The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

I'm sure many of you have heard about or read The Percy Jackson series and if you enjoyed those I know you'll love the new Kane series starting with The Red Pyramid. The second in that series recently came out and it surprised me so much that I felt a book review coming on. 

Rating: 9 & 1/4 out of 10

Pages: 446

First Line: "Carter here. Look, we don't have time for long introductions."

Synopsis: After the Egyptian gods and goddesses were let lose, Carter and Sadie have been pretty busy. They've been fighting monsters, training kids with Egyptian magic, and trying to save the world. I know you're probably thinking that a fourteen year-old  boy and an almost-thirteen year-old girl cannot possibly be trying to save the world because: a. they're too young, b. they just found out about their magical abilities not too long ago, and c. if the world were in danger, you would have heard about it--right? Wrong. You see Carter and Sadie have only just released the tape-recordings that tell their story. In just a few days, less than a week, in fact, the snake Apophis is going to swallow the sun and Chaos will take over. Basically, the world will end. But not if the Kanes can help it. They are planning to bring Ra, the sun god, out of retirement and have him stop Chaos from overruling Ma'at, order. To do this they have to find the three different scrolls that make up the Book of Ra, chant the spell correctly, and actually find the missing sun god. As they face their newest adventure, the odds are against them, but this never stopped before. Too bad that this is an impossible task, harder than anything they've ever seen. 

Review: I had thought the first book in the series to be just okay. This was caused by not enough explanation about the complex magic. Also, I found that I do enjoy the Greek gods in the Percy Jackson series and The Lost Hero, more than the Egyptian gods. I had thought The Red Pyramid was decent, but really didn’t think it was up to par as a Rick Riordan book. Well, the second book in the series definitely changed my mind.

            The Throne of Fire was jam-packed with adventure. There were all sorts of fights that were both won and lost by the protagonists, making the storyline very realistic. They traveled, got captured, and made daring escapes. Everything that makes a fast-moving, good action story was there.

            Also, there were secondary storylines and conflicts, such as Walt’s secret or Carter’s quest to find Zia. These added a lot of dimension to the story and complicated the main conflict, just like in real life. *SPOILER ALERT* And though not everything worked out with Zia and Carter, I found that she was a very important part of tying the first two books together and I believe we will see much more of her funky character in future books.

            I really love how these books are written as if they are transcribed. It makes them even more interesting and I enjoy the biting side comments that the sibling exchange. This brings me to the comedy in this book. Though Mr. Riordan does not put a whole bunch of comedic dialogue or jokes in, there is a humorous side to this story. He works in bits that are so random and his characters have such ridiculous quirks that you’ll be giggling out loud. I almost always found myself smiling as I read this book from the pure absurdity of it all. (This may not sound like a compliment to some of you, but from me it is.)

            One of the few things I thought the booked lacked was a really great climax. The rising action and the building momentum of the story were wonderful, but they promised so much more than we got. I found the main fight to be almost boring, partially because Carter and Sadie were not very involved. *SPOILER ALERT* Yes, Sadie reads an immensely difficult spell while Carter protects her, yet the fighting is mostly between Desjardins and Apophis. I thought that this did fit in with the story and was well thought out, yet I could not help but become disappointed after all the other minor fight scenes that led up to the big challenge.

            By and large, I was quite immersed in this book. I found the mythology and magic to be better explained than in the first book of the series and I thought the voice recording bit still fit in with the story quite nicely. The action was intense and there was just enough comedic relief. The Throne of Fire was a joy to read and the level of writing happily surprised me.

Recommended: Mhm. If you don't like mythology or fantasy then this will probably not be an exciting read for you, but if you enjoyed Mr. Riordan's other books or like this genre then I recommend it highly. 

Similar: The Red Pyramid, anything by Terry Pratchett, The Akhenaten Adventure by P. B. Kerr

The Game of Vingt Cinq

Twenty-five random facts about moi:

1. I was named Madison Lark Meyer because my mother thought I looked like a baby bird when I was born.
2. I own a butter churn and use it regularly.
3. I know the names of almost all the animals at the Maryland Zoo. 
4. I enjoy dancing in the rain.
5. I don't have a favorite genre of music. I just like good music.
6. I've taken a bookbinding class. 
7. When I was a child I loved playing imaginary games with my friends--Imaginaries, Olden Days, Fairies, House, etc.
8. I have no clue what I'm going to be when I grow up, my life feels like it could go in so many different directions.
9. My iPod is named Wilhemina. She has exactly 199 songs on her, as of now. 
10. I am a bibliophile and most of the local librarians are on a first name basis with my family.
11. My miniature schnauzer's favorite color is green.
12. I have a fear of being alone.
13. I love being onstage--whether I am in a dance recital, play, or musical.
14. I wish I could play an instrument, but I've never been musically talented.
15. I have recently discovered a love for Nutella (I'm eating a spoonful right now :D) and Glee.
16. I enjoy listening to NPR and also HCC's station.
17. I am a nerdfighter a.k.a. one who fights worldsuck.
18. My first grade class help decide my little sister's name.
19. I am a Mac. This is most likely because I learned how to use Photoshop on a Mac. 
20. Sometimes I sit on my roof.
21. I love old things.
22. I'd rather sew by hand than with a machine.
23. I've never been out the country, though I've always wanted to travel.
24. Even though my voice is nothing special, I love to sing--especially show tunes.
25. I always try to pick out the funkiest and most unusual glasses when I get a new pair.

My spirit animal and me 

A Most Delightful Safari into the Capital

Yesterday, our Honors English class visited Washington D. C. for the day. We went to the Folger Theater where we saw Bill's Buddies, an acting troupe. They performed a medley of Shakespeare scenes and taught us about them. We heard about how Shakespeare still relates to modern life in his plays and how we could understand them better. While I am pretty comfortable reading Shakespeare, I will now be reading his plays out loud more often, so that I can hear the way his writing creates sound and emotion. My favorite part of the show was probably the fight scene from Hamlet, for after Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet is my favorite play of Shakespeare's. They were very talented actors and I enjoyed seeing their interpretation of the plays. I had a lot of fun and recommend this trip highly, though I would have liked to stay longer in D.C. considering the length of the trip there and back.

Hero-- n. 1 a. a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b. an illustrious warrior c. a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d. one who shows great courage 2 a. the principle male character in a literary or dramatic work b. the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3. an object of extreme admiration and devotion

Heroic Traits:

• Brutus
• saved Mark Antony 
• is working for the greater good of Rome, even thought he is close to Caesar
• takes control of the conspiracy
• wants freedom for the Romans
• has noble intentions
• idealist
• driven by his principles
• stoic
• loves Rome and is very loyal 

• Caesar

• Brutus says that he was:
• valiant
• loving
• ambitious
• already led Rome to victory
• catalyst that makes everyone else act

sources:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSxvUTNz5oUDSMAewudA5EFVBIgfhlFPPYrneEayFDJpPWUjs8m1A&t=1

Tragic Flaws

Caesar

• overly ambitious
• intelligence tainted by hunger for power
• prideful
• ignores superstitions
• headstrong

Brutus

• naive 
• trusting
• stoic
• unselfish
• feels guilt strongly

That Zora Sure Does Love Her Some Symbols

• The checkers stand for Janie's equality and how Tea Cake treats her.
• Janie's braid is for freedom.
• The head rag meant bondage and slavery.
• Booker T. was an example of black success.
• Mrs. Turner personified racism and all of its complexities.
• Guitars stood for the playful side of people and the life-loving atmosphere of the Muck and Tea Cake.
• Overalls were for the working class and hard, honest work.
• The packet of seeds holds new life and starting over.
• The horizon is for new beginnings, hope, and planning for the future.
• The color blue  is proof of Janie and Tea Cake's love. It also symbolizes their partnership.
• The fish were a symbol of sharing of relationship between Janie and Tea Cake
• The Muck and the dirt were for the working class and a community rich and fertile in fun and love.
• The hurricane is God's power and how it is scary and amazing.
• The rabid dog is a symbol for hatred and how it is blind to who it hurts.
• The street lamp showed a new start and a fire just being lit. It also stood for Joe's ambition.

• The spittoons were for unnecessary luxury and Joe's way of keeping Janie content.
• The Eatonville store is the meeting place and center of the community.
• Mules stand for the burden of women, especially black women.
• Guns and shooting show that Janie is being empowered.
• The pear tree is for perfect harmony and marriage. 
• The sun and the way Janie associates Tea Cake with it means that life goes on and the sun continues to rise and set. 

Quote Unquote Imagery

My favorite—“Words walking without masters; walking altogether like the harmony in a song.” Pg. 2

1.      “The sun was gone, but he had left his footprints in the sky.” Pg. 1 This describes how the sun has set, but there is still some light on the horizon. This may also be referring to the symbol of Tea Cake as the sun and saying that though he is dead Janie remembers him.

2.      “She searched as much of the world as she could from the top of the front steps, then went on down to the front gate and leaned over to gaze up and down the road. Looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world to be made.” Pg. 11 This shows how she was looking for adventure and opportunity.

3.      “It was a lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods where nobody had ever been.” Pg 21-22 This shows how secluded Janie is in Logan’s house and how that was boring for an adventurous and fun-loving girl like her.

4.       

a.       “Logan with his shovel looked like a black bear doing some clumsy dance on his hind legs.” Pg 31 This mental image is supposed to contrast with that of Joe Starks so that one can see the difference in the demeanor of the two men and that Joe is after something bigger.

b.      “From now on until death, she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything.” Pg 32 This states how happy she feels when she runs away with Joe and she believes that this feeling with never disappear.

5.       

a.       “It was just a handle to wind the tongue up with.” Pg 48 This  expression is used to say that the townspeople  talked  well about Joe just to make sure they didn’t get in trouble for the other things they say.

b.      “…he’s de wind, and we’se de grass.” Pg 49 this is used to tell of how much control Joe had over the townspeople.

6.       

a.       “Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun.” pg 51 This tells that even with all that was going on with her life, Janie’s world went on.

b.      “He had more spirit left than body.” Pg 56 though this is used to describe the mule, it tells that a being’s spirit and body are not the same thing.

7.       

a.       “She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels.” Pg 76 this shows that Janie had a lot of fight left in her, but Joe kept such a tight control on her that she couldn’t start fighting.

b.      “She got so she received all things with the stolidness of the earth which soaks up urine and perfume with indifference.” Pg 77 This shows that she learnt to deal with Joe quietly and indifferently.

8.       

a.       “But stillness was the sleep of swords.” Pg 81 This is saying that the stillness between Joe and Janie was only preparation for a fight.

b.      “She was liable to find a feather from his wings lying in her yard any day now.” Pg 84 This is referring to Death and saying that soon it will come for Joe and barely leave any traces behind.

9.       

a.       “It was all according to the way you see things. Some people could look at a mud-puddle and see an ocean with ships.” Pg 89 This tells of how some people are optimistic and see lots of oppurtunity while others do not.

b.      “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t tuh last no longer’n grief.” Pg 93 Janie says this to indicate that it would be rude to the dead to mourn them only for public appearance, without ever grieving them.

10.   

a.       “Jes lak uh lil girl wid her Easter dress on.” pg 98 Here Tea Cake is showing how pleasing and cute it is to have Janie call him by his nickname. He is also trying to break the age barrier between them.

b.      “Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day.” Pg 99 This is talking about the moon and it means that the night finished the day and brought about love and rest.

11.   

a.        “It was so crazy digging worms by lamplight and setting out for Lake Sabelia after midnight that she felt like a child breaking rules.” Pg. 102 This shows how thrilling it was being with Tea Cake and how much younger she felt by having so much fun.

b.      “It feels jus’ lak underneath uh dove’s wing next to mah face.” Pg. 103 Tea Cake uses this description to tell of how luscious Janie’s hair is.

c.       “Janie awoke next morning by feeling Teak Cake almost kissing her breath away.” Pg. 107 This phrase is used to show the magnitude of Janie’s love and how it was different than with her other husbands.

12.   

a.       “When you see uh woman doin’ so much rakin’ in her head, she’s combin’ at some man or ‘nother.” Pg. 111 Here Sam Watson is explaining Janie’s actions to Phoeby.

b.      “ Git up on uh high chair and sit dere.  She didn’t have time tuh think whut tuh do after you got up on de stool uh do nothin’.” Pg. 114 This line is Janie talking of her grandmother and her dream for Janie. The chair symbolizes an important or cushy place in society; a honest living and a good marriage.

13.   

a.       “The train beat on itself and danced on the shiny steel rails mile after mile.” Pg. 116 Here Janie is telling of her trip to join Tea Cake.

b.      “But, don’t care how firm your determination is, you can’t keep turning round in one place like a horse grinding sugar can.” Pg. 118 Here Mrs. Hurston uses the symbol of a horse grinding sugar cane to show that you have to make progress to go anywhere.

14.   

a.       “Shining their phosphorescent eyes and shooting them in the dark.” Pg. 131 Now one of Janie and Tea Cake’s adventures is being told, making their relationship sound exciting and fun.

b.      “…but heah, we ain’t got nothin’ tuh do but do our work and come home and love.” Pg. 133 This is where Janie is telling of how she enjoys her working life with Tea Cake and comparing it to her old relationships.

15.   

a.       “A little seed of fear was growing into a tree.” Pg. 136 Mrs. Hurston uses this phrase to describe how Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is starting to have flaws.

b.      “You done hurt mah heart, now you come wid uh lie tuh bruise mah ears!” Pg. 137 Janie is trying to stop Tea Cake from hurting her further after she gets jealous of Nunkie.

16.   

a.       “She was an ironing board with things thrown at it.” Pg. 140 Here Mrs. Turner’s posture is being commented on.

b.      “He was a vanishing-looking kind of a man as if there used to be parts about him that stuck out individually but now he hadn’t a thing about him  that wasn’t dwindled and blurred. Just like he had been sand-papered down to a long oval mass.” Pg. 144 Mr. Turner is being described here.

17.   

a.      “She got ninety-nine rows uh jaw teeth and git her good and mad, she’ll wade through solid rock up to her hip pockets.”  Pg. 148 This is what a man says when comparing his wife to Janie and how his wife would never stand him hitting her.

b.      “…broken dishes and crippled tables and broken-off chair legs and window panes and such things. It got so that the floor was knee-deep with something no matter where you put your foot down.” Pg. 152 Mrs. Hurston describes the scene in Mrs. Turner’s after the riot.

18.   

a.      “The winds, to the tiniest, lisping baby breath had left the earth. Even before the sun gave light, dead day was creeping from bush to bush watching man.” Pg. 155 The premonitions of the hurricane are talked of.

b.      “…and the monster began to roll in his bed. Began to roll and complain like a peevish world on a grumble.” Pg. 158 The hurricane is symbolized as a monster.

19.   

a.      “He stood once more and again in his high flat house without sides to it and without a roof with his soulless sword standing upright in his hand. His pale white horse had galloped over waters, and thundered over land.” Pg. 168 Death is personified for a better effect after the hurricane.

b.      “Some dead with fighting faces and eyes flung wide open in wonder. Death had found them watching, trying to see beyond seeing.” Pg.170 Mrs. Hurston talks of the dead and the aftermath of the storm.

20.   

a.       “Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.” Pg. 191 Janie says this after everything, when she has returned to Eatonville.

b.      “And listenin’ tuh dat kind uh talk is jus’ lak openin’ yo’ mouth and lettin’ de moon shine down yo’ throat.” Pg. 192 This is the comment Janie makes when talking to Phoeby about the porch-sitters.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Scrutinized

Object of Exmination: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Written by: Zora Neale Hurston
Pages: 240
First line: Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.
Rating out of 10: 8
Synopsis: Goodreads
Review: Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found the plot to be interesting and the twists in the story were unsuspected and realistic. The action scenes were a little hard to follow--the sentences were too long and too flowery. In some cases, Mrs. Hurston did not describe a few vital details. I loved the language and the imagery and symbols. The writing would lure me into a trance and I would just keep on reading. I grew to enjoy the cultural factor that the phonetic dialogue added. The symbols added so much meaning and reverance to the story and brought out some of the hidden conflicts. While the characters were well-developed and easy to relate to, Janie was a little annoying at times with her inner conflicts and how she couldn't decide what she wanted. Readers would be more sympathetic if Janie was not so hypocritical at the beginning and gathered up her strength more quickly. I really liked this book and recommend it to anyone who likes romances, historical fiction, or gorgeous writing.