Arcade Catastrophe

The Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull


Belinda White from the Sweet Tooth Candy Shop is gone. Mr. Sebastian Stott, a friendly magician, took over the shop and adopted a girl named Lindy. Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon have included Lindy in their group and enjoy hanging out at the Candy Shop. Life returned to normal after Mrs. White disappeared from town with her magical candy, but the next town over, Walnut Hills, has some suspicious goings-on. Stranger still, is the disappearance of magical policeman John Dart and magician Mozag. Now they must decide if they should help their missing friends and see what's happening in Walnut Hills.

It's the return of magical treats and amazing adventures! If you enjoyed the first book, The Candy Shop War, you will enjoy the continuing story in The Arcade Catastrophe. The friends you knew in the original tale reappear to fight new enemies and make new friends. Mull's second book is an excellent continuation. He combines mystery, adventure, magic, and candy together for an irresistible reading treat.

Mulls ends the novel with hints at another book to come. This novel can be enjoyed as a complete novel, but the idea of another book is very exciting!

Reader R. C. Bray shares the adventure of Arcade Catastrophe. His low timbre is amazing at creating different characters. It was a slight shock to move from different narrators (book one used Emily Janice Card), but after the first disc the story rolls along at a wonderful speed.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull
Series: Book Two, The Candy Shop War
Read by R. C. Bray
Produced by Shadow Mountain
Number of Discs: 9
Total Time: 10 hours, 45 minutes

The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena picks up from The Son of Neptune. The Greek and the Roman camps need to work together. Members from each camp form a team to complete the latest quest, but dark forces (Gia and her minions) are against them. Romans believe the Greeks are against them, so they are planning to retaliate. The quest team keeps an eye on the Roman camp's movements, but know they need to journey to Europe to complete their quest - especially Annabeth, who needs to find The Mark of Athena.

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

With only part of the quest complete, the cliff hanger is monumental. Bring on the next book, Riordan!

His characters remain true as they continue on their journey. The relationships between the young men and women progress naturally as they fight along side each other, worry over one another, seek to help each other, and hope their relationship will survive this great undertaking.

Joshua Swanson returns to narrate the newest Heroes of Olympus book. He cleverly portrays a wide range of characters. I hope he can return for the next novel to keep it consistent.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Series: Book Three, The Heroes of Olympus
Read by Joshua Swanson
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 12
Total Time: 15 hours, 9 minutes