Category: Book Review

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Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins

This is book 2 of the Hunger Games trilogy.

I really enjoyed the 1st book, Hunger Games, and couldn’t wait for the 2nd one to come out.

But then life happened and I never bought the second one. Then I got my Kindle and they didn’t have a Kindle version available. But then when my brother-in-law was talking about how much he loved Hunger Games, I was determined to get the 2nd installment. So the other day we were downtown and walked by an English bookstore and I ran in and they had it!

I finished it quickly and wished that it wouldn’t end.

The ending of it is definitely more of a cliff hanger than the 1st. The final installment comes out in August and I can’t wait!

So DEFINITELY recommend this series and give it 5 stars!

Amazon Description:
Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen “tributes” from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

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Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

Every now and then there comes a book that is really unique.

Like the story isn’t one that I had heard of before. Or if it was, it has a different twist that kept me interested.

Well that’s how I felt about The Hunger Games.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was that I thought it was a little short. I wished that it was longer because I didn’t want it to end.

Great book and I totally recommend it and give it 5 stars.

Here is the Amazon description:
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’ 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’ 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.

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Review of The Curse of the Spider King- Christopher Hopper and Wayne Batson

I just finished the Curse of the Spider King and I must say, I REALLY enjoyed it!

It was one of those books that transported you to another realm and immersed you in a new and interesting world.

I love how they intertwined the history of the world within the story of the children.

It is a fantasy Christian fiction with crazy creatures, Elves, good, evil, all the counter parts to the good, well rounded story.

The only drawback for us “adults” is that it is a young adult book written for a younger audience. It gets a little “high school” at times in the rhetoric, which is obviously understandable knowing the age it was written for. But I didn’t feel it took away from the story. It was also a little short for me as well. I wish it was longer.

BUT it left me wanting more and very excited about the next book.

I am giving it 4 stars and totally recommend it!


Here is the Amazon description:
The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes.  At least that’s what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.
Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle.  Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

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The Hideaway- Dean Koontz

What a great book!

I had just read a short summary on Amazon and it tickled my fancy and is an older book so it wasn’t very expensive, so I just thought, “Hey, why not!” Dean Koontz is a pretty solid writer. You never know what type of genre his books will fit in because even though he’s been pegged a horror writer, he really isn’t. Most of his books I wouldn’t even label thriller. More just like murder mystery, but this book is definitely a thriller.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this novel.

It’s a little on the creepy side with this derranged serial killer who after he kills his victims, he sets them up as mannequins revealing their true nature and let’s them rot in his underground lair.
But it also has love rejuvenated and adoption and coming to grips with childhood death and more. It kept me reading and thinking about reading when I wasn’t reading. That’s always a good sign. Plus it has this supernatural element that’s not overtly corney.

This book has a lot of different aspects to it that were very page turning and I definitely recommend it and will give it 4 stars.

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The Host- Stephenie Meyer

So I finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer, and I really enjoyed it!
I am a big Stephenie Meyer’s fan as I am a die hard Twlight Series lover. I was given the Twilight Series books last September by one of my best friend’s Tiffani for my birthday. I got them right before a 3 week trip to Europe and started them immediately. It caught me by surprise that I enjoyed them so much, mainly because they were “young adult” novels, but regardless, I was an immediate fan and read through those books at record speed! I got SO into them!

Her new book, The Host came out this past week and has nothing to do with her popular Twilight Series.

The Host is a science fiction novel written for an adult audience. I’m not going to give any story spoilers, so if you are wanting to read the book, you are safe to proceed.

The basic premise is definitely invasion of the pod people-esq, but I found it very thrilling and interesting. The story begins after the invasion. A woman named Melanie is captured who has been involved in the human resistance, (A group of human’s who are in hiding, refusing to implanted by a “soul”-or-alien). They capture this woman and place a soul into her in hopes that 1. they will assimilate her and 2. They can find the location of the resistance to assimilate the rest of the humans she is with. Much to her Soul’s chagrin, the only resistance info they get, is from her. Melanie refuses to relinquish her memories or even her consciousness. She takes on an independent personality inside this soul’s mind, which is not a common thing and there is no real protocol for it besides reassigning the soul and terminating The Host. Obviously Melanie can’t control the actions of her body, but she takes “hearing voices” to a whole new level as she constantly argues with her host and this Soul (named Wanderer) tries to find out the information she needs. Since there has to be an antagonist, this one comes in the form of a really awful/irritating/emotionally charged Seeker who is relentless in her pursuit of Wanderer and trying to figure out what Melanie knows. It’s quite the battle for Wanderer to try and dig through a resistant mind, but that’s not the real trouble. It’s when she gets a hold of memories, they are so powerful that they rock Wanderer’s world. Melanie has memories that are so strong that she can not hide them from Wanderer and these are memories of her passionate love of a man whom she left behind. Without realizing it, Wanderer begins to fall in love with this man she has never met and soon sets off to find him… it’s a fantastic love triangle that actually only involves 2 people! Obviously the story goes from there, twisting and turning as you can imagine… it’s a very good read!

Since I’m not giving away any secrets, I will basically just give my impressions. I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was a fresh twist on something we’ve seen done over and over again.
I myself got really into the book and finished it quickly. I liked the lead character a lot, but I felt the Soul Wanderer was a little too human, even in the very beginning. These Souls are basically supposed to be emotionless.
And how did I feel about the end?? I felt it was fitting, that’s all I will say.

I can’t really say more as I don’t want to give away the story for any of you planning reading it.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed it, so much that it inspired me to write more on my current project!