Inferno! by Scott R. Rigby

Inferno is about a 15-year-old boy named Caleb who finds out that he is a Dream Charmer – somebody with the ability to use their dreams to change the future.  As the most powerful Dream Charmer in a thousand years, it is up to Caleb, with a little help from his dead twin brother Tom, to stop an evil villain named Darius from destroying the gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

While the plot and storyline of this self-published book was fantastic, the author seems to be ignorant of many basic language rules.  The poor structure, misuse of punctuation, and incorrect use of contractions detracted from what potentially could have been a bestseller.  

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I thought this latest installment in the Heroes of Olympus series was spectacular!  First off, Percy and Annabeth’s reunion was sweetly humorous.  Jason and Percy are an awesome duo when they are working together.  Those Romans, however, (particularly Octavian) are a hotheaded and war-hungry group, not to mention ruthlessly persistent.  I guess I will have to wait until the next book to find out how Camp Half-Blood fared against the Romans from Camp Jupiter.  As always, Riordan’s book was packed with non-stop action and adventure, with a healthy dose of humor.

Next fall: The House of Hades