Talkie Tuesday: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

 

"The War has started. A Great Stirring is underway."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to the next installment in our Greek mythology adaptation saga which began a few years back with Disney acquiring rights to adapt these books in the first place.

 

Now, I'm not here to talk about what's good or bad or whatever, although I'll definitely touch on some of those things, but I'm mostly just here to give you a rundown of how the second season unfolded, what you can watch happen during it, and what to expect going forward.

 

But to do that, we actually have to dive INTO the story.

 

You can't really do a review without talking about exactly what you've been alluding to now, can you??

 

So without further ado.

 

Sharpen those weapons, demigods, and wake up, because it's time to pick a side. Will you fight for order or for chaos? And no, this isn't Assassin's Creed.

 

This is the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

 

Tome Thursday: Abducting Artemis

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the first installment (or is it prequel?) of a new series that I randomly picked off of BookSirens a little while ago.

 

Oh yes, BookSirens, remember them?

 

That fancy-schmancy online nexus where authors upload their ARCs for readers to then peruse at their leisure and leave free reviews in return?

 

Yes, that BookSirens.

 

Honestly, if you haven't checked it out yet, you totally should. If you're a voracious reader like I am, this is SO going to make your life easier, I can guarantee it.

 

But back to tonight's story, which is all about, er ... Greek Gods.

 

In space.

 

Buckle up, Buttercups, because Abducting Artemis boldly goes where no one has gone before.

 

Tome Thursday: Wages of War

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the conclusion that is the Immortal Realms series!

 

Or at least, the current conclusion, as I'm reasonably sure there MIGHT still be follow-ups, since there's been a bunch of stuff set up for the kids that may or may not happen in future.

 

But for the purposes of this particular blog post, we'll be focusing solely on the concluding novel.

 

Because, it does in fact tie off pretty much ALL the loose ends, more or less.

 

It's also the one that made me wonder what's wrong with me when I usually don't like the heroines LOL, but that aside, it's actually entertaining and if you're a fan of romance, fighting, and a happily ever after, then I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy this.

 

Throw in some Greek mythology? You've got yourself a winner!

 

Without more babbling for me, here are the Wages of War.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

 

"Earthshaker. Stormbringer. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

 

Hello everyone!

Something a little different tonight after the movie madness I've fallen into - but we definitely aren't straying far from the Mouse in any event.

What can I say, I'm a Disney kid, alright?

 

Growing up on these movies, you're hard-pressed to just NOT watch something once they release it, you know. I mean, you obviously CAN choose not to but, why if it's entertainment in some way, shape or form, right?

 

Right!

 

So on with the show. Or in this case, the show that's a second attempt at an adaptation after some arguably bad movies years ago.

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians swing in like the hammer of the gods but, do they succeed? Read on and find out!

 

Tome Thursday: The Maiden & The Unseen

 

Hello everyone!

 

Once again this week brings you another ARC from BookSirens, because I'm pretty much breezing through them on this end as I pick and choose what I enjoy and what is one of those things I'm not the biggest fan of.

 

Tonight's choice is no different.

 

I will say, though, that when I initially read the blurb for the book I was kind of expecting something else, though I don't inherently know why.

 

I'm pretty sure I just missed all the other signs before I read it LOL.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's an okay book, just not a book that I would usually find myself reaching for.

It does have one of my favourite mythological couples as it's focus point though, so it's not like I would have been mad either way.

Mythology, yo!

And The Maiden & The Unseen.

Talkie Tuesday: God of War III

 

"My vengeance ends here."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So I know that not all of you are fans of these videogames, which is why I'm going to be wrapping up my romp through them with this blog post, unless I end up reading the book adaptation in the next little while to add to the collection as well.

 

But for the most part, we've now pretty much come full circle, since we already know what happens to the protagonist afterwards!

 

Well, we THINK we know, in any event.

 

For the past few weeks we've been trailing after Kratos, the demigod son of Zeus, who is on a quest for vengeance because the Greek Gods made a tactical mistake and didn't understand what they ended up creating through their machinations and promises and debts to the guy.

 

I mean, you want to talk about hubris? These idiots have it in spades, and they don't realize what's happening until it's much, much too late.

 

So without further ado, let's look at God of War III.

Tome Thursday: God of War II

 

Hello everyone!

 

Did you by any chance miss your regular dose of decapitating, family-murdering, and other blood-related sports for a bit?

 

Have you been wondering just what to do with your time without all of the above?

 

Not to worry, I'm back with more of it!

 

And if you think I'm kidding you really should pay attention when someone name-drops Kratos, because man, the dude's entire philosophy on how to deal with the world is to literally kill whoever's in his way. With the formal announcement (trailer PLUS gameplay!) for Ragnarok at the Playstation showcase, the hype really is on to see our Spartan again.

 

Especially as he seems to have mellowed out a bit in his old age.

 

But not in this one! In this one he's still very much at the peak of his existence, one would say (though you could also always argue about it), and he hasn't really got time for all your diplomatic and peacekeeping nonsense.

 

God of War II picks up practically a sneeze after God of War and, well, it's got some style, lemme tell you.

 

Tome Thursday: God of War

 

Hello everyone!

 

As you can see from the title of tonight's blog post, we're once again venturing into the land of Spartan rage, fickle gods, and the mortals who serve them.

 

I always enjoy looking up novelizations of certain videogames because they usually offer up additional information on a character, their story, and of course the central plot you can get familiar with if you play the game.

 

So when I fell head-first into the God of War franchise, I ended up finding not one, not even two, but THREE novelizations of three game titles.

 

I got into it with the latest installment, which means I'm really interested to read about it from that particular point, but that said I have a slightly OCD mind, and so if I see there are other books prior to the one I want in a series, I have to read those first.

 

I just ... I can't lol.

 

Which also helps me in a way as I learned a whole lot more about Kratos than I knew before I watched that gameplay on Youtube! So without further ado, here we go with the first book of God of War.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Hercules

 

"What is the measure of a true hero?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week I'm once again straying just a little, as I haven't poked at Disney in a bit and figured, why not?

 

Besides, my Youtube algorithm kept suggesting videos from this movie for me and I couldn't resist any longer, not when Hades looked like the funniest thing since that TikTok video of a hamster or gerbil dancing with a water bottle haha!

 

Disney has been on a roll with live action remakes of its cartoons, most of which reached a fever popularity pitch in the nineties, or at the very least some of the best were released then.

 

Somehow or other, I never considered this one for viewing pleasure, however.

 

I'm not sure why.

 

I mean, it has Greek mythology (adjusted), Danny DeVito (perfect) and it surprised me with the sardonic, often dry sense of humour that you can see right off the bat from the trailer as well.

 

I'm talking, of course, about Hercules.

 

Tome Thursday: The Trials of Apollo

 

Hello everyone!

 

Aside from the very random Booktober post that I made about Percy Jackson's books, I haven't actually done a Rick Riordan blog post in ... quite some time, judging by the look of my blog.

 

Now THAT is a bit of a shame.

 

As you may remember, I'm a huge Riordan fan and have been since I first laid my hands on Percy Jackson and the Olympians, after which I proceeded to devour just about anything and everything that he had written at some point in his life.

 

Then that kind of stopped when his latest series started being published.

 

For some reason, maybe because unlike with the others I had to wait with the rest of the world for the books to get published, I sort of stopped after book three and never got to book four whatsoever.

 

Then this year marked the occasion for the final one's release, and I decided I had to have another go at it all.

 

Then I binge-read the lot of them. Now I spout Shakespearean verse.

 

Without further ado, tonight, it's all about The Trials of Apollo!

 

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

 

"A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds,

And see the world in endless sleep; the hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.

A single choice shall end his days - Olympus to preserve or raze ..."

 

 

Who could be more iconic than the boy who's half-god, half-mortal, but all hero? Coincidentally, Rick Riordan just wrapped up his Greeco-Roman series of books this month after fifteen years, but this still remains a quintessential - and funny! - read. Join Percy Jackson as he learns about his divine parentage, battles monsters and faces impossible odds, all to save the people he loves. Oh and he might die before his sixteenth birthday. No pressure!

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea, and that time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Tome Thursday: The Helm of Darkness

Hello everyone!

It's back to Greek Gods again in this blog post, and I mean, is it surprising at all anymore?

I have a deep affinity to Greek mythology to begin with, so every once in a while I'll absolutely pick something up that's connected to it, literature-wise.

Some are good, some are bad, and some are definitely in the grey in-between, but all in all I'm usually entertained enough, if nothing else, that I want to either keep reading if it's a series, or I read the book again if it's a standalone.

Case in point with today's blog post, although I will admit I had this one sitting there for a short while after grabbing it from BookSirens as an ARC.

I'd read the companion novella before picking this up, and enjoyed it, and because Percy Jackson is one of my all-time favourite series (here's hoping Disney does it justice with the TV show!) I was definitely intrigued to read more about demigods and the mortals they run across.

Of course there are fundamental differences between the books, but bottom line: the Greeks just don't want to go quietly into the night!

Which they could if they used The Helm of Darkness.

Tome Thursday: The Shield of Nike

Hello everyone!

I'm coming to you live from a VERY snowy country, because our Alps decided they can't keep out everything that Austria's been getting in the recent days, ergo it's a very good thing I haven't taken my winter tires off to exchange them for regular ones.

At least now I'm generally safe!

The roads aren't snowed in, but they ARE slick and freezing, which means driving is a nuisance if you have to go somewhere (like the grocery story or a pharmacy).

Thankfully, I have more than enough books to keep me occupied during this time, and if I ever ran out, I know all I have to do is turn to BookSirens and they'll have something new waiting for me, fresh and interesting.

This is what happened when I randomly stumbled over tonight's blog post topic. I hadn't been looking for the book, but I certainly wasn't going to turn it down once I saw it.

A. P. Mobley isn't an author I'm familiar with, but the topic she covered in the novella I picked up from her certainly is. Greek mythology just so happens to be my absolute favourite, after all!

So let's take a look at The Shield of Nike, shall we?

Tome Thursday: The Crown of Ptolemy

Hello everyone!

Ohmygosh, I know.

It's taken me absolutely forever to finish this trilogy, and the things are only short e-novellas.

I'm terrible at keeping track of what still needs to be done when it comes to books, because I get too easily distracted by the whole lot of unread tomes out there.

I have a list as long as my arm of things I have yet to read, not to mention a couple of books that are begging to be reviewed, but right now I figured, might as well do something useful and actually stop pissing off a group of demigods.

And magicians. Never forget the magicians.

When Greek and Egyptian magic collide, you're bound to have some really great stories, and among them, Rick Riordan is probably the ultimate storyteller, at least so far as I've seen.

He did give us Percy Jackson, after all.

So let's check out The Crown of Ptolemy, and see what kind of trouble our favourite demigod gets himself into.

Tome Thursday: The Staff of Serapis

Hello everyone!

Time to continue on with what we started last week, although I only just realized that the finishing sequence of this trilogy will have to wait for JUST a little.

But before I get into that, let's head back into the world of mythos, shall we?

We're dealing with the Greeks and the Egyptians here, and if this sounds like something Blood & Treasure might have cooked up, or even straight out of history with the way Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and made it his personal province, well, you'd be right.

A lot of things you read in books have already happened throughout history, and NOTHING is weirder than actual history, let me tell you.

... There's actually nothing weirder than having huge gods run around with crocodile heads, but if people believed that and it kept them happy, I suppose we can't really argue against it, can we?

Last week, the boys got their adventure in the books.

This week it's girl time, since The Staff of Serapis is all about girl power.

Tome Thursday: Cobweb Empire

Hello everyone!

So two weeks back I did a blog post about a very intriguing retelling of the Persephone and Hades story from Greek Mythology.

And yes, I remember.

No, I haven't forgotten that I still have to do the second and third books in the trilogy.

I'll admit, I'm sometimes scatter-brained like that, but for this one time, I'm slightly too invested and too interested to be anything but totally sold on this, and I NEED to finish this.

I managed book two in about one day, more or less.

Sure, I technically took a break to sleep - because sadly, sleep is a must even when we don't want it to be - but I snarfed down the rest the moment I was done with my beauty regeneration and making sure the house would still be standing if I took a mini break from it.

Without further ado, let's stop with the chit-chat, shall we?

Instead, let's dive right into Cobweb Empire.

Talkie Tuesday: Mamma Mia!

"I won't be muscled out by an ejaculation!"

Hello everyone!

So as you might have been able to tell from my several consecutive posts in previous weeks, my friends and I went to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again last Thursday! 

And URGH some movies, man.

Some movies just deserve to be viewed over and over and OVER again.

This is one of them.

But then of course, I'm slightly OCD on this end and I can't just review the second movie without going into the bones of the first one.

Because every great story has a beginning, especially if it's a great sequel we're talking about.

This particular beginning happened ten years ago, under the very appropriate title of Mamma Mia!

Tome Thursday: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Hello everyone!

Boy, what a week!

First off, that cross-over event - Crisis on Earth-X was absolutely spectacularly AMAZING over Monday and Tuesday (or, in my case, with a bit of a delay, on Tuesday and Wednesday). My reveiw of this will be coming on Saturday since I bumped the Talkie Tuesday for just this purpose. After the fun with the Dominators last year (which I was reminded of, very kindly, by my Facebook memories) this year was off-the-charts insane, in all good ways!

But back to books.

I've seriously been reading like some sort of machine on this end, moving through reading slumps like a pro by picking up oldies-goldies, and then of course there was the massive autumn Book Depository order I placed not too long ago.

Once it arrived, can we say happy camper?

Among those books I ordered was the one I'm reviewing tonight: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods.

Tome Thursday: Daughter of the Earth and Sky

Hello everyone!

Back with another book review tonight, and once again I've fallen down the rabbit hole of Greek mythology. This happens to me every once in a while - if I'm not traipsing around Middle Earth then I'm going to be running from Cyclopses and giants with Percy Jackson.

Or, in this case, I will be learning a whole new deal about Greek gods in modern world from Kaitlin Bevis.

A while ago, I reviewed the first in her Daughters of Zeus book series, Persephone, and I do have to admit that the first one was a little so-so in my opinion. As it turns out, the second didn't exactly make it to my favourite books list, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the story at all. It just means I'm working my way through this and am going to, eventually, see light at the end of the tunnel.

Still, considering it IS about Greek gods, you know I'm going to be reading to the very end. There's just nothing that can stop me on that account, after all.

So without further ado, let's check in with our book review of the week, shall we? Daughter of the Earth and Sky, by Kaitlin Bevis.

Tome Thursday: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Hello everyone!

After a long while I'm back with another Rick Riordan appreciation, er, blog post. The last one I posted was roughly in summer last year when I reviewed the first of his Trials of Apollo series (which reminds me that I should probably review his second one in that trilogy soon), but then I kind of fell off the Riordan map, even though I continued reading his books.

Namely, I was taken in by this Norse mythology series the author launched.

It's title is, as you can see on top of this blog post: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard.

Sounds familiar?

You're right. There's another Chase running around Riordan's books, and her name is Annabeth, aka Wise Girl, aka Percy Jackson's girlfriend.

Magnus and Annabeth are cousins, and that DOES come into play in the books. Mostly though it just adds to the hilarity of all the situations these kids find themselves in, including but not limited to saving the world, often twice. Who's counting?

So below, you'll find a record-sharp recap of the entire trilogy. And all this while I'm reading Dan Brown's new novel, Origin!