Book Review: Mockingjay

This book review of Mockingjay, the third and final installment in the Hunger Game trilogy, is a week in the making.  To be honest, I have started it 5 times, and deleted it 5 times.  Why?  Because my feelings on this book have been evolving.

My initial reaction, after reading the final sentence of Mockingjay, was anger- pure fire and brimstone kind of anger.  I felt robbed of the happy ending I so badly wanted.  Gloom and doom are not my kind of books.  What kept me reading was the hope that Katniss would finally be able to find happiness in her broken world.

I fumed.  I stewed.  I grumbled to anyone who would listen.  (sorry for that!)  I was disgusted.

But a couple days later, an insightful friend said something that changed my entire opinion of the trilogy.  “It really couldn’t have ended any other way.”

I thought about this, far longer than I probably should have, and in the end I realized she was right.  Katniss couldn’t change her personality, the war for Panem had to be ugly, and death was a certainty.

 

From this view point, I began to appreciate Suzanne Collins on a new level.  She stayed true to the story, even to the point of killing off characters that I had grown to love.  She destroyed a relationship that I rooted for.  She tortured my favorite character.  She was right to do so.

I have discovered that the beauty of the Hunger Games trilogy did not come while I was reading it, but in the week since I finished.  My thoughts linger on Panem, on whether or not their efforts actually made a difference.  Could this world be fixed?  That is a question that is left for the readers to ponder.  A true stroke of genius on Mrs. Collin’s part.

My anger has subsided, while my appreciation grows by the day.  To a hopeless romantic, I will never be able to say that I loved the Hunger Games.  But as a writer...this trilogy was spot on. Life has a way of NOT ending up like fairy tales and Suzanne Collins reminded us of that.

Star rating for Mocking Jay: 4 stars for making me invest in this book.

Star rating for The Hunger Games Trilogy: 5 stars for sheer brilliance and for making me continue to wonder about the fate of Panem.

Book Review: Catching Fire

CATCHING FIRE

It is rare when I can actually say I love a sequel more than I love the original.  Imagine my delight when I picked up Catching Fire, the second installment of The Hunger Games.

If you read my review of The Hunger Games,  you will know that I was not thrilled with the idea of a 12 year old girl being forced to fight to the death, for entertainment.  Nor was I a fan of the gruesome final death that occurred in the games.  But despite my unease with the storyline, I was conflicted in writing my review.  I have deep respect for Suzanne’s Collins; for her willingness to step outside of the box and send shockwaves around the globe.

Although The Hunger Games  didn’t leave me begging for more, I was determined not to give up on the series.  To my amazement, the longer I had to wait for Catching Fire  to arrive from the library, the more anxious I became.  Part of it was the fact that I’d been told the final books became far more disturbing and I was worried about what I might find within the pages.  And partly because I needed to know if my suspicions about the book would be confirmed.

I became engrossed immediately, which was a pleasant surprise considering it took me four tries to get into The Hunger Games.  Right around the middle of the book, a big twist is thrown at you.  Not a big shock there!

 

The ending was a bit too predictable for my liking, and very rushed, but over all I enjoyed the book.  It was fast paced, kept my attention, and yes I lost several hours of sleep over it.

 

Now on to Mockingjay to finish the series.     

      

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Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed: Book 2 of the Matched Trilogy

I was shocked when I was browsing the new teen release section of my library a couple days ago when I found Crossed sitting nonchalantly on the shelf.  No way!  I’ve had this book on order for almost a month and now it’s just sitting there?  So not fair.

But was I going to walk out of there without it tucked under me arm. Heck no! 

Total reading time…somewhere around two days, with a whole lot of housework, cooking baking and Christmas present wrapping mingled in.  So I’d say that’s not too bad considering the time of year.

Initial thoughts:  Loved the first half and then I got bored.  I was so excited that Crossed didn’t seem to have that middle book syndrome that bores you with details and not enough action.  I was enthralled from page one.  But somewhere around the middle it just went blah for me.

I get that Ally Condie had to continue the question of who Cassia would choose, Ky or Xander.  But it seemed to me that she made Ky too despondent.  Their interaction became rather annoying to be honest.  After fighting through so much to find each other, wouldn’t you think they’d be MORE thrilled when they meet up?  I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I felt let down.

I did enjoy some new characters that were introduced into the book.  Their unique personalities added a wealth of diversity to the story.  I also enjoyed getting to know more of what Earth might look like outside of the Society.  The “bad lands” as I would call them. 

The ending was decent but I didn’t exactly feel gripped.  When the third book comes out I will read it just so I know how the trilogy will end but I’m not gnawing off my nails waiting for it.  Pity.  I had such high hopes when the book first began. 

Overall rating: 4 stars because it was an enjoyable read.   

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Shatter Me Book Review

Shatter Me Review

I was recommended that I read Shatter Me and upon reading the book description I rushed straight to my library and put it on hold.  Then waited, rather impatiently I might add, for the book to finally arrive.  I could barely contain my excitement as I rushed home to begin devouring what I was sure would be a “life-changing” tale.

Wrong!

First off, let me preface this by stating that I love dystopian fantasy.  This is my kind of book.  With that being said…I was sorely disappointed with Shatter Me. 

The bits that I disliked:

·        The strike out sentences.  Really?  What was the point in that?

·        The repetitive wording.  Despite the main character’s claim to in fact, “not be insane” the repetition sure made her sound that way.

·        Sentence structure was a bit to get used to.  In places where there should have been punctuations for a pause or continuation of a sentence it was left blank.  My poor mind stuttered over numerous sentences because of that.

·        And lastly…it all felt a bit too X-men to me by the end of the book.  (I love X-Men.)

The bits I did like:

·        I did enjoy the plot line.  Huge potential.  But it certainly didn’t turn out the way I would have liked. 

·        The characters were constructed well enough to draw me in, but unfortunately they didn’t feel unforgettable.  I was really hoping for more.

·        The setting was intriguing.  No spoilers so I can’t go into further detail.

Overall I would rate Shatter Me as a three star.  By the end of the first 30 pages I was so close to giving up on the book completely.  But I stuck with it and accepted the writing style for what is way and did end up enjoying the story.  There will be a sequel at some point…just not sure if I’m going to read it.

BUT…this is simply my opinion, fellow readers and writers.  If you look on Goodreads, Shatter Me has been given a wide variety of reviews.  Read it for yourself and make your own decision.  I would love to hear what you thought.

Happy reading!

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What I'm reading: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie

One of the things I love most about my job as a writer is that I can justify the hours I spend reading teen books.  It’s all in the name of research!  At least that’s what I tell my husband when I’ve got the bedroom light on long into the wee hours of the night.

My newest book, which I am nearly finished with, is Matched by Ally Condie.  Dystopian love stories seems to be all the rage now.  And for good reason…they’re great!

Matched is no exception.  I love the characters, the imagery Ally Condie uses to paint her futuristic world and the confusing love triangle.  I know some people hate love triangles but NOT ME!  Give me a good love mystery and I’m happy.  But don’t give it away too easily.  I love to unexpected.

For anyone looking for a good read for themselves or their teenager girl I suggest Matched.  Ally Condie’s sequel, Crossed, is next on my Must-Read list.

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