Review: The Icarus Project by Laura Quimby

Title: The Icarus Project

Author: Laura Quimby

Series: n/a

Publication Date:1st October 2012

My Synopsis:

When Maya goes on a dig with her father, they find something instead of the mammoth they were expecting.

Why I picked this book up:

It was on Netgalley and the title is what drew me in.

Did it live up to my expectations?

It was pretty much what I expected, so yes.

What I thought:

This book was a bit slow going to start with, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. This book is actually aimed at younger readers, I would say between 10 and 12, so I was quite surprised to find it entertained me as well. There were a few too many characters for my liking and at times I found it hard to keep up with who was who, but I really liked Maya’s character. I don’t want to say too much about the story so I don’t give anything away, but there is quite a bit of mystery going on which was interesting and certainly kept the story going.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and am glad I read it, although I do feel certain parts could have been explained better, and less characters.

My favourite quote/s from the book:

“even the moonlight felt damp on her skin, as if she had been bathing in moonlight.”

Read if:

Having not read anything really like this, I can’t make any recommendations.

Up next for review:

Boy Who Made It Rain by Brian Conaghan

Review: The Eyes of Kid Midas by Neal Shusterman

Title: The Eyes of Kid Midas

Author: Neal Shusterman

Series: n/a

Publication Date: 1992










 

My Synopsis:

Kevin Midas is badly bullied, so when he goes on a school trip to Divine Mountain he decides he will climb to the top. When he gets there he finds a pair of sunglasses. When he puts them on he finds out they are magic and will do anything he wishes.

With these glasses he can finally become who he wants to be, popular and not bullied, but at what cost?

Why I picked this book up:

I have a few of his other books on my wish list and only heard good things about them so when I saw this I picked it up.

Did it live up to my expectations?

Not really.

What I thought:

This started off really slow, we get a lot of background about Kevin being bullied and it is quite a while before he finds the sunglasses and the action gets started. Once it got started I enjoyed it for a while, but again it went on a bit before coming to an end. I did enjoy the end and thought it quite fitting. Having said that I am not the intended reader age, so maybe would have enjoyed it more if I had been younger, it has a good lesson about getting what you wish for and getting revenge.

My favourite quote/s from the book:

"On its worst days, the world still made some sort of sense, and that was a good thing."

If this book were a song it would be:

 “When Did You Fall” by Chris Rice, slow to start, then good, but gets a bit repetitive and you are glad when it’s over, but glad you listened to it and quite enjoyed it upon reflection.

If this book were a food it would be:

I’m not sure on this one, can’t quite think of a food that would sum it up.

Read if:

You enjoy young fiction, perfect for people aged about 10-12 I’d guess.

Up next for review:

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry