"Battle of the Labyrinth" (2008) by Rick Riordan REVIEW

Huzzah! I have just finished the fourth installment of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, the book which is a build-up to the finale and eases fans into a darker tone.

The last thing fourteen-year-old Percy Jackson wanted to do on summer break was blow up another school. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happens. Monsters that have not stirred for centuries are coming back with a vengeance, teaming with the Titan Lord Kronos and creating a massive army to take down the Olympian gods. To slow down their endeavors, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson enter the mystical underground tunnels of the Labyrinth in hopes to find its creator, Daedalus, and convince him to their side so Kronos would not be able to maneuver his army wherever he wishes. However, it may take more than two half-bloods, a satyr, and a cyclops to reach their goal, and they may also find more than they expected.

Much like with Sea of Monsters, the quality of The Battle of the Labyrinth declines a bit compared to its previous installment. Though the plot still remains complex and unpredictable, the writing tends to be less detailed in some areas and dragging in others, making the pacing of the book sometimes off-putting. However, the action remains exciting and the narration of Percy is as sarcastic as ever. Some neat twists for the series are sure to catch readers off guard, and the last third of the book will leave them wanting more.

Though not the greatest installment, The Battle of the Labyrinth remains a must-read for its wit, action, and plot twists.

4/5 Stars

You can purchase the entire series from Amazon for only $21 here!

Comments

"Need for Speed" (2014) REVIEW

I know I'm not the only one who thought this movie was going to be a flop. I mean, not only is it a high-speed street racing movie, but it's also a videogame movie. Still, I gave it a shot, but mostly for the D-Box experience. Even with the earnings from winning illegal street races, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is still unable to keep his auto repair shop from his father open. For a chance to get $500,000, Tobey takes an offer from his street racing rival and successful car dealer Dino Brewster (Domonic Cooper) to finish building the Ford Mustang that Caroll Shelby was working on when he died. After building the car and selling it without Dino's consent, Dino challenges Tobey and Tobey's friend, Pete, to a street race for the money. Nearing the end of the race, desperate for revenge, Dino pushes Pete over a bridge and drives away, leaving Tobey to be blamed for vehicular manslaughter. Two years later, fresh out of prison, Tobey seeks out to knock Dino off his p...

"The Eyes of the Dragon" (1987) by Stephen King REVIEW

I was pretty excited to read this book, being it is Stephen King's only novel appropriate for a younger audience. In the kingdom of Delain, King Roland is poisoned. Framed for the crime of murdering his father, the king, Prince Peter is thrown into prison and his younger brother, Thomas, is crowned king. Although, little do the brothers know, Flagg, a magician and closest advisor of the now dead King Roland, is working behind the scenes to make sure King Thomas completes his plans in turning the kingdom towards chaos. However, even the greatest plans leaves room for failure, including Prince Peter's plan of escape and the dark secret Thomas had seen through the eyes of the dragon. Though the main plot of the story is quite basic, Stephen King take this tale to the next level. Characters, both main and side, each have their shining moments and are very well fleshed out in this story. Simple enough for a child to understand, the story moves at a slow but steady pace. Also...

Blue Beetle Rebirth Vol. 1: The More Things Change (Rebirth #1, #1-#6)

2/5 Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle has interested me and been on my reading list for a while. When I first discovered the character watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold , seeing Jaime as a relatable teen arguing with the sentient suit that gives him his powers, his New 52 line had already been cancelled. Then Geoff Johns wrote Rebirth and added a little scene with Jaime Reyes that I thought was both very interesting and promising. In short, Keith Giffen doesn't deliver in this volume until issue #6, where he kind of gives a small splice of what the series could be. Getting the obvious out of the way, the dialogue here is absolutely horrible. I tell myself it feels like a first draft, but then there are moments of repetition and sentences upon sentences of nothing going on. By then, it feels more like a very bloated outline with the characters speaking mostly hot air. The dialogue here isn't flat, it's completely empty. This, in turn, makes all the charac...

Kevin Lau

Search This Blog