The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

From Amazon - In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'American Gladiator.' 

I'm going to be honest from the start.  I love these books.  I haven't loved a book series so much since Harry Potter.  This is actually the third time I've read this series in the past 4 months.  I will try to be objective, but it will be tough as it will be very hard for me to find any fault.


I've also decided to review these individually, so "Let the 74th Hunger Games" begin!

Collins sets up a very bleak, gray world to start this book.  Even the characters are described in a monochromatic way, dark hair, dark skin, gray eyes.  We see immediately that Katniss is a survivor, as she is introduced while getting ready to go out and provide for her family.  As she is only a young teen, we see that she already has much on her slender shoulders.  The initial pages introduce us to her Katniss's family as well, her mother and younger sister.  Gale, her best friend and hunting partner, is described with similar coloring, though as quite handsome. 

Quickly, we find that today is no ordinary day, though Katniss and Gale go about it as normally as possible.  Today is the day of the "reaping", which we, the reader, don't initially understand.  Later, though, we find out that the reaping is the day that each year, two tributes are selected to participate in the Hunger Games, a sadistic yearly ritual where the teenagers of each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are placed into an arena to fight to the death. 

The reaping in the Hunger Games is the catalyst that sets up the rest of the story.  When Katniss's younger sister, Prim is chosen from the reaping ball, Katniss reacts instinctively, choosing to volunteer for her sister.  Within these first few pages, we the reader, are given an insight to what kind of person Katniss is.  She's resourceful, protective, has an incredible survivor instinct (obviously over-ridden by her need to protect her sister), but also jaded and cynical.  She and Gale have a conversation about the injustice of the Games, but rather than join in his rants about the Capitol, Katniss takes a more passive, "well what can we do about it?" attitude.  Of course, that question is answered later in the series.

At the reaping, we are also introduced a few other major characters.  Haymitch, the drunken former victor who now must mentor District 12's tributes every year.  Peeta, the male tribute counterpart to Katniss in the Hunger Games.  Effie, the ever positive chaperone to the District 12 tributes who initially longs to be promoted to a more affluent district.

Peeta especially becomes an important character, as he and Katniss become very close in the Games and share a moment in their past that Katniss has never been able to forget.  He is the baker's son, and is described as stocky and strong.  As it turns out, he also has the gift of gab, and is able to charm the Capitol audience and make not only himself, but Katniss as well, sympathetic to both the Capitol residents and the reading audience.

Collins weaves a story that truly grips at the heart.  She creates characters so real that you understand them, and their actions.  Even the minor characters are fully fleshed out.  For example, Katniss has a "prep team" to prepare her image for the Games, which includes three Capitol hair/make up people.  Though they talk quickly, and are always seen together in their limited screen time, you can tell each of the three apart from each other. 

I wish I could detail each character individually, but there are so many, and as I've said they are all fully fleshed out characters that could take up a page to themselves.  I'll just say that the female tribute from District 11, a slight twelve-year old named Rue is especially heart tugging.

Being a book centered around fighting to the death, there is plenty of action.  Katniss rarely has a chance to breathe while in the arena.  With 23 other tributes, as well as the Gamemakers out to make sure that the Games never get boring for those watching at home, Katniss is constantly on her toes.  There is hand to hand combat, fireball attacks, Capitol-made mutts, as well as meeting basic needs such as food and water to contend with. 

In most young adult books, the boy/girl relationships take center stage with the plot and action nearly a backdrop for the drama.  In the Hunger Games, the opposite is true.  While Katniss and Peeta do develop a "star-crossed lovers" relationship, it very much pales in comparison to everything else that is going on.  This is something that I truly appreciated while reading The Hunger Games, as I typically feel that an author is just trying to create "shipping wars" among their readers rather than truly develop a story.  Collins does both, as I've researched the books, there are definitely wars between "Team Gale" and "Team Peeta", I never feel as though this was Collins' intent.

What makes this book, in particular, so amazing is how invested you become in the outcome of the Games.  A mid-game rule change brings hope to the tributes as well as to the reader.  The conclusion is one that will stir debate as to Katniss's true intentions.  The fall-out from the Games is true, honest, and will leave you anxious to read Catching Fire.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

From Amazon

Who will be tempted by darkness? Who will fall in love, and who will find their relationship torn apart? And who will betray everything they ever believed in? 

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. 

In the heart-pounding fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series, the stakes are higher than ever. 

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  I have read and enjoyed the first three and have been anticipating this one for a while.  Always nice when I've pre-ordered a book and forget it's time until it automatically downloads on my Kindle.  Such a nice surprise!  I must preface this by saying, before you read this one, you really should go back and read the first three.  They're very good YA novels, and you really won't understand Fallen Angels without reading its prequels.

I read this one in about two days.  It was fast paced, with a good bit of action.  CoFA is an easy read, without too much to think about.  I'm already invested in the characters, so it's really got to be the plot that pulls me along this time.

Clare does a fair job with this.  City of Fallen Angels was supposed to follow Simon through his new life, but it didn't focus solely on him.  We also got some from Clary and Jace's point of view.  This was good for me, since, although I like Simon well enough, he was never my favorite character. 

The first half of the book is a lot of set up.  If I wasn't so invested in the characters, I probably would have been bored.  It seems like there's a lot of exposition, and false starts to get the plot moving, but nothing really starts until at least midway through.  

One of the reasons I really enjoy these books is the characters, as I've already stated.  I'll admit that I'm enamored with Jace Wayland (Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale...whatever he's choosing to go by).  Not in a boyfriend way, but in a protective way.  I just want to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe.  Clare gives him no breaks in the book, as he is yet again made to feel as if he's a doomed soul and never deserves true happiness.  He's like the Angel of the Mortal Instruments series.

Simon, very much a teenager in the first three, is now made to deal with a very serious shift in his life, and is having a hard time with it.  He feels alone, ostracized, and as if no one understands what he's going through, obviously something most teens can identify with. 

Clary, still feels very much the same to me.  She's in training, dealing with relationship issues, family issues and new threats to her friends and life.  Of course, even without being the focus of the new book, she's still somehow the crux of the whole thing.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, since I'd have probably preferred for the "Simon-centric" novel to be less "Clary-centric".

As usual, Clare's prose is quick, witty and fun.  Also, as usual, Jace gets the best lines, though Simon gets quite a few as well.  The second half of the novel is fast-paced with the Big Bad not revealed until very near the end.

All in all, this book was worth the wait.  I am never disappointed by the world Clare has created, and eagerly await her next entry.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

From Amazon - John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John's number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy? I Am Number Four is a breathless page-turner of a sci-fi novel that will have readers rooting for the teen alien who must unleash his fire power to save himself, his human friends, and the planet. This is the first of a slated multi-book series that, judging by this first book, will help reinvigorate a traditional YA genre that's grown a bit light on strong character development. So, gear-up sci-fi fans, the battle for Earth is on and there's a new kid in town!

This young adult novel has a great concept.  An alien race, their planet in the midst of destruction send 9 children to Earth to hide out until they come of age and can return to their planet to reclaim it and begin anew.  The fact that there is a movie about it just added to my desire to want to read it.

As I’ve said before, I have pretty high standards for my YA fiction.  I expect the characters to be fully fleshed out, and in the case of teenagers, act and sound like teenagers.  I expect the dialogue to be snappy, witty and unforced.  I expect the action to be intense.  I expect the plot to grab me, and not bore me.

I Am Number Four fails on all levels.

The characters are so cliché I could have written them in my sleep.  The overly aggressive jock.  The beautiful (ex) cheerleader that everyone loves.  The dork who reads conspiracy magazines during class.  The new guy, just trying to slide under the radar but is Just Too Special.

The dialogue is atrocious.  I may have rolled my eyes once or twice (or a thousand times).  For example – 

“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t care what you are or where you’re from. To me you’re John, the boy I love.”

“What?”

“I love you, John, and you saved my life, and that’s all that’s important.”

“I love you too. And I always will.”

Cue gag reflex.

The action, I do have to admit is fairly interesting.  I guess my problem with it lies within the characters involved.  I wasn’t at all invested in John or the outcome of the Big Fight because I hadn’t come to care about him, or the fate of his home planet.  He was so wooden two dimensional, then did I really care he was smashed to bits?  The answer is no.

Finally, the thing I am most disappointed about is the plot.  Again, it had so much potential.  However, we spend the first half of the book dealing with stupid, unimportant High School drama before the enemy alien race is even mentioned as a true threat.  Even then, we spend more time reading about John and Sarah’s make-out sessions than anything else.  

Are my expectations too high for YA?  Do actual teenagers enjoy this kind of stuff?  Again, I just feel so let down when there is such a great premise and yet terrible execution.  

Next up, The Hunger Games.  YA novels actually worth reading!