Lauren’s Book Reviews: Catching Up with Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 

MOCKINGJAY – Suzanne Collins via kwout

WARNING:  SPOILER ALERT–do not read any further if you have NOT read the book.  Thanks!

Ok, so you know how at the beginning of the school year I decided to start this book-a-month challenge? Well, I failed that miserably. With school and a new job, I had next to no time to read for fun. But enough excuses. The past is the past. I am starting over and getting back on track. So Mockingjay (the third and final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy) will be my November, December, January, and February book review. I apologize for the setback. However…life will go on, and so will my reading.

Mockingjay was awesome! Well, until the end. I thought the entire book was filled with twists and turns that made it hard to put the book down at times. I gained a lot of respect for many of the characters, especially Prim. I love Prim! And her trusty companion, Buttercup. However, I can’t believe that Prim died in the end!!!! How awful was that?! I never really like Coin that much, so her death was not disappointing. Haymitch is one of my new favorite characters because by the end of story you can really see that he does actually have a heart, and it is more acts the way he does. I am SO glad Peeta got better, but why in the world did Gale have to go off to another district, never to be seen again?! What in the world provoked that concept out of you, Ms. Collins? I mean, I love Peeta, but I really think Gale and Katniss should have ended up together. I mean, yes Katniss and Peeta have The Games in common, but I think it should have been Gale. But it’s a tough choice. I hate love-triangles!

I think that the ending was slow and drawn out. When you hit the climax you expect the resolution to come like-BAM!-and just hit you. In Mockingjay the build up was so great and the climax was so strong and the end…trickled out like a water balloon with a tiny pin-hole in it. That was slightly disappointing. But as a whole, I liked the book.

All in all, I loved the series. I highly recommend it, especially before the movies come out (because you know The Hunger Games will be replacing Twilight pretty soon, now). Suzanne Collins did a great job on this story. All three of the books had twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and I’m almost sad that the story is over. Thank you all for following my blog posts, and, again, I apologize for getting so behind. Stay tuned for my next adventure next month.

October Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

WOW! I can’t believe I’m already three months into my reading challenge! Except this month is different. I read and finished TWO books! I read Catching Fire (the sequel to The Hunger Games) and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (an AP Lit. reading assignment). It was definitely a challenge for me, but I feel very accomplished in doing so. Catching Fire was awesome. Brave New World? That’s a different story.

The Hunger Games was great,  and I could hardly put it down, but Catching Fire had me turning pages faster than a race car! There were more twists and turns than I ever expected! There were so many times that I caught myself yelling at the characters. It’s a good thing I usually read in a quiet place where I’m all alone. When Peeta announced  love for Katniss in the first book, I was speechless. When he announced their “newest family addition” the second time around, I almost passed out. And when Gale told Katniss about District Twelve,  I was really annoyed that I couldn’t pick Mockingjay up and start reading. I am still on the waiting list for that by the way. I can’t believe the things that have taken place so far in Panem and I can’t wait to find out how the story ends.

So far, my favorite character is Gale. I love him! I also feel really bad for him because I know he loves Katniss, but she has become the center of a twisted love triangle. Katniss is actually one of my least favorites. Peeta is sweet, and I would feel bad for him if Katniss kicked him to the curb, but I think that Gale is so much better for her.

I can’t wait to keep reading!

~Lauren~

September Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

CC image via http://bit.ly/9X73XN

Well, I am pleased to say that I am loving this whole reading thing! I never expected it to come so easily. What I love most about it is that reading gives me a whole other world to escape to. I can choose whatever world I want to by choosing a new book. So far, I give this challenge a double thumbs-up!

For the month of September, I chose to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. A friend of mine practically demanded me to read it. I expected to hate the book entirely but I ended up absolutely LOVING it! The Hunger Games is a trail mix of adventure, action, suspense, and romance that is nearly impossible to put down.

The main character, Katniss Everdeen, lives in a time very far in the future. It is almost a postapocalyptic setting. I don’t want to give anything away, but basically The Hunger Games are set up by the country as a way to prove to the people that they are completely owned by the Capitol. Twenty-four teenagers are chosen at random and forced to fight to the death. Only one can win. The winner, along with his or her family, is given a lifetime of wealth, food, etc. Sounds ridiculous, right? Trust me, it isn’t what you think. I expected this novel to be overly gory and a complete waste of my time. On the contrary, Suzanne Collins has created a fun page-turner that will keep you on your toes.

What I am expecting is for this trilogy to become the next big Twilight kind of thing. It will probably be the next “biggest thing” and there will be movies, soundtracks, t-shirts, Oprah interviews, and possibly team-character underwear. Just a thought. I’d love you hear yours! Please comment and share what you think!!

Lauren

August Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I’ve never been much a of a reader. But this school year, my senior year, I have decided that I want to become a reader. So I have created a challenge for myself to read and finish at least one book each month aside from books assigned for school. For the month of August, I chose an easy and somewhat short read: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.

When I picked up Dreamland in the Unquiet Library, I wasn’t sure if I would even like it. But I checked it out anyway and I am glad that I did. For those of you who haven’t read this novel, you should. It is a story about a girl named Caitlyn who desperately tries to fill the void of her missing older sister that ran away. Caitlyn wanted to step out of her sister Cass’ shadow and become her own person and do things that Cass would never do. In the process, Caitlyn plunged into a life that wasn’t ever meant to be hers. She turned into someone that she never wanted to be. By the end of the story, she comes to terms with the things that happened to her and discovers her true self. If you haven’t read this book, stop reading now, and go check it out of the school library.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found myself feeling every emotion that Caitlyn felt. When Rogerson came and swept her off her feet, I felt just as happy as she did. But then when she started getting into the drugs and bad lifestyle of her new boyfriend, I knew that something very bad was going to happen. The first time Rogerson hit her, I was shocked. I was just as surprised and speechless as Caitlyn was. And toward the end of the novel, after Rogerson had been arrested and Caitlyn sent to the rehabilitation center, I, too, missed Rogerson just as Caitlyn did. And I know it is crazy because he was such a monster. It isn’t that I like him or what he did to her; it’s that there was a certain absent feeling behind Caitlyn’s words. It opened my eyes to why so many girls put up with what their boyfriends do to them. I used to have zero tolerance or sympathy for girls who put up with abusive relationships and said they still “love” the person. But through Caitlyn, a fictional character who portrays so many real young women, I can see that it is still possible to love someone who treats you like dirt. It doesn’t make it right. It just makes it harder to stand up for yourself.

I would consider the month of August a success. Not only did I start and finish the book that I chose, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. I am looking forward to September. I think I am starting to like this whole reading thing.