Mini Reviews #3: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: 2008 Scholastic, Inc

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

GoodReads Summary:

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 had been putting this book off for a while after Mockingjay's because my best friend and fellow blogger was really depressed after reading it. So imagine my surprise at how fast I read this book when I finally cracked it open. I had been looking forward to it for some time beforehand though.

All twenty-seven literary awards it's received have been well deserved. If you haven't read The Hunger Games go beg, borrow, or steal(please don't) to get yourself a copy.

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: 2009 Scholastic Press

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

GoodReads Summary:

Suzanne Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen in the phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy. Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

*****

This was even better than the first novel I swear!

My heart raced constantly through the entire book. I felt everything Katniss felt; all the sadness, anger, and pain. I absolutely devoured this novel in the three day weekend that I had off from work. I hardly ate, slept, or and thing else that had to with bodily funtions, because this was all I needed for those three days.

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: 2010 Scholastic Press

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars... No, it was a 4 star read.

GoodReads Summary:

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

*****

I HATE IT! I love it so much that I hate it. The ending though... That ending was awfully wow in a bad way for me. Some of the decisions Katniss, Gale, Haymitch, and Peeta all made had me out of my seat yelling and cursing!!! I was depressed, empty, and cried for days. Well maybe not crying for days, but I was depressed and couldn't pick up another book for weeks.

Overall I loved The Hunger Games Trilogy. Its a must read and I will be re-reading this one so I can re-evaluate my feelings.

Mini Review #2: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Published: 2011 Harper Collins

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

GoodReads Summary:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

*****

I read this beautiful piece of art during the Christmas holidays, and let me tell you how killer it was for me to find the time to read while I worked in a busy retail store. It was damn near impossible! All my free time was used to read. I hardly slept because I was so enthralled with Juliette's struggles. I was literally was hiding in the restrooms at work to read Shatter Me on my kindle app for Blackberry. If that doesn't attest to how highly I think this novel then I don't know what else to tell you other than read it for yourself.

Tahereh Mafi's writing style is lyrical and viewing the wasted world she created through Juliette's eyes is beyond words. The setting and characters were built and described so well that I felt as if I could touch them. I was very emotionally invested in these characters and I'll be waiting on the edge of my computer chair for the title and release date of the next installment of the Shatter Me series.

Mini Review #1: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: 2012 Puffin
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

I received a ARC from GoodReads. Thank you

GoodReads Summary:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

******

I amm completely enthralled by this world Marissa Meyer created with this debut novel! The characters, the background, the description; absolutely lovely! A totally new and exciting take on Cinderella for me and I loved it. I'm saddened that this will be a quartet because I have to wait for another year before I can read the next book, but I most definitely will be reading the rest of this series and hopefully many more novels by Miss Marissa Meyer