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[katara]

Title: The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1)
Author: Sayantani DasGupta
Format: Epub
Rating: 4/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: March 8, 2018 to March 9, 2018
Book Summary: MEET KIRANMALA: INTERDIMENSIONAL DEMONSLAYER

(But she doesn’t know it yet.)

On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey… until her parents mysteriously vanish later that day and a rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents’ fantastical stories—like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess—and a wealth of secrets about her origin they've kept hidden.

To complicate matters, two crushworthy Indian princes ring her doorbell, insisting they’re here to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and slay demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld (who may or may not want to kill her) and the rakkhosh queen (who definitely does) in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it…
Book Review: Are you a fan of the Percy Jackson series?

Then this series may just be for you.

Meet Kiran. A normal 12-year-old girl whom has been living a relatively normal life in New Jersey. That is until her birthday on Halloween. Unfortunately on this day, she comes home to find her parents missing and rakkhosh wanting to make her his dinner. She is rescued by two Princes whom take her on a journey to find her missing parents and where she learns that all those Halloweens where her parents dressed her as a Princess were really no joke.

When I first saw this and read the blurb, my first thoughts of how similar this may be to the Percy Jackson series. Instead of a hero, we have a heroine. Instead of Greek and Roman Mythology, we get Indian Mythology. Our heroine is twelve and trying to fit into two different cultures - American and Indian. For her, she is just a normal kid who enjoys the normalcy of her life (with the exception of her parents always dressing her up as an Princess for Halloween). She is immature still and a bit spoiled. Yet when her parents disappear, a monster and two princes appear, she has no choice but to believe what they have to offer her - help in finding her parents. At first when she learns that she is a real princess, she starts to understand all those reasonings her mother would dress her up as a Princess. It was because she really was one and now the magical bubble that had been placed around her to keep her safe has expired, she has to go on this adventure to retrieve the ones who have raised her.

Kiran's change isn't quite noticable. After all, she was living this normal life and suddenly she is on the run from monsters and trying to find her parents. This changes her completely. She goes from being spoiled and immature to a kick-ass heroine. She learns that all those jokes she had been told by her friends have come in handy as she navigates through this new world. On top of all that, she has two crush-worthy princes who are along for the right.

As for the world building, I am impressed. This world is beautiful and filled with tons of mythology. I am in love with this world. I want to dive into this world and live right smack in the middle of it because who wouldn't?

The only downside to this book is that it feels a bit like Percy Jackson. I don't mind this but lately these books seem to becoming a trend in the middle school/children's books. I understand that Harry Potter and Percy Jackson have become huge influences with authors because they believe that such settings will draw in more readers but at the same time, I would like to see some authors break away from this. This book can stand on its own, I believe it will. It isn't like Percy Jackson but it does have its similar elements mixed in. Still, I really have enjoyed Kiran and her story and I am quite looking forward to reading her next adventure in the second book of this series.

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[katara]

Title: X-Men Red (2018-) #2
Author: Tom Taylor (Illustrator), Mahmud Asrar (Illustrator), Travis Charest (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 3.95/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: March 9, 2018
Book Summary: JEAN GREY and her team must infiltrate a top-secret compound in order to save a mutant they’ve never met. They’ll have to avoid guards armed with guns, protestors armed with hate and sentinels armed with…well, slightly larger and more dangerous guns than the guards. Trouble? More like all in a day’s work for the newest X-Men team!
Book Review: This issue pretty much has picked up where the first issue has left off.

Jean is being accused of assassinating of the Ambassador of the United Kingdom. Because of this, Anti-mutant sentiment has begun sweeping over the country. Even news anchors seem to be on different sides of the spectrum. Some believing that she did it while others believed that there is much more to the story than they are seeing. Of course, those blinded by prejudice don't seem to see it anyone's way other than their own but that is what Xavier's sister is after, right? To divide and conquer?



Unfortunately for Jean, she is unable to stop any of it and is forced to seek asylum in the country of Wakanda with her team. Of course Namor has offered as well but as Nightcrawler puts it, they are human and need the air to breath.

Before Jean and her team can contemplate exactly the magnitude the death of the Ambassador has upon the world or who could be entirely behind the assassination, Jean is summoned by a call who identifies herself as Trinary. She tells Jean that she can help her out but first she needs to find her and help her get out.



Jean and her team head off to India on a rescue mission. Unfortunately things get kinda sticky during Trinary's rescue. While the others are inside pulling a rescue mission, Jean is outside dealing with humans carrying pitchforks. Jean manages to subdue the crowd but not all of them and she has to extend out her powers to encase them as well.

With the rescue done, Jean and her team realize that they have overstayed their welcome in India but not before a Sentinel appears to take them down.


This series has begun on a good foot. Jean and her team have pretty much managed to set themselves apart from the Gold and Blue teams. While the others do occasionally head overseas, they are not an international team. Jean and her team have established themselves in Wakanda. Maybe not on the terms they wanted to do but they are pretty much outside of the U.S.

Her team has some really interesting characters. Gabbi is a humorus and seems to have the ability to enjoy herself even during the dark times that seem to hang over the head of her team. She tries to unwind herself with a dip in the waters of Wakanda while Jean and Laura discuss the events that landed them there.

And Trinary is going to be an interesting addition to the team. She has humor, she is brash, and is willing to dedicate her abilities to help out Jean and her team. Exactly what she knows won't be seen until the next issue but I think with her abilities she will be a great addition to the team and I am looking forward to seeing what she offer.

So this is the second issue and there was a bit more of action in this one than really the last. I am liking the direction of the direction this series is going and I am quite excited to see where it goes in the next issue.

By the way, seeing Wolverine at the end, does this mean with him coming back, maybe he might be joining Jean's team? I think that would be awesome to see but I suppose we will have to wait.