Creek Critiques

Airborn (Book One) - 355 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Cabin boy Matt Cruse is in his third year aboard the airship The Aurora.  When he makes a daring midair rescue of an older gentleman, a domino effect begins that leads to Matt meeting the man’s headstrong granddaughter Kate.  Matt is intrigued by Kate and her feistiness, but when she shows Matt her grandfather’s journal that includes sketches of what appear to be panther-bat hybrids, the two strike a deal to search for the mysterious creatures.  Their plan is hindered when air pirates attack their ship and then a sudden typhoon forces them to make an emergency landing on a deserted island.  But the island isn’t deserted…  Find out what happens in this fast-paced adventure!

Skybreaker (Book Two) - 369 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2
 
In this thrilling sequel to Airborn, airshipman Matt Cruse and danger-seeker Kate de Vries are together again. This time, a ghost ship, the Hyperion, has been spotted at 20,000 feet and the two team up with pilot Hal Slater and gypsy Nadira in order to salvage the ship and its supposed treasure. Owned by an eccentric yet incredibly rich man named Grunel, the Hyperion was thought to have crashed over forty years ago. As in Airborn, this novel introduces the reader to some never-before-seen animals. In this book, the star is the aerozoan, a hydrium-producing giant squid with electric tentacles. The freezing temperatures, thin air, budding romances between Kate and Hal and between Matt and Nadira, and the fact that treasure-seekers are close on their tail are just a few of the obstacles the crew face in this adventure.

Starclimber (Book Three) - 390 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries return in yet another adventure. This time, Matt is nearly finished with his schooling at the Airship Academy and Kate is causing controversy in the scientific community with her aerozoan specimen.  France is in the process of building a tower meant to extend all the way into space.  The country is desperate to be the first to send people out of the Earth’s atmosphere.  Meanwhile, a secret space expedition is being planned by the Canadians.  They have tethered an astral cable to a rocket, propelled it into space, and plan on using the line to slowly make their way into space, as if climbing a rope in gym class.  Kate is asked to be aboard the spaceship in order to analyze the specimens discovered, and Matt must compete in a tight course to earn a spot on the ship.  Of course, the trip does not go as smoothly as planned and all chaos ensues.  Not all of the members of the team make it back to Earth safely - but all will be tested before they are able to return home.

A Living Nightmare (Book One - 266 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

When Darren Shan and his friend Steve attend a secret freak show that is coming to town, they are scared out of their wits by the wolf-man, Madam Octa (an abnormally large poisonous spider), snake-boy, and others.  After the show, Steve confronts Mr. Crepsley, the owner of Madam Octa, and accuses him of being a vampire.  He begs Mr. Crepsley to turn him into a vampire too, but is refused.  Meanwhile, Darren convinces himself that he has to have Madam Octa and devises a plan to steal her.  However, Darren’s plan puts Steve in a deadly crisis and Darren must make a decision that will change both of their lives forever.

The Vampire’s Assistant (Book Two - 247 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

Darren has left his family and is now living as a half-vampire and assistant to Mr. Crepsley.  He had to do it to save Steve’s life and he is not happy about his vampire status.  Refusing to drink human blood, Darren grows weaker and weaker.  He is a now a permanent member of the Cirque du Freak and assists Mr. Crepsley with Madam Octa while on stage.  He befriends Ezra, the snake-boy, and makes a new friend named Sam who desperately wants to be a part of the Cirque du Freak.  Full of thrills and gore, this second book in the series promises to make horror fans happy! 

Tunnels of Blood (Book Three - 229 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

When someone you know is savagely eaten by a wolf-man, you probably want to get away, right?  Well, Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Evra do just that.  They go on a “vacation” to the city where Mr. Crepsley was born.  The boys have some fun and Darren even gets a new girlfriend, but when six dead bodies are discovered who have been completely drained of blood, the boys start to suspect that Mr. Crepsley isn’t as nice as he seems.  Could he really be a serial killer, or is there something more dangerous lurking in the tunnels beneath the city?

Vampire Mountain (Book Four - 199 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

Several years have passed since we left Darren, Evra, and Mr. Crepsley.  Evra has grown up and apart from Darren, while Darren looks as if he’s only aged one year.  Mr. Crepsley and Darren are preparing to make the trek to Vampie Mountain so Mr. Crepsley can officially present Darren to the Council, but the journey is long and hard.  They encounter wolves, a vampaneze madman, and make a surprising discovery about the Little People.  This book seems to be a “filler” in that it is necessary to show them making the trek to Vampire Mountain, but it’s really just filling up space before the possible big battle in the next installment.

Trials of Death (Book Five - 207 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

At the end of book 4, Darren was told he must complete five tasks to be accepted into vampire society.  If he fails any of these tasks, he will be speared in the Halls of Death.  Book five describes each of these trials in graphic detail – including hands-on combat with two wild boars, walking through a cave on stalagmites, swimming an underwater maze while dragging a huge boulder, and braving the fire room.  Despite facing all these trials, the real drama unfolds as Harkat’s warning about the vampeneze begins to come true.  The vampaneze are on their way to Vampire Mountain, and no good can come of that!

The Vampire Prince (Book Six - 197 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

The end of book 5 left us with Darren floating away in the icy mountain river.  He was nearly unconscious with little hope of surviving, but he does! (Of course – since there are 6 more books in this series!)  His first priority upon landing ashore is to return to Vampire Mountain and warn the others of the traitors among them and the impending threat of the vampaneze attack.  With the assistance of the wolf pack, he makes the trek back up the mountain just in time to stop the traitor’s plan from working.  Full of war, battles, blood, and gore, this sixth book in the series will not disappoint die-hard Cirque du Freak fans.

Allies of the Night (Book Eight - 209 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Harkat, and Vancha are still on the path to stop the Vampaneze Lord, whoever he may be!  Their travels take them back to a familiar location (from book 3) where Darren not only enrolls in school and comes face-to-face with his first girlfriend, Debbie, but he also encounters another friend from the past – Steve Leopard.  Darren, Harkat, and Steve work together to stop a band of vampaneze who are attacking the city, including one who has artificial limbs, which is highly unusual for the vampaneze.  In this novel, the identity of the Vampaneze Lord is revealed (finally!) and Debbie and Darren realize they have a long road ahead of them.

Killers of the Dawn (Book Nine - 206 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Harkat, and Vancha are in for the fight of their lives as they face the Vampaneze Lord and his many followers - including Darren’s old friends R.V. and Steve.  They have kidnapped Debbie and threatened her life if Darren does not show up to fight the Vampaneze Lord.  Steve sets a trap that causes his foes to be arrested for the many murders the Vampaneze have committed, but it’s only a minor setback because Darren and his friends easily escape prison.  Fans of this series will not be disappointed in this novel - where Darren and the Vampaneze Lord meet face-to-face and in which one of Darren’s closest allies will die.  

The Lake of Souls (Book Ten - 261 pages) - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

This novel takes a slight break from the War of the Scars to uncover the mystery behind Harkat’s true identity.  To find out who he was, Harkat and Darren are transported by Mr. Tiny to a world with overly large insects, fire-breathing dragons, humans that are similar to the Guardians of the Blood, and other frightening beings.  To survive, Harkat and Darren work with an abandoned pirate who can lead them to the Lake of Souls.  Once there, the two must fend off dragons in order to rescue Harkat’s former soul from the lake.  Harkat’s former self is indeed someone series regulars will remember!

Darren’s destiny is to fight a final battle with Steve in which one of them will win and become the Lord of the Shadows and preside over a ruined, humanless world.  Darren is fine with fighting Steve, but he is intent to change his destiny so that the world will not become what he and Harkat witnessed at the Lake of Souls.  Part One of the novel centers around Darren’s fight with Steve and their showdown at the Cirque du Freak, and the rest of the book discusses the aftermath and how the Cirque du Freak novels came about.  It’s an “okay” ending to the series, but it wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it would be! 

Kissed by an Angel (Book One) - 230 pages; Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Ivy has just moved in with her new wealthy step-family and her step-brother Gregory is the boy of her friends’ dreams.  Gregory treats Ivy and her brother Philip with disdain because he is not used to having others in his home.  At school, Ivy finds herself drawn towards Tristan, the school’s superstar swimmer.  For him, it is love at first sight, but Ivy takes her time before falling for him.  On the night of prom, she and Tristan get into a terrible accident and Tristan is killed - but he returns to Earth as an angel on a mission to protect Ivy from danger.

The Power of Love (Book Two) - 225 pages; Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Tristan knows his mission is to protect Ivy, but he’s not sure what he’s supposed to protect her from.  Slowly his memory of the night of their accident returns and he realizes that he couldn’t stop the car because the brakes were cut.  The pieces begin to come together and Tristan understands that Ivy witnessed something and now someone is after her to stop her from revealing the truth.  Tristan uses some of his newfound angel powers to share thoughts with Philip, Will, Eric, and Gregory - but will it be enough to convince Ivy she’s in terrible danger?

Soulmates (Book Three) - 235 pages; Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Ivy has survived a few near-death experiences - a car wreck, being attacked in her home, being drugged and almost jumping into the path of an oncoming train - but she is resilient and she is beginning to regain her faith in angels.  She is able to see Tristan’s golden glow and knows that he is protecting her, but she’s still not sure who is after her.  Is it Eric, the drug-taking crazy guy who plays violent “tricks” on others?  Is it Gregory, the over-protective step-brother who has romantic feelings toward Ivy?  Is it Andrew, the new stepfather who isn’t thrilled to have two new kids in his home?  Is it Will, the mysterious art student who seems to know more than he lets on?  Find out in this thrilling conclusion to this romantic suspense trilogy.

The Lightning Thief (Book One) - 375 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: *** 

Myth meets reality in this fast-paced Rick Riordan novel, which is the first in the Percy Jackson series.  Twelve-year-old Perseus Jackson is living in modern-day New York City , unaware that he is being pursued by monsters intent on murdering him because of his family history.  You see, Percy’s father happens to be the god of the sea, Poseidon.  Percy discovers his half-blood heritage and that his life is meant to end with a hero’s fate, which is never good.  Percy is accused of stealing Zeus’s lightning, the symbol of all his power.  In order to survive Zeus’s deadly threats, he must go on a quest to the underworld to retrieve the lightning and face Hades, god of the underworld.  With friends Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr (half-goat), Percy embarks on his quest.  He encounters Hades, Ares, nymphs, naiads, centaurs, minotaurs, and many other mythological creatures during his journey.  Will Percy be successful in finding and returning the lightning to Zeus?  Will he finally meet his father, Poseidon?  Find out in this mythological adventure!

The Sea of Monsters (Book Two) - 279 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Halfblood Percy Jackson is back in this sequel to The Lightning Thief.  The son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and a human mother, Percy is anxiously waiting for the summer so he can return to Camp Halfblood and reunite with his friends Chiron and Annabeth.  When he learns that the camp is under attack and is on the brink of being destroyed, Percy and Annabeth take action.  The only thing that will save their camp is to find the Golden Fleece, which has an incredibly strong healing power.  Unfortunately, it is on a remote island in the Sea of Monsters, guarded by a flock of man-eating sheep and a very unfriendly Cyclops.  With some notable characters returning, including Luke, Percy’s nemesis, and new characters introduced, including Tyson, a young Cyclops who has a special relationship to Percy, this book is easy to follow and action-packed.  In my opinion, it probably isn’t necessary to read The Lightning Thief first, but I’d recommend it as a seperate read!

The Titan’s Curse (Book Three) - 312 pages - Hank H.’s Rating: ****

When fourteen-year-old Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon gets a very important call from his friend Grover, a satyr, he gets prepared for a fight.  His two demigod friends, Thalia and Annabeth accompany him to be his aides.  When the three reach Grover, he tells them that he has found two half-blood children.  The goal is to recruit these half-blood children to fight against the evil forces of Lord Kronos.  But it isn’t as simple as it seems to just take the children with them.  They have many obstacles to overcome.  This is a very entertaining and action packed book, which interjects Greek mythology in a modern day setting.

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book Four) - 361 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

In an attempt to stop the evil Lord Kronos from using his Underworld army to invade Camp Halfblood, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson head into the mythical Labyrinth.  There is no shortage of terror-inducing monsters in and out of the Labyrinth, including the vampiric empousai, snaky dracaenae, Laistrygonian giants, Calypso, the Sphinx, a Hundred-Handed One, Hephaestus, Daedalus and Kronos himself.  This fourth novel foreshadows the fifth and final novel in the series, in which Percy will finally have his chance to face Kronos and Luke in one last battle.

The Last Olympian (Book Five) - 381 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Percy and his friends at Camp Halfblood are doing what they can to prepare for an all-out war between the Titans, led by Kronos, and the gods, led by Zeus.  The campers learn that Kronos is planning to overtake Olympus, but he has dispersed many distractions to keep the gods away from their home base.  Typhon is winding his way from the west coast to the east causing weather-related destruction in his path.  Poseidon’s sea palace is threatened, keeping him very busy and away from the main battle that is to come.  It is up to Percy, Annabeth, and their fellow campers to stop the Titans from taking Olympus - at all costs!  This is an entertaining and action-packed finale to a fantastic series - and the author leaves the door open to another Camp Halfblood series in the future.

Maze of Bones - Book One - by Rick Riordan (220 pages)

This book, the first installment in the 39 Clues series, is certainly a good book. This book was written by Rick Riordan, the same author as The Titan’s Curse, The Sea of Monsters, etc… That was the only reason I even picked up this book. It does focus around history a lot, but it is still a good book.

Vincent T.’s Rating: ***

One False Note - Book Two - by Gordon Korman (174 pages)
The new 39 Clues book, by Gordan Korman is a very riveting book. It’s very action-y and is a really good read, especially if you are into solving puzzles. It may be short, but it is certainly worth it to take your time and read this book!

Vincent T.’s Rating: ****

The Clique (Book One) - 220 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

Best friends Massie, Dylan, Kristen, and Alicia have grown up in the life of luxury immersed in today’s fashions and trends.  When Claire’s Florida family moves into Massie’s New York guesthouse, Claire is more than a little out of place.  Her clothes aren’t right, her hair isn’t right, and her sweet attitude is definitely not right.  Massie and her friends go out of their way to humiliate and degrade Claire every chance they get, but Claire shows she has fight in her and takes a little revenge out on the girls.  Filled with seventh-grade girl drama that is sadly true to life, I can see why this series is so popular!

Best Friends for Never (Book Two) - 197 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

Claire is still having trouble fitting in with Massie and her friends, but an opportunity arises in which Massie suggests that she and Claire co-host a boy/girl Halloween party.  Of course, Massie suggests this only to appease her mother, but Claire takes it.  Massie doesn’t let Claire do much when it comes to the party planning or the decorations, but her mother expects her to let Claire dress as a “dirty devil” along with Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen.  Massie agrees with her mother, but sabotages Claire’s costume instead.  Will there ever be peace among these girls?  Find out as the drama continues in this second book of the series.

Revenge of the Wannabes (Book Three) - 296 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **

Alicia Rivera is smart, gorgeous, and well-liked, but she’s also become somewhat power-hungry and is ready to dethrone Massie as the head of the Pretty Committee.  She and Massie have an all-out war in this novel, with major fighting when it comes to whose friends Kristen and Dylan will be.  Claire and Massie also have it out about Cam, the boy both girls like.  In this novel, all the girls are ruthless in their gossip about one another and the constant snobbiness was a real turn-off for me.  I personally did not like this book much.  However, there is a great cliffhanger at the end that makes me want to read the next in the series!

Invasion of the Boy Snatchers (Book Four) - 252 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

The girls have returned from winter vacation and Alicia has brought a little more than a souvenir back from Spain.  Her thirteen-year-old cousin Nina is joining her for a semester at the Octavian Country Day School.  Nina doesn’t care about winning friends.  Instead, her mission is to win over all the boys at Briarwood with her tight clothes and flirtacious attitude.  It works, and Massie and her friends are not happy about it.  What can they do to put Nina in her place?  With an evil mind like Massie’s, you know it won’t be pretty!

The Pretty Committee Strikes Back (Book Five) - 265 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: *1/2

At the end of the last book, Claire got her first kiss, and while Massie is happy for her, she’s also very jealous because Claire now has more experience with boys than her.  Determined not to let any of the other girls find out about her lack of experience, she sets up a kissing clinic that specializes in teaching the girls exactly what to do when the moment of their first kiss arises.  Massie knows that in order for her clinic to be successful she will actually have to kiss Derrington, but surprisingly she’s very nervous about it.  All I can say is, as an adult I keep rolling my eyes at these books, but I’m trying to picture reading them as a 7th grade girl and I guess I might have liked them.  As an adult, I just don’t.  I’m sorry!  I need some of you avid Clique fans to write some reviews for these books that tell other girls why you like them!

Dial L for Loser (Book Six) - 268 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2

After getting expelled from school for their camping misadventures, the girls are thrilled to have extra time to shop!  The school board will meet in April to decide their permanent fate, which leaves the girls with an entire month to fill.  A trip to the set of Dylan’s mother’s talk show brings them face-to-face with two popular teen actresses, but the girls uncover some gossip that one of the girl’s boyfriends is cheating on her with the other girl.  When the actress finds out, she quits the movie that the two girls were preparing to work on, leaving the director with the idea of casting an unknown.  Massie, Claire, and Alicia travel to Hollywood to audition for the role, but when Claire gets the part, she better watch her back!

Sealed with a Diss (Book Eight) - 248 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: **

When Skye Hamilton tells the girls that they must attend her graduation party with hot, mature guys as dates, the girls get busy finding what they must have.  Claire and Cam hit yet another rough patch as she snoops into his backpack and finds e-mails from a girl named Nikki.  Massie questions her interest in Derrington and wonders if he’s mature enough for her.  She also works to fix Skye up with Chris Abeley, but Chris falls for Massie in the process.  Kristen meets a sensitive reader, Dylan acts more and more like a guy (belching and eating non-stop), and Alicia wonders if her looks are fading because no guys seem interested in her anymore.  Ending with the close of the school year, this is the final novel in the series in which the girls are seventh-graders. 

At the end of their seventh grade year, the wave pool on the roof of the Briarwood boys’ school collapsed and ruined their entire building.  Now the girls are back at OCD as eighth-graders, but the boys from Briarwood are joining their school until theirs is repaired or rebuilt.  Massie has told her Pretty Committee that they will be on a boy fast this year because they act too goofy when boys are their obsession.  However, Alicia is carrying on a secret relationship with Josh Hotz, Claire is still stalking Cam, and Kristen has a major crush on Dune, the surf expert.  When Massie, Kristen, Claire, and Dylan are exiled into overflow buildings (basically trailers), they feel they are losing their alpha status at BOCD and they must do something drastic to regain it.

Stormbreaker (Book One) - 192 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Skeleton Key (Book Three) - 327 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

This series is getting better and better!  This time, Alex has a run-in with some pretty nasty mob members who are looking to kill him, so he is sent out of the country for his protection.  His mission seems simple enough - work with two American CIA agents to spy on a former Russian military man named General Sarov.  The three head to Cuba to observe Sarov and discover that he has purchased a nuclear bomb.  Soon Alex is kidnapped by Sarov and alone must figure out how to stop Sarov before he detonates the bomb, killing millions of innocent people.

Eagle Strike (Book Four) - 322 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Scorpia (Book Five) - 312 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

The mission in this novel hits much closer to home for Alex Rider.  He made a startling discovery about his father at the end of Eagle Strike, and this news has led him to Scropia, an international terrorist organization stationed in Venice, Italy.  Alex joins Scorpia with the intent of becoming a trained assassin, despite subconsciously knowing that he is not a killer.  The struggle in this book deals with Alex’s choices and the threat of him giving up good for evil.  Horowitz again does not let the reader down when it comes to emotion, action, and suspense!

Ark Angel (Book Six) - 326 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***

Recovering from the sniper bullet that nearly killed him, Alex is set up in a posh hospital in London.  Alex befriends his neighbor, Paul Drevin, while at the hospital and on the night before he is to be released, he foils a plot to kidnap Paul.  The men, who call themselves Force Three, are a global terrorist organization that seems to have a major vendetta against Paul’s billionaire father, Nikolai Drevin.  Drevin is so impressed that Alex saved his son’s life that he invites him to stay with Paul and him for a few weeks.  Drevin’s main project is to have the first hotel in space, and his rocket is set to launch in a week.  Alex’s instincts tell him something is just not right about Drevin, but you will not believe the adventures Alex has while trying to stop yet another billionaire madman!

Snakehead (Book Seven) - 388 pages - Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2

Scorpia is back and they are once again doing everything they can to cause chaos in the world.  Their intention this time is to use a bomb to cause a major tsunami that will kill over ten thousand people on the coast of Australia.  Alex is asked by the Australian government to pair up with Ash, his previously unknown godfather, disguise himself as an Afghan refugee, and try to take down an evil group known as the snakehead.  Unbeknownst to Alex, the snakehead and Scorpia are one and the same and his life is in more danger than it has been before!  This is currently the final book in this series, but I’m hoping there will be more to come!