Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Collins has done it again. Just when I thought she wouldn't be able to top Hunger Games she demonstrates a wonderful ability to spin an action packed tale. This book was just as good as the first if not better.

Katniss, winner of the last Hunger Games is back from the capital with her co-winner Peeta. In order to stay in good favor with the capital after Katniss's actions with the berries in the last book, she and Peeta must keep up the ruse of being madly in love with each other before the districts. But things are more complicated than they thought, and their deception may not be enough for the capital. How will Katniss survive when her entire world catches fire?

This was a wonderful sequel to the first book. I eagerly await number 3 in this series. One of my favorite books this year!

Cautions for sensitive readers: Violence




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Book Review: Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gaia’s mother served the Enclave as a midwife, advancing three babies per month into the Enclave, forever separating them from their biological parents. Until one evening when she and Gaia’s father were arrested by guards of the Enclave. Gaia comes home that night after serving as a midwife and delivering her first baby to the Enclave, to discover her parents gone and an Enclave soldier waiting in her house. After questioning her about her mother and records her mother supposedly kept, he leaves, but her parents don’t return. Gaia has always served the Enclave well, but now she must risk everything to set her parents free. Little does she know...the Enclave is waiting.

I will admit to some difficulty writing about this book because my feelings are mixed. On a quality level this book is exceptional, but on a personal level I found this book a bit hard for me to get into. For some reason, it just wasn’t holding my interest in the beginning. After I got past the beginning and began to progress through the book, my interest grew and as I approached the end I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

I am glad that I endured, and finally finished Birthmarked because it is worth every effort. This book is dystopian fiction at its best. Gaia lives in a world where the poor live outside the wall and are subject to the laws and governance of the rich inside. Outside there a people who struggle to survive, and parents who must give up their newborns. Inside there are wealthy who want for nothing and raise children not their own. The poor don’t rebel because their own children live inside the Enclave, and some of their children serve in the Enclave guard.

O’Brien’s characterizations were excellent. Gaia is a well developed and likable character and you want to cry with her, when things go wrong. Gaia, who is scarred, is considered a “freak” both inside and outside the walls of the Enclave. According to them she is a girl who should be pitied because she is not perfect, but Gaia’s strength is that she is determined not to let her deformity hinder her. The other character who features heavily in this novel is Leon, who you don’t know quite as well and have doubt as to whether you can trust him. He too is an intriguing character. In Gaia’s world people aren’t always what they appear to be, and you don’t know who you can really trust.

In the end I would have to say that I liked this book. It was unpredictable both in vocabulary and in plotting events. You never knew where it was going to take you. Even at the end when I thought I knew the characters and could predict what they would do next, it never failed to take me by surprise.

Overall I would recommend this book to those who like dystopian fiction as a possible must read.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is some violence in this book, but no language or sex. There are a couple of mildly bloody scenes when Gaia delivers babies.

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Book Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gabry lives in the protected town of Vista with her mother, Mary. She has always known safety in her small quiet town until one night when she and some of her friends decide to cross the barrier that protects Vista from the Mudo, the walking dead, on the outside. Although Gabry doesn’t want to cross the barrier she goes anyway to win the love of her best friend’s brother, Catcher. Only things don’t turn out as the teens expect, and when tragedy strikes, Gabry would give anything to go back to that moment before she crossed the barrier.

This sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth was exciting and action packed. There were times when my heart was racing because I didn’t know what would happen next. This book was so unpredictable, the narrator so indecisive that I had no clue where the book would take me next. I liked Gabry, but felt that she needed to reevaluate some of the choices she has made. She finds herself facing danger around every turn as her once quiet and safe life unravels around her. But it is her decision making (whether good or bad) that makes this novel such an unpredictable delight.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is quite a bit of violence in this book. There is no language or sex.

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Book Review: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer



My expectations were VERY high when I went to read this book. I truly loved the first book in this series, which centered around a girl named Miranda and her family dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster involving a meteor hitting the moon. I liked the second book as well, which was about a young man named Alex and his family dealing with the same situation. In this book, the two families meet and form relationships. Miranda and Alex end up liking each other as well.


While I really liked the concept of knowing what happened next for the characters of those books, I was ultimately quite disappointed with the merging of the two storylines. I didn’t find the idea of Miranda and Alex falling for each other believable at all. There wasn’t enough attention given to the developing of that “love story”. And once again in this series, the story doesn’t completely wrap up completely in the end, so I have to wonder if she’s planning on writing a fourth installment.

It was still very interesting to contemplate the continued repercussions of the natural disaster, however. So while I feel that the books lessened in quality as the series went on, I don’t think they are a waste of time by any means! All in all I would still very much recommend reading this series, simply because the concept is just so gripping and thought-provoking.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Some gruesome descriptions of the dead and indications of violence. No sex or foul language.

Guest reviewer: CW

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Book Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Thomas first wakes up he finds himself in a metal box moving upward. He only remembers his name, not his parents, where he came from, or any other details. Then the box opens and he arrives in the Glade where a bunch of teenage boys who also have selective amnesia greet him and introduce him to his new life in the center of a large maze.

For two years the Gladers, all boys, have attempted to solve the maze and find a way out, but without any success. A special elite group of Gladers, called runners, court a gruesome death everyday in a maze that is patrolled by mechanical monsters called Grievers. The Gladers have created a society where they keep order by making sure everyone takes part in providing for the needs of those living in the glade. There are those that raise animals for food, those who garden, those who build, those who cook and those who clean up. Thomas must now find his place among the Gladers, but he can’t shake the feeling that he remembers this place.

Then one day, a girl arrives and everything changes. Thomas must look deep into himself to find a way out of the maze once and for all.

At first I found this book thoroughly frustrating. The reader and Thomas have a million questions, yet everyone refuses to answer them. At points I found myself wanting to throw the book across the room, because I felt like I was getting nowhere. As the story progresses, you still don’t get many of the answers you want, but it gets more bearable when you discover that none of the characters have all the answers and that Thomas has more answers and knowledge than most.

This book is action packed and extremely fast paced. There is danger around every corner and even the Glade isn’t safe. Thomas can be a difficult character to like at times, but you do have to admire his boldness. Many of the other characters were interesting and I think I would have enjoyed hearing more from Newt and Minho. It was nice that Thomas had to realize, through the other Gladers, that the solutions they sought were not that easy to come by. In fact the others often reminded him that if the solution was simple they would have found it already.

This was an engrossing, action packed read. Recommended for fans of action books, mysteries, and dystopian futures.

Cautions for sensitive readers: First the obvious, this book is very violent. The Grievers are terrifying and merciless and sometimes the Gladers themselves are violent. There is no sex at all in the book. As for offensive language, the author chose to make up his own types of swear words, so you will often see the word “klunk” used where you would normally see a foul word.

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Book Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First off, let me say that this book is a bit hard to describe. It is a unique fantasy/sci fi book that takes place in two worlds. First there is the world of Incarceron, the cruel prison that watches all the prisoners, recording their lives, and in some cases causing their deaths. Then there is the world outside of Incarceron, where although the people appear to be free, they are actually confined by the Era. Everything must be in Era. Everything not in Era is illegal. Although the more wealthy may have such modern conveniences as washing machines, everything must be scrupulously concealed so that it appears to be an Era centuries in the past.

Finn is a prisoner in Incarceron, and though everyone states that no one ever comes from outside the prison and many believe that outside doesn’t exist, Finn knows he has seen the stars and was not born in Incarceron. Finn’s memories are full of holes, and on occasions he gets flashes of things not from Incarceron. He longs to find out more, and to find a way out of the prison. When a woman in the prison mentions a key, Finn believes he may have found a way out.

Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a formidable and scheming man. Her father has arranged for her to marry Caspar, who will one day be King. Claudia longs to be free of her engagement with the sniveling Caspar, and longs to be free of the confinements of the Era. She also seeks Incarceron, her father’s best kept secret. Although she knows the prison exists, she doesn’t know where it is. She doesn’t even have proof of the prison’s existence, until she finds a key and ends up communicating with a young man named Finn.

The dichotomy of the book is interesting. You have two separate worlds, a world that appears to be perhaps 17th century and a prison world that is a technological machine governed by what appears to be an artificial intelligence. In both worlds you can see that the society is more technologically advanced than we are now, but the outside, where Claudia lives, does its best to make you think time has stopped somewhere in an era past. Meanwhile, inside the prison, you see how the technology has been integrated into the bodies and lives of the prisoners.

I have to say that I like this book from the very beginning. It was gripping and I didn’t want to put it down. It is probably one of the most original fantasy novels I have read in a long time. Both Finn and Claudia were likable characters struggling to survive in their own prisons. Incarceron was not only a setting for the book, but a character. It is a scary unpredictable place. It watches you, knows you and interacts with you. Incarceron will try to bend you to its will or it may just destroy you.

In the end, I found myself wanting to know more about the prison’s intelligence and how it became what it did. You also find you self wanting to know more about the other characters, like Claudia’s father, and the Queen. The book leaves you wanting more, so I hope that the sequel due out in 2011 will address some of these questions.

This is definitely a favorite for me. Highly recommended.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is some violence in the book.

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Check Out This Contest on Presenting Lenore

All through the month of February the blog Presenting Lenore has reviewed different titles in dystopian fiction.  Visit her blog to find some fabulous reviews and  enter her contest for your chance to win some dystopian fiction of your own.  Just click on the following link for more details:

Dystopian February Survey & 3 Mega Prize Packs!

Novel Notes and Teen News: Your Source for Teen Book Information and Other Teen News 2/19/10

Dystopian Futures




In my last Novel Notes I couldn’t control the excitement for the announcement of the new Hunger Games book, Mockingjay. Even though it is still months away from publication I have noticed a buzz around the library about the new cover, and of course the perpetual question, “When are you going to order it?” My standard answer is that I will order it as soon as our vendor shows quantities other than zero—once the magic number appears, I promise you it will be in my cart and shortly after in our catalog.

This excitement, however, has piqued a curiosity in me. You see, I never realized before now, how interested we seem to be in these dystopian futures. I knew I liked them and had read a number of them, but I never really thought about how many of the books I read would fall into that category. For instance, in the last year and including Incarceron by Catherine Fisher that I am currently reading I have read eight different dystopian novels. While that number is hardly huge, the number is significant because it seems to just slightly outweigh the other genres. I just thought I was reading fantasy or sci-fi, but it looks like what I have really been reading has been books about dystopian futures. In the last couple of years some of the dystopian books I have reviewed have included:

• City of Ember by DuPrau
• Little Brother by Doctrow
• The Uglies series by Westerfeld
• Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Collins
• Unwind by Shusterman
• Forest of Hands and Teeth by Ryan
• Genesis Alpha by Rune
• Life as We Knew It by Pfeffer
• Neptune’s Children by Dobkin
• Declaration by Malley

It seems like lately I am coming across books about dystopian futures everywhere, and I find myself most wanting to read those. Why? I don’t know, but they are the hardest for me to avoid and the hardest for me to put down. And suddenly it seems like I am not the only one. This month, one of the blogs I follow, Presenting Lenore, is dedicating an entire month to this topic and just this week, I found this article “Apocalypse Now” from Publisher’s Weekly’s email newsletter Children’s Bookshelf about how this genre is on the rise:

Apocalypse Now: Teens turn to dystopian novels

PW was also kind enough to post a list of upcoming dystopian novels that are due to be published in the next couple of years.  Don’t worry dystopian future fans…I printed this one out!

Dystopian Novels for Teens, Present and Future

I guess this genre is slowly on the rise and let me say, I can't wait to see what is next!

Talk Back:  I am going to be working on a Dystopian Futures book list for those of us addicted to this type of fiction.  What books have you read that you would recommend to someone looking for books like the Hunger Games, Uglies, or any of your other favorite dystopian novels?

Fall Sneak Peak


While fall may seem like a long way away from now—especially since we are still digging out from the last snow storms that dumped inches on us, it isn’t that far away for publishers planning release dates for up and coming books. PW was kind enough to offer us a sneak peak at what is coming out from publishers this fall including a new novel in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz and a new book for the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Check out this great list!

Fall 2010 Sneak Previews

Book Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Connor Lassiter is an AWOL Unwind. In a society that has eliminated abortion, they have a new solution to the problem of unwanted children. At the age of thirteen a child’s parents have the option of having their teen unwound. With unwinding, a child doesn’t die because all of the parts of him or her are harvested and used in other people. Connor wanted to keep his parts to himself, and decided the best way to do that was to escape.

Risa Ward grew up in Ohio State Home 23. As a ward of the state she knew she had to be exceptional in her chosen vocation. Who knew five small mistakes in a musical recital would have her on a bus to Harvest camp where she would be unwound.

Lev always knew his purpose. He was one of God’s chosen, and was willingly giving himself to God. Lev is his parent’s tithe of 1/10. They have 10 children and Lev is going to be their tithe to God. He planned to fulfill his role dutifully, until the freeway accident that killed a State Home bus driver led an AWOL unwind and a crazy state home girl to kidnap him for their escape. Who knew that those grand plans could change in an instant?

They are three teens on the run to keep themselves whole in a world that only wants them for their parts.

Unwind by Shusterman was an interesting read. As a parent myself, I can’t believe that parents would willingly unwind their children, so the concept of unwinding is difficult for me. Once I got past that aspect of the story, it is interesting to see the society that Conner, Risa, and Lev live in. In the beginning, you have difficulty liking Connor. You can understand his reasoning for getting away, but you can’t understand why he did the things he did that got his parents to sign the unwind order. Risa is a more sympathetic narrator. Nothing she did has gotten her into this situation—she tried to be perfect, but perfection isn’t something that comes easily to humans. Lev’s ideas were the most foreign to me, I had difficulty understanding why a child would willingly become an unwind, but Lev has had his whole life to prepare. He knows his purpose in life.

This novel is shocking, violent, alarming, and thought provoking. You keep wondering throughout the novel, how did this world get so messed up that something like unwinding would become an acceptable solution? These characters and their stories are well developed. You can’t help feeling the urgency they feel and the betrayal.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is quite a bit of violence in this book and what might be considered a graphic surgical scene. There is mild language, but no sex.

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Book Review: Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is a hard one for me to review. There are parts of the book that I found intriguing, but there were times that I felt that that main character was exceedingly annoying and whiny. I guess to answer the question of whether or not I liked this book I should ask myself another question, am I willing to read the sequel Dead Tossed Waves. Surprisingly my answer is yes, I definitely want to read the sequel. I want to know what is going on. There were too many secrets in this book that were never unraveled, I hope the author will give us some of those answers in Dead Tossed Waves.

Mary lives in a village surrounded by high fences that are the only protection they have against the Unconsecrated, beings who have risen from death and hunger for human flesh—yes zombies. When her mother becomes one of the Unconsecrated, Mary’s life begins to fall apart. Her brother, angry that she let her mother become one of the walking dead, sends Mary to the Sisterhood where she is to become one of the sisters instead of getting married. Inside the walls of the Cathedral where the Sisters dwell Mary learns that both the Sisters and the Guardians have been keeping secrets from the people. They know more about what causes the Unconsecrated to return than what they have let on, and they know the secret that somewhere beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth there may be others living. Mary’s one dream has been to see the ocean her mother spoke about, but trapped behind fences and by the confines of her society, she fears she will never see what is beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

This book was intriguing. Sometimes you could really feel how trapped Mary felt she was by both the Sisterhood and her brother. Sometimes she gets a little too obsessive and unpredictable, but that can make her an interesting narrator. I did get frustrated with her obsession over Travis, despite his being taken by someone else.

Recommended.

Cautions for Sensitive Readers: This book can be violent and gory at times, but is definitely worth reading.

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Book Review: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a difficult book for me to review. In many ways I enjoyed the book immensely, and up until I finished the book I probably would have given it four stars. The ending, however, really pulled that rating down, and my rating would have been lower, if not for the fact that the rest of the book was so strong.

Life as We Knew It is the story of Miranda and her family’s fight to survive after an asteroid knocks the moon into an orbit closer to the earth. The change in the moon’s orbit results in earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and eventually the complete blockage of the sun. Survivors are left without easy access to food, gas, heating oil, and electricity. It becomes a fight for survival.

This story had a way of enveloping the reader into its’ world. I often felt as if I and my family were living through this disaster and struggling to survive. This realism is actually why I finally decided to award this book three stars. It was kind of difficult to leave behind the setting of the book. A story that can pull you in and make you believe is definitely worth three stars.

Cautions for sensitive readers: This book does contain some mild language and violence. It is a struggle for the characters to survive and their world has become a hostile place. There is no sex, but there are some references to it.

Review: Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkins

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
It happened when they were at the Isles of Wonder, designed to be the “ultimate theme park.” For them it would soon be their home.

When a mysterious, genetically engineered virus kill all the adults and older teens, the younger teens, children, and infants, have to find a way to live in a world with no parents or any other adult. They have to recreate their own world and new lives. For Josh and his little sister Maddie this means creating their new life where the old one had abruptly ended in the Isles of Wonder Amusement Park.

As the older kids come to terms with the tragedy, they begin to organize and follow the charismatic Milo who steps up as the leader of the Isles along with a core group of kids who volunteer to help him. They create borders and try to protect the Isles from those from the outside who would try to steal what the surviving islanders have. As time progresses, Josh, his new friend Zoe and some of the other islanders begin to wonder if there are other reasons the core insists that they shouldn’t venture out of the Isles.

This novel was terrifying. In a sense it was a modern Lord of the Flies. The thought of infants and small children suddenly left to be raised by older brothers and in some cases complete strangers was a difficult concept. At the same time it was a book that was very hard for me to put down. I had to know what would happen next. I recommend this to anyone who likes books about survival, dystopian futures, or is looking for a quick read.

Cautions for sensitive readers: In the very beginning of this book all the adults die and the kids have to organize the burials for all of the dead while this is not explicitly described it is referred to. There is also violence in this novel. As the teens get older they do form families, and some sex is referred to although there are no explicit details.


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