Hunger Games Review

Title: Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 384
Release Date: October 1st 2008
Genre: Science Fiction

Summary:

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 all 12 districts 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 Television for everyone to watch.

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 death 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. (Summery from Goodreads)

My Review:

Alright, for all of those who have not joined in on the “new” Twilight phenomenon, it’s time you jump on the bandwagon.

The good old U.S. of A. has gone down in flames, like we all knew it would. The Capitol has risen like a bloodthirsty lion. Way back when in the Dark Ages, the Districts rose up in rebellion. Now to keep the Districts in line, the Capitol hosts the annual “Hunger Games” where two teenage "tributes" are chosen from each District to battle to the death. Everything about this idea is brilliantly horrid. Constant camera coverage, and manipulation form the Capitol for maximum carnage. It has Survivor-style alliances, where choosing unwisely equals a knife in the back. I’m not convinced that the twitterpating between Katniss and Peeta are wholly unnecessary. I just wish the fake-being-in-love-to-gain-sympathy-of-the-viewers-but-maybe-we-have-real-feelings-for-each-other-but-also-our-lives-are-on-the-line-and-is-this-really-the-time-to-be-worrying-about-this-but-also-fake-being-in-love-will-earn-us-supplies-from-sponsors-so-maybe-let’s-just-make-out was so obvious on both sides, and that Katniss wasn’t so Bella Swan.

It’s funny how it can be my new favorite book. It just has everything it needs to make it what it is. It’s definitely a "Sadie" book. It has violence and just enough gore to keep it interesting, and not to mention the small twist in the end...

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All We Know of Heaven Review

Title: All We Know of Heaven
Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Pages: 320 Pages
Release Date: Released 4/29/2008
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Goodreads Summary: All We Know Of Heaven was written by Jacquelyn Mitchard, a mother of seven and currently living in Wisconsin . It is a fictional novel but based on true accounts of patients who have had their identity mistaken.
Bridget Flannery and Maureen O'Malley have been BFFs since forever. Then a brief moment of inattention on an icy road leaves one girl dead and the other in a coma, battered beyond recognition. Family and friends mourn one friend's loss and pray for the other's recovery. Then the doctors discover they have made a terrible mistake. The girl who lived is the one who everyone thought had died.
Based on a true case of mistaken identity, All We Know of Heaven is a universal story that no one can read unmoved: a drama of ordinary people caught up in an unimaginable tragedy and of the healing power of hope and love. (from back of book)

My Review: This book was interesting, to say the least. After turning the last page I couldn’t decide whether I hated it or fell in love with it. It has a certain charm to it that makes you feel peace and comfort. However, it also leaves you saddened at how the characters were left. Even though I had mixed feelings for this book, I highly recommend it. It is thought provoking, uplifting, and makes you really appreciate what you have. And with all that, it still keeps you entertained the whole time!

This was the kind of book that hooked you from the beginning and kept you up all night thinking about it even after the last page was turned. You become so involved with the characters and their lives and emotions that by the end you really feel like you know them personally. As for the ending, it was appropriate for the book but not what I would have liked to see happen. This is the reason for my mixed feelings. Overall, it was an exciting, heart-wrenching read. If you need a good book to get lost in, this is it!

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