MOCKINGJAY BY SUZANNE COLLINS

Mockingjay By Suzanne Collins
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 390
Source: Bought
Buy this book: Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads): My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

This was a strong solid end to what was an incredible series. Coming in from such a strong debut and and incredible follow-up I was skeptical that the momentum could be maintained. Mockinjay was slow in the pacing at the beginning however the story does eventually pick up. I will not give up any spoilers here but I will say that Suzanne Collins wrote such a haunting book that I am sure will remain with me forever.

The story is still strong and the struggles of Katniss and the rebels to over throw the Capitol comes with many turns and surprises. Turns that had me shocked and reeling! At the end of this series I have to say that it was an amazing journey about the value of humanity and the dangers of the sensationalism of the modern media. I loved Mockingjay and the series as a whole. Great message and an incredible read.

CATCHING FIRE BY SUZANNE COLLINS

Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #2)
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 391
Source: Bought
Buy this book: Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.

When you think that things cannot be amped up more than they have been in the first book of The Hunger Games, then be prepared to be wrong. I have read and reviewed the first book for the site (link here), and this series is one of those well written and conceptualized works that not only entertains but is also thought provoking.

Before reading Catching Fire, I began with high expectations for the second book and not only did it meet all of them but it far exceeded them as well. The story picks up where the first one left off and you see the effects of the games on both Katniss and Peeta. They are the first ever dual survivors of the games, using it to their advantage. This is not something that happens and they both now have to face the anger of the Capital and President Snow. 

Both Peeta and Katniss try to settle into a somewhat normal life knowing that there are rumblings of a rebellion in other districts. Rebellions that they helped start, rebellions that they are now the poster children for. They are caught between wanting to keep their loved ones safe while knowing that the Capital will do whatever it takes to withhold it's power over the people. What happens next in the story left me shocked. I don't want to give any spoilers away but when you read this book the plot twist will surprise and sadden you. You will be a storm of emotion and it will be an exhilarating ride.

Suzanne Collins weaves a story as masterfully as she did the first time, (yes lightening strikes twice) building it up to suspenseful high pitch. I found myself falling more in love with all the characters, most of all Peeta who is just perfect if that is even possible. Loved this sequel to what is turning out to be a stellar series!!

HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins
Release Date: October 1, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age group: Science Fiction/ Young Adult/ Adventure
Pages: 384
Buy this book: Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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, 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 cannot say enough how much I loved this book. It was thrilling, exciting, new, gripping, horrifying and I could go on and on. The storys’ main character is sixteen-year old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. The hunger games is used by the Capitol as a punishment for a previous rebellion. It is a televised event where one boy and one girl is chosen from all 12 surrounding districts to compete to the death until only one remains. The last one standing is declared the winner.

I found the novel to be well paced and exciting all the way through. I never got stuck in a chapter nor was it ever slow. Believe me there are no slow dragging parts in The Hunger Games which is one of the many things I loved about the book. The novel is a perfect mix of adventure and excitement with a little romance thrown in. The story itself, I found to be fresh and fast paced, but it also deals with universal themes of love, loss, independence, and fear.

Violence is something that we see televised everyday and this novel made me think about that in a whole new way. I don’t mean that what occurs in the story is evident in our daily lives, which is a terrifying notion. But, that there is a blurring of entertainment and reality present in the fictional world and our own. There can be a disconnect that occurs, like that in Panem, and similarly in our own lives when we see the human condition televised in the comfort of our homes but we are removed and separated from that experience. Through seeing what the people of Panem have become I realize that although we are not there as a society can we get there someday. Very thought provoking. This is the main reason why I loved The Hunger Games. It is categorized as a YA (young adult) novel but really anyone of any age can read this book and enjoy it. I guarantee it.