Mockingjay Review

Mockingjay (Hunger Games 3)

-       Suzanne Collins

  

Publisher: Scholastic

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she's still not safe. A Revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - everyone except Katniss. And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay - the symbol of rebellion - no matter what the personal cost.

If The Hunger Games was the collection and kindling of the bonfire and Catching Fire was the spark and initial burn, Mockingjay is the roaring flames out of control following no previously established pattern. It was shockingly intense, very political and the final few pages had me sobbing on train. In fact a kindly older gentleman even asked me if I was alright!

 
Without giving away too many spoilers from the first two books, the Hunger Games are over, now the real games start for Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim and the rest. The districts are in revolt against the Capitol and once again Katniss finds herself involved in the fight not just for her life this time, but for all her friends and family. Katniss is still the damaged, defensive girl we met in The Hunger Games and while she has a wider number of people to care for she still cuts herself off and avoids confronting her feelings. She can appear cold and harsh. In fact I think if the story wasn’t told in first person from her point of view, Katniss would be a difficult person to like. Luckily the first person narrative allows us to see how much she does hurt and that it can paralyse her at times. My heart broke for her so many times – even while wanting to yell at her to try harder.

Propaganda has played a strong role in all three books and one more poignant here as both rebels and Capital fight for airtime to encourage/discourage people and battle for peoples hearts. This lesson has quite a deep refection on politics today when spin and emotional stories can influence people more than facts - or am I reading too much into what is a fast paced and exciting narrative?

While Mockingjay does very away from the structure laid out in the first two books, it needed to be different to as the story has grown and frankly it would have been boring for a third time. Some of the little moments of joy and simple pleasures are missing from this story which makes it a much more challenging read, but to be honest I can’t think of another way this trilogy could end. It was one hell of a ride and I truly hope the movie does the books justice.

Oh, and anyone like me who hasn’t read these books previously – give them a try. Not all hype is overkill. J

Recommended for fans of Carrie Ryan and Isobelle Carmody. 9 out of 10.

Winners!

I have a couple of winner to announce! So massive drum roll....

Winner of my Fated/Minority Council Giveaway is

Jules!

Winner of  the Lunar Giveaway hop is....

Jinky from Jinky is Reading

Congratulations to you both. I have sent you each an email so check your spam filters if it hasn't turned up yet.

To everyone else I have some ideas for a special giveaway coming up soon, so look out for that!

Throwback Thursday #44 - The Season of Passage

A little bit of a break today from my Hunger Games marathon! This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?

The Season of Passage - Christopher Pike

Dr. Lauren Wagner was a celebrity. She was involved with the most exciting adventure mankind had ever undertaken: a manned expedition to Mars. The whole world admired and respected her.
But Lauren knew fear. Inside—voices entreating her to love them. Outside—the mystery of the missing group that had gone before her. The dead group.
But were they simply dead? Or something else?

I grew up reading all the Christopher Pike books I could with Sati being my favourite but also enjoying The Last Vampire, Remember Me and so many others. Then one of my friends gave me this for my birthday - a Christopher Pike book written for adults. I was so excited and resolved to fit it into my reading schedule as soon as possible. And it's been stuck on my will be read soon pile for months. But I promise to read it soon. Honest! :-)

My Book Boyfriend: Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games

 

Missie at the Unread Reader, has this great meme where we share our book boyfriends - you know the guys who make you swoon and come make for each time in your favourite book? I've still been spying and drooling over other people's book boyfriends for quite a few months now but having read The Hunger Games this week, I finally have a book boyfriend I want to share Peeta Mellark, the tribute from District 12. Now I know others have already picked Peeta as their book boyfriend, but lets face it, he's mine!

Now, I know with the film out next week everyone will be thinking of Josh Hutcherson in this role, but I have to confess I wasn't picturing him in the role while I was reading. I was thinking of Matthew Lewis. Yep, Neville from the Harry Potter films is all grown up and looking mighty fine! :)

What is so attractive about Peeta Mellark? It's his dedication to Katniss. He wants her to survive and will do anything to make sure she does. Even if she is not always sure why.

And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me (The Hunger Games)

“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games” (The Hunger Games)

“I wish I could freeze this moment right here, right now, and live in it forever" (The Hunger Games)

Peeta would have won a suit on his victory tour I'm sure!

“Peeta, how come I never know when you're having a nightmare?” I say.
“I don't know. I don't think I cry out or thrash around or anything. I just come to, paralyzed with terror,” he says.
“You should wake me,” I say, thinking about how I can interrupt his sleep two or three times on a bad night. About how long it can take to calm me down.
“It's not necessary. My nightmares are usually about losing you,” he says. “I'm okay once I realize you're here.”    (Catching Fire)

And if all that wasn't good enough, he can bake and decorate cakes! Now that is attractive! :)

Catching Fire Review

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games 2)

-          Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Wow. Just wow. It’s been a long time since I was caught up in a book as much as I was with Catching Fire and The Hunger Games. I feel like I’m literally devouring pages, desperate to know what happens next! The writing is high addictive and next to impossible to put down – a lot like good hot chocolate! And with the same need for more when you finish…

Katniss may have survived the Hunger Games but that doesn’t mean life is easy. A lot more of this book takes place in the lead up the Quell, the 75^th Hunger Games as Katniss tries to adjust to her new life. She defied the Capital and as such has become a spark for many who are unhappy with the oppressive regime of President Snow. With Snow himself threatening those she loves, Katniss must make the hard choice between protecting those she loves and doing what is right. I love Katniss as a  character. I love that she is moody and still haunted by the games experience. She is only seventeen and while wise beyond her years, she is also confused and torn. She never wanted to start a revolution, just to survive, but doing so she has set in action events much bigger than herself. She is still in many way finding herself and discovering what she wants from life.

There is a lot of tension in this novel as events outside Katniss’ control impact her and her friends and family. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it – and wondering if Katniss would make the change from passive to proactive. The action scenes as ever are well described and involving with many secondary characters given diverse personalities which make them stand out – much more than in the first book. While some scenes  may seem familar at first from the first book, it is the differences that makes Catching Fire such a compelling read. What more can I say about this book that hasn’t already been  said somewhere? A book worth reading as it will get your heart pumping more than any trip to the gym!

Recommended for fans Veronica Roth and Cassandra Clare. 10 out of 10.

The Hunger Games Review

The Hunger Games

-       Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love

I feel like I’ve been excluded from the clubhouse having been one of the last book bloggers to read The Hunger Games. Although so many people have raved about this book and told me I would love it (including one very persistent friend who mentioned it every time we met up!), I was a little reluctant to actually read it myself in case it was over hyped. It was a bit like being told the secret knock for the clubhouse but worrying that I wouldn’t like wallpaper inside. With the film being released at the end of the month, I decided to finally give in and start reading. And didn’t stop until I reached the end!

This book is eminently readable – the writing just draws you in and won’t let you go until you reach the final sentence (and even then you want more). Katniss is a hugely likeable character – independent and capable, just wanting her family survive by any means necessary – whether that is illegally hunting outside District 12 or talking her sisters place as tribute in The Hunger Games. She has her defences though as she hasn’t been able to trust many people in her life – just her father and her friend Gale. But despite this she isn’t a rebel, just a survivor.

The build up to the games, the drawing and the training gives a great background to the world and how the Capitol and districts work. I enjoy this introduction and the characters – plus the descriptions of food! However, once the games begin all bets are off as Katniss struggles against the other competitors, starvation and other tests the Gamemakers place before the tributes. I truly loved how it felt like anything could happen – and often did! I also loved Peetra and Rue, Katniss’s fellow tributes – they made you realise that anyone could end up in the games. The action was non-stop and yet tender moments weren’t forgotten as Katniss struggled not just to survive but to remain human.

I can easily see why this book has such a strong following – and why it was made into a film. There are some fantastic set pieces which looked spectacular in my head so I hope the big screen does them justice. I’m also keen to read the rest of series myself, because  I have a feeling Katniss’s trials are only beginning.

Recommended for fans of Veronica Roth and Patrick Ness. 9 out of 10.

My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to!

Drive By - Jim Carrington
Publisher: Bloomsbury

When Johnny, Jake, Drac and Badger take the law into their own hands and give an irritating neighbour a drive-by soaking, life feels good. Then something terrible happens as a result and Johnny's guilty conscience won't leave him alone. But are the weird things that start happening really just a result of his overheated brain? Or is the old lady coming back to haunt him? Is it ever possible to get away with murder? It's a good question. One that Johnny needs to think about. Hard.

I got this as one of the early reviews on the British Books Challenge over at The Overflowing Library. I really like the grey moral areas it seem to cover.

A Bad Day For Sorry - Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Stella Hardesty, our salty, unlikely heroine, runs a sewing shop in rural Missouri. She also has a side business helping battered women with their abusive boyfriends and husbands. When Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help, it seems like a straightforward case, until Chrissy’s no-good husband disappears with her two-year-old son. Now Stella finds herself in a battle against a more formidable enemy as she risks her own life to recover the boy.

I won this from the wonderful Shannon at Books Devoured as part of the Follower Hop a couple of week ago and it finally arrived thsi week. I just loved Sophie's Aftertime books so much I wanted to read more of what she's written.

Black Wings - Christina Henry

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package. Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with. Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos. Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...

I really want to read this book! First I think it looks fab. And second, I had won a copy on a giveaway a few months ago, but despite being posted the book never turned up (stupid transatlantic post). So I gave in and bought a copy!

The City and The City - China Mieville

Publisher: Pan

The body of a murdered woman is discovered in the remarkable, crumbling European city of Besźel. Such a crime is par for the course for Inspector Tyador Borlú, who is the premier talent of the Extreme Crime Squad – until his investigations uncover evidence that bizarre and terrifying forces are at work – and soon both he and those around him will be in considerable peril. He must undertake an odyssey, a journey across borders both physical and psychical, to the city which is both a complement and rival to his own, that of Ul Qoma.


I got this in a swap on Readit-Swapit as I've never read any books by China Mieville and so many people rave about these books.

What did you pick up this week?