A good conclusion to the series! I was surprised by the mysteries and thoroughly entertained through the whole story. Definitely a fun read!

Another great book in this series! The action just does not stop, and for every mystery that we solve another puzzle, another enigma, pops up in its place!

In this book, Dom is hoping to run in the World Youth Olympics in Rome, but when he gets there the Italian mafia is out for his blood, as well as a young man with a particular vendetta against his family. He gets into knife fights, he's running from the police, he smuggles a valuable coin into the country, he breaks into places and breaks out of places! And through it all, Dom is just trying to get to one man, a famous treasure hunter, who the Debt wants in Australia ASAP.

But aside from his task for the Debt, Dom is training in the Olympic races trying to keep his running career from going down the drain, and he decides to branch off on a little mission of his own. He goes digging into his family heritage at an old village church, and makes more enemies and allies than he can handle. Dom gets into some serious trouble, but the writing is always humorous and sarcastic, making this a fun and quick read.

I was disappointed that there is almost nothing with Dom's family or his friends, Tristan and Imogen, in this book. But they got a lot of exposure and development in the last two books, so this book focuses more on some other areas, and other friends, like Seb and Rashid.
I am so intrigued by the mystery surrounding Seb. Is he friend or foe? He seems to be helping Dom, but for what purpose? And he never questions Dom's weird excuses or plans. He's definitely up to something. I just wish I knew what! The suspense!! Must. Keep. Reading.

The descriptions of Italy are perfection. I could really feel myself there at the Colosseum with Dom and his friends.
Throughout all these books, the descriptions of running are also really relatable. I don't even like running, but when Dom describes how he feels when he is running, I can understand his mindset. His love for running pours off the page! Really good writing!

In this fifth book of the Debt series, Dom is determined to find Yamashita's Gold whether the Debt want him to or not. He sets off to find the treasure, and runs into a whole bunch of other treasure hunters, some less than savory characters and some serious old-salt sailor types.

Once again the action is non-stop, but this time it's mostly Dom getting HIMSELF into trouble, rather than the Debt pushing him into trouble. There are several groups of dangerous people who are getting really fed up with Dom nosing around, and there's a price on his head if he steps foot on Reverie Island. The security guards at the Sealand theme park aren't too happy to see him again either.

As always, the narrative is hilarious even while the action and adventure are full of suspense and terror! The writing is so flowing and interesting that it really captures your attention.

This time instead of relying on his running skills, Dom has to develop his swimming abilities, and he learns to deep-sea dive in preparation from some serious treasure hunting in the ocean. But he gets into all sorts of salty situations where he is literally in over his head, and it takes all his strength and a steady mindset to stay alive. Through it all Dom demonstrates his big heart, his street smarts, and his sarcastic and funny attitude.

I had a problem with this book though. Dom accepts a drink from an old sailor that he's trying to impress, and gets drunk. The narrative doesn't really address the morality of it though, whether that was a good move for Dom or whether it was very bad and stupid, because he is only 15. His father picks him up, and Dom can barely walk straight and is giggling like an idiot. His father laughs and drives him home. A hangover is barely mentioned the next day, but not much is made of it. What the nonsense is this? Why is this in a children's book? What was even the purpose of his drunkenness? It serves no purpose in the story. It doesn't teach a lesson. It's very upsetting to see a scene like this in a series that I have come to love with a character that I was cheering on. Suddenly, I have my doubts about Dom as a hero character. He's getting very dumb.

I don't know what happened with this last book, but I am not happy about it. The fifth book gave me pause, since the main character Dom gets drunk and no moral lesson is taught about the evils of drinking when you are only 15 years old. In this book, the drinking issue comes up again, this time with Dom drinking alongside his father and grandfather with their permission. No mention is made of his being under-age, or about what a bad idea it is to put poison in your body, even though in the same scene his grandfather admits to being an alcoholic! What kind of stupid message is that for a children's book?!?

Dom is dealing with the moral and philosophical implications of his latest task from the Debt. He is told to murder someone, anyone, and give them proof that he did it. He looks for guidance in many places (poetry, history, literature, teachers, friends, family, etc...), and when he begins a discussion in his classroom about whether or not it is ever acceptable to take someone's life, another student says that God does not condone murder. That student is then ridiculed and mocked, saying that he isn't over his "born-again phase".
You'd think that when you're facing a massive decision, like whether or not to murder some innocent person, you'd look to the Highest authority for some wisdom. Maybe even be afraid for your immortal soul. But Dom, like his grandfather, is an atheist apparently.
In this book, Dom comes to realize that he is the "captain of his own soul", and no one can tell him what is right and wrong. He doesn't need God. He can be in charge of his own life. This is presented like a triumph of the human spirit. Of course, he is the "hero" of the story, so he doesn't actually commit murder. He's the "good guy" so he can't do it, but he toys with the idea a little too long for my liking.

Again and again in this book, I read messages that I didn't like, and that have no place in a book for children. For instance, Dom is digging up some dirt on his enemies to get them thrown into prison, and he finds that one of them is gay and "spends thousands of dollars on male escorts". Dom then says that he wouldn't "make a judgement either way", but posts the evidence online for the world to see, ruining his enemy's reputation. What was the point of including that in the story? Dom already had enough criminal evidence to send the guy to jail. Why throw in the gay part for extra measure? The words "male escort" have no place in a book for kids!! I'm beyond disgusted by this.

At the beginning of the book, Dom decides that he has too many adventures on his plate, completing his tasks for the Debt, and so he quits school. Despite all his teacher telling him what a bad idea it is to abandon your education, despite his parents telling him how he won't go far in life without a basic high school degree, he quits anyway, and the narrator applauds his decision. "Some people just aren't meant for school" is the message. Dom basically blackmails his parents into agreeing, and leaves home to live with his grandfather. He starts to work for a sleazy private detective, and continues all his adventures, enjoying his freedom to do whatever he pleases. How is this a good example to kids? Dom is only 15 years old! He's leaving school after the 9th grade. Do you know how great a life you're going to have with a 9th grade education?!? What is wrong with this author? You'd think that someone who writes books would have a healthy respect for the people who teach writing and reading and arithmetic.

The adventure, the plot, the characters are all still good. I enjoyed reading it until I got to those parts I hated. Dom is (usually) a character that I loved cheering for. I loved his family and his friends and all the mystery surrounding the Debt. I loved the fast-paced writing and the interesting supporting characters. But this ending... There are some loose threads and I did NOT like the unresolved ending. I like lots of closure, not fade-into-the-sunset endings.

And I kept expecting more development for certain characters. Tristan dropped off the face of the planet with no explanation. He's just not in the story anymore. The girl who cheered for Dom while he was racing in Rome is still a non-entity. Why bother setting up her character, all elusive and enigmatic, and then never show her face again? I still have questions about her, who was she? Why was she cheering so madly for Dom to win that race? So many side characters who never got developed properly! I. Have. Questions.

I am utterly disappointed in this series ending. The first couple of books were so good.

A great relationship magnifying glass

These comics are wonderfully clever and fun! They are set up almost like daily comic strips with little punchlines, but with a longer story line too.
Superhero Girl has some awesome superpowers, but struggles to pay her rent, buys capes at secondhand thrift stores, and suffers from insecurity because her brother is a cooler, more popular superhero. When she has to put up with snarky comments from Skeptical Guy AND battle an alien monster, Superhero Girl has to call up all her patience and superhero know-how to save the day, and get her laundry done.

I think what I love most about Superhero Girl is that she doesn't have all the answers. She is forgetful and weird and insecure and irritable. She's a person! She tries really hard to be a good superhero, but her version of that just doesn't look like the other guys, so she's kind of a wild card. Doing her own thing.

I laughed and laughed and chuckled and giggled and then laughed some more! 'Nuff said. It's delightful and hilarious. Read. It. Now!

I enjoyed this play so much! It had a tight plot and delightfully interesting characters. I was especially intrigued with the changes that some characters went through, or the way some of them reacted under extreme circumstances.
This is the story of how Henry VIII got rid of his wife, Katherine, and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, married her instead, and had a daughter, Elizabeth. Of course, there's a ton of political intrigue going on, and people being accused as traitors right and left. The Duke of Buckingham goes on trial as a traitor in the first scene, even though he's innocent. Along with a bunch of corrupt Bishops and Cardinals, Cromwell is lurking in the background.
There are some really tense and emotional scenes with really powerful dialogue!

I loved Queen Katherine for her noble spirit and her gallant manners towards even her enemies. She is never shrewish, but always courteous and kind to everyone even when she is under the most horrible stress. Only once does she openly denounce the terrible Cardinal, and even then she does it with the language of justice and righteousness, not revenge or hatred.
She is always saying how humble she is, that she's 'only a woman and unable to speak properly among the educated nobles', but I wonder if these lines aren't delivered sarcastically. She's obviously able to verbally spar with any of those high-born or highly-educated cardinals and bishops and lords. Her best defense is how virtuous her life has been, and she clings to that to the end. With her final breath, she blesses her enemies and forgives them. What a character!
I think Queen Katherine is the real hero of the story. She's such a noble person, pure of heart and mind, and humble and kind to everyone. I just love her powerful dialogue!

Cardinal Wolsey is so sly and deceptive and horrible! He's greedy and nasty and vengeful. He just lies right to everybody's face, and then goes on with his evil plans! It makes for wonderful drama.
It's interesting to me that Wolsey seems to have a change of heart once all his evil shenanigans are exposed. He seems to show true remorse once all is lost, or is it just a case of "I'm sorry that I was caught," not "I'm sorry that I did it"? What a character! I don't know what to think. He does make himself ill with all that remorse though, so maybe he really did repent of his evil ways.

Henry VIII himself is just a selfish old dog. He finds all sorts of clever ways to justify his actions and get what he wants. He is definitely a powerful personality and a sharp mind to be reckoned with. Even when he was sweet-talking everyone and making his excuses for bad behavior, I pretty much despised him. At least he stood by some of his friends in the end, instead of believing all the bad rumors about them. Too bad that it was too late for Buckingham.

I loved this play!

This is the story of Leo, who lives in a hotel that resembles an amusement park more than a hotel. There are secret rooms, secret elevators, and secret trains running through the in-between hidden floors of the hotel. When the owner of the hotel, Mr. Whippet, goes missing, he leaves clues for Leo to follow throughout the hotel, discovering its secrets, and saving the hotel from being torn down. But he insists that Leo take a friend with him for safety, so Leo brings the new bellboy, Remi, along for his adventures. Leo also has to bring one of the ducks from the hotel's pond along with him as he explores the hotel, and Betty the Duck proves more useful than he expected!

This book has a lot of potential, and I liked the imaginative puzzles and secret rooms; but the story has a lot of plot holes and loose ends that didn't make sense to me. The characters are fun and cute, but not anybody special. Leo has some good character development, but everyone else falls flat.

This book just didn't capture my attention. It's sort of one-dimensional. I think if I had read it when I was 8, I would have loved it though! It's a silly and madcap Willy-Wonka type story, but the charm that I was expecting didn't really happen.

I love it so much!!! Action and adventure and friendship and travel and everything... Ah, so good!
So this is the story of two unlikely traveling companions, who go looking for adventure and go up against a dirty pirate king. They escape from hoards of bad guys in Delilah's flying boat, and then stop for a cup of Selim's famously delicious tea and biscuits.

Delilah Dirk is snarky and hilarious and highly intelligent and talented. Among her many skills, she knows 47 different sword fighting techniques, and has no qualms in killing the bad guys, stealing their ill-gotten goods, or blowing up their secret fortresses. She is also sweet, kind, and beautifully feminine while she does it. In a word, she is kick-butt amazing!

Selim is absolutely hilarious, crazy funny, make-you-laugh on every page! His facial expressions alone would need their own separate review, because his face tells the whole story. haha! Oh, he cracks me up! His one talent is making perfectly delicious tea, since he concocts his own particular blends. He gets dragged along on Delilah's madcap adventures, and has to decide if he wants a quiet life in a small village somewhere, or if he wants to tag along with Delilah for some excitement.

I adore the friendship and camaraderie between Delilah and Selim! It's never romantic, and that's why it works so well. They trust one another, they respect each other, and they are both misfits. Brilliant writing!

I was immediately attracted to the art style, and the colors and the brightness of the artwork! It's just beautiful through the entire book, and I was so impressed with this gorgeous graphic novel. Truly amazing work and the story, the characters, the plot, do not disappoint!

Some of the things this author said about writing really resonated with me, but other things were a bit too "out there", flaky, and/or liberal weird. Most of what she said was really good though, and inspired me to write more freely!

In this book, the author encourages people to write from their true selves, to write with freedom from fear of criticism, to write about things they care about. Her words are at once deep and grand, but also simple and accessible. Her writing feels like a call to arms to a battalion of writers, and then she gives them training in how to be wild and watchful before throwing them into the war of words. Her manner of writing itself is actually very sympathetic and kind, but also includes the sort of tough love and bare truthfulness that makes you want to take action.

She doesn't really say much about the "rules" of writing or what makes good writing, other than to say that you must not listen to the critics, but be true to your own vision. The whole book is about what it feels like to write, or at least what it SHOULD feel like... How ideas come, what to do with those ideas, and what to do if no ideas come at all.

It's really beautiful and engaging writing that draws you in and makes you think deeply about your connection to writing as an art form. Why do we write? What makes us do it? Are we doing it for the right reasons and in the right spiritual way? Are we trying too hard, or not hard enough?

It's good stuff, and has some excellent points! But there are also some weird answers that I didn't agree with, or just some random tangents that went off into left field.