Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
# of pages: 608

Review:

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor and renowned symbologist, has conducted extensive study on the secret organization called the Illuminati, that once comprised of all of the most brilliant scientists during the Renaissance on and rebelled against religion. One night, he is assigned the task of investigating an extremely peculiar case involving the death of a CERN physicist. There are no clues - except for the prominent Illuminati brand on the late Leonardo Vetra's chest, and Langdon knows that the Illuminati, after centuries of relative inactivity, has resurfaced.

To make matters worse, the messenger of the Illuminati has notified the Roman Catholic Church of a time bomb that has been hidden at the heart of Vatican City, prepared to detonate at midnight and destroy the world's smallest nation in size and population. With the company of Vittoria Vetra, Leonardo Vetra's adopted daughter, Langdon sets off on a journey against time that takes him across the city of Rome.

Angels and Demons is filled with adventure and suspense from the beginning to the end. The twists in the plot leave the reader baffled by the circumstances, and the large cast of characters allows for more suspense to build up as reporters in the media itch to be the first to reveal the story, Langdon and Vittoria attempt to find the culprit and the time bomb, and the Vatican Guard ponder over their decisions.

As many websites have identified, there are, however, several notable similarities between Angels and Demons and Dan Brown's other notable bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. They still had their respective differences in the plot, but perhaps it would be better if there were more.

Angels and Demons is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys reading action-packed stories, or would be interested in Roman art and architecture.

Screen Name: WaterfallOfDestiny
Branch: Angus Glen

Waterfall of Destiny is our blog winner

Hi, Everyone:

After counting reviews, we have found that Waterfall from Angus is our summer blog winner.

The prize to our winner was a $25.00 gift certificate for Chapters.

Waterfall, we will arrange pickup with you directly.

Catherine

The nature of jade

Title: The Nature of Jade
Author: Deb Caletti
# of pages: 288

Review:

Jade DeLuna occasionally suffers from panic attacks, and she already has scheduled therapy sessions and prescribed medication. She realizes that she can also help treat her anomaly by spending more time at the nearby zoo. She sets up the elephant exhibit's webcam in her room so that she can watch the elephants' daily routines, until she notices a boy around her age carrying a baby who visits the elephants every day. Intrigued by him, she eventually volunteers with the elephants, admiring their grace and semblance to human minds, and meets Sebastian.

Later on, she struggles to balance her life of hiding her relationship with Sebastian from her friends and family, increasingly-estranged friends and family, and maintaining good grades in her Advanced Placement courses. Although she feels at times that she has not done so successfully, she still tries her best to make ends meet.

The Nature of Jade was quite an interesting read for me. Jade faces the same obstacles in her life as many other teenage girls do. She seeks solace in caring for the elephants. When the members of her own family distance themselves from each other, she almost treats Sebastian's family as her own. She uses alternative methods to deal with stress that prove to be very useful.

In some way, this novel was similar to Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies). Jade is trying to find herself amidst several looming problems in her life, the same as when Patty Ho was in a stage of self-discovery. There are conflicts to deal with on the way, but through all of the struggle, they learn to appreciate themselves and their families.

The Nature of Jade is highly recommended for people of all ages: those who understand well enough to accept who they are, and those who have yet to find themselves.

Screen Name: WaterfallOfDestiny
Branch: Angus Glen

For which categories are the draws this week gonna be? And is there a prize for the most reviews/comments?

Mina