Title: The Reality Bug

 

Author: D. J. MacHale

 

Series: Pendragon, #4

  

 

My rating: 4 of 5

  

  

(Book read from June 29th to July 7th, 2015.)

   

 

Summary:

 

 

VIRTUAL REALITY?
 

The territory of Veelox has achieved perfect harmony. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon arrives on this territory in pursuit of the evil Saint Dane, but all is peaceful on Veelox — because it's deserted. The inhabitants have discovered a way to enter their own personal dream worlds, where they can be whomever they want, wherever they want. Their bodies lie in stasis while their minds escape to this dream realm.
 
Fresh from his battle with Saint Dane in 1937 Earth, Bobby is confident that they can defeat whatever Saint Dane has planned for this world. But once Bobby enters the virtual world, will he be able to resist the lure of the ultimate in escapism?

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

  

And the adventure continues... The Reality Bug - the 4th book in the Pendragon series - is a little bit different, but still quite imaginative, suspenseful, adventurous, and maybe just a tiny bit scary because of the possibilities in the future that can actually happen. Sure, Lifelight was awesome & so amazing, but it makes you think & wonder...

Once again, Saint Dane is on the move, but he's not as present in this book, because at the beginning of the book, Saint Dane leaves the territory of Veelox, saying that his job there is already done, and Veelox is about to crumble.

 

I loved the story of Veelox. I mean, I loved getting into the world of Lifelight, it was quite interesting, but yes, Veelox was about to fall, and the blame was mostly on its people, and ultimately, I wouldn't want to live there... Aja (the traveller from Veelox) has realized the dangers that Lifelight presents to the territory, and has been working on sort of a cure, that's actually a virus, called the Reality Bug, and needs Bobby's help to implement her plan & hopefully save Veelox. 

I won't go into details, but I loved meeting the new & quite interesting characters, seeing Loor again, and learning more about the acolytes, too. Mark & Courtney want to become acolytes, and I enjoyed that part quite a lot, it was great.

And the story as a whole was fast-paced, full of danger, twists & turns, entertaining & imaginative, and quite the adventure. And that ending, OMG. Both for Veelox & Eelong. Things just got real. Not that they weren't already, but I think that the stakes has never been higher, and I can't wait to read the next book, and see what will happen next!

I can't recommend enough the Pendragon series! They're books that boys would love, but girls as well, and adults alike, despite being YA. Pretty much any fans of adventure stories, so I highly recommend it! It's one of my favorite series, and I know I'll enjoy reading the books again & again!

  

 

Challenges:

- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015

- 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #60 - Oldest book on my Goodreads TBR pile that I own

Title: The Never War

Author: D. J. MacHale

Series: Pendragon, #3

  

My rating: 4 of 5

 

 

(Book read from September 24th to September 26th, 2014.)

 

 

 Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is a loyal friend, sports star, devoted pet owner -- and Traveler. Along with his uncle Press, Bobby has visited the alternate dimension of Denduron and participated in a civil war. He's also waded through the endangered underwater territory of Cloral. Now Bobby once again finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth.

 
Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral -- Spader -- have flumed to New York City, 1937. Against a backdrop of gangsters, swing music, and the distant sound of a brewing war, the two must uncover the evil Saint Dane's newest plot. But is Bobby ready for the difficult choices ahead?

 

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

The adventures of Bobby Pendragon as a Traveler continue in the third Pendragon book - The Never War. And believe me, it was a good one. Once again, I was totally wrapped up in the story, and I knew there were some difficult choices before Bobby, and I was pretty sure what they'll be quite early on, and even though I was right, that didn't diminish my enjoyment. My heart was actually breaking for Bobby, for Spader. And that villain Saint Dane - he's so villainous & I hate him for what he tried to do &/or did to Bobby. I'm not saying which was it...

There were a few new characters a.k.a Travelers, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the future books, but the one we saw most of was Gunny - and I adored him as a character!

This story was fast-paced, funny, highly entertaining, full of danger, and so heartbreaking, and quite the adventure in time & space. I loved the whole timey-wimey aspect. Then again - I have a thing about stories like that.

That's all I'm going to say about this book. It was such a good sequel, and I love Bobby Pendragon as a character even more now. I love how much he grew up in this book, yet I'm still heartbroken over it. That's what happens when a character sneaks into my heart. 

That being said, I'm so excited about what comes next! Obviously, I was going to continue with the series because I love it, but after reading the description of The Reality Bug - I'm barely managing to stop myself from starting it, because I have some other books I need to read first, and I think (and have a feeling) it just might be the best Pendragon book so far...

I highly recommend the Pendragon series to every fan of adventure, fantasy, science fiction & time travel - and if you're a fan of all of them, then the Pendragon adventures are a must-read!

 

 

 

Challenges: 

 

September is for Sequels Challenge

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Title: The Lost City of Faar

Author: D. J. MacHale

Series: Pendragon, #2

My rating: 4.5 of 5

(Book read from February 24th to February 28th, 2014.) 

  

Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is not like other boys his age. His uncle Press is a Traveler, and, as Bobby has learned, that means Uncle Press is responsible, through his journeys, for solving interdimensional conflict wherever he encounters it. His mission is nothing less than to save the universe from ultimate evil. And he's taking Bobby along for the ride.

 
Fresh from his first adventure on Denduron, Bobby finds himself in the territory of Cloral, a vast world that is entirely covered by water. Cloral is nearing a disaster of huge proportions. Reading the journals Bobby sends home, his friends learn that the desperate citizens of the endangered floating cities are on the brink of war. Can Bobby -- suburban basketball star and all-around nice guy -- help rid the area of marauders, and locate the legendary lost land of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral's survival?

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Once upon a time, years before I started blogging, I came across the book The Merchant of Death. It sounded fun, so of course I had to get it & read it, and I loved it. It was quite the adventure, and I was eager to continue the series.  

The Merchant of Death is the first book in the Pendragon series, a series of 10 books, but at the time I hadn't been able to get my hands on the sequels, and after I did some years later, I hadn't been able to get around to continuing the series. 

I have this thing that I do, I keep postponing reading & finishing the series that have more than a few books, and every year since I've started blogging I made the resolution to finally return to the series, and every year I failed big time. And since it was so long ago since I read The Merchant of Death, a reread was necessary, even though I remembered the particulars. And finally, I reread the first book near the end of 2013, I felt about it the same way as I did the first time, such a great adventure & great beginning to a new series, so 2014 is the year I'll finally finish the Pendragon series (I hope). And finally reading The Lost City of Faar is one step closer to me reaching my goal ;)

The Lost City of Faar continues where The Merchant of Death ended. Bobby Pendragon & Uncle Press followed Saint Dane on the planet Cloral. I absolutely loved Cloral! I wish I lived there. It wasn't perfect, but it was magnificent. The whole planet is under water, and I loved the world-building, and their technology, and the way they lived, just everything about it. So imaginative, and beautiful & lovely, and I wish I was there. So, yeah, I totally fell in love with Cloral, and that's what made me love this book so much.

The second thing that made me love this book was the new character - Vo Spader. From the moment we meet him, I adored him. He's such a charming, easy-going, funny guy. And he's so smart, quick on his feet, and so, so brave. Just one of those persons that light up the room wherever they go.

But, after something happened to him, he changed of course, everyone would in his place, so my heart was breaking a little bit for him, and I could understand him, and I can't wait to see what will happen next with him.

And then there's Bobby of course - our protagonist. I love Bobby Pendragon. There's just something about him, he's so likable, and good, and brave (even when he's afraid), and loyal, and he keeps getting better as a Traveler.

I adore Uncle Press. I would've loved to have an uncle like him, he's amazing, and I'll stop right here. I'll say that I was really sad & heartbroken, but I just know that this isn't the end ;)

And yay, Loor of course was back, at least for a little while ;) She's as amazing as ever, and I loved the glimpse of Zadaa as well.

The only thing that irritated me in this book was Mark. I think that he acted a little bit foolish about something, he should've told Courtney right away, but in the end, they were awesome with the way they dealt with the situation they had found themselves in.

Another thing I have to point out is that I love the way the series is written. We (the readers) just like Mark & Courtney, follow Bobby's adventures as a traveler through his journals, journals that he sends to Mark & Courtney for safekeeping, and to let them know how he is doing. To be honest, this time, I just wished to skip the parts with Mark & Courtney, because Mark irritated me, and go right from one journal to the next, because I was eager to see what will happen next to Bobby, but I still loved the writing style.

 

I loved the story. It was quite the adventure. The villain (Saint Dane) was villainous, there was lots of action, adventure, mystery, danger, and the mysterious & lost city of Faar. That's all I'm going to say, and I'm really excited about reading the sequel, especially with the teaser we got in the end about what Bobby has been through so far after leaving Cloral & where he has ended up, it sure seems to be quite the roller coaster ride.

 

If you're a fan of adventure books, then this series is for you. An adventure in time & space (I know, it sounds like Doctor Who, I totally stole the line ;) but believe me, it's different), an awesome mix of fantasy & science fiction & adventure, and so far, so good, and I highly recommend it!

 

 

  

Challenges:

 

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Title: The Blood

Author: D. J. MacHale

 

Series: Morpheus Road #3

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from my own copy from February 16-17, 2013)

Summary:

The riveting conclusion to a thrilling trilogy from New York Times bestselling master of suspense D. J. MacHale.

From Marshall’s mysterious experiences in The Light to Cooper’s haunting perspective in The Black, the questions have intensified along with the action. And now it is time for answers: A final showdown is in order between best friends Marshall and Cooper and the terrifying villain Damon, who’s more determined than ever to break down the walls between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Marshall is forced to make a brave and shocking choice when the battle is on the line, and he and Cooper might be rewarded with help from someone quite unexpected….

As the gripping trilogy heads toward resolution, shocks and surprises await at the end of the long and winding Morpheus Road.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

What did I think of the final book of the Morpheus Road trilogy - The Blood? I was totally amazed & surprised, and I loved every second of it! D. J. MacHale is definitely a master of thrills & twists & turns. Of course I knew what he's capable of, but he still managed to surprise me :) Why? Because The Blood definitely didn't go the way I thought it will when I finished The Black!

D. J. MacHale will take you on quite an adventure on the Morpheus Road with this amazing conclusion to the trilogy. The Blood is fun, fast-paced, action-packed, eventful fantasy, with lots of twists & turns that will keep you guessing what will happen next, as well as lots of heartbreak. Yeah, I admit, I got tears in my eyes more then once.    

This time we follow lots of different PoVs, we even got Damon's PoV, and I loved that it jumped around between all the different characters, because they're all characters we already know, and this made the story to flow perfectly. We also got answers to all those questions we had, so everything wrapped up nicely :)   

I won't go into details about the story, you know me ;) spoiler-free ;) but I have to mention that a character I did expect to show up, did, so that wasn't a surprise :) That character is from D. J. MacHale's Pendragon series, and although I've read only the 1st Pendragon book years ago (before I started blogging, I still need to read the rest, 'cause that book & world rocked) and we meet that character in the 1st book, so it was lovely seeing him/her again, but even if you haven't read the Pendragon series, it doesn't matter. And why did I expect him/her to show up, if I haven't finished the Pendragon series? Well, when the description about The Blood was revealed, lots of Pendragon fans guessed that that one character will show up, since it was mentioned "someone unexpected", so they guessed right :D

So, to wrap up, do I recommend The Blood & the Morpheus Road trilogy? Yes! The Blood completed the trilogy perfectly, and these are definitely books I'll read over & over again, and never get enough! And this only made me even bigger fan of D. J. MacHale, once again he confirmed that he's quite a storyteller, so if you still haven't tried his books, what are you waiting for? He's definitely one of my fav authors, and while waiting for his next book SYLO, I think I'll finally pick up the Pendragon series, I think it's time to finish the series :)

Challenges:

Don't Let It End Reading Challenge

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

Title: The Light

Author: D. J. MacHale

 

Series: Morpheus Road #1

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book re-read from my own copy  from November 28 to December 03, 2012)

Summary:

Marshall Seaver is being haunted...

It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window, a rogue breeze - all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on the pages of a sketchbook - a character Marshall himself created.

Marshall has no idea why he is being tormented, but he is quickly convinced it has to do with his best friend, Cooper, who has gone missing. Together with Cooper's beautiful but aloof sister Sydney, Marshall searches for the truth about his friend while ultimately uncovering a nightmare that is bigger and more frightening than anything he could ever have imagined.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Ok, so this is the 3rd time I read The Light - the first book in the Morpheus Road trilogy - and I have already reviewed it twice, but I have to do it again because I love it so much, and want to spread the love for the trilogy, but I'll try to keep it short ;)

Marshall Seaver is a loner in a way. He's an artist, he keeps sketching his creepy character Gravedigger again & again, and spends most of his time with his best (and only) friend Cooper Foley! Also, he has lost his mother a couple of years ago, and has a crush on Cooper's older sister Sydney. So, after having a really big fight with Cooper, strange things start to happen to Marshall. He's freaked out of course, especially after seeing Gravedigger - a character from his own imagination - who tries to kill him again & again. So, when he tries to contact Cooper, he finds out that he's been missing. So, Marshall, together with Cooper's sister, Sydney, try to find Cooper, while trying to stay alive.    

The Light is a book that will keep you on the edge of your sit from the beginning until the end! This being my 3rd time I've read this book, I didn't found it as creepy as I did the previous 2 times, but it was still a thrilling read that I found exciting & fun & sad & eerie, with such a great mystery, and once again I loved every second of it. I loved Marshall as a character, and I love the way he grows up through the book. I also loved both Cooper & Sydney, they're such great characters, too. Most of this book is from Marshall's PoV, with a little from Sydney, and an epilogue from someone unexpected ;) 

So, if you're a fan of books with lots of thrills & chills and lots of twists & turns, then this is a book for you!!! I can't recommend it enough!

Title: The Black

Author: D. J. MacHale

 

Series: Morpheus Road #3 

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book re-read from my own copy  from December 05, 2012 to January 09, 2013)

 

 

 

A Note of Warning: 

 

If you haven't read The Light, and you'd like to, then DON'T read the summary of The Black, because it has lots of important spoilers!

Summary:

This isn't what Cooper Foley expected death to be like... 

Cooper Foley has landed square in the middle of a border war between the worlds of the living and the dead. He's always had a knack for finding trouble, but nothing has prepared him for this. 

At the end of The Light, book one of the Morpheus Road trilogy, Marshall Seaver learned what really happened to his missing best friend, Cooper. Now the mystery continues, only this time through Cooper's eyes. 

What did Marshall's terrifying encounter with Gravedigger have to do with spirits from another existence? Who is Damon? What role did he play in Cooper's dilemma? And most important, what is the mysterious Morpheus Road? All of existence hangs in the balance as Cooper races against time to find answers.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

So, The Black was also a re-read for me, but it was only the 2nd time I've read this book ;) Once again I was totally wrapped up in the events happening in this book. We follow Cooper and what happened to him. He's such a fun character, and got stuck in the middle of events that didn't concern him, well, until Damon decided to involve him :) We learn about the Morpheus Road, and we learn more about Damon & about Marshall's Mom a.k.a the events that started this whole thing. We also meet Maggie - I really liked her - and she & Cooper were really sweet together. Also, there was a mystery involving her, and that one was totally unexpected, so another awesome subplot by D. J. MacHale. I don't want to go into too many details, because I dislike spoilers, but this books was really great sequel, that was full of thrills, suspense, mystery & action, so you'll find yourself unable to stop turning the pages, wanting to know what will happen next? And that epilogue, so sad, yet amazing, and will make you want to pick up the last book - The Blood - right away! If you've enjoyed The Light, you will definitely enjoy this one, too, so I can't recommend it enough.