House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Heroes of Olympus, Book 4

It's not a secret that I adore Rick Riordan and his main character extraordinaire, Percy Jackson.  This book, the long awaited sequel to Mark of Athena (which ended on a cliffhanger so disheartening even the author knew to apologize in his dedication) brings back all of our favorite demigods.

This book allows loyal fans to bear witness to the maturing of many beloved characters.  Leo just reads like a calmer guy, Percy seems more at peace, Piper is stronger, and some long awaited answers about Nico finally arrive.

The book doesn't have the satisfying ending of a final installment (I know that's because it's clearly not the last) but it also doesn't have the action of the earlier books.  It read like the falling action of a story...which was a bit disappointing.  I'm still a HUGE fan of the series and I've already put the next book on my wish list...but this one is only 3 smiles.

Four by Veronica Roth

Divergent was an amazing series (see my earlier review).  This new book, following Tobias (my favorite) will not disappoint fans.  You'll get more of his story, some favorite scenes from Divergent from Tobias' viewpoint, and get yourself right back into their world for awhile.  As a stand-alone book it would be highly frustrating, because it's not intended to be the complete tale.  But for those of us who read the series and craved a little more, this is the missing piece.

Fittingly, 4 smiles.