Audio Review of Swipe by Evan Angler

Title: Swipe (Swipe, #1)
Author: Evan Angler
Narrator: Barrie Buckner
Published by: Oasis Audio
Length: Approx: 8 hours
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 3 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Logan Langly is just months away from his thirteenth birthday and the biggest day of his life—the day he will finally be marked. The mark lets people get jobs, use public transportation, or even buy concert tickets. Becoming marked means becoming free—or so he is told. Five years ago when Logan's sister went to get her mark, she never came back. Now Logan can't shake the feeling he's being watched... And then he finds the wire.

Logan Langly is being watched.  Everyone just thinks he is being paranoid, that is until he meets Erin.  Erin and her father just moved to town because he is on some big top secret case and she figures the sooner she solves it the soon they can move back home.  Soon these two team up and launch an investigation that could put both of their lives in danger. 

I'm not sure if it was because Swipe was a middle grade novel, but I found some of the characters to be a bit immature.  For example, Logan's best friend Dane got super jealous over nothing and totally cut Logan out of his life.  He was rude to him and overall just a jerk.  He didn't want to know the truth or want to talk about it.  It was hard for me to come to the mindset of the characters being younger and therefore being extremely impulsive.  Erin didn't really care about anyone but herself and seemed like she just wanted an adventure.  I didn't actually like her very much, because it never seemed like she wanted to help Logan, instead she just wanted the thrill of finding out what was happening to the missing kids.  Logan on the other hand was the only character I did like.  He was a genuinely good kid and nice person.   As much as everyone thought he was crazy, he new what he believed was true and he stood his ground.  He really grew as a character throughout the novel and by the end he was quite brave and daring.

Even though these characters were not my favorite, they were memorable and seemed to work well with the plot.  I liked that the story wasn't completely predictable, instead having some unexpected twists at the end which will lead nicely into the next novel in the series.  The narrator, Barrie Buckner, did a good job, but I wasn't fond of his voice for Erin.  It felt forced and a little manly.  Otherwise though, he kept me engaged and interested throughout the entire story. 

I like the concept behind Swipe, but I wish that Evan Angler would have gone into more world building in this dystopian-like novel.  I want to know why society is the way it is now and why the need to be marked.  Hopefully this will be covered in the rest of the series.     

Audio Review of The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Title: The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus, #3)
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Joshua Swanson
Published by: Listening Library
Length: ~ 15 hours
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

The Mark of Athena was an intriguing mix of Greek and Roman mythology sure to command your time and attention. 

How I love Percy Jackson!  I wasn't too sure about the first two books in this spin off series of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians but The Mark of Athena shined and made me appreciate the Heroes of Olympus just as much. 

The seven demi-gods of the quest finally meet up and start their adventure.  Each of these characters have such distinct and unique personalities that even though there are many main characters there are is no trouble keeping them apart or seeing one as the weak link.  I love that Rick Riordan gave each of them a special talent and something completely their own.  I think people can really relate to this by each of us having our own talents and gifts that we can contribute to a whole and make it that much stronger.  And here you thought that a middle grade fantasy book would teach you nothing about life's important lessons...leave it to Mr. Riordan to prove you and I wrong. 

Not only did The Mark of Athena have great characters, there was always some sort of action to keep you on your toes.  Of course there were some epic battle scenes, but also there were puzzles and mind games that the characters had to work their way through.  Sometimes the battles they were fighting were not even external, but instead some weakness or insecurity in themselves.  The plot was very well rounded and the story definitely could stand on it's own instead of just being a place holder in a series. 

Joshua Swanson has read all of the Heroes of Olympus novles and does a wonderful job.  His different inflections for each characters voice really brings them to life and gives us more insight into who the character is.  I really love his voice for Leo.  It's a bit rough and gravelly and adds so much to his character.  I hope he continues on with the series as now I am so used to his voice it would be a shock for me to hear another. 

I definitely enjoyed The Mark of Athena best out of all the books in the Heroes of Olympus series and after the gaps-inducing ending of this book, I can't wait to see what happens next. 

Review of The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Title: The Whole Story of Half a Girl
Author: Veera Hiranandani
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 224
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★

Summary from Goodreads: After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.

A delightful coming of age story about a modern girl was is part Jewish, part Indian and 100% confused.  Sonia's life gets upended when her father loses his job and she is forced to transfer from her small tight-knit school that she's grown up in to a public middle school.  Life is tough at this age.  You had to feel bad for Sonia who not only gets thrust into a public education after coming from a school with no grade assignments and only 1 teacher who sticks with the same class for multiple years, but also leaving all her friends and everything she knows. 

Like all new kids it takes Sonia awhile to find out who her true friends are.  She meets Kate who seems fun, super nice, and popular, but at times acts a bit uneasy around Sonia.  I wasn't really sure what to think of Kate.  She seemed really nice at first, but then you'd catch these glimpses that seemed like she was almost embarrassed by Sonia.  That is one thing I can't tolerate in a friend.  Sure we all do things to embarrass ourselves and others, but to be embarrassed by someone because of who they are is just plain rude!  I started to get a bad vibe from Kate at that point, but like Sonia's parents I had to trust Sonia to make her own decisions.

Like moving to a new school isn't enough of a transition, things at home are not what they used to be.  Sonia's father is very moody and depressed since he lost his job and it takes it's toll on the whole family.  Everyone feels alone and awkward at times, but it takes Sonia a while find her footing and to realize what's really important in life. 

While the novel was a little young for my usual taste, Veera Hiranandani did an good job and making the little everyday situations come to life.  Everything seemed so real and it was almost as if you could transpose this novel into your own childhood.  It was a bit slow at times and I felt the chapters just sort of ended without a true transition, but overall a delightful read.