Tag Archive for: Prequel

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Wild Reverence

Wild ReverenceTitle: Wild Reverence
Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: Letters of Enchantment #3
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 2 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 527
Length: 22h 8m
Narrator: George Weightman, Hannah van der Westhuysen, Rebecca Norfolk
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

Also in this series: Divine Rivals, Ruthless Vows
My Thoughts

When I read DIVINE RIVALS and RUTHLESS VOWS, I really wanted to learn more about the gods and their magic system. I’m so glad Ross decided to write WILD REVERENCE as a prequel from the POV of one of those gods. I loved spending time in the Under and Skyward Realms. I also loved seeing the Mortal Realm from a god’s perspective. Matilda was a fantastic character to give us the insight we wanted. I loved watching her grow into her powers, gaining confidence, and kicking ass. I especially enjoyed witnessing her life with and love for Vincent.

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Sunrise On The Reaping

Sunrise On The ReapingTitle: Sunrise on the Reaping
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games #5
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Format: Audio
Pages: 382
Length: 12h 48m
Narrator: Jefferson White
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
My Thoughts

I’m so glad Collins has decided to write more books in Panem universe. I love deep diving into so many of the secondary characters from the original trilogy. I’ve been looking forward to SUNRISE ON THE REAPING since I heard about it and it did not disappoint.

I knew Haymitch had to have had a rough life, especially in and after the games. I just had no idea how awful it really was. Poor, Haymitch! Despite how gruesome his story was, it was a fantastic edition to the series. I really loved learning more about him. I also loved how Collins interspersed “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe throughout the book and especially during the last chapter. It added a lot of feeling and atmosphere to what happened to Haymitch and the other characters.

It was really fun to see all the character cameos from the original trilogy as well as a few from THE BALLAD ON SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES. The characters endeared the book to me more than anything else.

As of the end SUNRISE ON THE REAPING, I still want to know how Snow became president of Panem and what led to that happening between the tenth and 50th Hunger Games. I also still want to know why he and Tigris had a falling out. I also want to know how both Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory died because of something Clerk Carmine or Tam Amber said near the end of this story. I’d love to read Finnick’s story or what happened during the first quarter quell next. And, I think it would be fun to get Mags’, Beatty’s, and Johanna’s stories at some point as well.

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The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

The Ballad Of Songbirds And SnakesTitle: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games #4
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Format: Audio
Pages: 517
Length: 16h 16m
Narrator: Santino Fontana
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Sunrise on the Reaping
My Thoughts

I’ve been looking forward to THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES since I heard about it and it did not disappoint. I thought it was really fascinating and a fantastic prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. I especially loved learning about Panem after the first war between the Capitol and the districts. I thought it was interesting to see how the Hunger Games operated before they became what they were in the 74th Hunger Games.

Watching Coriolanus Snow’s life unfold is a lot like watching Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader in the Star Wars prequels. You keep hoping it won’t happen, but know there’s no hope. I thought it was interesting to be in his head, to hear the conflict of remaining loyal to the Capitol and regaining his status and wealth or siding with the districts and Lucy Gray. In the end, I thought Coriolanus’ actual transition to the “Dark Side” was a little abrupt, especially how fast he and Lucy Gray turned on one another.

I loved the other characters as well. Lucy Gray was my favorite, of course. I love how much she loves life, her defiant spirit, her go-with-the-flow personality, and her when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemonade outlook. I felt sorry for Sejanus, having to leave his beloved District 2 and become a citizen of the Capitol. I loved learning more about Tigris and I’m curious why and when she and Coriolanus had a falling out.

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Fire

FireTitle: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 480
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Bitterblue
My Thoughts

I adored FIRE. I thought the story was very intriguing and captivating. There were a lot of elements I enjoyed immensely–friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, grief, and love.

I loved the concept of Monsters and their powers just as much as I loved the concept of Gracelings and their graces. It was interesting to see mind powers from so many different POVs. I loved watching Fire grow into herself and becoming the woman she wanted to be instead of the woman / creature everyone expected her to be. I also loved the romance between her Prince Brigan. I loved their banter and camaraderie. It was delicious and entertaining.

This wasn’t a direct sequel to GRACELING. It was actually more of a prequel, but as a companion novel. Fortunately, I knew this and didn’t go in expecting more Katsa and Po. Otherwise, I would’ve been utterly disappointed. Either book can be read first because there was only one cross-over character. That character, though. Wow!

I loved the delicate weaving of the cross-over character into the plot. Even though he didn’t have a huge part to play in this book, I think the effect he had on the inhabitants of the Dells could be used in BITTERBLUE. However, even if Cashore doesn’t tie all three books together through the cross-over character, I still thought his role in this book was interesting.