The Night Children by Kit Reed

Plot: groups of homeless children live in the enormous, ever-expanding MegaMall, sleeping by day, coming out at night. They know where the surveillance cameras are, where to get the best food, how to get everything they need. The MegaMall is their home, and it's the only place they're safe. Or is it?..

Comments: this book is good for someone who needs a distraction from daily problems. It poses a bigger, yet surreal problem than you normally face on a day-to-day basis, and it's entertaining enough to suck you in and make you forget your worries. I like most of the characters, and they're well described. The plot is good, and easily followed, as long as you pay attention when you read. I don't like how the main girl, Jule, obeys the orders of Tick, the main boy, as if he were her superior. He orders everyone around and they follow him. I understand that he's the leader of the group, but it annoys me that no one can do anything for themselves.

I think the sentence structures could have been varied a bit more. For example, throughout the book, a lot of dialogue had something to do with finishing ("'~~' Tick finished." or "'~~' He finishes..."). The sentences were often almost repetitive, especially in the end; it seems as if Amos's speech is said at least three times, with slightly different words. The ending was not satisfying for me, either. I think it could have been more creative.

Rating: I give this book a six out of ten.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Book Four in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series.

Plot: Percy and his friends need to travel through the endless Labyrinth underground to stop Kronos's invasion on Camp Half-Blood. They meet up with plenty of friendly monsters along the way--friendly meaning, of course, bloodthirsty and evil--and try to find the creator of the Labyrinth.

Comments: A good book for a day when you need some laughs. I always love Percy Jackson's character; he's funny, easy to mistake for a real person, and not exactly the first person you think of when you hear the word "hero". All the characters are really well-rounded and easily imaginable. I like how they all have extremely different traits and personalities. The plot was interesting and the storyline easy to follow. The book explains whenever it introduces a Greek mythological creature, like a Hundred-Handed One, so it's easy to understand. It's hard to put this book down and it's fun to read.

Good hook, makes me want to read it (as if I wouldn't anyways, but whatever), an ending that is both a good finish to a book and makes me want to read the next--and last--book in the series. I think that the characters could be a little less predictable, however.

Rating: I give this book a seven and a half out of ten.

Dark Power Collection by Bill Myers

Books: The Society, The Deceived, and The Spell.

Plot: these books are about the power of God vs. the power of the devil. If you don't believe in God, I suggest you don't read these books, because they're all about His power and strength over the devil. Two teenagers fight with God's power to overcome the devil in their high school.

Comments: These books are okay, but I thought they were a little bit too focused on religion. I realize that that's what the books were supposed to be about, but they were too religious for my personal taste. I read books to get away from life, and this just helped remind me of it. The characters are well-rounded and likable, and I like the way they are introduced into their new school. The plot is okay, though as I said, it's completely focused on God's power vanquishing the devil's power. The storyline is pretty good, nice and smooth reading.

Rating: I give this collection of books a six out of ten.