BEA/ BookCon 2018

Its that time of year again! Book Expo America and BookCon is a time when book lovers from all over get together and share their love of books! Whether it is meeting their favorite authors, reviewers or just fellow book enthusiasts, the Book Expo is a great time all around. This year I only had the opportunity to attend one day of Book Expo but I made my rounds and met some notable authors and or course picked up amazing swag! Check out the pictures below to see what I did with my day.

Met author extraordinaire Rick Riordan

Gail Carson Levine is such a sweet and wonderful woman!

Loved finally getting to meet Alexandra Bracken 

Christina Bauer signing "Wolves and Roses"

SWAG!

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The Mark of Athena Review

608 pages

Annabeth is terrified. Just when she’s about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo’s fantastical creation doesn’t appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace. And that’s only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close— the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her? Annabeth’s biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he’s now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side. Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare. . . .

Review:
The Heroes of Olympus series just keeps improving with each new addition and this novel is no exception. Finally the Roman and Greek camps get to meet although their peaceful meeting doesn't go as planned. This novel is narrated by four of the demigod's perspectives and we definitely get to see new sides to each character. The Percy and Annabeth reunion is awesome and they haven't lost that spark that makes them such an awesome couple. There are few love triangles with the other characters that seem to be forming which only makes this novel more interesting. I've grown to expect a certain level of action with the books in this series and this doesn't disappoint. Plenty of monsters, missions, and humor keep this story fresh and exciting. The ending leaves you on a huge cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next book to come out to see what happens next. I definitely recommend this if you are a fan of the Percy Jackson novels but make sure you read the other books in The Heroes of Olympus Series first. If you have time check out the original Percy Jackson series as well.

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The Serpent's Shadow Review

406 pages

He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow... or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld...

Review:
And once again Rick Riordan has created an awesome ending to a great series. This series has only improved since the first book and came to a strong ending. I love ancient Egyptian mythology and I think that this novel does an excellent job of incorporating that into a real world adventure. Carter and Sadie are their usual amusing selves and narrate this novel in an entertaining and fun way. Finally their battle with Apophis comes to a head and both Carter and Sadie have to make decisions that will change the lives of both them and all their friends. I loved the different unexpected twists that pop up in this story. There is a lot of action and adventure that will keep you immersed in the world of the Kanes. I can definitely see a crossover series in the future between Percy Jackson and the Kanes (please? lol). I definitely recommend this novel and series if you're a fan of mythology, magic, and other works from Rick Riordan.

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The Son of Neptune Review

513 pages

In the first pages of this standalone sequel to The Lost Hero, Percy Jackson remembers only his name and the name of Annabeth, a mysterious woman he associates somehow with the city of San Francisco. From those sparse clues, he must somehow complete a mission for the leader of the Roman camp even as he is being pursued by the two sisters of Medusa, who possess an apparently unquenchable thirst for vengeance: Even when killed, they spring back to life. Rick Riordan's second Heroes of Olympus promises even more excitement than the first.

Review:
Oh how I LOVE Percy Jackson! Rick Riordan is absolutely masterful with this series. This book is the second one in an interesting spin on the Percy Jackson series. Apparently there is a Roman camp of demigods as well and Percy Jackson ends up there with amnesia courtesy of Hera. Of course it has the usual adventure and quests and all kinds of action. I really wanted to see everything from Percy Jackson's point of view again but it wasn't too bad having the perspective of his two new friends. I thought it was interesting the way that the Roman camp was run, it seemed a bit more successful and useful than the Greek camp. I love mythology and I love Rick Riordan's new spin on what he originally started out as Greek mythology. This is an extremely well written book and I recommend it to all Percy Jackson fans but you definitely need to read the first one before this one.

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The Throne of Fire Review

452 pages

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.
And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

Review:
Ok usually I love Rick Riordan books but I have to admit this one didn't suck me in as the Percy Jackson series did. Maybe its the way in which the story is told by the different characters but I feel like the book started out a little bit slow and certain aspects of the books seemed drawn out and long. I was a little bit confused when the book started because I didn't know how they got to that point from the previous book. There seems to be gaps in the storytelling sometimes. However, it was still a great read.  I do love how the Egyptian myths come to play in the storytelling and there is definitely a lot of action and adventure in this book. I think Carter's obsession with Zia was a little strange but sweet at the same time. Sadie was sometimes annoying but when she embraced being a heroine she was wonderful. All in all this is worth reading, especially if you read the first book, but just to see how the story develops. I will definitely read the third one when it comes out just to see what happens next.

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