Princess Ben

Murdoch, Catherine Gilbert.  Princess Ben.  2008.  Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Hardcover, ISBN:978-0-618-95971-6.  $16.00.

Book Talk:
Princess Benevolence is devastated when her parents are killed while visiting the shrine of her grandfather in the mountains.  Convinced that the neighboring kingdom of Drachensbett is to blame, Princess Ben vows revenge.

Unfortunately, Queen Sophia has different expectations of Princess Ben.  She moves her into the castle and demands that Princess Ben begin to learn the fine arts of Queenship and Royalty: dancing, making small talk about nothing, eating small portions, and having a willowy figure.

As the battle between Queen and Princess escalates into an all out war, Princess Ben finds herself locked into the tallest tower in the castle.  It is here that she discovers the magic heritage that is her birthright, and here that Princess Ben begins to learn to work her magic. 

But, will Princess Ben learn the magic fast enough in order to save her kingdom from the evil intentions of Drachensbett? 

Author's Web Site:
http://www.catherinemurdock.com/cm/home.html

Reviewer's Note:
A well told tale, with unexpected twists and turns of plot and whimsy.  The author ends up making this into a twisted fairy tale, related to the story of Cinderella or Snow White, you know, with the heroine awakening with "True Love's First Kiss".  However, the unexpected plot twist to this tale at the end make this story a true gem! 

The Son of Neptune

Riordan, Rick.  The Son of Neptune.  2011.  Disney Hyperion Books.  New York, NY.

Hardcover: ISBN: 978-142314059-7.  $19.99

Book Talk:
Percy Jackson awakens to a nightmare.  Unaware of who he is, or how he came to be where he is, he is being haunted by monsters across Southern California.

While helping a homeless bag lady escape the Gorgons that have been chasing him, Percy discovers that he is carrying to Goddess Juno and is going towards a safer place.  Juno warns Percy that he is about to make a choice which will affect all of humanity forever.

Percy then finds himself in the middle of an encampment of a Roman Legion group of Demi-Gods descended from the Roman Gods.  Still uncertain of who he is or where he comes from, Percy finds that the other campers are suspicious of him and claim that he smells "Greek".

While the campers attempt to make sense of Percy's sudden appearance in their midst, the Roman god Mars appears before the campers, claims the clueless Frank as his son, and then sends Frank, Percy, and one camper of their choice off an a quest to stop Gaea from awakening and destroying the Earth.  They have days to find their way to Alaska and stop the horrible giant from awakening and destroying all humanity.

Can Hazel, Percy, and Frank make it to Alaska in time to stop the giant from awakening?
Will they be able to make it back to camp in time to save the campers from destruction at the hands of Gaea's forces? 
Will Percy recover his memory before unspeakable mistakes are made?

Author's Web Site:
http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/heroes-of-olympus/The-Mark-of-Athena.aspx

Reviewer's Note:
This book is another in the Percy Jackson Olympians franchise of books.  This book stands alone.  Since Percy has lost his memory and is in the dark as to who he is and what has happened in his past, the reader who has not read the books before will also be just as in the dark about how Percy fits into the story, and will revel in how the characters and plot from the previous books are revealed.  

Returning readers will enjoy catching up with old friends and finding out how their story has continued on outside of the novels.

I enjoyed the view of Roman civilization and Roman life.  The author paints an enchanting picture of how the Roman Legion would look today, and has a very different view of the Roman Camps than he had of the Greek Camps.

A fun and exciting read, if you are a Percy Jackson fan, you will enjoy this book!