Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games #2
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 391
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating: Also in this series: Mockingjay,
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,
Sunrise on the Reaping
My Thoughts
I read CATCHING FIRE in one day, which doesn’t happen very often. Just like THE HUNGER GAMES, I couldn’t put it down. Even though I loved the first book, I loved this one even more because we get to see more of the districts and the Capitol thanks to the victors’ tour. It was interesting to see the Capitol’s hold over the people in the districts and in the Capitol itself.
The third Quarter Quell made for some fun and tense dynamics. I thought it was interesting to learn more about previous years’ games and their victors. I loved all the new characters, especially Finnick. I loved the mechanism of the arena and wish we got to see what horrors all the wedges held.
Collins is a master with imagery and character development. It made the story seem so real. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the residents of Panem because of the oppression from the Capitol. However, because the themes do seem a little barbaric, I loved that there was just enough hope, compassion, and romance to balance out the story. I’ve really enjoyed the deeper, more adult themes this series showcases and how those themes made me think and feel.
There’s a huge part of me that wishes I hadn’t started this series until all the books were written. They’re so intense and it’s hard to wait in between each story. I want to know how the series is going to end, especially with the doozy of an ending this story has. I want to know if the characters I care about will triumph over the Capitol and how much of a difference it will make if they succeed.
Update: I’ve listened to both audiobooks produced for the first three books when I’ve reread this series. The first audiobook was narrated by Carolyn McCormick and the second was narrated by Tatiana Maslany. Both do a great job, but I prefer the second audiobook the best.
A Living Nightmare
Author: Darren Shan
Series: Cirque du Freak #1
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: The Vampire's Assistant
My Thoughts
A LIVING NIGHTMARE was a little slow at first because of the setup. There were a few parts that were hard for me to read because of Shan’s vivid detail about the spiders the MC is so mesmerized with. It gave me the heebie-jeebies. The story was fun for the most part. I look forward to the second book because I think it’ll be faster paced now that most of the background’s out of the way.
All That Remains
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Series: Kay Scarpetta #3
Genre: Thriller
Format: Paperback
Pages: 438
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
My Thoughts
I’ve really enjoyed the forensics and details in Cornwell’s stories and ALL THAT REMAINS was no different. The story was very gripping and I didn’t want to put the book down. I didn’t suspect who the killer was until near the end. The journey to figure out who the killer was didn’t seem far-fetched, which was something I liked because it helped make the story more believable.
River Secrets
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: Books of Bayern #3
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 290
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: Forest Born
My Thoughts
Just like with THE GOOSE GIRL and ENNA BURNING, it took me a couple of chapters to get into RIVER SECRETS. Once I got into the story, I thought it was very entertaining. I really enjoyed exploring the water-speaking language in the story and seeing more of the wind- and fire-speaking languages explored in the previous two. It was interesting to see how all three of them worked together.
I loved that the story was from Razo’s POV and I was glad Enna was still a major part of the story. I loved him in the previous two books and loved getting to know him better in this one. Not only was seeing things through his perspective enlightening but it was also very entertaining.
I’m looking forward to reading FOREST BORN, especially since the MC is basically brand new to the series. I’m also looking forward to see how the earth-speaking language (if that’s what it’s even called) will come into play since Hale introduces a new speaking ability in each book.
Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games #2
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 391
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
Also in this series: Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Sunrise on the Reaping
My Thoughts
I read CATCHING FIRE in one day, which doesn’t happen very often. Just like THE HUNGER GAMES, I couldn’t put it down. Even though I loved the first book, I loved this one even more because we get to see more of the districts and the Capitol thanks to the victors’ tour. It was interesting to see the Capitol’s hold over the people in the districts and in the Capitol itself.
The third Quarter Quell made for some fun and tense dynamics. I thought it was interesting to learn more about previous years’ games and their victors. I loved all the new characters, especially Finnick. I loved the mechanism of the arena and wish we got to see what horrors all the wedges held.
Collins is a master with imagery and character development. It made the story seem so real. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the residents of Panem because of the oppression from the Capitol. However, because the themes do seem a little barbaric, I loved that there was just enough hope, compassion, and romance to balance out the story. I’ve really enjoyed the deeper, more adult themes this series showcases and how those themes made me think and feel.
There’s a huge part of me that wishes I hadn’t started this series until all the books were written. They’re so intense and it’s hard to wait in between each story. I want to know how the series is going to end, especially with the doozy of an ending this story has. I want to know if the characters I care about will triumph over the Capitol and how much of a difference it will make if they succeed.
Update: I’ve listened to both audiobooks produced for the first three books when I’ve reread this series. The first audiobook was narrated by Carolyn McCormick and the second was narrated by Tatiana Maslany. Both do a great job, but I prefer the second audiobook the best.
Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 392
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:
Also in this series: Linger
My Thoughts
I absolutely loved SHIVER. The story was sweet and sensual, exciting and heart-breaking, and happy and sad. Even though it seemed kind of slow at first, I was hooked from the beginning because of the characters. Grace and Sam made the story seem so real. I loved the innocence of the sensuality of their relationship. I also loved the awkwardness of experiencing first love through them.
My favorite thing about the book was that it was told from both Grace’s and Sam’s POV. Getting to experience the world from both the human and wolf perspective was so enlightening and added so much to the story.
Stiefvater did a great job of forming the story and pulling me through it. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out next year.