

WARNING: If you haven't read Artemis Fowl, book one in the Artemis Fowl series, then it would probably be a good idea to stay away from this review.

The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl #2) by Eoin Colfer

The world's youngest, brightest, and most dangerous criminal mastermind is BACK.

Artemis Fowl receives an urgent e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from a man who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya: his father. As Artemis rushes to his rescue, he is stopped by a familiar nemesis, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. Now, instead of battling the fairies, Artemis must join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves.

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Next: The Eternity Code
Challenge: All Male Review Challenge

"I love Artemis Fowl, I love Artemis Fowl," repeats Asher in a sing-song voice. So my favorite antihero has returned! Or rather I've returned for more of him! My first dive into the Artemis Fowl series left me stupefied and amazed. While things were a bit more mellow in this second book, it still packed a pretty hefty punch. I admit, it did take me a bit to submerse myself this time around, but once I'd read a few pages in, the book hooked its claws into me. And I have to say that I certainly missed Artemis Jr., Butler, and their nemeses - Captain Holly Short, Commander Julius Root, and Foaly, LEP's head techie!

Even though Artemis danced to a contrarily mellow tune in THE ARCTIC INCIDENT, his slight shift in demeanor didn't take away from his sheer brilliance, cunning, and inherent dry wit. Artemis is just as devious, as intelligent as before, only in this installment I got a closer look at his vulnerable side. As mentioned in the synopsis, his father's life is at stake, hence the emotional frailty. Still, Artemis isn't a blubber and he most certainly isn't stupid enough to go forth completely unguarded. And despite the fact that it was kind of nice to see that he isn't a total operator, completely devoid of emotions, I missed Artemis's supreme ruthlessness. It makes sense that he's prone to childlike sentiments given his age, but I missed Artemis, the brainy bad boy I know and love. I hope to see his - ha ha - inner Moriarty reemerge.

The action definitely climbed to new heights, which made it all the more intense and entertaining to read! This time part of the threat lies with the B'wa Kell goblin triad, who plan to override the Lower Elements Police force! Not to mention the dastardly threat of the Mafiya, and the chilling fact that their is a wicked mastermind orchestrating the destruction of the LEP! There was extensive goblin-fighting action, radioactive train-dodging, random appendage-severing, and added to that: alliances with old criminals and moments of unexpected heroism from one of my all-time favorite antiheroes!

Speaking of my beloved Artemis, I loved seeing the Holly-Artemis banter resume. There's nothing like watching a know-it-all get punched, again, in the face by his female archnemesis. Whoop! I love Holly! She's shrewd and marvelous at combat - especially when said combat involves guns. Plus, she has ridiculously awesome skills when it comes to piloting just about anything, be it LEP shuttles, wings, anything! I admire her so. Commander Root as comical as ever, though he'd turn beet-red if he ever heard. He's always looking to a pick a bone with someone and unleash his wrath. And I adored Foaly, LEP's technical genius, more than yesterday, as he's doubly equipped with super intellect and a penchant for being annoying. He's arrogant, with cause, and strangely paranoid of assassination and/or Mud Men - human - invasion (o_O). I can't help but love a character who wears a tinfoil hat all the time! And of course I can't forget Butler, who's as terrifying and intimidating as he was before! More than handy in a fight, clever, and honorable, Butler continues to be another of my favorite characters. I was immensely happy to see that he spoke up more in this novel.

Besides the sometimes bothersome pacing, I've got no true complaints for THE ARCTIC INCIDENT. Brimming with all of the best aspects of its predecessor, I'm pleased to report that this second novel did not disappoint. Rather its left me with unshakable excitement for the remaining books. I can't wait to watch Artemis grow not just age-wise but in intellect and as a character. Will he, somewhere along the way, turn into a hero? I'm dying to find out. Just like I can't wait to see a romance flourish between Artemis and Holly. I'm hoping for one - no, it's not guaranteed but merely implied, at least to my eyes. I can sense these things. With seven books already out, I'm more than ready to catch up!

Artemis grabbed her shoulders, for once abandoning his shell of icy composure. "Holly. Holly, speak to me. Your finger. Is it okay?"
Holly wiggled her fingers, then curled them into a fist.
"I think so," she said, and whacked Artemis right between the eyes. The surprised boy landed in the snowdrift for the third time that day. (154)

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

T h e  L i g h t n i n g  T h i e f  by Rick Riordan

"In this stunning collectors' edition of The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson’s world is brought to life with eight full-color plates by the series jacket artist John Rocco. The edition comes in an elegant slipcase with a ribbon bookmark, rough edges, and cloth cover—a perfect keepsake for fans of this truly epic series.

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

This first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions."

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Next: The Sea of Monsters
Meme: Forget Me Not

Definitely much better than the movie, if you don't already know. I actually saw the movie first before reading the book, and I can honestly say that, while entertaining, the movie does NOT do this book justice. Riordan incorporates Greek mythology in the most excellent way - it serves as a totally engrossing aspect of the novel, and a fundamental one. The idea that Greek gods and goddesses have demigod children currently living in our world, some oblivious to their own power, is ingenious and - get this - somewhat believable. As in, I could actually visualize this tale occurring in our present reality. It's not all that far-fetched.

12-year-old Percy Jackson is one huge barrel of laughs, that kid is. With this novel being told in first person POV, I really got inside Percy's head and feelings. Some of the things he would say... I cracked up a ton throughout the story! I just couldn't help it. Percy's funny without even really trying. And his reactions to the unfolding events within the book were completely genuine and believable. His resentments, determination, and overall courage completely charmed me. The fact that he's willing to take on this ominous quest, however impure his intentions, and constantly defend his friends, caught me instantly. Percy Jackson is the latest addition to my mental list of amazing heroes.

And Percy's aforementioned friends, Grover and Annabeth, are really great additions to the overall cast. The three of these characters together made a pretty fantastic trio. Although Grover is somewhat of a scaredy cat and is pretty shy, he's sweet, and despite his pressing fears, he continually goes out of his way to defend both Percy and Annabeth. And Annabeth is also brave in her own right, and is incredibly smart. Her dislike of  Percy made for some utterly hilarious scenes. Plus, it's kind of obvious that once Annabeth and Percy grow up a little more they'll become a romantic duo - which I'm extremely looking forward to.

Then there's the dangerous quest the three of them set out on. A mysterious someone has stolen an object of importance from a particularly powerful god who is, understandably, very, very distraught by this. As a result of the theft, war is fast-approaching amongst the gods, one which will undoubtedly force them to choose sides. Someone is cleverly pitting the gods against each other, and it's up to Percy to retrieve the missing object, put a stop to the upcoming war, and convince the gods that they are being manipulated. This proves to be a near impossible feat when you take into account the fact that Percy Jackson and his friends are super young, and have to get to the other side of the country - facing many foes in the process - to track down the source of this raging problem, all the while dealing with meddlesome gods, a lying stepfather who could care less about Percy and Percy's mom, who's more interested in acquiring money, ending in a face-off with the intimidating, fearsome King of the Underworld himself.

Full of adventure, puzzling circumstances, encounters with deadly agents of the Underworld, and that feeling of "a race against time," THE LIGHTNING THIEF is a consuming read that captivated the hell out of me, and has left me with an overwhelming thirst for the sequel. I can't wait to dive into THE SEA OF MONSTERS, and watch Percy continue his journey.

See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield. I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool. I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that. . . Well, you get the idea. (2)

Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back.

"Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring, 21st-century romp of the highest order. The author has let his imagination run riot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in an outrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter has done for wizardry. But be warned: this is no gentle frolic, so don't be fooled by the fairy subject matter. Instead, what we have here is well-written, sophisticated, rough 'n' tumble storytelling with enough high-octane attitude to make it a seriously cool read for anyone over the age of 10." --Susan Harrison

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Next: The Arctic Incident
Challenge: All Male Review Challenge

Um, OH MY FREAKING GOSH! I was unquestioningly blown away by this first book in the Artemis Fowl series. First, before you even begin reading this, make sure you've taken a good look at the cover. That's what had me going, Whoa! That looks so cool! I really wanna read that! Because that, ladies and males, looks like a cunning, 12-year-old criminal mastermind! Now, I'm not really a big fan of middle grade characters, but this book can definitely be enjoyed by all ages!

I HAVE to start with Artemis. First of all, his name. It sounds magical and powerful and suits him so incredibly well... Artemis is indeed 12 years old, but he's a genius. And what's better: he's a bad genius. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's evil, but he's undoubtedly the bad guy. He has the mind, the coldness and determination of an adult, but he has childlike feelings and vulnerabilities, though they are carefully masked. When you think of Artemis think pint-sized Sherlock Holmes, or better, Moriarty - brilliant and devious. He's crafty, extremely perceptive, and, most importantly, he always wins. No matter how one tries to turn the tables on him so to speak, he still manages to win, however unexpectedly. Because even though I knew how intelligent Artemis was, I didn't think he'd outsmart the fairies.

While I'm DYING to get into the world-building and the paranormal side of it all, I haven't raved nearly enough about Artemis, or his muscle, Butler. Butler is this giant bodyguard, who also acts as, you guessed it, a butler. The thing is, the Butlers and the Fowls go back several generations, being paired up from infancy. Which means Butler and Artemis have been partners since Artemis was born, and it's completely obvious in their shared rhythm and understanding of one another. The Fowls have been criminals since the beginning, and their fortune stems from a long line of crime jobs. And some say the noun 'butler' actually derived from this practice between the Butlers and the Fowls. Let me just say, I luuurrve Butler. He's big and strong, generally silent, and kicks a ton of ass.

Moving on, world-building. Colfer did an extraordinary job in painting a vivid picture of this underground society of fairies. But, fairies is just a general term that encompasses the People. In fact, there are elves, dwarves, goblins, centaurs, trolls, etc. The People live Underground, near the Earth's core, where there are cities like Haven built under there. The science and technology that went into the structure of a civilization of this magnitude is astounding. The various routes to get above ground, the networking... I was blown away... These fairies are also Irish-based in that a lot of the myths and common knowledge behind them stem from Irish folklore. But, their old language, Gnommish, is a mix of middle eastern languages and looks like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Colfer magnificently interweaves a variety of myths and folklore, languages, places and so forth to make up his world, which kept me engrossed throughout.

And then there's Captain Holly Short, elf and leprechaun. Well, actually not "leprechaun" as you or I know it, but LEPrecon, an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police. She's spunky, has brains, and can be stubbornly determined. But, her most likable and admirable quality lies in her unerring belief in, and willingness to stand up for, what's right. She instantly forms a dislike of Artemis, and manages to get a few licks in. She even punched him! She popped the Artemis Fowl right in the face. That girl is awesome, and completely dedicated to her job. She knows combat and has insane magical abilities, too.

Continuing, the plot was just as fantastic as the rest! Artemis is after the Book - the faerie-equivalent of the Bible, chockfull of commandments, rituals, spells, and other magical practices, as well as some history that corresponds to our own - so that he can discern the location of the legendary pot of gold in order to reinstate his family's millionaire status. And he goes about it logically, methodically, and most of all, calmly. And by the end, both me and the faeries learn that Artemis Fowl is a force to be reckoned with.

All in all, this tale was masterfully written, and filled with lovable, comical characters, action, advanced technology, and a phenomenal paranormal element to tie it all up. When asked if I wanted to pick up the sequel, I answered with a resounding Yes! I can't wait to read THE ARCTIC INCIDENT!

Foaly was waiting at the pod. Serious though the moment was, he couldn't resist an amused whinny at the sight of Root's belly wobbling ever so slightly in his clinging jumpsuit.
"Are you sure about this, commander? Generally we allow only one passenger per pod?"
"What do you mean?" snarled Root. "There is only one..."
Then he caught Foaly's meaningful glance at his stomach. (87)

God, I love Foaly, the LEP's head techie.