7 Reasons Why I Love Artemis Fowl

1. Artemis Fowl is an 11 year old criminal mastermind.  He's incredibly intelligent and altogether too mature for his age.  It's hilarious to read about but totally believable in his own right.  The social awkwardness because of his evil genius nature is probably why I love him so much early on in the series.  He has no ability to interact with someone his own age and I love it!


2. The underground world of fairies, Haven City, is brilliant.  Just think an entire metropolis of fairy creatures living underneath the human population without their knowledge.  It's crazy and the shuttles to and from the city to the surface of the Earth as really an awesome way to travel.  Taking a ride on a magma flare from the core of the Earth is a brilliant mode of transportation.

3. Butler is a macho man with killer instincts and reflexes.  He knows what's what and he can kill you in several different ways without trying.  He's got so much bad-assery but when it comes to family he will do whatever it takes to protect them.  Butler is fiercely loyal to Artemis and in return he has Artemis' respect, which is very hard to get.

4. Holly Short is quite possibly my favorite character in this series.  She is a spitfire who doesn't let Artemis boss her around but knows when to take orders and when to give them.  She's a rule breaker and that gets her into trouble, but it also saves the day more than once.

5. The character transformations over this series are incredible.  You start off reading one set of characters and by the end you are still reading about them, but they are completely different in the ways they think and interact.  It's amazing to see character development to this degree.

 6. Mulch Diggums. There's no more to say other than he is brilliant.

7. The plot is fast paced and engaging.  I never felt like not reading these books.  I continued to think about what Artemis and the others were doing when I wasn't reading these books.  I loved the action pack battle scenes and the sarcastic character development moments and the problem solving that seemed to happen on every page.  I always wanted more, to know what was going on in Holly and Artemis' worlds.

6 Reasons Why I Love Percy Jackson and the Olympians

1. The mythology in these books are incredibly weaves into the current world. I absolutely love that locations in the mythology are found in different parts of the country.

2.  These books have the good old fashion epic adventure feel that greek mythology has only it's set in modern day and the hero is a sarcastic teenage boy.  There's nothing like a good quest with commentary by a hero who is also trying navigate teenagedom.

3. Among all of the characters, which there are quite a few, there is no one I like more than Tyson.  I love his enthusiasm and his energy and dedication to family and friends. He may have started out somewhat hopeless but he grew into himself. Plus I love how much he loves Percy. 

4. Not only do we meet a crew of incredible Demi-gods but we also get to meet gods in their natural habitats.  How they've adapted to life in America is quite hysterical at times, but always incredibly clever. 

5. The villains are worthy opponents. Sometimes in books it's clear that the main characters will overcome because the antagonist is weak but the ones in these books are worthy of a good fight. 

6. Annabeth and Pery were a long time coming, but I loved that they weren't pushed together. They got to develop as characters individually and together as friends. Later, we got to see Percy agonize over his feelings for her and his confusion of the female gender together.

5 Reasons Why I Like The Song of the Lioness Quartet

1. Alanna might not be the first girl to disguise herself as a boy but her reason is by far my favorite.  She wants to be a knight and nothing's more bad-ass than that.  Alanna doesn't allow herself to quit; she practices longer and harder than her fellow pages and squires.  I love that she perseveres against all odds to prove that she is in fact worthy of the knighthood.

2. Alanna makes strong friendships that last over the 10+ years covered by the books. They grow and change as the characters grow and change - which is amazing. As someone who loves a good dynamic character, I cannot tell you how obnoxious I find stagnate characters.  I know that stagnate characters have their place in books, but I'm impressed with Tamora Pierce's ability to grow even the smallest characters.  

3. Several minor characters have a purpose later in the series. Frequently minor characters get lost and forgotten over a series.  They'll play their part and then disappear, but Tamora Pierce cleverly ties in several minor characters to Alanna later in the series.  You can tell Pierce loves her characters because she treats them all very well, even those that don't deserve it.  

4. In this medieval realm, noble women, like Alanna, are sent to become ladies.  However, she doesn't let traditional customs hold her back.  This is indicative of who she is:  She is headstrong and courageous, intelligent and loyal, and most of all she is a woman.  Alanna makes decisions based on what's best for her.  She doesn't worry about how other people perceive her, especially when she chooses to do something that is not considered lady-like.

5.  Generally, I'm not much of a cat person.  I mean they're cute and all, but they shed like crazy and that turns me off.  However, Faithful is one of my favorite characters in this series.  He is Alanna's familiar and he chooses when to speak and when to stay silent, but he always speaks up when he thinks she's making a silly decision.  He makes teases Alanna, which is hilarious.  He is able to talk to anyone he choose, but they can only understand him when he chooses.  He acts as a conscious for Alanna in times of need and is quite content to lay about the castle otherwise.