James Potter and the curse of the Gatekeeper

James Potter and the curse of the Gatekeeper by G. Norman Lippert
3/5 stars
459 pages
source: sequel to James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing

The story:

A continuation of Lippert's previous novel, James Potter and the Hall of Elder's Crossing. This takes place where the epilogue of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows leaves off. It follows Harry's two sons, James and Albus in their adventures in Hogwarts.

My thoughts:

When I read the first book I was super excited because it allowed me to develop the HP universe and look at it from a different POV. James and Harry are completely different and, where James is concerned, it's obvious that he's not some prodigy like Harry was. So naturally I continued the series. This book left me with a bitter sweet taste. On one hand, I love it because the plot deepens and we start to see who the major players in this story are. But on the other, the evolution we see in the different personalities disappointed me. 

See, this book picks up where The Deathly Hollows left off and we meet Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. While I loved Albus and Rose in the begining, they started to tick me off later on in the book, while Scorpius got on my good side pretty quickly. When we meet Albus he's sweet, feisty, adorable and just what you'd picture the 11 year-old offspring of HP would be like but when he gets sorted he turns into a complete jerk. Just because he's not a Griffyndor, he think he can act like the king of Hogwarts or something. Same thing with Rose. She gets sorted into Griffyndor and suddenly she's there to take Hermione's place and complete the "holy trinity". Even though she's a first year, Lippert put a great amount of effort into modelling her after her mother so that the trio wouldn't be a member short. As for Scorpius, he surprised the hell out of me. First of all he got placed in Griffyndor (Am I the only one who finds that odd? A Malfoy in Griffyndor?)and second, even if I was prepared to hate him through out most of the series, he earned my grudging acceptance with his fast tongue and witty remarks. 

In this book we also come to learn the master plan behind Merlin's return and get a better look at the shady magician. After having spent most of the first book trying to prevent his return, the wizarding world realises he's not evil and decides to position him as Headmaster at Hogwarts. 

The thing that felt off about this whole thing is how shady he appears during the better part of the story. His every move/word is orchestrated in a way that points to him as being the mastermind behind the evil plan the holy trinity is trying to thwart. Even the whole time-travel scene is used to partially incriminate Merlin even though he's not suppose to be evil. Of course, one could think that, after all that, when he does prove to be innocent it's an even bigger relief, but I don't share that point of view and think the author tried too hard when it came to writing out those situations. 

Don't get me wrong, it was a very fun read and I enjoyed it immensely but I think, with a few tweaks, it could've been even better. My favourite part of it was that whole time travel thing. I mean JK Rowling may have set the HP universe up but she never gave us any particular insight on how it was BEFORE Harry's time, apart from when Harry was sucked into Tom Riddle's diary in book 2, so meeting the founders, even from another writers POV, really made my imagination sore.

I'll, of course, be reading and reviewing the third book in the series. I hope the american version of the wizarding world isn't too far off from what JK. R. originally had in mind. 

James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing

James Potter and the Hall of Elders'Crossing by G. Norman Lippert
4/5 stars
405 pages
Source: free ebook on goodreads

The story (from goodreads)

Based upon the characters and worlds of J. K. Rowling, this book tells the story of Harry Potter's son James, and his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The review:

First off I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I've read the books more times than I care to count but they still manage to enthral me every time. So, of course, when I caught whiff of this book I knew I had to read it, even though I'm not one to go for fan-fiction that much. 
After a mysterious break-in at the Ministry of Magic, we meet James Potter just as he's perusing the Hogwarts Express' corridors. Spotting his parents of the platform, he rushes in a compartment to wave them off. This is where we meet Zane and Ralph, James' two best friends to be. They were both raised by muggles and are pretty much ignorant to the wizarding ways. One thing that surprised me greatly was the fact that Zane was American. Being part American myself, I loved it. He's got our trademark humour and he adds a very interesting twist to the story. Ralph, on the other hand, is plain old British (no offence meant) and yet possesses unique wand skills.
On the journey to the legendary school, James turns out to be everything Harry wasn't at 11. He has a loving family, comes off as rich, void of any connection to the dark arts, and frankly a bit dull. He seems to think he has to follow in his father's footsteps, something which greatly influences his behaviour through out the book. He is, of course, placed in Gryffindor, even after hesatating, like his father before him, between that and Slytherin. Surprisingly Zane is placed in Ravenclaw (although I might suspect that's because it's the house of the brainy students and Lippert wants the only official american student at Hogwarts to represent the best our country has to offer) and even more surprisingly Ralph is placed in Slytherin (I was honestly baffled by that one until the very end of the book), which is led by Tabitha Corsica, who seems sweet but is, in reality, pretty evil. 
Once the school's set in, we have a surprising visit from an american elegation from Alma Aleron. They come by flying car (great cars might I add)and have with them none other than Benjamin Franklin himself, among others. He's an awesome bloke, teaches Defence Again Dark Arks in a great way and everyone loves him. Along with him come two other very important characters: The Technomancy teacher, Stonewall, who's loyatly we doubt until the very end (I think he's suppose to play the role of Snape who ended up in the same predicament in the Sorcerer's Stone), and Madame Delacroix, the pawn who serves t orchestrate Merlin's return, believing he will help them "purge the wizarding community", who serves as a divinition teacher. 
As I read on, I was increasingly confused as to who the big arch enemy/Nemesis/Big evil bad guy was suppose to be. The only thing that's off in the first few pages is how the Slytherins are suddenly for muggles knowing about the wizarding folk and them actually fighting for it. Of course that's all a ruse to hide their usual plan of world domination and such but still, there is no real villain is this book. Merlin seems to fit the bill but he never actually clicked, so it's not surprising when he turns out to be good. So basically the whole book leads up to that, Merlin's big return and therefore possibly doom of the world, only to found out that he's not that bad.
 However the real villain may seem to come later. A few months into his first year there, a dryad warns James and his friend about Voldemort having an heir, a successor, a Bloodline. This shocked me and I honestly spent most of the book trying, and failing, to figure it out. I even thought for a while that it was James and that Voldy had cursed Ginny back when he'd kidnapped her the first time in the Chamber of secrets but he turned out to be clean (not that it wouldn't make a great plot twist). Of course all suspicion falls on Tabitha but I'll tell you this: she may seem to fit the bill but you'll be VERY surprised by who it really is. 
Anothing thing that never clicked was the whole story about the muggle reporter that's so sturbborn he finds his way unto the school grounds and such by GPS. You'd think that GPS wouldn't work because it would go haywire but it apparently doesn't work like that because the protective shield around Hogwarts rattles the mind and since that device has no brain to speak of it seems to be able to bypass the protective spells.Throughout most of the book I legitimately thought Tabitha had brought him in and he was there to expose the wizarding world so that they could all stand on equal footing. This is not the case. In fact lead to clearing up why Ralph was in Slytherin. It turns out he's not a muggle but a Dolohov (I'm sure all the HP fans know and hate this name but bear with me, he's not that bad) and his father was a squib, rejected by the familly from a very young age. I find it very wise that Lippert kept that name a secret until the very end because even I had a double-take when I saw it. 
Which brings us to Merlin. Very powerful, the actual Merlin from the stories, he apparently disapparated into nothingness, waiting for the right circumstances to be brought back to this world. When he does reapparate, it's a thousand years later and, in the beginning, he's the odd one out. He doesn't really understand how our world works but he seems to acclimate pretty quickly. He's described as a mountain, probably referring to the great power he holds, and goes around with a staff, part of which is Ralph's wand which makes him so brilliant at spellwork.
A few other things I didn't partcurlarly like in the book as well. For one James sucks on a broom. I mean seriously? He's a natural at football but he can't stay upright on his broom without hurtling to his death... Secondly there isn't enough MAAAAAAGIIIIIIIC in it. We may get a play by play of the most interesting technomancy classes but the one thing I loved about the original series was the great magical detail it contained. And finally, I want more of the original characters. We might get a glimpse of grown up Harry but we BARELY see Hermione or Ron on even George! and there's almost NO MENTION of Molly Weasly! I mean come on! That women is a pillar in the HP universe, you can't just prance around, writting up stories about it WITHOUT mentioning her!
All in all it's an amazing book that can easily be read in a few days. It's even great for the older folk out there because bringing HP back to life is like rekindling with an old childhood friend, both joyful and warming. And, of course, I'm quite confident  it would fascinate young readers to no end. 

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
3/5 stars
615 pages
Source: Library

The story:

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.
Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

The review:

Having gotten over my Twilight obsession long ago, I've come to realise the bad writing that dominates Stephenie Meyer's books ('most compelling writer of our time'? Was the author of that sentence high when he wrote that..? Just saying...) Some of her phrases just don't make any sense, no matter how long you stare at them and let's not forget the numerous and frequent grammatical errors.

 However the plot isn't that bad. In the beginning the humans are portrayed as violent creatures who didn't deserve to live on this beautiful planet; a Point Of View that's shared by activists today. That POV honestly surprised me because I didn't expect Meyer to stray from her sappy love stories long enough to even consider how other alien civilisations might view our world and civilisation, if they visited. 
Then there's Wanderer-Wanda-and Melanie-Mel. Trapped together, they don't get along in the beginning, in fact Wanderer tries everything that passes by her hand to get Melanie to fade but she refuses to switch bodies. I love her resolve, thinking she can get rid of her if only she tries hard enough. But as we move through the story, their bond grows stronger and surpasses even that of best friends; one willing to sacrifice herself so that the other can live in peace. 
Regarding the romance in this novel, this part also surprised me. As Wanda and Melanie travel through the desert, Wanda falls in love with Melanie's memories. In all the books I've read I can't recall someone ever falling in love so fast just from the memories. And honestly speaking, are memories REALLY that powerful? 
ANYWAY coming back to Meyer's typical style of writing, upon their arrival at the human settlement you get the development of a love square! A FREAKING LOVE SQUARE! As if love TRIANGLES weren't bad enough, Meyer had to go cook up a love SQUARE.... *huffy angry noises* You can all imagine how much I liked the book from that point on... Someone please give this woman a nice slap upside the head, maybe that'll jar her brain into place. 
But again I was surprised at the end because they way everything plays out is rather beautiful and, quite frankly, really sweet. 
All in all, the plot idea and some part of the story are really good and tie the book together.