Mockingjay

Mockingjay

By Suzanne Collins

Happy St. Patrick's Day Bookworms!!! In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we have a guest blogger! The Anonymous Pug! Happy St. Patrick's Day, and a special shout out to all of my Irish bookworms! -Gia

Summary:

Katniss Everdeen, aged 17, has managed to make it through two Hunger Games, the second of which being the third Quarter Quell, where the tributes were picked from a pool of surviving victors, meaning that Katniss and Peeta were sent back into the arena. Near the end, she sent an arrow into the 'chink in the armor' of the force field, effectively destroying the entire arena. She, Beetee and Finnick were successfully rescued by the rebels; however, Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria were taken captive by the Capitol.

Katniss and the other two were taken to district 13, which was destroyed by the Capitol at the end of the dark days, 75 years ago, for rebelling. They rebuilt their society underground, doing everything in and orderly (and rather boring) fashion. On the way, Katniss learns from Gale that district 13 has been bombed, that 90% of it's people are dead, and that he organized the escape of the 900 or so who survived. 13 have been planning to take over each of the district one by one, ending with the Capitol. Panem is in a state of open warfare, and the rebels are desperately trying to get the rest of the country to side with them. Meanwhile, Katniss is being forced to accept the truth. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has become the face of the rebellion, the rallying point for all rebels. She has become the Mockingjay.

Review:

Once again, big thanks to Gia. This is probably my favorite book in the trilogy, primarily because now Katniss really started to take action against the Capitol. The are some EXTREMELY intense battle scenes, and readers must be prepared to lose many of their favorite characters.

As Katniss and Finnick say themselves, it feels, towards the end, like they really are back in the Hunger Games, the Capitol watching their every move. The rebels are deadly and unforgiving, determined to make the Capitol suffer as they have suffered. The battle is very frighting, as it seems so incredibly real.

This book has an undeniably sombre air to it. They are constantly watching people die, and many of them their close friends. The final battle everyone has been dreading has arrived. Some of the deaths are rather gruesome, which is saying something, given the amount of gore in the earlier books.

A truly incredible book, and the last of the Hunger Games trilogy.

445 pages

Catching Fire--Guest Review!

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

Merry Christmas Bookworms!!! It's Gia here and I am extremely pleased to present to you the long-awaited guest review by The Anonymous Pug on Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins! The Anonymous Pug suggested the Hunger Games series to me, and after I had finished reading the first book of the series, I asked her to review the next one for me. All of the credit goes to The Anonymous Pug. Merry Christmas Bookworms,

-Gia

Summary:

Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has, against all odds, managed to win the Hunger Games, along with her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark, who has loved her since childhood, as the star-crossed lovers from district 12. He was rather angry with her when she told him that she was half-pretending to return his romantic feelings. Katniss has been living in a fancy new house with her family for almost half a year, dreading the upcoming victory tour, which happens 6 months after the Games, where the victor (or in this case, victors) goes around to each of the districts giving speeches and meeting the families who's children they killed. Before she leaves, she is cornered by President Snow, for she has caused him an inconvenience.

At the end of the last Hunger Games, when she and Peeta were the last two in the arena, they refused to kill each other, and they put in their mouths some deadly nightlock berries, so that the Capitol would be forced to let them bot win, then spat them out and were crowned victors. This act, which at first seemed to be out of love and loyalty, has caused plots of uprisings in the districts, as people view this as an act of rebellion, because they did their best not to be a piece in the Capitol's games, and because certain people think that Katniss didn't really love Peeta back, that the "star-crossed lovers bit" was all an act, a strategy to get sponsors.

Snow fearing an uprising, threatens to kill Prim, Katniss's mother, Gale, and his family if Katniss can't convince the citizens of Panem that she is deeply in love with Peeta. Another thing worrying Katniss is the upcoming Hunger Games, where she and Peeta will be mentoring two tributes. Even worse, this year will be the third Quarter Quell, so there will be a change in the rules. The fist one, the people of each district had to hand pick the tributes. The second Quell, twice the number of tributes were sent into the arena. Everyone is wondering anxiously what will happen this time...

But the biggest problem is that Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, has created the spark that will ignite the flame of the rebellion, a fire raging out of her control...

Review:

First of all, HUGE thank you to Gia for letting me do this. It's a really cool opportunity.

This is a truly amazing book, more specifically an amazing sequel, because some of the best books ever had the cruddiest sequels on the planet, then the author's reputation gets ruined,and the books can even go out of print, which is always a shame.

Anyway, the plot gets extremely addictive after a while. The only problem with it was that I couldn't put it down. It is in this book that the war really starts, and people who aren't tributes start dying, which didn't really happen in book 1. Huge character development regarding President Snow, who was only barely introduced in the last book. He now gets the opportunity to show of his cold and cruel husk of a heart.
A lot of new characters appear, many of which will be crucial to book 3. There really isn't much action in part 1, but once the Quell starts, it's FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

An amazing sequel to "The Hunger Games", and a incredible book overall.

480 pages

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Summary:
The story takes place in the country of Panem, which is what is left of North America in the future after natural disasters, flooding, and wars. Katniss Everdeen (age 16) is a girl who lives in District 12, (one of 12 plus 'the Capitol') in Panem. Her father is dead and she hunts everyday with her friend Gale for food to keep herself, her mother and younger sister Prim alive.

In Panem, every year a game called The Hunger Games is held for the country to watch. The leaders in the Capitol have held The Games every year since the uprising of Panem to show how powerful they are. The names of one girl and one boy are picked out of a box in each of the districts. In The Games, all of the contestants are put into the arena, whose landscape changes every year, to fight for their lives. Every single moment of The Games is televised and there is only one rule: KILL OR BE KILLED. The last person standing is the winner and is given a life of luxury. But for those watching The Games it is a terrible reminder of the power of the Capitol, and how powerless those watching really are.

When Prim's name is pulled out of the box, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her young sister's place in The Games. Soon Katniss finds herself along with Peeta (the boy chosen from District 12) and all of the other contestants stepping into the worst adventure of their lives.

On the night before The Games Peeta confesses his love for Katniss, is it real, or is it a trap? It quickly becomes clear that The Hunger Games are not the only games taking place inside the arena and that surviving might not be the only goal, but their can only be one person left standing...

Review:

Before I start my review I would like to thank the Anonymous Pug for suggesting The Hunger Games because it is now at the top of my 'Top 10 Books' list and because it is amazing! The Hunger Games is one of the best books that I have ever read and it is a real page-turner! The story is so addictive and intriguing that you can't stop reading! The book becomes addictive when Katniss and Peeta enter the arena and you want to know what they will do next and how they will survive. 

The setting of the story in a post-apocalyptic North America is very interesting and a little scary.  Suzanne Collins (author) does a great job at making it seem familiar but also foreign. It is also really interesting to read about the districts that the other Games contestants are from. Each district is known for something and it is neat to find out what they are and why that is their 'famous activity'.  It's unusual, but it's something which makes the book unique. 

Collins does a great job at showing us what's going on with Katniss and Peeta, she is always jumping back and forth between every contestant and what they are doing, and it makes the reader feel like they are sitting in front of the T.V. watching The Games.

Brilliant book! It is a must-read!

Before I end my review I would like to mention that I have bought the second and third books and that I am going to start the second one tonight. More reviews will follow!!!

Recommended for any tween age 13+

453 pages