Friday, November 28, 2014

Book Blog #144: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
# of Pages: 390 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: 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 plans--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.
Review: Original Review: January 16, 2013, 4 stars, reading date unknown

Yes, I do love the Hunger Games series. But this one, out of all of them, had to be my least favorite. It seemed a little rushed, though still had the overall great quality that was found in the other books.

Second Review: 3 stars

It feels like I've never read this book before.

Seriously, it's as if I had looked up a summary online; I only remember the main points. Most of the events described were new to me, and  I realized my imagination had begun to create its own parts of the book.

I'm not one for these big rebellion-endings. A lot of dystopian books tend to end this way, but it becomes extremely messy when the reader has to remember all the characters and try to recreate the scenes with their imaginations (this step can define whether the scene is comprehended,  especially if certain points of the plot depend on picturing an area correctly). This book was no exception. It was very time consuming to read and re-read descriptions to reach to full effect of the book.

Katniss isn't as strong of a protagonist in this book. She needs to learn to cope with the situation she finds herself in and to gain control of her mental state. Overall, she's not a very good role model.




I'm think that the reason why I made up scenes and some how forgot most of the book was because I was so underwhelmed by it all. It's not the stunning conclusion I wanted; in fact, the ending was sloppy. If you've gotten to this point in the series, go ahead and read it. But lower your expectations.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Book Blog #143: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
# of Pages: 391 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: 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 her 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.
Review: Original Review: January 15, 2013, 5 stars

There's not much to say here. This book is fabulous. Read it, if you haven't. Read it again if you have.

Second Review: 4 stars

While I still enjoyed reading Catching Fire, I found that it dragged in the beginning. Half of the story isn't even related to the 75th Hunger Games (which is what I wanted to read about). And there was A LOT of characters thrown at you at once, to the point that if I didn't have the movie as my guide, I would have gotten them confused like I did the first time I read it.

Catching Fire seems to be more of a bridge to the last book...but I still recommend reading it.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Book Blog #142: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
# of Pages: 374 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, the shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh 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 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: Original Review written January 13, 2014
 Rating: 5 stars

There's not much to say here; it's one of the most popular books of the present.

Second Review: 5 stars (November 23-25, 2014)

I decided to reread the whole Hunger Games series after realizing how much content I had forgotten when I watched Mockingjay Part 1.

It's not as perfect as I remembered it to be, probably the result of the movie (which planted a completely different interpretation of the story in my head) and time (which often is the reason for change, for better or fore worse). I can see why people would dislike it, especially after it became more mainstream (mostly when the movies start coming out and a different type of fan base formed). There's something about books/movies that people only praise that make some people - including me sometimes - want to find something to criticize. Also, it's always disappointment when a reader expects something really, really good only for the book not to meet his or her expectations.  

There's a lot of coincidental situations. While Katniss is a strong protagonist, I question her abilities in the games (is that a spoiler? I say not); is she as amazing as the reader is led to think she is? Or are outside forces that happen to act at the right time what make her seem so incredible?

I was surprised on how my image of Katniss changed since I watched the movies. Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss seems to have more emotional restraint (which I prefer) while the book Katniss is one to "throw herself on her bed sobbing" (this is almost a quote from the book...). 

Some scenes and dialogue lacked detail and left a lot to the reader's imagination. Reading this again after seeing the movie helped me understand how some vaguely described situations could be interpreted, but without the visual reference, I may have been more irritated with this book. 

I was still able to enjoy the book, although not in the same way I did the first time. I still highly recommend it!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

OTS #12: Mockingjay Part 1

I saw Mockingjay Part 1 yesterday! There were close to 200 people in the theater and a lot of the showings were sold out! I already want to go and see it again, hopefully sometime this week.

The beginning was somewhat boring. It lacked the action-excitement that the Games had brought in the previous movies. But one of the scenes near the end (I don't want to spoil anything!) was exactly what I was hoping for. I wish it had ended right after that scene though, but I suppose the extra bit was fine too.

I'm seriously considering rereading The Hunger Games series now! I was disappointed on how much I couldn't remember! Here's Katniss/Jennifer Lawrence singing The Hanging Tree from the movie:


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Book Blog #141: Night by Elie Wiesel

Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
# of Pages: 120 (hardback)
Genre: Memoir, Classics, Holocaust
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Night is a work by Elie Wiesel about his experience with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944–1945, at the height of the Holocaust and toward the end of the Second World War. In just over 100 pages of sparse and fragmented narrative, Wiesel writes about the death of God and his own increasing disgust with humanity, reflected in the inversion of the father–child relationship as his father declines to a helpless state and Wiesel becomes his resentful teenage caregiver.
Review:  I feel cheated.

I read the "new" translation of this book (in English) by Elie Wiesel's wife, Marion Wiesel. While I felt I could learn from Elie's story, I felt as if significant parts of it are missing.

Is it the translation that is the problem? Maybe. Is it the changes the author made to the new edition? This is more likely the reason. In the preface, he says he took out parts of the end of the story about his father and the Liberation because they were "too personal, too private." I am thankful that he did include an excerpt of what he removed because I realize what I have missed by reading this version.

The "personal" and "private" parts of the book are what I wanted to read about. It's these parts that really connect with me, not the inexpressive words Elie replaced them with.

For this version, I give three stars. But a book with the old excerpts leaves me wondering how much better the original is and wanting to see more of the book that allowed  Elie to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

For those of you who have not read this book: it reminds me a lot of Animal Farm. It's short (but far from sweet) and easy for the masses to understand. However, a significant amount of meaning is lost (even to me; there are section of this book that I feel I do not fully understand) unless the reader looks for importance of every aspect of the book. Yes, it is one of THOSE  books (sorry people who are reading this for school!).

The reader needs to be pretty aware of the background/history of the Holocaust, or at least be willing to learn along the way. Another reason why I lacked a connection with the book was my difficulty UNDERSTANDING: the Holocaust, the religion, the war. If you don't do your research, this book will be even less meaningful.

I do recommend reading this  book (don't expect a happy read), although perhaps not this version.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Book Blog #140: The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Warrior Heir
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
# of Pages: 426 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.
Review: Original Rating: 5 stars

Second Rating: 3 stars

Why did I make the decision to reread this series...

I read this book years ago, and I loved it. The Warrior Heir is the first book I read from Chima and the wonderfulness of it led me to read The Demon King (and the rest of the series), which I love a lot. Since The Enchanter Heir was published last year (2013?), I thought rereading The Heir Chronicles will give me the full effect of the new book.

One aspect of the book that bugged me is the third person POV switching. Although I don't htink it is as bad as first person POV switching, it still disrupted the flow since there were time overlaps.

Also, the development overall  for the story was poorly executed. Most of the background was done through dialogue through rapid-fire question and answer between characters. To top it off, some aspects of the magically world would repeated throughout the book to other character BECAUSE OF THE POV CHANGES. The reader doesn't need to hear the exact same fact twice just so you can show that a certain character is informed of the information.

The plot didn't progress as quickly as I remembered it; not much happens in this book in general. There were too many contrived plot devices.



It should be noted that The Warrior Heir is among the first of Chima's books, if not THE first published work of hers. Her writing has improved in The Seven Realms series. It's a little bit like John Green's books; many people began to read his books starting with The Fault in Our Stars and then working their way BACKWARDS through his works (which means his writing becomes worse and worse and worse...).

I was forced to drop my previous perfect rating of this book down two stars. It wasn't bad, but it was far from the amazing book I once saw this book as. I recommend that you check this book out at your local library and give it a try. However, if you've read The Demon King and loved it, don't expect The Warrior Heir to be as good.

Friday, November 14, 2014

OTS #11: THE INSURGENT MAZE ST(mockingj)AY - End of the Year Books/Movies

Hey guys! It's been a while! There are a lot of big events occurring in the book and movie realm around now, and I have a lot I'd like to share! So mark your calenders; there's a lot of important dates coming up!

1. If I Stay on Blu Ray/DVD

If I Stay is going to be sold on DVD starting November 18, 2014! To be completely honest, I'm not THAT excited for the release date because (don't kill me) I'm not going to buy it.

If you've read my review for the book, then you'll know that I didn't enjoy it THAT much. It was a meh story in both the book and the movie (but the book was a bit better because I didn't particularly agree with the casting choices and their acting).



2. Maze Runner on Blu Ray/DVD 

I thought this movie was aMAZE-ing in theaters, so I'm super, super excited for it to come out on DVD! It comes out on December 16, 2014, which happens to be right before Christmas...no coincidence there. 

The film was pretty close to the book, as far as I can remember (although it's been FOREVER since I lasted picked up The Maze Runner). Sure, it's not exact, but we can't have our cake and eat it too (as the saying goes, although it really doesn't make any sense at all. What's the point in having a cake if you can't eat it? And is the opposite suppose to be true: you can't eat your cake and have it too? Because once you eat, I'm pretty sure it's yours...). 

3. Mockingjay Part 1 in Theater

THIS AMAZINGNESS IS COMING OUT ON NOVEMBER 21, 2014 HOW CAN I SURVIVE UNTIL THEN?!?! It's so close, yet so far away...I have to finish a whole bunch of other crap before it comes out or I'll feel guilty watching it. Boo work. 

The main thing I'm worried about is how crowded it's going to be at the theaters. Sure, it was pretty crowded on opening day (as in Friday, the actual opening day, not Thursday) for Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but the fan base is so much bigger now with those movies out and all the time people have had to read the books. 

Lorde has released on song on the Mockingjay soundtrack! The original version of Flicker is about and the Kayne West rework is below!


4. Insurgent Teaser Trailer

Although Insurgent won't be in theaters until March 20, 2015, a teaser trailer was released on November 11, 2014. 

I had been watching the trailer by myself, and  I noticed that the beginning part was really quiet. But then I jumped because I was totally not expecting what happened in the trailer to actually happen (sorry if that's confusing; I'm trying not to spoil the trailer). 

But what bugs me is that this scene isn't even in the book! Sure, I understand that they are going to be putting scenes in that are based off the book, but they spent SO MUCH time and effort with all  of the special effects on something that doesn't even seem that important...!

People also seem to be upset by her short hair...but it actually doesn't bother me that much. In fact, I think I might actually prefer it; it's not like I liked her hair that much before, and it's not the weird haircut she had when playing Hazel.

Judge it for yourself; here's the trailer:


That's it for now! Have a great day/weekend/life!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Book Blog #139: The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: The Shade of the Moon
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
# of Pages: 288 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?
Review: I thought this was the conclusion to the series where the moon is moved closer to the Earth...

Oh, wait...it is?! I hardly noticed considering the fact that the moon was BARELY MENTIONED.

It's been a while since I read the first three books, but I know for sure that it wasn't anything like this. Clavers and grubs? Where did this terminology come from?! And why do so many people accept this system when it obviously echos the past of the black enslavement? I know that history can be boring, but SOME of the characters had to have made this connection. We study the past so we don't make the same mistakes, yet that is exactly what is happening in this society. And the fact that the concept isn't even consistent with the other books in the series just makes it that much worse.

Another unpleasant change in this book was the protagonist. I was expecting Miranda or Alex again, but instead I found that it is Jon. And Jon is not a suitable protagonist. At all.



And when I (finally) finished the book, I noticed there was an author's note...
"...my vet asked if there was going to be a fourth book. So...I wrote an entire fourth book and sent it off to Karen. She read it. Everyone at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt read it. And although they never actually said so, they hated it."
I wonder if that version was better than this book. I can't imagine a version of this story worse than this.
"My vet has since retired, so he probably won't be asking me if there's going to be a fifth book. And since I'm writing this before The Shade of the Moon is published, I don't know if anyone is going to ask me that."
Her vet won't be asking her if there's going to be a fifth book, and that's not just because he retired. I know I won't be asking for another book in this series. Also, the vet never said that he actually wanted her to write another...

Pfeffer should have quit after the third book. I do not recommend this book.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Book Blog #138: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
# of Pages: 328 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary 
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
Review: I should have known I wasn't going to like this book.

At first, I couldn't remember why I didn't buy this book earlier; it was in the popular young adult novel section, and it received so many good reviews! But when I got home, I found the reason.

It changes point of view.

But I had to give it an honest try. And I really did try to like it. But I couldn't. The story is way too shallow, Eleanor annoyed the crap out of me, and the ending was disappointing.


This book did not impress me at all. Not recommended.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Book Blog #137: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Title: The Ask and the Answer
Author: Patrick Ness
# of Pages: 517 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. 

Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. 

But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? 

And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...
Review: August 24,2014-September 5, 2014
Pages 1-213

I have temporarily stopped reading this book because I have a lack of time to do so. I plan to finish the book in the future; for now, it will remain unrated.

Reading notes:

I've been really busy lately, so I haven't had as much recreational time as I would prefer. However, I am sure I'll get through this book, no matter how long it will take me!

Up to the end of Part 1, Todd in the Tower, everything seems grand. The book starts pretty much where the first one left off, and the writing is the same. However, when I turn the page, I am met with a surprise.

This book has a POV switch.

You cannot believe me anguish in that moment. The first book was wonderful, and I've heard so many good things about this one. But then THIS happens...it seems like a horrible nightmare.
And of course after reading a few pages, it's as bad as I was suspecting. There's the overlap of Todd's and Viola's chapter, which I find really annoying. I've already been told that that event has occurred; you don't need to tell me it again through a different person.

October 31, 2014 - November 2, 2014
Pages 213- end

While I am still disappointed by the POV switching and how it disrupts the flow of the book, I was still moved by the ending. I don't want to give up too much, but Ness knows how to get the reader in the end. His back and forth writing style instills the chaotic-ness of the situation in the reader.

I'm really hoping that in the last book (which I am defiantly planning to read) Ness will not find it necessary to switch between Todd's and Violet's point of view as that would improve the series immensely.