Katniss, The Girl Who Was On Fire

If you recognize this post's title, you must have read The Hunger Games. I just finished reading the first of the series and haven't written a book review, so no better chance than now. Warning, I'll try not to contain spoilers. If I do, I apologise now.

This week's Road Trip Wednesday topic:

What's the best book you've read in August.

Author:Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Pages: 374
Date of Release: Dec. 14th 2009
First Line:  "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

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.

Part One: The Tribute

“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”
-Effie Trinket

The book begins with Katniss waking to crawl underneath the chainlink fence and hunt--an action which is illigal. But with food on the scarce side, what's a girl to do? She has to feed her mother and her young sister Primrose (Prim). Here is also where Katniss' hunting partner Gale Hawthorn is introduced. They hunt and fish together, and talk about the nerve-wracking event that takes place later on in the day, the Reaping; the announcement of tributes for the 74th Hunger Games. When they finish hunting and selling some of their catch in a place called "The Hob" the two seperate to ready themselves for the ceremony. How it works is every person from age 12 to 18 must enter their name once, but for a years supply of tesserae--grain and oil--for one person they enter more. The more a person enters, the more tesserae the family gets. Katniss' name has been entered into the Game twenty times. Gale, who is eighteen and has seven brothers and sisters at home, has his named entered forty-two times. Now that Prim is old enough to enter, her name is entered once.

In the end Katniss and a boy named Peeta Mellark are the tributes from their district--District 12, which is set in the Appalachian and is known for coal mining. Since the Games are for "entertainment" and on television, the tributes have to look good right? They are all assigned a stylist. For District 12 it is Cinna and Portia--who I absoloutly love, by the way. The district is known for the tributes to be dressed in practically nothing--skanky coal miner outfits, for example. What does Cinna and Portia do to be radiant and different? They set them on fire.

Part Two:  The Games

“Winning means fame and fortune.
Losing means certain death.
The Hunger Games have begun.”

 The tributes know that the Games can take place anywhere from a desert, an artic region, to a forest. They have endured interviews, preparations, days of nerves, and finally it's time to start the games. Katniss knows she needs only one weapon--a bow and arrows--and it's not promised. Here is when cleverness, strength, skill, betrayal, and the strive to survive is tested.

Part Three:  The Victor

 

“Here’s some advice. Stay alive.”
-Haymitch Abernathy

It's all about who has gets the victory. I can't tell you much about this part without giving everything away.

My Thoughts

When I first heard about The Hunger Games it was from Stephenie Meyer's--the author of Twilight--website. It was when it first released and the book sounded so interesting, but I never got the chance to get my hands on it. I'm certainly glad I did. I would give it 4.5 stars. I can't wait to read the next one, Catching Fire.

Though I haven't read many, dystopians never cease to amaze me. It's interesting to wonder what the world be like in the future, and The Hunger Game's world would be a horrible world to live in. If Panem existed right now, based on where I live, I would probably be in District 12, too.

I cannot wait for the movie to come out! Here is a teaser trailer that just released.

The Love Interest

“Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you.”
-Katniss Everdeen

Two of my favorite aspects in novels are action and romance. I love a good fight scene just as much as I love mushy scene that makes you go "Squeee!" It has both action and romance, although the romance is different from other books and I found it interesting.

At first I wondered if there was something between Katniss and Gale. Though their relationship in the beginning of the book seemed platonic, I couldn't even begin to guess what Ms. Collins has up her sleeve for the next book.

Peeta. Sweet, sweet Peeta. To Katniss he is known as "the boy with the bread" and not just because he is the son of the baker. Though Peeta and Katniss never talked before the Games, they have a history so heavy Katniss feels she can never pay Peeta back for a favor he did for her.

Peeta: “Well, there is this one girl. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I’m pretty sure she didn’t know I was alive until the reaping.”

Caesar: “She have another fellow?”

Peeta: “I don’t know, but a lot of boys like her.”

Caesar: “So, here’s what you do. You win, you go home. She can’t turn you down then, eh?”

Peeta: “I don’t think it’s going to work out. Winning…won’t help in my case”

Caesar: “Why ever not?”

Peeta: “Because…because…she came here with me.”

Dun-dun-DUH!!!

Have you read The Hunger Games? What did you think? What was your favorite/least favorite part? Which was your favorite in the series--but no spoliers, please! :D

Glass by Ellen Hopkins Book Review

Hey everyone, I'm finally posting a book review for Glass. I don't know why I have been so reluctant about posting book reviews lately. Oh, well. I'll get back on track. Just as a heads up, Glass is the sequel to Crank by Ellen Hopkins. So if you haven't read Crank there will be spoilers.

Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Simon & Shuster
Pages: 681
Date of Release: August 21, 2007
Book is written in verse.

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

photo found here

In Crank, Kristina Georgia Snow became addicted to many things. She became addicted to the feel of a boy's body pressed against hers, she became addicted to love, but, ultimately, she became addicted to meth. (And I became addicted to the series.)

The good girl Kristina's parents knew is struggling to hold back her stronger identity named Bree.

"Not quite silent,
                        shouts obscenities just because
                        they roll so well off the tongue.

Not quite straight-A
                        but talented in oh-so-many
                        inevitable ways.

Not quite sanitary,
                        farts with gusto, picks
                        her nose, spits like a guy.

Not quite sane,
                       sometimes, to tell you the truth,
                       even I wonder about her.

Alone,
                      There is no perfect daughter,
                      no gifted high-school junior,
                      no Kristina Georgia Snow.
                                                            There is only Bree."
                                                                   --Crank page 5

Bree is everything Kristina is not:  confident, sneaky, a party-girl. But now, in Glass, Kristina is dealing with consequences of her actions. Now a mother, Kristina tries to fight her addiction to the monster Crank, claiming it's up to her to call the shots, not the monster. The problem? The monster is alluring. It calls to her when she wakes up at night to feed her son, it calls to her in the morning when she hasn't gotten much sleep, and it calls to her when she argues with her parents. And inside of her, Bree is yearning for it.

Finally, Kristina gives in.

      "Just a little"

But we all know how that works. A little turned into a lot. A lot turned into losing control. And losing control meant losing her life. No, Kristina didn't die, but everything good thing in her life was gone. Her parents kick her out, take her baby, and leave her to live on her own.

But she was never on her own. There is always a boy. Even two boys, and they introduce her to a new type of meth, one that takes her flying higher, Glass.

At the end of Crank, I wondered how Kristina could make her life worse because of a drug. In Glass, it's proven that she can.

-----------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

As soon as I finished Crank, I couldn't wait until I had the chance to pick up Glass. I was dying to know what happened next, what choices--most likely bad choices--Kristina would make. I was curious to how the monster was going to control her this time and how hard she was going to fight against it.

There are many mixed reviews out there about Crank and Glass--some claim Hopkins' plots weren't original enough--but I believe she stuck with realistic ideas and I was glad she did. Sometimes not all book plots are completely original, but it's what an author does to the book and the story that make it original. Hopkins certainly succeeds in my opinion. Maybe it was because I'm a sucker for her unique writing style or it may be because I love the aspect of realism she kept within the book. Using drugs and addiction usually lead down one dangerous road, and Hopkins captures it beautifully.

Reading Hopkins' books sent me on a roller coaster, an emotional roller coaster. I would feel sorry for Kristina one moment, and then want to slap Bree the next. Many times I wanted to tell Kristina "Well, that's what you get!" but would also think to myself, "Awwh, that's not right! She has a problem."

I have to admit this, in both Crank and Glass, Kristina's character bothered me on some levels. Mainly on the fact that she believes you need a guy to be happy; that is Kristina's perspective since the beginning of the series--but being the sucker for romance that I am, I wanted her to find it. There are many times Kristina lashes out at her family, misses her life before her baby, hungers for a good high, and forgets about her child all together. Her family eventually becomes unimportant to her entirely. This fact saddened me, but it is an affect of addiction and the meth--the drug damages the pleasure centers in the brain. People addicted to the drug, as Kristina does, only feels happy when they are high.

Overall the book was as amazing as the first one, sometimes even better. The consequences of drug use and meth are even more severe than in Crank. Kristina suffers many mental, physical, emotional, and life consequences for her actions.

I definitely recommend it. Rated on a five star rating, I would give it 4.5 to 5 stars.





"Life
was radical
right after I met
                        the monster.

Later, life
                        became

harder,
complicated.
Ultimately,
                        a living

hell,
like swimming
against a riptide,
                        walking

the wrong
direction in the fast
lane of the freeway,
                         waking

from sweetest
dreams to find yourself
in the middle of a
                         nightmare."
                             --Glass page 1

Up next for review? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!

Dancing With The Monster

This week's YA Highway Road Trip Wednesday Topic:

What was the best book you read in July?

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina--she's fearless.

Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul--her life.

Not only is Kristina a good girl, she is a good girl with a desperation for love, so when she meets an attractive, suave boy by the name Adam (a.k.a Buddy) and he takes an interest in her, an alter ego of Kristina comes out. You can call her Bree. She is nothing like Kristina--she is quick with the innuendos, attractive to guys, a party animal, and, ultimately, stronger than Kristina. When Adam introduces Kristina to the monster called "crank" Bree jumps at the chance, thirsting for a good time.

"Crank" is 544 pages of an anticipating, beautifully written story of a good girl's fall from grace. It took me only two days to read--calculating it farther, it probably only took me hours. I didn't want to put it down, and when I had the chance to pick it back up again--in between stirring breakfast included--I took advantage of it.

Sad to say, it was painful but enticing to watch Kristina fall into the grasps of addiction--it was explained so well. The objective and significance of the book is well addressed, slowly leading to the consequences of "dancing with the monster" crank. After leaving her father and Adam, Kristina goes home to Reno, Nevada, high and looking for a dealer. Easy enough she finds one, but not without consequences on her behalf.

"Crank" is a story loosely based off the author, Ellen Hopkin's, daughter and her addiction to crank. The idea of the book came from Hopkin's curiosity of why her daughter made the decisions she did, and what part Ellen played in her daughter's life. In the process of writing the book from her daughter's perspective, Ellen not only learned more about her daughter, she learned about herself.

The most interesting aspect of the book is that it is written in verse. Though some of the writing is short, it is perfectly balanced with description, phrasing, and beauty of the writing. Not only is it written in verse, some of the paragraphs take shapes such as arrows, V's, houses, and crosses.

For an excerpt, here is page one:

"Flirtin’ with the Monster

Life was good
before I
met 
              the monster
After,
life
               was great,

At
least
            for a little while."

For those who don't know what crank is, it the most addicting and consequential drug:  methamphetamine.

Here are some websites if you would like to learn more about the book and the author:

Ellen Hopkin's website

"Crank" at Amazon--You can peek into the book for more excerpts

Ellen Hopkin's blog

And here are some websites if you would like to learn more about the mental and physical consequences of using crank:

                                     Wikipedia

                                     Nmtf.us

What are some great books you've read this month?

Divergent by Veronica Roth Book Review

I didn't get to post my book review yesterday because I was having trouble with the blog, so I am posting it today. But in addition to a book review I have had planned for two weeks now, I also ran upon a topic from the YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday:

What is the best book you've read this month?

That's an easy answer.

photo found here

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

(Mini-synopsis from Amazon.com)

I wanted to read "Divergent" a few days before its release on May 3rd. The only dystopian novels I have read are Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies"; "Pretties"; "Specials"; and "Extras" . Those books were amazing, and so is "Divergent". Before reading the book, I was so confused about which faction I would join. Now I definitely would choose Dauntless for the experience and because it includes some of my favorite bits of action--guns, fighting, snarky attitudes--even though I would face the horrifying, feasible issue of becoming factionless. A few posts ago, talking about "Divergent", I said I was afraid to become Dauntless because I would hate be factionless. Now I believe that the Dauntless experience would be worth becoming factionless. Shocking, I know. Being factionless is horrible, an eternity alone and struggling for food and clothes with horrible, outcast jobs.

Two of my favorite aspects of a book are romance and action; if the romantic scenes and action scenes are exceptional, I will swoon. "Divergent" is packed with action, and I mean guns-up, butt-kicking action, mixed with a slow flow of romance--picture me swooning. I absolutely LOVED every SECOND of it! As if dystopian isn't an interesting subject already--and I certainly cannot wait to read The Hunger Games now--this futuristic Chicago is a city I would love to visit to observe and learn more about. I know, my Erudite is showing. *Grins*

Also, I would like to state that Tris (Beatrice Prior) is probably my favorite heroine. If I could choose to be like a character from a book, it would probably be Tris--I would love to have Hermione Granger's brain and ability to remember everything she's ever read, though. I love Tris' bravery and will, mixed with her Abnegation-self and her intelligence. To me, "Divergent" is a wonderful story about allowing yourself to be who you want to be, no matter the limits or obstacles, nor how terrifying or challenging those obstacles may be.

I cannot wait for the sequel, whose title has just recently been released:

(picture from Veronica Roth's blog.)

Here are some of my favorite quotes, though I do not have the page numbers:

"Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again."

"What is it with you today?" says Christina on the way to breakfast. Her eyes are still swollen from sleep and her tangled hair forms a fuzzy halo around her face.
"Oh, you know," I say. "Sun shinning. Birds chirping."
She raises an eyebrow at me, as if reminding me that we are in an underground tunnel.

"Moths," repeats Will. "You're afraid of moths?"
"Not just a cloud of moths," she says, "like...a swarm of them. Everywhere. All those wings and legs and..." She shudders and shakes her head.
"Terrifying," Will says with mock seriousness. "That's my girl. Tough as cotton balls."
"Oh, shut up."

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare Book Review

First I have to say, Happy Wednesday! You've made it halfway through the week; only two more days to go 'til the weekend. So for you bookworms searching for young adult books and to help through the Wednesday slowness, I have decided to start a segment called "Book Review Wednesday". To start my very first book review, I will be covering Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel.

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gas lit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

(Blurb from Amazon.com)

(Clockwork Angel trailer)

I've been a huge fan Cassandra (Cassie) Clare's work since I read City of Bones last December, and since, I've read all of her books except for City of Fallen Angels--it's coming up on my list. First and foremost, I have to say that Clockwork Angel's cover is the most beautiful cover I've ever seen. It is ultimately my favorite. I love the Victorian era--the dark cobblestone London, gentlemen in coattails and top hats, ladies in beautiful dresses, the whole enchilada--so it's only natural for me to be in love with the cover. I didn't want to take it off my "Currently Reading" list, because I thought it coordinated with my blog's layout so well. The cover aside, another thing I have found interesting this year is Steampunk, which is what genre Clockwork Angel falls under, other than Fantasy. For those who don't know what Steampunk is, it's science fiction set in the Victorian era focusing on technology and machinery.

If you're not familiar with Cassie's work, she known for her twisted plots, great characters, gripping romance, and cliffhanger endings that contort your insides until you have the next book--practically everything a writer wants to be--and Clockwork Angel does not disappoint.

Through out the book you'll want the protagonist, Tessa, to fall for both of the young males and have them--to have her cake and eat it, too--and you'll see what Tessa is capable of with her unique ability. Some of my favorite aspects of the book is the attractive, snarky Will; the gentle, sweet Jem; Jem's sickness; Will's sarcastic remarks to anything  and everything; and how well Tessa and Jem can deal with Will.

Clockwork Angel is the prequel to The Mortal Instruments series featuring City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels. They are all packed with action and are definitely some of my favorite books. I give Clockwork Angel 4.5/5 stars.

For fun, here are some of my favorite quotes from Clockwork Angel. (If it has ****** I'm bleeping out a name, because it might possibly be a spoiler and I don't want to ruin it. Enjoy!)

"Nice work in there, Herondale, setting the place on fire," Gabriel observed. "Good thing we were there to clean up after you, or the whole plan would have gone down in the flames, along with the shreds of your reputation."

"Are you implying that shreds of my reputation still remain intact?" Will demanded with mock horror. "Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not doing something wrong, as the case may be."
He banged on the side of the carriage. "Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel! I seek scandal and low companionship."
(Pg. 268)

"I just wondered," Gabriel said, in a more subdued voice, "if perhaps you have ever had enough."
"Enough of what?"
"Enough of behaving as you do."
Will crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes glinted dangerously. "Oh, I can never get enough," he said. "Which, incidentally, is what your sister said to me when-"
The carriage door flew open, a hand shot out, grabbed Will by the back of the shirt, and hauled him inside.
(Pg. 269)

"Must you go? I was rather hoping you'd stay and be a ministering angel, but if you must go, you must." (Jem)
"I'll stay," Will said a bit crossly, and threw himself down in the armchair Tessa had just vacated. "I can minister angelically."
"None too convincingly. And you're not as pretty to look at as Tessa is," Jem said, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillow.
"How rude. Many who have gazed upon me have compared the experience to gazing at the radiance of the sun."
Jem still had his eyes closed. "If they mean it gives you a headache, they aren't wrong."
(Pg. 343)


"That was enterprising," Will sounded nearly impressed.
****** smiled. Tess shot him a furious look. "Don't look pleased with yourself. When Will says 'enterprising' he means 'morally deficient.'"
"No, I mean enterprising," said Will. "When I mean morally deficient, I say, 'Now, that's something I would have done."
(Pg. 363)

And that's only a few.