I found Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins to be a very different book from the first two novels in The Hunger Games Trilogy.
The critical difference was Peeta wasn't in the first half of the novel. Peeta and Katniss great relationship that Suzanne Collins created is what kept me addicted to the first two novels (along with the great chapter cliffhangers). Unfortunately, Katniss' relationship with the other principal characters, Gale, Coin, Haymitch, Finnick, etc., couldn't keep me engaged in the first half of the novel. Considering Katniss kept saying she felt out of it or disconnected, so did I as a reader. My son gave up after 50 pages. I almost gave up after 100.
Once Peeta played a more prominent role in the novel, the energy returned and I finished the rest in two days.
But I was very disappointed by how bleak, dark, and violent it became. I'm not sure how Mockingjay can be considered a teen novel. The violence really did get horrific.
It shows the worst in people and instead of not knowing who to root for, I was begging for at least one positive thing to happen in the book--anything.
I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, but the third was too dark for me.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Book Review: Catching Fire
Rarely does a sequel capture the energy and excitement of the first novel. Everything in a first novel is new and fresh and sometimes authors seem to struggle to maintain the same intensity and freshness to the reader.
Collins did not seem to have any of those problems here. Like her last novel, just when you think you know what's going to happen, she throws you a curve ball, but a curve ball that makes sense. For me, that's the gem of this series. I've read novels where the author will say something and I'll be left wondering where did that come from, or how did we get to this point and never figure it out.
Whereas the first novel, The Hunger Games, took three pages for me to get into it (and then I couldn't set it down after that), Catching Fire, had me from the get go. Although, unlike the first novel, somewhere in the middle of Catching Fire, it did slow down and I was able to set the book down and go to bed at a decent hour two nights in a row. Then the book took off again, and I was up into the wee hours of the third night finishing it off.
An excellent sequel to The Hunger Games.
Collins did not seem to have any of those problems here. Like her last novel, just when you think you know what's going to happen, she throws you a curve ball, but a curve ball that makes sense. For me, that's the gem of this series. I've read novels where the author will say something and I'll be left wondering where did that come from, or how did we get to this point and never figure it out.
Whereas the first novel, The Hunger Games, took three pages for me to get into it (and then I couldn't set it down after that), Catching Fire, had me from the get go. Although, unlike the first novel, somewhere in the middle of Catching Fire, it did slow down and I was able to set the book down and go to bed at a decent hour two nights in a row. Then the book took off again, and I was up into the wee hours of the third night finishing it off.
An excellent sequel to The Hunger Games.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Book Review: The Bourne Legacy
I loved the Bourne movies. In looking for a quick read, I picked up The Bourne Legacy by Erin Van Lustbader. It was a quick read and the opening chapter in Chechnya was really well written. However, there was quite a disconnect from who Bourne was in this book and the three movies. I never quite got used to it.
I don't know if the three books the movies were based on were quite as different as this book was from the character in the movies, if so then I'm comparing apples to oranges. But if not, There were a couple of story developments that put me off. First, Bourne was always getting his butt kicked. He never lost a fight in the movies. Second, I was surprised that there was such an emphasis in the last two movies of him not killing people whereas it wasn't even mentioned in this book. I also didn't buy Bourne and Khan's history. It seemed to come out of the blue (again based on the movies). Their flashbacks really put me off.
If you've only seen the Bourne movies, I would not recommend this novel.
I don't know if the three books the movies were based on were quite as different as this book was from the character in the movies, if so then I'm comparing apples to oranges. But if not, There were a couple of story developments that put me off. First, Bourne was always getting his butt kicked. He never lost a fight in the movies. Second, I was surprised that there was such an emphasis in the last two movies of him not killing people whereas it wasn't even mentioned in this book. I also didn't buy Bourne and Khan's history. It seemed to come out of the blue (again based on the movies). Their flashbacks really put me off.
If you've only seen the Bourne movies, I would not recommend this novel.
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