Review : ARTEMIS FOWL- THE ARCTIC INCIDENT by Eoin Colfer

                                                                              

       Artemis Fowl receives a clue about his father's wherabouts from Russia. When he is about to leave for the rescue, LEP officer Holly Short "kidnapped" him to the Lower Element to investigate about the recent illegal smuggling of human alkaline batteries. But Artemis and Butler were proved innocent. Eager to catch the mastermind of this business, Commander Julius Root made a deal with Artemis : the LEPs help him find his father in return for Artemis' help to find out the smuggler. When Artemis, Commander Root, Holly and Butler arrived at the Arctic circle, they were ambushed by goblins. The four escaped just by scratch. Meanwhile, down at the Lower Elements, the B'wa Kells opened fire on the faeries. With Foaly, the smartest one in the Lower Elements, it's up to the four at the Arctic Circle to save the day.

          The Arctic Incident hooks you up from the very beginning. Full of action and wit (though not much suspense), it sure will make you wanna have some more. The plot was mere brilliance - it sparks your imagination. You will focus on not only the main character, but also the minor characters. The chemistry between the bunch are strong, and one couldn't survive without the other. Relationships in the novel ends up in a lot of ways, as original hatred changes to respect. The lively description let me be with the characters all the time. Dialogues written at the right amount and some parts will make you chuckle a little. Best part is The Arctic Incident can be read alone or read as a series.

Cover : it looks flashier in my hands.

Rating : 4.5 stars

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Review : BROKEN SOUP by Jenny Valentine

      Jack Clark died when he was sixteen. Since then, her mother has been shocked into a shell, unable to work or even take care of her other two children. Mr. Clarke filed a divorce and left Rowan and her little sis, Stroma in the custody of their mother. Little did he know that now his ex-wife could only lay in bed all day sleeping, leaving her two children to fend for themselves. So, Rowan has to take care of her sister and mother, and preventing her father to sense out the truth, in fear of sending her mother to the hospital. When a stranger picks up her photo negative which doesn't really belongs to her, it changes her life. She made a new friend, Bee who was in the store that day and developed the photo negative. The photo was developed! It was Jack, more alive than ever! It sent Rowan into a confusion : who was the stranger and why did he gave her the photo negative?

      Broken Soup is a story that will make your heart wrench, nose run and tears spill. The plot was beautiful. It's unimaginable how a normal family broke down after the death of one member., and the endless grieving.The main character was strong, though a little lost, but she eventually found hope and love.  The starting was a little cliched though, with a withdrawn mother and children to defend themselves after a death of their dearest. Rowan, as the main character, has a clear and lively voice, eventhough I'd found some details unnecessary. Yet you'll find yourself empathizing with Rowan after the first few pages.The supporting characters are well written too : young and chatty Stroma, quiet Bee who has a younger brother to tend to, Carl, Bee's teenaged dad, and Harper Greene, the second most important character in Broken Soup. Valentine skillfully portrayed the mind of a sixteen year old, drawing us in to the world of loss and heartbreak. Life after death is never easy, but it helps when you don't have to go through it alone.

      The cover : simple and sweet. And very pinkish.

Rating : 4 stars

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Review : CLICK by Multiple Authors

Click is written by ten authors : Linda Sue Park, David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Ruth Ozeki, Nick Hornby, Tim Wynne-Jones, Gregory Maguire, Deborah Ellis, Margo Lanagan and Roddy Doyle. Ten award-winning authors collaborate to write a novel about Maggie Henschler and her dead grandpa. Maggie's grandpa, George "Gee" Keane was a world known photojournalist. He took picture of war, diseases and nature. when he died, he left a wooden box with seven compartments, each compartment filled with seashells from the seven continents. Maggie's job is to throw the seashells back to where they belong. meanwhile, Jason, Maggie's older brother found out that he was adopted by the family. He's going to find his genetic father by selling the signed photographs Gee left him. Read on and expect to be moved by the tale of a man who changed people' s lives with a camera.

I love the story. It is the kind that hooked you from the first page, the kind that will make you cry. I simply adored the idea of a man going through all the continents, the places he went and the stories he'd listened to. But all the while he was thinking of his little grand children back home. The authors transported me to many places, hearing tales of a child born from the sea, a man in the war, a boy who met Muhammad Ali, a jailmate in Russia and many more. The stories reminded you to look, to see the world around you. To be amazed.

My cover is different, white base with colorful stripes with the names of authors printed on it. This cover is a little boring. Simple. Both covers doesn't tell much of the story though.

Ratings : 4 stars

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Review : BOUNCE by Natasha Friend

 

Evyn Linney loves her dad, Birdie, brother, Mackey and dog, Clam. But when Birdie drops the bommb that he's getting married, Evyn is devastated. She has to leave Maine, Jules, her best friend to Boston and a house of seven. In Boston, Evyn meets her new extended family - Eleni Gartos(the mother), Linnus(the cute one in college that Evyn has a crush on), Thalia(the eighteen year-old), Ajax(a.k.a. Cleanser Boy), Clio and Cassi(the always fighting sweater twins-don't ask) and the youngest, Phoebe. As if sharing a room with the sweater twins is not enough, Mackey-who's nerdy and only knows how to slave dragons-lands a major role in a school play, Jules ditching her, and on top of that, Eleni is pregnant. Watch Evyn as she matures and evolves.

Bounce is a heartwarming tale of a young girl dealing with udden changes-and I mean multiple- in her life. Evyn tries to cope by talking to her mother, nicknamed Stella.Friend did a good job of bringing Evyn in to life. It felt like I was with her, all the time, going through the ups and downs with her.  The supporting characters are good too, adding just enough humor and drama to the story. Through Evyn, the story sends out the message to be optimistic and cheerful. Although short(it's only 200 plus pages), it is a moving story that will leave you smiling in the end. And add the bounce to your feet when your walking next time.

The cover is simple and clean. Who do you think the cover girl is?

Ratings : 4 stars

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