Brownie's Bookshelf

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2010-03-24T21:32:00.000-04:00

Description: 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.

****

Sometimes sequels fail to live up to the wonder and magic of their predecessors. They just don't have that spark and fall short of the bar set before them. And then sometimes the sequel takes what came before it and blows it completely out of the water. Catching Fire is definitely the latter as opposed to the former. It takes all of the action and the adventure and the drama of The Hunger Games and kicks it up a notch.

We pick up the story a few weeks after the prior book ended. Katniss is readjusting to life after the Games and life back in District 12. Haunted by nightmares of the deaths of her friends and foes, she struggles to pick up her life and keep moving forward.

But returning to her life is not as easy as she may wish. Besides dealing with her burgeoning relationships between Peeta and Gale, her childhood friend; she is also dealing with the growing civil unrest throughout Panem. An unrest that was largely motivated by her daring actions at the end of the Hunger Games.

It seems that Katniss, or the girl on fire as she has become known, has sparked a revolution. For the safety and security of her friends and family, can she stop the rebellion she's become a beacon for? The better question may be does she want to?

Add to this the very real possibility that she will be competing in the Games a second time around and we've got ourselves a book that just begs to be read.

****

Again Collins hit it out of the park with this one. She took the damaged, dangerous world she created in the first book and fleshed it out more for us, given us more insight into what the world looks like for Katniss. She's given more dimension to some of our secondary characters as well as adding new depth to our familiar favorites. At the same time she also manages to introduce us to new characters that grab us and make us want to know more.

I feel like calling this a follow-up lessens it somehow. This book was amazing; it left me on the edge of my seat, frustrated that I have to wait five months for the conclusion, Mockingjay to come out.

My Rating: 5/5. I think the rating and my obvious gushing above says it all.

Anything else: There's a Hunger Games podcast on iTunes! Check out the Jabberjays on iTunes, but watch out for spoilers if you haven't read both books.

The Girl in the Arena by Lisa Haines

2010-03-24T20:40:00.000-04:00

Description: It's a fight to the death--on live TV--when a gladiator's daughter steps into the arena.

Lyn is a neo-gladiator's daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family; Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules--and the GSA--can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn's seventh father, he also captures Lyn's dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines' debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence--a modern world that's disturbingly easy to imagine.

****

I wanted to enjoy this book, especially when I read the comparisons to The Hunger Games. I went into the book expecting gladiator action and a fast-paced story that would make me think. The title and the books summary made me think that this was it.

I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't.

The basic premise of the book, set in a modern day dystopia, is that gladiator style fighting is big. Bigger than football, bigger than the Olympics. Not only is it big, but it's legal and popular. In fact there's a whole society dedicated to the sport.

The story idea sounds great, full of promise and potential. However at no point did I feel like Lisa Haines lived up to that potential. The plot seemed broken, the world created by the author never seems to truly come to life and the writing was very dis-jointed and hard to follow. I was especially thrown off by Haines use of dashes in place of quotation marks. And to make matters worse, it takes the reader nearly 250 pages to reach the climax of the story before we are abruptly and rather poorly introduced to the ending.

You also aren't given much character development. The characters aren't very distinctive and at some point for me all their voices began to run together. I never really got a sense of who the main character Lyn is, what she really wants. We're given bits and pieces of who she is but nothing ever seems to come together into something concrete. Most of the secondary characters seem more like furniture than actual parts of the story.

To be quite honest I really have nothing more to add. I found it very difficult to even complete this book. I always felt like it was lacking something; be that a tighter more coherent plot or characters that were truly defined I'm not really sure.

****

My rating: 1/5. As I'm sure you can tell, I did not enjoy this book. However my opinion is not the only one out there. So for a more favorable review check out The Book Smugglers review.

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

2010-03-12T12:57:00.001-05:00

Description:Twenty- four are forced to enter.
Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

From the publisher's website

****

I actually read this book because I was asked to do so by my mother for her students. I had seen it before in the stores and on other book sites and heard the rave review but didn't think I'd really like it all the much.

I was so wrong.

The Hunger Games is an excellent book. It has action, adventure, romance and best of all a protagonist, Katniss, that is actually enjoyable to read about.

From the beginning the book sucks you in. You're pulled right into her world and her daily life, as she tries to survive in world where surviving is really all you can do. You meet her family and friends and just when you start to like them and feel comfy the whole world tilts.

The Games are announced. Names, or Tributes as they're called, are pulled. Sacrifices are made. And the ball gets rolling.

For me the Games are the most fun part. Everything leading up to them is great but the Games are when things get better. It's here that you meet her competitors and here where everything begins to change for her.

At the risk of saying too much I will say that the Games are amazing. The way everything is described and the plot twists and turns that pop up keep you turning the page, excited to see what happens next. And the world that Collins has built is intense and smart.

But truly best part of the book is Katniss. She is by far one of my favorite female protagonists. She's smart and tough and she fights fiercely for those she loves.She isn't concerned with her looks, or playing games or caught up in boys. Her main focus is surviving till tomorrow. And even when she's in the Games, she still manages to stay true to who she is.

****

The book itself is well-written, with a solid, and varied group of characters, a fast pace and a enough drama and suspense to keep you coming back for more. Luckily for all of us the series is a trilogy, with the sequel Catching Fire currently on bookshelves now and the final book Mockingjay set to be released on August 24th, 2010.

My rating: 5/5. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone who is looking to for something good to read.It's exciting and action-packed and it's a book that makes you think.

Anything else: I am firmly on Team Peeta (which probably doesn't bode well as I have a history of loving sinking 'ships). Also if you want to see more from Suzanne Collins, visit her page http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

For more reviews check out Reality Bites...Fiction does it Better

Welcome

2010-03-12T08:47:00.001-05:00

Hi! Welcome to my new book review blog. I'm going to be reading and reviewing books and posting all about it here.I hope you enjoy this blog and all I share with you. Happy reading.