Book Review: The Overlord Protocol

Summary: HOW FAR WILL OTTO GO TO PROTECT HIS FRIENDS?  
 Otto Malpense and his friends thought their first year at the Higher Institute of Villainous Education was the most adventurous and exciting that they would ever encounter. They were dead wrong. 
 When Otto and Wing are allowed off campus to attend Wing's father's funeral, they have no idea it's a trap, all part of a lethal plan organized by Cypher, the most ruthless supervillain any of them have ever known. He intends to use them to retrieve the Overlord Protocol, a device that has the capacity to help him take over the world. But when things go terribly wrong, Otto will stop at nothing to hunt him down and make him pay. 
 With the help of Laura, Shelby, Raven, and his former nemesis, Dr. Nero, Otto must find a way to defeat an enemy that has overcome some of the planet's most infamous villains without even breaking a sweat. Because if he doesn't, the world as they know it will be changed forever.

Thoughts: This was a fun sequel and really good way to dive into the series. 
 The story begins with a plot, an attack, and the death of a character. And it just gets better from there! Everything is all topsy-turvy with loads of edge-of-your-seat moments. Even though I kinda guessed at what was happening overall, the surprise at the end still caught me unawares.
 The writing is really easy, despite having something of a heavy story to tell it keeps everything light and easy to read. These books are pretty quick to get through because of that but no less enjoyable.
 The characters are loads of fun. As I mentioned in a previous post, I liked them all more than Epic did so there is the chance that they may come off as boring or childish to some readers. It all depends on your type of characters, what kinds you can put up with and how often you like your Main to actually be right. But this cast appealed to me and even though I feel that the girls don't have much presence (or character) yet, I don't dislike them and really look forward to seeing them flesh out later.

Content: An occasional D***, it's been a few weeks since I read it but I think there was a C*** used at least once possibly twice. Lots of violence but not much in the way of blood and gore, it really balances on a PG to PG-13 line. All in all, a fairly clean read and fun for the whole family if the language is edited out!

Book Review: The Hero's Guide To Being An Outlaw

Summary: Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You think you know those guys pretty well by now, don't you? Well, think again. Posters plastered across the thirteen kingdoms are saying that Briar Rose has been murdered—and the four Princes Charming are the prime suspects. Now they're on the run in a desperate attempt to clear their names. Along the way, however, they discover that Briar's murder is just one part of a nefarious plot to take control of all thirteen kingdoms—a plot that will lead to the doorstep of an eerily familiar fortress for a final showdown with an eerily familiar enemy.

Thoughts: First off, my apologies for being absent for so long. Have I been reading? Yes. Have I been reviewing? Unfortunately no. Do I have a good excuse? Nope. Life got busy, I was tired, lazy and very wrapped up in a game and, well, one thing led to another and I abandoned our poor little blog. 
 But! No longer! I am back and here to dish out some major reviews! 
      And here we get to the part you all are really waiting for.
   Okay, I snubbed my nose at this series for so long because of the covers. They just looked like some over-hyped, Dreamworks-rip-off, full of crude humor and bad jokes. So it took me forever to get around to picking them up. But then someone recommended this very book (despite it being the last in the series) to me on Goodreads. And then I found them at the library. And I thought "Hey, it's free, why not? If I don't like it maybe my brothers will. Or at least I'll know I was right to avoid them."
 So I picked up the first one...and promptly fell in love.
 Quirky characters, hilariously ridiculous adventures, great writing; all woven together to create a truly fantastic series. And, once I knew what it was all about, I really started to love those weird covers. 
 The first two books were great reads and this, the final installment, is no exception. 
 The plot gets pretty tangled and twisted so that I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the beginning but this quickly gets folded out and all things are made clear by the end. It's full of surprises, plenty of laughs, and fun for everyone!
 The writing is great and easy to follow. Readers of just about any age will find it easy to understand, funny, and enjoyable.
 The characters (always my favorite part to write about) are the stars. From their bumbling mishaps to the moments when things accidentally go perfectly to those in between moments when nothing really happens, they are a delightful bunch. Old and new alike, they were fun to revisit, meet, and adventure with. 
 All in all, this was a great ending to an exciting series and I'm sorry to see it go!

Content: A bit of magic, fantasy violence, and SPOILER a ghost END SPOILER, but all in all a pretty clean read and highly suggested for any age looking for some side-splitting fun!