Kevin Lau

Phew! Read it with a month to spare before the movie comes out! Ever since they met each other when they were toddlers, timid and worrisome Quentin "Q" Jacobsen has loved Margo Roth Spieglemen, a girl who likes to live life on the edge. Up until a fateful night in their senior year, Q and Margo have only traded few words. On said night, Margo comes into Q's room and ask him for a favor: Be the assistant of the nine things she wants to do tonight to get back at those who wronged her. It's a crazy night, and Q will never forget it. Deep down inside, he hopes this will change their friendship. However, the day after their escapades, Margo disappears without a trace. That is, until Q and his friends realize she left clues behind about her whereabouts. However, the more clues Q puts together, the more he realizes Margo wasn't always the person she lead them all to believe. Being a fan of John Green's other works ( Looking for Alaska , The Fault in our Stars...

If movies like Jurassic Park III  and Batman and Robin  couldn't kill their franchises, nothing can. Set 23 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World's business is booming, especially when new attractions are added to the mix. However, to win the money of the investors, the director of Jurassic World challenges the scientists to create a genetically engineered dinosaur, something no one has ever seen before. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned when their experiment manages to run rampant through the park, putting the lives of tourists at risk. Plus, the more time they waste, the more intelligent the creature their hunting becomes. As a fan of both the movie franchise and the first novel by Michael Crichton, I'm sure I wasn't the only one with a sense of obligation to watch this installment to the series. I wouldn't say I was fearful the movie would flop, but I had my worries. Amazingly, though, Jurassic World  breaks the barriers of e...

Well whattaya know? I actually got around to reading a classic. At the Manor Farm, life for the animals is horrible. They are overworked, underfed, and all around mistreated by their human owners. There was talk of a rebellion for years, and, one day, the animals of the farm finally act upon the idea of freedom, scaring away the human owners once and for all, keeping and running the farm for themselves. Lead by the pigs, the smarter species on the farm, the animals create commandments and slogans ("Four legs good, two legs bad!"), everyone willing to follow these ideas to the very end. However, the animal-ruled freedom may not be what they dreamed. In fact, it may just be worse than before their revolution. Even though George Orwell's Animal Farm  was written fifty years ago, it's writing still remains strong and fresh, it's message and characters still ringing clear and relates to our present-day matters. A short read, Orwell manages to craft a full plot ...

Note:  If you have not read the previous books in this series , get off your butt and read them now before you end up finding spoilers below. Wait, am I really only one book away from finishing this amazing series? NOOOOOOOOOOO! Shortly after the events of Mark of Athena , the Argo II crew are in a race against time to stop Gaea, the Earth goddess, from awakening. Now they know the date she plans to rise: August 1, just barely a month away. However, before the demigods can figure out where the giants plan to resurrect Gaea, they must first find the mortal end of the Doors of Death and close it to keep the monsters at bay. Meanwhile, in the depths of Tartarus, Percy and Annabeth struggle to survive. Weak, injured, and starving, their chances of closing the Underworld's end of the Doors of Death are thin. Can the seven demigods of the prophecy still succeed? Told from the perspectives of all seven demigods, Rick Riordan's House of Hades  did something I didn't kno...

Within the far reaches of the internet, in a small portion of it many have called "Amazon", lies a particular book written by a particular person. The book is titled The History of the Universe , and the author of this book is me! The History of the Universe follows the story of a ten-year-old boy named Maximus James. The year is 4343 and mankind have traveled great distances across the stars. So much research, so much history , has been made that gathering all the information would be nearly impossible, so thank goodness author James Newark started writing a book that covers everything mankind has ever achieved in The History of the Universe ! However, The History of the Universe  also has information that the dominant public frown upon: The idea of creationism and of God in general. Nonetheless, homeschooler Maximus James and his parents continue to use it as a textbook and, when something goes awry while they're on vacation, they land on an uncharted planet wit...

I wasn't sure what to expect from this debut novel, but I am pleasantly surprised! It is a hundred years into the future and the leaders of the world are finally bringing peace. There will be no more wars, ever. But how is this possible? Did they ever find what caused war to begin with? Sort of. Samyaza al Assad, the main World Council member, approached the idea and convinced the other members of the Council that it was religion that caused these wars, including World War III. With religion now banned worldwide, with the mere mention of God able to get you arrested, will anyone be able to find the truth behind Samyaza's plan? Justin Price's debut  The Called  explores the dystopian world through four plot lines, transitioning back and forth quickly to maintain a fast pace and a gripping read. However, there are times where this happens so much that the book starts to feel unfocused or confusing, but then gains stability starting around the mid-point. Each plot line...

Warning:  If you have not read the previous books in this series , or the original series this one is following up on, then this review will contain spoilers for you. Also, why haven't  you read these books yet? Taking place right after the events of  The Son of Neptune , The   Mark of Athena continues the journey of the seven demigods, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Jason, Piper, Hazel, and Frank, and their quest to stop Gaea from destroying the Earth as they know it. To accomplish this goal, the team must reach the original roots of the gods, Rome and Greece, before the giants lay waste to them. However, Annabeth has a journey ahead that only she can face alone. A journey that, if she succeeds, might be able to join both the Roman and Greek camps and end the war against the giants. Simply put, if there was something or someone you did not like from the previous two books in this series, you will like them now. The pacing of The Mark of Athena  is tight, l...

Yeah, you read that right. Believe it or not, there are movies that exist that actually execute a book's story better than the book itself (if it even follows the book). Now, keep in mind that I am not all-knowing and haven't read every book or seen every movie. This list are just the movies I've had this experience with. You may not even know some of these movies were based on books. 1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire A lot of fangirls are going to hate me for this one, especially since it's the first on the list, but... the movie was better. Sure, the movie did kind of drop the whole "Katniss is preggers" facade, but at least the audience didn't have to deal with the book's writing/Katniss's narrative. The movie flows smoothly, whereas the book is chock-full of choppy sentences that makes it nerve-wracking to read (at least, that's how it was for me). Unlike with the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. However, I can't say the s...

WARNING: If you have not read the previous book in this series or the previous series this is following up on, I   think it'd be best to not read this post due to spoilers. After eight months of slumber, Percy Jackson wakes up without any memory of his past. Nothing, except a name: Annabeth . Trained by the Roman wolf teacher Lupa, Percy tries to find a safe haven for demigods like him, finding it in San Francisco, California. Percy knows he is safe there, but he also knows he doesn't belong there. Everything seems... off. Maybe because he somehow knows Greek mythology facts and Camp Jupiter, the safe place for demigods, uses Roman mythology. However, his safety is short-lived when he and his new friends, big, clumsy Frank Zhang and mysterious Hazel Levesque, are set to go on a quest to Alaska to free Thanatos, the god of death, from the hands of the giant Alcyoneus. The clock is ticking with less than five days on the counter as Percy struggles to lead his new friends ...

NOTE:  If you haven't read the previous two books of the Divergent  trilogy and don't want to spoil the story, don't read the following review. Whoa. Just... Just whoa. Shortly after the events of Insurgent , Evelyn Johnson is now in control of Chicago. The factionless now rule the city. Now, there are no factions. Desperate for escape from Evelyn's rule, Beatrice "Tris" Prior, Tobias "Four" Eaton, and their friends go to the forbidden outskirts of the city. Perhaps there, the chances of survival are greater. Perhaps there, they can find out the truth of their city, their world, and the secrets of being a divergent. Too bad the story only provides more problems for the overall plot. Allegiant  is the final book of Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (a trilogy with an under-par beginning, a stunning sequel, and now a flat finale with plotholes galore). There are so many secrets that are surfaced that make no sense to the concept and ma...

Anyone else felt the need to buy a suit after watching this movie? Ever since his dad passed away, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin has been doing his best to care for his mother. Unfortunately, his short temper with others including his stepfather doesn't help. When he lands into trouble, he calls the one number that can get him out of the tight spot. Little did he realized his connection would hire him for job unlike any other: a kingsman position in the secret organization of the same name. Using his physical and mental skills, Eggsy must train to prove his worth to the organization, but trouble is brewing as a billionaire inventor moves forward in his plan in recreating the world in his image. Kingsman: The Secret Service  was really unexpected for me. I had only seen bits and pieces of the trailers and have heard nothing but great things about the film. I can honestly say those remarks were not said in vain. Kingsman  is truly an amazing spy-flick, full of amazingly choreo...

My journey into the world of Stephen King continues! In the year 1981, a man is found on the beach of Maine, dead. No one knows who he is or how he got there. Even the cause of death is a mystery. Nearly 25 years later in 2005, no one has been able to solve the case, the most information anyone got was that the man from Colorado. Upon request to their new intern, two long-time reporters who helped with the "Colorado Kid" case tell their take on the tale, giving the intern all the information they could dig up on this unsolved case. After years of the "Colorado Kid" case being stuck at a dead end, could a young, fresh mind solve the case? Yes, this is written by Stephen King. No, this is not a horror novel or 800+ pages long. It's a 184-page (3 3/4 hours on audiobook) murder mystery  that keeps the reader trying to puzzle what happened to the Colorado Kid. How did he get from Colorado to Maine in the short amount of time according to the evidence gathered...

I read the whole book in one day. I think you can guess what my opinion on this book is. Much like The Demigod Files , The Demigod Diaries  collects four short stories tying into both the Percy Jackson & the Olympians  series as well as Heroes of Olympus . Alongside the four short stories, there are also artwork for locations of the stories, a couple games, and a short interview with George and Martha, the two snakes attached to the staff of Hermes, God of thieves. The first story, The Diary of Luke Castellan , is perhaps the biggest highlight of the collection. The excerpt from Luke's diary tells of an adventure Luke and Thalia had five years before The Lightning Thief . In this adventure, Luke and Thalia must escape a house full of monsters and mythical traps. It gives readers a deeper insight of the character of Luke, the story being told through his eyes. The story also covers Thalia's finding of her shield, Aegis, and the bronze dagger Annabeth later wields in...

Return to the mythical world on Percy Jackson in the spin-off series, The Heroes of Olympus ! After being nearly killed on a field trip to the Grand Canyon by a bunch of storm spirits, Jason, Piper, and Leo are saved by a couple of other teenagers and taken to Camp Half-Blood, the safest place for kids like them: demigods. Piper and Leo are shocked to find this out, but Jason senses that he knew this already, but he isn't sure. He had woken up on the bus on the field trip next to Piper and Leo with no memory of who he is or how he got there, he just knew something wasn't right. When Hera, the goddess of marriage, contacts Jason and tells him she's imprisoned, he and his new friends must save her by the winter solstice, less than a week away. As Jason struggles leading the trio even though he has no memory of his past, Leo tries his best to help with the quest and lighten the mood whereas Piper holds a secret that could kill them all. Told through third-perspectives ...

"Hello, my name is Shawn Spencer, official psychic of the Santa Barbara Police Department, and this is my partner, Gus 'Silly Pants' Jackson." Little did I realize before watching it, Psych  was the TV show with everything I could ask for. Super-observant slacker Shawn Spencer tips off the Santa Barbara Police Department to the point where the officials believes he may be a part of the crimes he gives info of. They call him in to interrogate him and to find out where he gets his sources, because, frankly, no one should be able to get all that information just by watching the news. Desperate not go to prison, Shawn tells the cops that he got the information through visions, then claims himself to be a psychic. To keep up the psychic act and earn some cash, Shawn brings in Burton "Gus" Guster and opens up a psychic detective agency called Psych, where they are hired by the department and public many times to help solve numerous cases, mostly those of ...

My only regret when reading this book was that I didn't read it before I read  The Last Olympian . Percy Jackson's life isn't exactly the easiest. Being the son of a Greek god, Percy has to deal with monsters hunting him down, the gods of Olympus wanting his help with their own problems, and might even have to help his demigod cousins as well. The Demigod Files  is a collection of short stories tying into the  Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and also builds up to the finale. In the first story, The Stolen Chariot , Percy must help Clarisse retrieve her father's stolen chariot from her immortal siblings, the minor gods of fear. In the second story, The Bronze Dragon , an innocent game of Camp Half-Blood's Capture the Flag turns into Don't Get Killed By The Bronze Dragon when Percy Jackson and Chris Beckendorf accidentally stumble upon the dragon's remains. Finally, there's The Sword of Hades , in which Percy, Thalia, and Nico are summoned ...

Don't judge me. I only read this because it was the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Novel of 2014. However, I have to disagree. Meet the Sinclairs: A perfect family. No one is poor. No one is starving. No one is a criminal. When seventeen-year-old Cadance Sinclair returns to the family summer island of Beechwood after her accident that caused amnesia, she notices things have changed since she was last there two years ago. At least, from what she could remember and what her mother told her. Cadence tries to have a fun summer, with her cousins: eccentric Johny and soft Mirren. She wants to get back together with a long ago love, Gat. However, Cadence knows that information is being kept from her about what happened on the summer she can barely remember. Something big. So big, in fact, it might just blow your mind.* I'm not in the target audience, but I'll try to make my review as unbiased as possible. However, I really enjoyed the main  plot (the part...

It's sad when a good series ends. You're left there to say good-bye to the characters, good-bye to the adventures, good-bye to their world. According to The Great Prophecy, something big happens when Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, turns sixteen: He would have to make a choice that will either save or destroy Olympus and our world. Unfortunately for Percy, his sixteenth birthday is only a week away. Even more unfortunate, Kronos, the Titan Lord of Time, is almost fully revived and is using Luke's body as his temporary shell, and all efforts to stop him from reaching New York only end in losses. Just when things couldn't possibly get worse for Percy, the gods leave Olympus unattended to stop the rampaging storm known as Typhon, leaving Percy and his friends to fend Olympus themselves and take on Kronos demigod-to-Titan. The perfect final installment to an amazing series, The Last Olympian  delivers explosive action and touching moments as readers say farewel...

"Haters gonna hate, and ain'ters gonna ain't." With all the controversy surrounding the movie, curiosity overwhelmed me to check out this movie. In fact, I looked forward to it, and I think the same could be said about most of the other people who watched it. TV talk show host Dave Skylark (James Franco) and producer of the show Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) have been working together for ten years, producing a thousand episodes of the hottest celebrity gossip. However, Aaron feels like they should move in a different direction, start covering real news like politics but keep the charm of Dave Skylark. Dave then comes up with an idea to land an interview Kim Jong-Un, leader of North Korea, who happens to be a huge fan of the show. Once this news reaches the public, the CIA contact Dave and Aaron, wanting them to "take out" Kim Jong-Un. The Interview  is most certainly a goofy comedy, but plays it off very well. The jokes are clever, both well though...