Raven: The Hidden World (The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn #2)

A novel by Henry Chancellor

Publication Date: August 24th, 2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Pages: 528
Targeted Audience: 9+ and anyone who loves adventures!

Summary: It's the start of the summer holidays, and Tom is back at the Scatterhorn Museum. But when an unexpected guest arrives his world is thrown into disarray. Her name is Pearl Smoot and she is a traveler - like him. She needs Tom's help. Urgently.
There is evil afoot in the shape of Tom's old enemy. Don Gervase Askary. He has captured Pearl's father and brother, and what's more, she thinks he's holding Tom's parents too. Tom and Pearl set off to rescue them, on a perilous quest that leads them from the foothills of the Himalayas to the steaming jungles of Polynesia, then on wards into the very heart of Don Gervase's insect kingdom...

Now now everyone. Let's just take a moment to SCREAAAAM!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY FOUND THIS BOOK! I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER THE  GLOBE FOR THE OTHER TWO BOOKS IN THIS SERIES AND WHEN I FOUND THIS? AH! BLISS!

For the full account of what happened go check out our other blog where I have posted "The Library incident"

So I start this book expecting sooo much more and I was not disappointed. From the first chapter itself you are plunged into a roller coaster ride with unimaginable creatures and a plot that will make your head spin.

There are some bugs that are mentioned in this book which I hope do not exist. EVER.  

Pearl is a great girl. I love her character just as much as I love Tom. They are the best pair ever. I love them both so much. 

Sir Henry Scatterhorn and August Catcher are also beautiful characters. I really wish I had the brains to make something like what August made. Then I too would stuff taxidermy of birds with the encyclopedia. Who would need the internet right? You got a doubt? Just ask the talking bird with the encyclopedia in her head!

And of course I can' t forget the evil Don Gervase Askary and his daughter Lotus Askary. They are wicked! And the creatures that they harbour, their plans for the future... GAH! This book makes me wanna take entomology as a subject!

I am starting to love bugs. I know it sounds disgusting but I just want to study them, know more about them. There is a whole world out there filled with thousands of species of bugs! Who knows when they might take over the world.

There is the Elixir of Life and why Don Gervase Askary really wants to use it. I kind of felt sad for the bugs for their short life and all that but hey! bugs give thousands of eggs! If they lived longer they will totally populate the earth and rule over us! Eugh! They already have a higher population than ours.

Also this book reveals a lot more of the mystery that began in the first book (The Museum's Secret, a review which I have already done) 

Trust me. You want to read this book. I know you do. This book will get you thinking things that you never thought were possible. And also this book will make you laugh a lot. Books rarely make me laugh so it is a big deal. 

I have loved those funny scenes soo much that I want to share one with you. I will make sure that I don't give away the plot.

The hyena's eyes stared at them menacingly.

AAHHH! 

Pearl screamed, Tom screamed, the driver screamed and all the monkeys screamed together. The driver slammed his foot on the brake, sending them all thudding against the windscreen, and the next moment the hyena bounced off the bonnet and tumbled down into the road. Struggling to its feet it stared at them angrily, then loped off into the shadows. For a moment the driver sat still, too stunned to speak. The two monkeys clinging to his steering wheel started to scream.

XD I laughed so hard at this moment. Chancellor has taken a classic scene and put into a situation that makes it hilarious!

I rate it a 5 for drama, comedy, adventure and mystery put all into one 500 pages book. Please read it! I promise you. You won't regret it. My friend loved it too! But if you like the kind of books that Beez reads (Teen fiction) then I doubt you would like it. But if you prefer mystery, adventure and the kind of thrill that makes you want to rip your hair off! Then go ahead and read it.

My ratings... Paris style! 

Lots of love & Beetles

Raven 

(It's so ironic that Ravens eat beetles and I love them... but not enough to eat them)

Beez: The spectacular now 

Tim Tharp

This National Book Award Finalist is soon to be a major motion picture -- one of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance 2013, starring Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller.

SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

I know what you're thinking after reading this summary. Know that this book couldn't be further away from what you're thinking.
It was the same with me. When I started this book I thought it would be like the normal cliche types. That instead of Sutter helping Aimee, she would help him. And in a few ways it is like that. But it is utterly different.

Let me tell you one thing. Sutter is a drunk. A total alcoholic addict. Majorly in denial but still. He is always drunk. He has a flask with him. And he mixes whatever is in it, with seven up and goes around drinking it so no one knows. Sutter had his first drink when he was a kid, 6 I think, with his dad and his friends at a game. It was beer. His dad didn't encourage him but Sutter begged for a sip and drank huge gulps. So you can almost imagine what he'd be like.

Sutter is lively. He always has great stories to tell. He's crazy and has the guts to do anything, isn't scared at all. I got a feeling that life had kind of a hazy view for him. It was always like he was not the one living it. Like he was HIM but he wasn't all that in control. Its the feeling you get when you're extremely sleepy but awake so the conscious part of your mind shuts off and you feel like you're living your life through someone else eyes. 

Sutter is not a bad person. He has a girlfriend in the starting who he defines as big... as in big boned. But he loves her. He believes she is beautiful. And Sutter is always entertaining her with one of his ridiculous stories. But she breaks up with him. Its not a bad break up. I don't exactly remember what she tells him but I think she mentioned that his life has no direction and even though she likes him he's not good for her. 

When we first meet Aimee, she is a sweet, naive girl who lets others control her. Its early morning and she is doing her paper run and hes lying on his back, hung over. Her face looms in front of him. Now Sutter is perfect for Aimee. Sutter oozes self confidence which Aimee lacks. Aimee is selfless and kind. She agrees to take him on her paper run and they look for his car. And Sutter launches into one of his stories.

And his magic completely works.
But the outcome is not what we were looking to find. Aimee loves Sutter and he does too... sorta. They're a couple. Aimee starts drinking quite a lot too. Sutter gave her a flask like his on her birthday. She likes it very much. Its a weird gift but its just like his and in some way its the gift she wants. 

I loved the confusion and the carefree nature of Sutter. How he always lives the moment. How he believes in himself. He is more complicated than you'd think. And there's something about him that is endearing. Its amazing the way he lives. He can literally make friends with everyone. He has a magic about him. 
But he also has issues. Serious issues. Both daddy and mommy issues and other issues. He is finding for something, something he has a huge thirst for. With Aimee, he bonds without knowing it. Aimee desperately needs him. And he wants to be worthy of it. He holds on to her need. Whatever Sutter does, Aimee still sticks with him. Its stupid but he holds on to her as well. When he lets her go..... I cannot describe what I felt.

How ever this book was, I loved it. 
Sutter was that crazy guy and his befuddled mess and his mind is like crazy town. I love how the story folds out. The ending was soo sad but in a few ways it was the right thing to do. I was happy that Sutter finally learnt something. More than anything I wanted so badly an epilogue that shows how when Sutter visits Aimee she's happy and loves her life but tells him that there will always be a place for him in her life. I want to know what happens to Sutter.  I want to know it so badly.

This a different book then others. It will leave you confused and torn and sad over some parts and the ending. Some of you will no doubt feel like whacking Sutter on the head. But you will end up loving it. Hats off to Tim Tharp.
There's only one thing left for you to do. 
Pick it up and Read it.

Lots of love and dirty martinis
Beez.

Raven: The City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)

A novel by Cassandra Clare

Publication date: March 27th, 2007

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 485

Targeted Audience: Young adult (Fantasy and romance)

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

To begin with, I suck. I just know it. Why do I suck? Because I read oh-so-awesome books after the movies release! *sobbing* I think Hunger Games and Percy Jackson are the only series that I have read before the release of the movies (Thank god for that) and there is no need for me to say how much I love both the books which means you have to read it... if you still haven't.

Anyways, back to the review in hand. So, two weeks back in school, on Monday, we had library and so I go inside and sit down with my friends at a table waiting for the librarian to call out my name so I can take my card and get a book.

I scan the shelves (which was pretty difficult since some books are hidden behind other books and also because I hadn't worn my glasses) and I see City of Bones. I immediately turn to my friends and say in a grave and serious tone (Kinda like a police officer) "I see City of Bones." It was a pretty funny moment but whatever, I am deviating from the topic again.

So I start reading this book, expecting lots of interesting stuff to happen. I reach chapter 7 and by that time I have lost all hope. I mean things are happening but it's just not there, that jittery excitement! That wasn't there! I guess it was because Clary was accepting whatever was being thrown at her. Unlike Percy Jackson, she didn't go all "Oh my god! This is not possible. Vampires and werewolves don't exist and I have never heard of shadowhunters so they don't exist." She doesn't throw any tantrums!

I was almost about to stop reading but being a book junkie I needed to know what happens in the end. So I went on and I am glad that I did. Because after chapter 8 I just fell head over heels in love with this book. It's thrilling and hilarious at the same time!

So Clary is a normal girl (just like any other character in a fantasy book) and for her birthday she goes to this club called Pandemonium with her best friend Simon (who obviously has a crush on her and she doesn't know it)  Here she sees three weirdly dressed people kill someone. 
This is how she was introduced to the shadowhunter world. 

Soon after, her mom is kidnapped, she fights  a demon by stuffing a cell phone down its throat and ends up in a church which is covered from the human eye by glamour (Like the mist in Percy Jackson) Now like in every other fantasy book you need a villain and in this book it's Valentine.  At first when I read about him, I thought he was a girl (Since I have a class mate with that name but slightly altered) and then when I find out he was a guy... *insert dropped lower jaw*

As said in the book, shadowhunters (or Nephilim) were made after they drank the blood of Angel Raziel mixed with the blood of the person changing. Idris is the homeland of the Nephilim and Alicante (glass city) is the capital of Idris. Now this can be really confusing and so I will be giving just a brief information of everything related to the children of the Nephilim. 

The Clave is the general organisation of the Nephilim. Like the government that we have. The Covenant is the Law of the Shadowhunters and Downworlders (Vampires, werewolves and all other supernatural creatures) like our constitution. And the Accords is the treaty that ordains how Shadowhunters and Downworlders will never reveal the truth of the Shadowworld to mundanes (Muggles or humans)

Now on why the series is called the Mortal Instruments. The Mortal Instruments are three divine items given by Angel Raziel to Jonathan (the First shadowhunter). Those three items were The Mortal cup, The Mortal Sword and the Mortal Mirror.
In this book Valentine's objective is to steal the Mortal Cup and Clary and the Shadowhunters must find it before him. 

Anyways, It's a very interesting book. The more you read the more you fall into it. There are soo many shocking factors here. I'm sure that if you love Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games and many other such books then you're sure to love this one.

Clary is nice but I just feel like slapping her for what she does to Simon (What she does is for you to find out).

Simon is the nice and cute guy and I absolutely love him! He is the kind of guy (Like the author said) who will take you to prom and impress your parents. I just love him and his sarcasm and cuteness.

Jace is hilarious! I love him for his ridiculousness. I love his jokes sooo much that I am going to quote one of my favourites.

Jace: "It means 'Shadowhunters: Looking better in black than the widows of our enemies since 1234" 

And this was a grave situation (Literally). 

I love Luke. He is like the handsome old man who you wouldn't mind falling for even though you two have an age difference of 300 years.

By the end of the book, I was literally ripping my hair off at what had just happened. I wanted to reverse it. Change it somehow even though it wasn't possible. The last few pages are just wow!

I love this book. I love Magnus Bane. I love Alec, Isabella, Hodge and Raphael. I just love all the characters. I love the story plot even though I don't find Valentine that vicious (I guess he will appear more ruthless in the next books) I really do want to keep reading. I want to see the movie and read the other books (Including the prequel and the e-book edition on Magnus Bane).

I rate this book a 4 for it's original plot but it loses its 1 since it reeled me in a little late. For those who haven't read it, I advise you to read it before your friends start laughing at you for being Late Larry (That's just what I call people who are late. Sorry Larry) 

I am pretty sure that if you haven't read it and the rest of your class has read it and when they see you reading it they will probably laugh but just shoo them off cause it's better reading it late than not reading it at all (That's my true story for books and exams *sigh*)

Lots of love & Pasta

Raven