"The Great Gatsby" is one of those classics that a lot of people look over when choosing a book to read. It's a classic, but more often than not peopl...more"The Great Gatsby" is one of those classics that a lot of people look over when choosing a book to read. It's a classic, but more often than not people neglect the classics. This is not a book to ignore, I very much so enjoyed it!(less)
1984 was one of those novels that say on my mental shelf of books needing to be read at some point in my literary life. I had honestly very little ins...more1984 was one of those novels that say on my mental shelf of books needing to be read at some point in my literary life. I had honestly very little insight as to what it was, but was under the impression that it had become a classic, and therefore, had to be read in accordance to my morals. Thankfully, my dear friend and sister, was there to assist my in reading this book. In other words, she forced me to read it, all in good faith.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being forced to read a classic because, as we see in this George Orwell novel, you are hardly ever disappointed.
1984 is the novel that introduces the most frightening world one could ever imagine. And yes, no matter what you may believe, I know that this is entirely possible. This dystopia is not a fictitious idea we can avoid, and if you look with just an ounce of effort you can see a example of it in today's society. A world where there is power, you are loyal to the government, you do not freely think, and you are not an individual. You are a part of a machine that works the way the government says it must work. Think against the government and you vanish.
The book is written well on all fronts, but it's the plot that really caught me. It was terrifying, it instilled hope, but then betrayed me. I finished the book feeling extremely glad to have read it, thinking it an excellent book, but also frozen with its depressive reality and absoluteness.(less)
Note: The following review is assuming that you’ve already read the first book in The Mortal Instrument series. Cassandra Clare brings back her wonderf...moreNote: The following review is assuming that you’ve already read the first book in The Mortal Instrument series. Cassandra Clare brings back her wonderfully witty characters in the second book of her much loved series, The Mortal Instruments. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I sat down to start this book, as those of you who read the first book are well aware how amazing the series started out. Let’s grab a short recap if it’s been a while since you’ve read the series. Clary, our main character, was pulled into the rude of Shadowhunters and blatantly shown that mythical creatures no longer belong on the pages of children’s books. She learns she’s not human, or a Mundane as Shadowhunters call them, but rather the daughter of the murderous Valentine, who seeks to gain control over everything his dark mind can reach with the help of his home grown demon army. By the end of the first book, not only does Valentine have the Mortal Cup, the first Mortal Instrument, but we also find that Clary and Jace, the handsome, rogue Shadowhunter she developed strong feelings for, are brother and sister.
City of Ashes comes as the much anticipated next book in the series. Readers not only want to delve back into the plot, but they want to see the continuation of their favorite characters.
It becomes known that Jace is Valentine’s father and from there the trust is lost in him. His adoptive mother finds his presence painful. People who have known him for years question if he is truly ignorant of having been Valentine’s father all this time. The Inquisitor, a woman on edge with a personal vendetta, accuses Jace of fraternizing with the enemy and locks him up in the City of Bones for trial. But Valentine, up to his tricks, won’t have that happen. The man is looking forward to having his son by his side when he begins his war. His involvement in Jace’s life only strengthens the beliefs of people like the Inquisitor that the young man is not on their side. Clary feels torn between the people she loves most in this book. Simon, her childhood friend, expresses deep feelings with her while battling with the fear that he is getting pulled into her world a little deeper than he had wanted. Jace seems to have his own opinion on the matter that Clary is his sister. Her mother is still in a coma that doesn’t seem to be breaking, she has no affection for her father, a man she would have preferred staying lost, and she clings to Luke, the man who is like her father and he only link to her past when she wasn’t fighting demons to keep her life.
I’m not going to tell you how amazing this book is, because if you thought that way about the first book, the second will just confirm your suspicions that this series wreaks of awesome. You will laugh, scream, scowl, and smile while reading this book, and Clare will not for any reason give you a time to rest in between. Many, many questions arise by the end of this book, and then the book ends, with a shock, and leave you sitting their whilst waving and laughing. It is such a tease.
After seeing all the hype that surrounded ‘The Hunger Games’ I decided to read the book. There seemed to be a serious following of people who didn’t l...moreAfter seeing all the hype that surrounded ‘The Hunger Games’ I decided to read the book. There seemed to be a serious following of people who didn’t look like raving fangirls flipping shit over sparkly boys with no personality, so it had to be a win, right? Right!
Te book was actually pretty good, I really enjoyed it, and although the book wasn’t a completely original idea, it was a refreshing read from what most Young Adult fiction has to offer these days. When I read through it, I could easily see places where the author was at risk for tripping up and ruining the novel, but she didn’t Instead I walked away with what appears to be a new favorite!
In an effort to somehow organize my review, I’m dividing it into three sections. So here goes…
The Good
I actually loved the characters Katniss, the narrator of the novel, was a strong willed female character with just the right faults to make her human and not a moron. I loved her strength and voice, and her overall being. I think she was the perfect candidate to carry this story forward, and I don’t think the book would have been as wonderful if it hadn’t been her telling it. Then there is Peeta, who I just LOVE. He’s an amazing man, and he is amazing because of his GASP! personality! He’s smart, witty, humble and devoted. I’m sure he’s also quite handsome, but I love him for his character as a whole.
The games I think were planned and written in such a fashion that it made them unlike anything I had expected. And what a relief, too! I was afraid, when starting this book, I would grow bored when things seemed to fall into place, but I was happy to see Miss Collins could navigate the idea so wonderfully.
Violence! Oh, sweet violence… I love violence. I mean, not in a creepy way, but damn. YA books everywhere have all these sex and stupidity, and then no violence. Why the heck not? Be honest with the kids. I’m so glad for the raw violence in this book.
The planning of the book, the setting, the plot was simple, but you could see how well it worked. SO glad for this, and it’s really why the book is as amazing as it is.
The Bad
There were times this book was a little corny and I wonder where Collins got the idea for some of the details. They were just off the beaten path and I didn’t know how to react to some things. I was laughing, but not with her.
Sometimes the plot seemed to take a turn when it was most convenient for the characters. It gave me whiplash when I had to read over something that turned the book in an entirely different direction, but didn’t really convince me of how well it fell in with the rest of the plot.
Sometimes Katniss just bugged me with what she was thinking about or where she was directing her energy, especially before the games. At times, I guess I could just say she acted out of character.
(view spoiler)[The thing with the dogs at the end really was lost with me. I just went through this emotional ride with the death of characters. Violent, horrible deaths, and I think they should have been left like that. The mutated dogs made from/with the dead contestants just went down a path that didn’t seem like the rest of the book’s style (hide spoiler)]
Questions I have but will wait for the next book. I don’t think they are holes in the plot, just missing information that could go for or against the overall rating of this book.
Where the hell is the rest of the world? Seriously, there is an entire world out there, and after what seems to be some sort of war, I want to know what’s happening outside of Panem, if anything. Are there other countries, were they destroyed, are they in the same political chaos as Panem? Are there people in Europe realizing that there is something wrong with Panem, do they know about the wrong doings, do they care? I just couldn’t believe that the rest of the world is just… blah.
About this rebellion… what about it? What did the people face? A military? If so, where is it? Why are these people so loyal to this political movement? Why are people at the Capitol okay with this? I understand that the districts are forced into participating in the games, but there are people running this show that apparently think it’s okay. Not to mention the people waving banners and sponsoring this shit. Are they just crazy or are they playing along as well?
Is there going to be another revolt, is my biggest question. This book had a lot of people somewhat speaking out against their government, but I’m not going to read three books about people just complaining and not acting. I know there is fear and forces to stop them, but please, this book is screaming for a revolution. (I seriously think it’s going to happen, but I just had to say this…)
In conclusion… I really liked this novel. It was witty, fun, violent, harsh, emotional, and raw. I loved the characters, I laughed with them and cried with them. It’s sort of a little gem of what YA novels should be, and what a lot of fiction should model. I’m so glad I got to read this, : )
I wish to highly apologize to not only myself, but every other self-respecting reader out there. I am SORRY. I don’t know why I did it, but I did. I c...more I wish to highly apologize to not only myself, but every other self-respecting reader out there. I am SORRY. I don’t know why I did it, but I did. I can’t apologize enough and I regret every moment of my life having done so.
I watched the newer movie version before I read the book.
Reading the book was inevitable, and SURPRISE! The movie ended up under the Christmas tree before I had my hands on the book, and I got bored one night. Don’t yell at me, just let me go on with my review and deal with it.
I was once told that Jane Eyre was something like Pride and Prejudice which excited me because PaP is one of my absolute favorite novels. Then I was told, in large numbers, that the two books had little in common at all, which confused me but made me want to read the book all the more.
Let’s start with a quick overview. Jane Eyre’s parents die, and she’s raised by one of those aunts you’d rather use as firewood. Aunt gets sick of Jane and sends her away to a school, where she’s raised as Plain Jane for the rest of her life until she’d old enough to leave. She gets a job as a governess at a large, imposing hall and finds out her employer is sort of a crack-pot.
This book wreaks of gothic lore and dark, shadowy places you’d prefer not to stick your hand into. This I loved. This is one of those books I’d use during my lecture concerning how stupid genres are. A lot of people, including, it seems, the movie director, would like to claim that this is a romance. Well if that’s the only tag you can give this book I feel extremely sad for you and I’d really rather you never touch a book again.
More people feel that the novel surrounds Jane’s romance with Rochester, which isn’t true. This is a nineteenth century biography of a girl who comes of age, finds herself, faces demons, and eventually finds love. I do agree with those who say this is a piece of literature that illustrates a strong degree of feminine independence. I highly doubt that in that age, a woman of Jane Eyre’s upbringing would be as brave and outspoken as she is in the novel. (I feel this is a reflection of Miss Brontë’s own beliefs at the time.)
I will try to write the rest of my review without saying, “I loved this book because I major in British Literature and this is the crap I dive into because I love it.”
I loved the mystery of this book. A lot happens in and around the house and to Jane that really pulled me in. I was so happy to find the novel wasn’t so romantic that I wanted to throw it to the wall. It was a very dark piece of literature with a witty twist in the end that really spoke of the horrors, and of the real face of the nineteenth century without the façade once presented.
I think this is a classic that a lot of people will enjoy, even if they don’t necessarily reach for the classics on their shelves. It’s a brick of a novel, which is wonderful anyway because I love a book that will take me a while to get through, but it is so worth it. If you want a break from the usual, please check this one out.
Really, I don’t know how to make this any clearer, aside from giving this its own paragraph. Do not assume you know what this book is about. I can’t tell you how many arrogant people have claimed to know exactly what happens in this book, and they’ve been horribly wrong. It sort of upsets me, because they’re usually the people who force something in my face. At least give it a chance, although you should do that for every book, eh…?
I also want to say I have this book in one of those sexy, Penguin clothbound editions. SEXY. I get high just frigging holding this book. I didn’t even have to read it to think it was awesome. This classic series just makes me want to squee.
My mother upon seeing the book on my desk: “Is that a sex book?” Me, as I look: “What? No.” Mother: “It says moaning.” Me, staring: “No, it says Moning....moreMy mother upon seeing the book on my desk: “Is that a sex book?” Me, as I look: “What? No.” Mother: “It says moaning.” Me, staring: “No, it says Moning. That’s the author’s last name.” Mother: “Oh…” Pauses. “It still looks like a sex book.”
Sex book it is, my dear friends, at least a little bit. Karen Marie Moning, a resident romance writer, steps out of her box, so she claims, to create a urban fantasy series that has readers, this one included, itching to read more.
Mac, the main character of the novel, flies to the grand city of Dublin after the murder of her sister, when city police run out of leads and drop the investigation. While picking up the pieces of her sister’s last weeks alive, she discovers what she truly is, and what might have lead her sister to her death; she’s a sidhe seer, a person who can see the fae. Soon she discovers the mysterious, and gorgeous, Jericho Barrons. Although they can’t seem to stand each other’s company, they need each other. She needs his expertise in the fae world to close the case of her sister’s murder. He needs her ability to sense the fae to find a long sought after dark book.
Ah, yes, this book is lots of fun. Along with the great world building, and the witty and fast paced writing, Moning’s plot keeps the characters rolling. Barrons is just this sexy beast that you want to glomp, and cheer on when he has his frequent and high spirited comments towards the main character. He has to be one of my favorite male main characters of my reading so far this year. He’s mysterious, crafty, hot, and he owns a book shop. How is that not exactly what readers like us desire?
The main character herself is something to be desired…
This book almost caught four stars because of the author’s writing around the main character. Moning is a romance writer, but this book is by far not a bodice-ripper. This is urban fantasy, and she should have stuck with that when she started down that road. I imagine that partway through this book Moning had this sort of conversation with herself, “Wow, look at this plot. Damn, look at these characters! I have something going here, urban fantasy, I think. But I usually don’t write this… What should I do? Run with it and have fun? Nah, I’ll shove some crap in there because I just can’t help myself.”
Not only was she trying to push sex driven scenes, but she was also trying to turn the main character into something she’s not. I’ll be blunt, Mac is nothing but a superficial Barbie. When I thought she should be trying to catch her sister’s killer and save the world, she was worrying about her favorite nail polish being discontinued. And I have never, ever, in my life read a character that was nothing more than a skank towards herself. I don’t know if Moning just couldn’t handle writing first person, but in several places Mac had to go off on a rant about how she looked AND how perky her boobs were and how all the other boys just wanted her. Really? She wasted so much time describing her outfit for the day instead of the other characters, the setting, etc… It set my teeth on edge.
I have been promised, however, that Mac becomes a kick arse heroine by the end of the series, and that book two is much better. I did see something of a transformation in her, but I still must shake my head at Moning and ask her how daft she could have possibly been.
But this is something of a sex book, like I said, only… erm, not the usual sex. V’lane, a death by sex fae prince, can apparently just walk up to her and send her over the edge. You heard right, poor Mac gets laid without even getting touched. (Poor thing.) But aside from the inhuman man whore, there was such a variety of evil, grotesque looking fae that it was like being on some hellish, fictional safari. Fun, fun!
I am really, really excited to read the next book. I have fallen in love with most of the characters and all of them have promised to be loads of fun in the future. I love the plot, and the intricate details of the plot promises the rest of the series will be just as awesome. (less)
It has been years since I've read a book and fell in love with it without the least bit of hesitation. When I started reading 'The Eyre Affair,' momen...moreIt has been years since I've read a book and fell in love with it without the least bit of hesitation. When I started reading 'The Eyre Affair,' moments later I had fallen in love, and this book became an instant favorite of mine. I LOVE this book.
Fforde's fictional world is priceless. The police state of England is populated by citizens who are damn serious about their literature. You can go to prison for trying to pass knock-offs of famous prose, and riots start between groups conflicting over who really wrote the works of Shakespeare. And you can literally step into a novel and interact with the characters of classic literature... or kidnap them.
Thursday next is an amazing gal, and the main character. She's a detective in literature, tracking down and nabbing the literature criminals. She's one of a kind, with Pickwick of course, her pet dodo, and really carries the novel forward. Along with Hades, the evil mastermind whose aim is to just... well, be evil, and to capture and kill literature's most beloved characters.
'The Eyre Affair' is beyond fun, witty, and creative. In a world where everything is upside down at times, Fforde manages to write his book with the utmost of distinction. He doesn't think twice about what he's crafting, and for that reason even the most comical of aspects comes off as just plain perfect. The characters as easy to fall in love with, and I found myself hanging on their every word an experience, whether professional or personal, I just loved the men and women in this novel.
Like I mentioned, instant favorite. A great mystery, sci-fi, drama, and comedy that really belongs in a category of its own. Don’t try and label this book, don’t give it a genre. It’s in a class all its own. (less)
I debated what to give this book as a rating. Not one or two stars. Three? It was better than three. I narrowed it down to four or five, couldn’t deci...moreI debated what to give this book as a rating. Not one or two stars. Three? It was better than three. I narrowed it down to four or five, couldn’t decide even then.
I was wandering through my college library with a list of books scribbled down on the back of an old index card. The Kite Runner wasn’t one of them. I picked out a few books on the English language, something for a paper I hate to write, then went over to the Fiction area. A few glances at the books I’d written down made me shrug and put them back, uninterested. A few minutes later I saw The Kite Runner, picked it up, and figured ‘why not.’ People said it was good, and it wouldn’t hurt for the long weekend.
I went home and the next day, it was a Friday, woke up to read this book. I would have the house to myself for a long while, and when someone would be home they’d be leaving me alone. That was good, because for the next two days, for the first time in a very long time, I was everywhere but at home. I was in this book.
I finished this book today and closed the pages, setting it aside. I spun in my computer chair and looked at the pile of books yet to be read from the library, and experienced a horrible sinking feeling. After coming off that high, who wanted to read books about predicting new words of English? A five-hundred page biography on Patton? Another dry murder-mystery? I’ll be a little sad to return this book…
This was the first book of its kind I have ever read. The first book set in the Middle-East, the first book that didn’t have some generic plot wrapped around it. This was the first book I’d ever read where it was just about people, and there weren’t any cases to solve, no wars to rage, at least not the ones I am used to. This book was just different, refreshing, eye-opening, and one of the highlights of my life of reading.
I don’t get left with this sort of impression often.
Harry and I have had a very long, very interesting relationship. For over a decade, I've loved to death, and even absolutely detested, the boy who liv...moreHarry and I have had a very long, very interesting relationship. For over a decade, I've loved to death, and even absolutely detested, the boy who lived. Seven books later, I find myself closing the cover to the last installment of the wizarding series that has been a long, and epic, road.
I could go into detail about the plot, the characters, and the downfall of evil. But once you finish a book like this, you don't find yourself reflecting on any of it's aspects aside from the very last page. Mind you, I've finished series' before, I've closed the books, I've read over the last line on the last page, in the last book. But something about those last lines gave me closure in a way that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" did not. I don't know if it's an inner fan-girl, or the fact that, as a reader, I know when a story is not finished, but something has me waiting there will be another book. I know absolutely nothing about Rowling, but the world she created alone must have her biting at her nails for another installment.
So it's over, as it is, and I guess I should go into a big rant about it, but nah. I'm sort of sad I finished it, and envy those who will soon pick up the first book for the first time. However, I think I've found a remedy, and even as I sit here, at my elbow lies the very first book. I'm going to read it, after ten years, and start the series afresh. That way, it won't seem like I finished it at all, :)(less)
If you've read and enjoyed the book then read an enjoy this short story by Cassandra Clare. I love her series, and it's awesome she has some shorts ar...moreIf you've read and enjoyed the book then read an enjoy this short story by Cassandra Clare. I love her series, and it's awesome she has some shorts around for us to read!
Merged review:
First of all, if you saw this book n my currently-reading shelf for a while, that is not because I did not enjoy the book, rather this was part of crazy time in which reading was almost impossibly for me.
So let’s talk about this book. First of all I can’t talk enough about how fun this book was to read. I love laughing out loud when I read something and I love characters who are generally witty and adorable. This book had both, so even in those few minutes a day when I could sneak in a few pages I was rewarded.
The book is modern fantasy and follows a young girl ‘waking up’ into the world she’d been made to forget. Miss Clare pulls in a lot of classic fantasy ingredients, putting a fine spin on them all and adding some new ideas into the mix. Everything she added felt natural, as well. I wasn’t reading about characters in a setting that reminded me of a square peg in a round hole.
Clare has a unique writing style that is sometimes simple yet effective, and other times surprisingly intricate. I was really pleased to see that she could really bring out all the stops when it came to writing this novel, and instead didn’t keep it going at the general pace she’d started it as.
Her plot twists were interesting, in a way that I liked them. Usually if something happens in a YA novel, it’s the same old sh*t, different title. Hers were pretty fun, and I enjoyed finding them because I knew they’d be unique. (view spoiler)[ I was proud of her for making one of her characters gay. I personally will not go into my views on the matter, but it’s nice to see a young adult author willing to address it.
Not to mention who the main fella turns out to be. I don’t know if I like who Jace is or not. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see what happens, but right now the idea of him being that gal’s sister hasn’t really resolved itself yet. (hide spoiler)]
There are, of course, things I didn’t quite understand. First of all some of the twists sit heavy on me and I’m still wondering how she’s going to address them. At times her writing style is a little too simple, to where I feel like she didn’t get a fair chance to edit a certain section before it was published. Also, some of the characters I felt I was supposed to have natural, negative feelings towards just because that was the author’s intention, and t hen their personalities would change or other’s opinions of them would switch around, and I was a little confused as to how that could happen so quickly.
This is a really fun book for readers of all ages. If you like to have fun and laugh, dig right into this one. It’s a series, which I love, so I can’t wait to read the next ones. The world-building was enjoyable, the writing very nice, and the character memorable. I am super looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and I understand she has written another series similar to the world she created for this one. I am happy she has become so prolific, but at the same time I hope that she keeps the quality of her writing and the wonderful characters and world she h as already created.(less)
First of all, before I get into my review, I’d like to try explain to you what sort of book Neverwhere is. Bear with me, and I’m sure that at least a...moreFirst of all, before I get into my review, I’d like to try explain to you what sort of book Neverwhere is. Bear with me, and I’m sure that at least a few of you will know what I am talking about.
Picture that you are out and about, whether alone or with friends, or just clicking around the internet. Now a book comes your way. You’ve never heard of the title, and you may or may not be familiar with the author. The book is not a title people are tripping over each other to get to, and perhaps it was published a few decades back. So you take this title and you write it down someplace, a scrap of paper in your wallet, add it to a shelf on Goodreads where it gets swallowed up, or maybe your risking committing it to memory. You really do mean to read this book, but be honest, other books get in the way, and nobody else is pushing this one enough where you are reminded to stop off at the library one afternoon.
That is Neverwhere, a hidden gem in the book world that everybody should get their hands on because it’s a really, really good book. This book shouldn’t be forgotten, you should be like me and order the book from your library the day I heard of it, and you should read it. The story follows Richard Mayhew, a Londoner with the seemingly perfect life. He has a good job, a nice apartment, a fiancé, and a drinking buddy. He thinks his life is perfect, and it’s obvious he loathes change. But change comes when one evening he comes across a girl on the curb, looking homeless, but severely injured. The moment he picks her up in his arms to help her, his life will never be the same.
Soon he’s pulled down to London Below, another world beneath his faithful city in the sewers and the tunnels, where rats are regarded as royalty, the homeless look down on people like Richard, and there is a certain magic that is hard to explain. He meets Door, a princess in her own right, who has the power to open things, whether they can be opened or not is no challenge to her, and create doors where there were no doors before. Door is determined to avenge the brutal slaying of her family, and although she doesn’t intentionally do so, Richard gets pulled into her world. And so Richard, because now no one in London Above knows who he is, even if he does manage get their attention. In London Below he is determined to find a way back home, even if that means traveling on trains in the tube with Earls, pulling information out of a man covered in feathers, facing an ordeal of the black friars, and keeping one step ahead of two uncharacteristic killers for hire.
I loved this book. This book was ridiculously fun, and Neil Gaiman’s writing is witty and off the wall. With every twist I was left wanting more, and no matter how strange his world building may have seemed, he wrote it in such a way that I was sold on the idea before he even wanted me to buy it. His writing just caught me and left me wondering, “Why the heck don’t I read this guy more?!”
The plot was so in depth that I started feeling a little homeless. Well, you know what I mean. Things made sense and I was rolling with the rules of his world better than the main character was.
I couldn’t put this book down. I was reading it with a friend and when she got through her reading for the day I had to embarrassingly admit that I was several chapters ahead of her and I still wasn’t down reading. I read in the car, at my computer, and was up to three in the morning to finish the last one hundred pages. After I did finish it I sat there wishing there was a sequel or at least several hundred more pages.
And may I just say this book ended in a way I think more books like this should end. This book is set in the sewers, by the way. I say this because we all know what’s beneath our feet in cities. Sewage pipes, tunnels, old subway lines. This was the setting, and it was constructed perfectly. The three dimensional representation of the underground was just amazing, and as someone who reads as much as I do, I really demand that the setting is planned out with detail. And particularly when the book is set in the sewers, well I darn right demand that the details are there. I’m picky about my sewage.
Needless to say I wanted more during the book and at the end of the book. I still want more. I’ll probably finish this review and go online to find more. I’ll have a list at the end of the next hour of books by Gaiman I don’t want to get my hands on, but books I need to get my hands on.
This book is just fantastic and one of the most fun books I have had the pleasure of reading this year. Go out and get your copy.
Disclaimers: This book has some suggestive dialogue and occasional strong language.
*** Spoiler Alert - If you don’t want to ruin the book for yourself, please take caution when reading ahead… ***
I was super excited when I sat down to...more*** Spoiler Alert - If you don’t want to ruin the book for yourself, please take caution when reading ahead… ***
I was super excited when I sat down to read this book. I loved the first one in the series and I was told that my issues with the first book would be cleared up in the second. What issues? I had problems with the characters going along with the demands of the Capitol and not rebelling enough. So I was told by more than one person that this changes in Catching Fire, which it does and which makes me happy.
So the book goes on with Katniss being a victor and going on with her Victory Tour with Peeta before returning home. There are obvious signs of unrest in Panem which she can’t help but encourage. The Quarter Quell is approaching, the special anniversary of the games where they make them extra “special,” is well on it’s way. The announcement calls for previous victors to be reaped and called back into the arena.
This is really my only problem with this book. I was terrified of this happening and in my crazy plot brain-storming I sort of thought this would happen. More games. Don’t get me wrong, they were interesting in the first book, but now it’s like Miss Collins can’t write about this society without having half, if not more, of each novel set in the games. Even when I read through the rest of this book and saw the end of these “games” I was still a little bothered by them having to occur at all.
That said, when the novel finally came to and end I was pleased with where it was heading for the final installment. I love a good uprising, and this is one of those few books in my entire existence of reading that has brought out such an emotional reaction from me.
Much less annoying issues I had with this book include the speed. I don’t know what Collins was after in some parts. At first she’s going at a fine pace and all, details riddling the pages, emotions in every corner of the paragraphs, and then in a few short lines she’s jumped ahead several weeks or months like we’re supposed to just assumed what happened anyway. It didn’t ruin any of the story for me, but I was still shaking my head and wish she’d done so a little more fluidly.
Second, the love triangle is confusing the crap out of me. Who is Katniss in love with? At first it’s Gale, and she’s so sorry for what she’d done to Peeta, dragging him along and all. Then she’s in love with Peeta and can’t stand not to be out of his arms and thoughts of Gale are nowhere to be seen. I just wish there’d be a healthy page somewhere the outright explains what’s going on with her screwed up love life.
But onto the book…
Once again I commend Miss Collins for her dystopian world that is so screwed up you can‘t help but want to dive in. It’s only the second book, and I read the first book a little while ago, but when I read this one I felt as if I’d never left. I suppose you really bring out the Hunger Games fan in you when you understand it all and “know the drill” so to speak.
If you are considering reading this book because you read the first I highly suggest you do so. I feel it was much more in depth and driven than the first. It gets down to the main idea of the plot and the reason I think we all want to sit down and read these books.
Fever Dream is the only book in my entire life that has caused me to be at the bookstore, the day of its release, before the store has actually opened...moreFever Dream is the only book in my entire life that has caused me to be at the bookstore, the day of its release, before the store has actually opened. Epic? But of course!
Fever Dream delves a little deeper into the past of the always unique and mysterious character, Agent Pendergast. It still keeps most of him in the dark, which I love. I think his weight as the character he is would be lost if they just spilled his beans to the audience.
It also sets the reader up for the next book, leaving something of a prelude into the continuing installment of the enigmatic agent.(less)
Preston-Childs fans unite, but be warned. This book is best read with the others underneath your belt. A least the one before it, Fever Dream, if you...morePreston-Childs fans unite, but be warned. This book is best read with the others underneath your belt. A least the one before it, Fever Dream, if you want to understand this one. The other ten if you want the full impact. Do not pick this book up going, ‘Oh! A week-end beach read!’ This is not a beach read. If you want knitting patterns and recipes, the cozy mysteries section is out back.
Once again Preston and Child both grasp the mysterious aspects of their most memorable characters, this time with the biggest mystery of all; whatever happened to Pendergast’s wife? Killed in Africa, or something else?
This review will be extremely short for many reasons. These books are to be shared among fans once completed. There is something of a following, where at the last page we grip out fellow fans by the shoulders in an overdose of joyful emotions and express our hopes and fears about the upcoming book and the book now finished.
This is one of the best in the series, sending the characters, and readers, off a precipice where we’ll have to wait and see where and how we land.
For those of you considering the series, please pick it up, and stick with it. The books are always beautifully written, the characters become instant favorites, and there is no genre or category with enough strength to keep these novels in. I love the style the prose, and the plots that I can never compare to anything else I’ve ever read. Some people have the ability to describe these books to inquiring fellow readers, I do not. I can only tell you to read them.
(If you are interested in discussing the book further because you have read it, feel free to message me.)(less)
The publication date on my copy of Pride and Prejudice indicates that I bought this book five years ago. Five years ago I felt that inherit need to re...moreThe publication date on my copy of Pride and Prejudice indicates that I bought this book five years ago. Five years ago I felt that inherit need to read this classic, and I do not understand why. Luckily, by the recommendation of my dearest friend, on my twentieth year, I read it.
I picked up this book actually wanting to love it, but fearful. I felt as though perhaps I had put it upon such a high pedestal, my expectations could do no less than surpass what was really to be read. I wanted to love it, I was afraid to hate it, I was filled with apprehension in all possible avenues. But it is safe to say, I was not disappointed.
True, deep love for something does not have reasons, it just has feeling. Reasons follow after. This is how I feel about this book. I fell in love with Jane Austen and her characters before I even knew how or why. The reasons, about halfway through the book, came to me in support of this idea. The novel was fresh, yet still a classic. Austen's literary voice was inspiring and thoughtful. Her characters sometimes proved the theory of society, and other times went against the grain so much as to demand attention and respect. Her plot, a romance at heart I suppose, was not driven by the typical whimsical fantasies of thoughtless women, but by more practical reasons that had me stop and admire every intricate detail.
There were parts I raced through, caught up in the very pace of the events that were taking place. Other times I would slow down and feel myself read every slower as to take in ever romantic syllable that was uttered.
Upon reading the last page I realized something I had not had the pleasure of thinking in such a very long time; I could not wait, and would very likely count down the very days, until I found myself reading this masterpiece once more.(less)
Loading...
