Review: Blackout by Mira Grant

Title: Blackout
Author: Mira Grant
Series: Newsflesh Trilogy #3
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

632 pages
Published May 22th 2012 by Orbit
Purchased

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Okay, I know it for sure now. This book is one of my all time favourites.

This book. This whole series. It's so, so, so GOOD.

In this third and last part in the Newsflesh Trilogy, the After The End Times bloggers play the endgame. It's now or never, all or nothing. All the bodies they left in their wake are a dark presence they have to live with. Will they uncover the conspiracy before the government finds them and shut them up once and for all?

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend Blackout, or any of the books in this series if you are looking for a gruesome zombie book. Because to be honest, the amount of zombie encounters in this book is minimal. It's not about the shambling dead. It's about how fear can be used to control countries. It's about how easily people are persuaded when they are afraid, and how easy it is to scare them. These books are so much more than just zombie reads.

And it has intricate story lines! Hurray! I loved how all the threads came together in this one, and the fact that no questions were left unanswered. Blackout had some massive plot twists that literally made me go "oh my god oh my god what's happening". It's that good.

The only fault is something I don't mind personally, but I get why other people might get annoyed by it. There is some repetition in sentences and scenes. For example, the main characters are subjected to blood tests at every single building. But the thing is, repeating the fact that there are blood tests over and over again actually has a purpose in the story. It shows how paranoid everyone has become. It shows how repressed and twisted their society actually is. There was no unnecessary repetition in the story in my opinion.

If I was rich, I would gift these books to every person I know. Since I can't even afford buying myself new books, I will have to settle for recommending it to everyone I know. Seriously guys. These are keepers.

Blurb

Rise up while you can. -Georgia Mason

The year was 2014. The year we cured cancer. The year we cured the common cold. And the year the dead started to walk. The year of the Rising.

The year was 2039. The world didn't end when the zombies came, it just got worse. Georgia and Shaun Mason set out on the biggest story of their generation. The uncovered the biggest conspiracy since the Rising and realized that to tell the truth, sacrifices have to be made.

Now, the year is 2041, and the investigation that began with the election of President Ryman is much bigger than anyone had assumed. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, the surviving staff of After the End Times must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies-and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it's this:

Things can always get worse.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Deadline by Mira Grant (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Generation by William Knight (4/5 Stars)
• Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer by Cecily von Ziegesar (4/5 Stars)

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

366 pages
Published 2010 by Razorbill


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Another of the young adult "must read" dystopian list, Matched left me disappointed by the potential that wasn't fulfilled.

In Matched everyone follows the rules of Society. The Society calculates what gives most people a happy life. For example, you die at eighty, no matter what. You get Matched to your life partner by statistics and probabilities. Calorie intake is measured so everyone is healthy and strong. But then something goes wrong, and a mistake is made during Cassia's Matching. Should she trust Society, or think for herself?

I absolutely adored the world building in this one. It was amazing. In contrast to the extremely weird world that was created in DeStefano's Wither, this world is actually likely. I liked the fact that they use science to create boundaries for personal life. The first half of the book, where pretty much all the world building is was extremely well done.

When I started this book I was completely blown away. I thought, this is going to be epic! And then the love triangle happened.

And the worst thing about the love triangle is that Cassia is NOT in love. Let's recap what happened (it's in the blurb, so not a spoiler). The night of her Matching, when she's at home and staring at her screen thingy, she is supposed to see the face of her match, Xander. Xander has been her best friend since forever. But then, another face lights up! And it's Ky, a guy she has known since forever but never thought was interesting!

And from that moment all she can think about is Ky, Ky, Ky. O wait, I shouldn't think about Ky but Xander! Ky. Ky.

She NEVER had ANY interest in the guy, and then she sees his picture and she's head over heels for him. If Cassia was one of my friends I'd smack her. Seriously.

Even though Ms Condie is amazing in the world building department, she isn't that strong in the character building. Almost every single character is rather bland and just a "filler". The worst thing for me is that Ky was an extremely bland character. How can we fall in love with him if he's nothing but someone with a pretty bad past? Boo hoo, your parents were killed. That's not a reason to fall in love with someone.

I'm so for Xander. At least he's smart and brave, something Ky doesn't have going for him. But, Cassia treats Xander like shit for the whole book. Since they're Matched, they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but Cassia only wants to spend time with Ky, hold his hand, whisper poetry in his ear. And the whole while she thinks "oh yeah, I know what I'm doing is bad. I should tell Xander, but to be honest I don't feel like it now. I'll tell him in a few weeks when I've cheated on him several times". Where is their big friendship? How could you ever treat your best friend this way?

First half of this book was amazing, the second half a chore. There are so many faults in this book (people can read, but can't write) that I could go on and on. Overall, it was a big meh. I don't think I'll read the second book in the series, since I see where this is going and it's not a direction I'll like. My secret hope is that Ky dies because of the Society and Cassia remembers that Xander was her love all along. But since no such thing will probably happen, I'll stick to other books.

If you can tolerate stupid love triangles, I'd recommend Matched. The world is to die for.

Blurb

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano (3/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Eve by Anna Carey (3/5 Stars)

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

525 pages
Published May 1st by HarperTeen
Review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

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Just as awesome as the first book.

As you might remember, I was completely at loss for words after reading Divergent. That book was just perfect for me. I had high expectations of Insurgent, and fear that it would all blow up in my face. I'm glad it didn't.

Insurgent begins where Divergent ended. Here is one of the only annoyance I experienced when reading the book - I had no clue who all the characters were again. It's been months since I read book one, and I'm not that good with remembering names. There was no recapping at all. I know I will be very glad of this when I read them back to back, but since it had such a gap between reads I had troubles getting straight who was who.

But after that, oh boy. The world Tris knows is falling to pieces. Factions are split, broken up, fight from within. There are more and more Divergent showing up. And of course, in the final pages, the proverbial shit is hitting the fan.

In this book Tris and Four have some relationship troubles. They are completely logical and life-like, but I don't want my favourite book couple to have relationship troubles. I was a bit scared Ms Roth was going to break them up - but I'm glad she found a way to make them work things out in a believable way.

Maybe this series isn't the best series out there. Insurgent might not be the best book in the series. All I know is that I read the damn thing in two days, and that I absolutely cannot wait for the next one.

Blurb

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Eve by Anna Carey (3/5 Stars)

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey
(Eve #1)

3 out of 5 stars

Published 2011 by HarperCollins

The first few pages of Eve got me completely hooked. School of misguided girls? Mysterious place where they go when they graduate? 98% of the population killed by the plague? Hell yes!

But then everything goes downhill. This is a very short book, and I was looking forward to a quick read. I got my quick read, but it was expense of the plot. Almost every single plot-point in the book was rushed. The love interest turned into insta-love. People get killed off and pretty much forgotten. Most characters are either shallow or completely unpredictable. The more I think about it, the less impressed I am by the plotline. Almost nothing is explained and there aren't any subplots.

Another thing that started to annoy me after a while are the mistakes. Several times there was talk of bare shoulders while they were wearing long-sleeved shirts. They walk on bare feet, but it never gets mentioned that their feet hurt. Try walking without shoes in a forest. It hurts, I can tell you!

I don't get why the guys in this book are so absolutely awful. In School, Eve gets learned that men are disgusting, manipulative and primitive, except for the King, who is all kinds of awesome. After she escapes from school, she meets men for the first time in her life. Of course she is afraid of them. Of course she views them as alien life forms. But why did the men themselves have to be that god-awful? Why should they run around in murderous pacts that rape every girly thing they see? Every man in this story is pictured as an abusive, traitorous, and overall disgusting person. Except for the love interest. And a few six year olds. The rest of them? Pigs. Another fun fact: every bad guy smells like alcohol. Good guy hero doesn't drink. Prejudice much?

I really liked the premise, and the story itself was enjoyable and quick, but the man hating nature of Eve put me off. If you're looking for a fast-paced story with a dystopian backdrop, you can give Eve a try.

Blurb

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust... and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin (4/5 Stars)
• Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Ashfall by Mike Mullin
(Ashfall #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published 2011 by Tanglewood Press
Copy received through the publisher

Dystopians seem to be the new vampires. I loved the new trend - but after a while they started to blur together. I think Ashfall which has been published last year is a breath of fresh air in the young-adult genre.

Alex is home alone when the biggest natural disaster of the century happens. He doesn't know it yet, but the Yellowstone supervulcano has erupted, shrouding the sky in darkness and covering the ground with ash. Will Alex be able to find his family? Or will he become one of the many victims of the disaster?

Ashfall is a very realistic post-apocalyptic book with dystopian elements. It's one of those books that is so painfully real that it makes you uncomfortable. This could actually happen - there are some notes in the back about the facts that made up this book.

I loved how well-researched this book is. I watched Discovery Channel instead of Disney films when growing up, and a lot of details I encountered in the book made me think "ohh, good job incorporating that into the story!".

Young-adult books are very much dominated by girl point-of-view books. I was happy to see that Mr Mullin not only presented a likeable boy, but also one of the strongest girl love interests I've encountered so far. Darla is a wonderful character. She's literally stronger than Alex which I thought was brilliant, and she's a mechanic that can fix about everything. I'm impressed and a little sad at the same time that a male author writes a better female character than so many female writers.

I've read some complaints that Alex only thought about sex and that he just wanted to do Darla. I completely disagree. He truly cares for her, and sex is secondary to that. I found the relationship between Alex and Darla realistic. Which sixteen and eighteen year olds don't think about sex? In most YA girl point-of-view books sex takes a very background role. They don't think much about it, if at all. I'm not sure why. Is it (still) a taboo subject for girls? Are writers afraid they might come across as sluts? All I know is that the sex part was beautifully handled in Ashfall, and it's safe to read for a slightly younger audience, as the scene fades out before any naked stuff happens.

The dystopian elements is where it went a little bit down-hill for me. In fact, it's probably just a cultural difference between me, a girl from the Netherlands, and the intended audience over there in the States. I'm really not afraid that the government will restrict my movements and that the army kind of takes over the country. I'm not afraid that every person you meet has a gun, because to be honest nobody has a gun here. You would have to import it illegally, and I'm sure that's not going to happen if a volcano goes boom. I'm sure it might be scary for people from the USA, but it's one of those things that doesn't work so well for the people overseas.

I would recommend this book in a second for your son/brother or any other male in your family. About halfway into the book I started poking my boyfriend "Read this! You'll love it!". Girls that like their books dark and realistic, feel free to give it a try too.

Blurb

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Enormity by W.G. Marshall (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Alienation by Jon S. Lewis (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
(Blood of Eden #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published April 24th 2012 by HarlequinTEEN
ARC received through Netgalley

This is the first book I read by Ms Kagawa, and I have to say that I'm impressed by her writing. After finishing The Immortal Rules I picked up another book and I just had to stop reading it because the writing felt way too choppy in comparison. Not only does this book boast wonderful writing, it also has an interesting plot.

Allison, or Allie, is a Fringer. She has to fight to survive as starvation is a real threat on the borders of a Vampire city. But then Allie is turned in the one thing she hates most - a vampire. She will have to choose what kind of monster she wants to become.

To sum it up, The Immortal Rules is a dystopian vampire story with zombies called rabids. I was really glad to see that it didn't feature the lame sparkly kind of vampires, but super strong killing machine vampires that can suck you dry in a few seconds. Ms Kagawa found the right balance between monstrous and human in her vampires, especially Allie.

When Allie is turned, she leaves the city and comes across a band of humans searching for the vampire-free city of Eden. The major part of the story revolves around this band of humans and their interactions with Allie. They don't know she's a vampire and she has to do everything to hide her nature. For me the journey to Eden had a bit of an epic fantasy feel - a string of small interactions that will later unfold into a much bigger picture. I personally wasn't bored by this, but I can see why some people might call this part slow.

I really liked the story, but I felt it was a bit lacking in some parts. The rabids felt inconsistent. At one point Allie is afraid she has turned a human into a rabid person because she has bitten him, and at another point she bites someone and it doesn't even cross her mind. Maybe there was a reason for this and it wasn't an inconsistency problem, but it was most definitely under explained. Sometimes there are rabid animals, sometimes there aren't. Rabids can't cross water, but Allie still considers rabid fish.

This is a long book, and there is more than enough room for world-building, but for me there wasn't enough. The whole Red Lung virus thing gets rushed over and there is no explanation at all how, if pretty much every building is crumbling, the vampires were able to make massive towers. Did they put the stones on top of the other themselves? I highly doubt that. I hope there will be more insights into how this world works in the next book of the series.

I did like all the interactions between the characters, and Zeke was one of my favourites. I'm looking forward to see how his and Allie's relationship will develop in the next book. I'm getting a double point of view vibe from the end of this one. Or maybe Ms Kagawa has something completely different for them in mind.

The Immortal Rules is a great book that I would certainly recommend for vampire/dystopian lovers, but I do hope that the second book in the Blood of Eden series will contain more explanations on how this world came to be. Still, a big thumbs up for Ms Kagawa's amazing way with words.

Blurb

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
(The Chemical Garden #1)

3 out of 5 stars

Published March 22nd 2011 by Simon & Schuster

Set in a world where girls die when they are twenty years old and boys when they're twenty-five, Rhine is abducted and sold to be one of the three new brides of Linden. There is only one thing on her mind - escape. But as the months fly by, the luxurious life she's leading now begins to ensnare her.

I was drawn to Wither by the premise. A dystopian where people don't age above puberty? Sounds like a good ground for an action packed novel! I was sorely disappointed by that aspect. Absolutely nothing happens. At the start, when Rhine is getting kidnapped, I was very excited, but after that she just sits around. She jumps on a trampoline with fellow brides. Rhine goes to a party. Rhine eats sweets. Rhine reads a book in the library. Wither is almost four-hundred pages long, but it could just as well been one hundred. Ms DeStefano has a very distinct writing style, often called "haunting" and "beautiful". For me it felt more like "lifeless". Every page is written in the same way. There is no speeding up, no slowing down.

I get what Ms DeStefano was trying to accomplish in Wither. The big action isn't important, it's the little details. It's in the little ways the brides rebel against their captors. On me, all this detailing was completely lost. That only works when you're invested in the characters, but I never felt that sorry for Rhine. She sits around for months doing absolutely nothing but eating and sleeping and having fun. The reason she wants to escape so bad is her twin brother, but as he only gets mentioned by Rhine herself, he feels more like a convenience than an actual character.

Even the ending, for which I was hoping that it would shock me and make me go, "Whoa, this is awesome!" was a huge anti-climax. They waited a year to do that? Really?

One last thing I would like to point out is Ms DeStefano's extreme love for her country. I quote from page 55 of the paperback version:

"All we were taught of geography was that the world had once been made up of seven continents and several countries, but a third world war demolished all but North America, the continent with the most advanced technology."

Most advanced technology?! Ha, they wish! The continent with most advanced technology is clearly Asia. Ever seen a documentary on Japan? If there is a country with advanced technology, it's Japan. Unless Ms. DeStefano calls weapons of war "advanced technology", then I guess she's right. The whole book is filled with remarks towards America's superiority over the other continents. As a European, this rubbed me completely the wrong way.

I know a lot of you have loved and will keep on loving Wither, but this wasn't for me. I think that if you go in expecting a subtle novel, you will very much enjoy this one. I will read Fever (mostly because I already bought it) and see if I like that one better.

Blurb

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. 

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Deadline by Mira Grant (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty (2/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Guess what I did last night.

That's right, I saw The Hunger Games in the cinema!

For some reason it is already in premiere here in the Netherlands, while you US people have to wait until tomorrow. For once, living here makes me get to things earlier rather than later!

Now on for the review. Seriously guys. You all must see this movie. It is way better than I was expecting. I absolutely loved the book (read my review) and I was afraid the movie would be like Eragon's movie adaptation. Which was bad. Very bad.

So when the movie started I was a bit sceptical. The camera was a bit shaky during the opening scenes, and it took a while to get used to it. Both Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) were very different from how I pictured them in the books.

I shouldn't have been worried because Jennifer Lawrence's performance blew me away. This is the first time I've seen her act, and I'm a complete fan. She is an amazing Katniss. Katniss is a complex character; she doesn't always show her true emotions and can change moods in a second. Jennifer did a wonderful job, and I believed every second of it.

Even though the Games are pretty gruesome, the producers decided to keep the gore to a minimum. There is blood, and you know what's happening, but the camera shakes so much that you don't get to see any details. I'm very glad they chose to film it this way, otherwise the movie would be reduced to a science-fiction gore-fest.

There are some amazingly strong scenes in the film, just like in the book. The Hunger Games stays very close to the book, with just some minor adjustments to increase the watch-ability. All of the great moments in the book are in there, and they do not disappoint.

For those of you that have not read the book: this movie is perfectly enjoyable for the Hunger Games newbies. I took a test-subject (my boyfriend) with me, and he loved it too. I elaborated for a few little things that felt like plot-holes to him, but overall there was nothing that threw him off.

I recommend this movie for everyone that loves dystopians and movies that keep you on the edge of your chair.

Review: Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright
(Habitat #1)

2.5 out of 5 stars

Published by Dragonfairy Press
Review copy received through the author

You know the feeling when every single person you know loved a book, but you don't? And you wonder why people don't see it? That is how I feel about Fire Baptized.

Supernaturals are being forced to live in cages the size of small cities. Here they live in poverty and suppression. But things are even worse if you are a Mixbreed. They are second-class citizens, even in the Habitat. When she witnesses a gruesome murder on the way home, Lanore is determined to find the killer. But then he starts targeting people around her, and the killings get more personal.

The best way to describe Fire Baptized is an Anita Blake novel merged with a dystopian with social suppression themes. Think pre-orgy Anita Blake here. It's graphic urban-fantasy. There is a high level of gore and sex scenes that leave very little to imagination. I wouldn't recommend this for the sensitive reader. But for those of you who like it gritty - you might like this.

I admire the idea behind the story. It's different from what we're used to. There are Shifters, Vampires, Fairies, Pixies, Half-Demons and Witches; about every supernatural creature you can think of. They live in a caged city, cut off from the world. It's a highly original concept, and I just wish the execution was better.

The thing is, when you make this fantastic world with countless creatures that inhabit it and even make a whole religion for them, I want details. I want to know who built the cage. How does it look. What kinds of supernaturals are there, and what are their powers. When did supernaturals come out of the closet, so to speak? My main problem with Fire Baptized is that these details aren't there. There are pixies flying around, but I don't even know what they look like. Trolls make an appearance, but I have no idea whether they're black, green or orange. I get that you have to avoid info-dumps in books, especially in genres like urban-fantasy, but I sense a new phenomenon here. I'm calling it info-voids.

One of the biggest info-voids is why the supernaturals are even in a cage. Who put them there? Didn't they put up a fight or something? It mustn't be easy to put witches inside of a cage. The elements that make this story unique are just hinted on. Too much information is bad for a story, and it bogs it down. But too little makes it senseless.

Another thing that bothers me is inconsistencies. At one point in the novel, a law is mentioned that says vampires can't grow older than the age of a hundred. A few chapters later, we meet some vampires that are about two hundred years old. Maybe there is an explanation for this, but it isn't mentioned in the book.

My biggest annoyance in the book is the language Ms Wright has created. I think it's admirable to create your own language; I think it's great that Rebels speak some kind of dialect. You can even call it Lib Lib if you want to. What I don't like is that the Rebels talk like Yoda on a trip to Jamaica. As an illustration, I will quote some of the Lib Lib sentences spoken by a Rebel.

"Me no like this place already," Nona complained. "It's full of oppressors. We sit in the front."

"Me understand, but he can't harm you. You're Zulu's breeder."

And this is a response from heroine Lanore.

"Rest your... um, mouth, Nona," I said, straining to think of the few Lib Lib phrases I knew. "Him good."

I'm willing to believe in magic. But I am not willing to believe that this person cannot understand basic English. She SPEAKS basic English, only like a three-year-old. It just wasn't credible at all and turned into something that annoyed me every time it came up.

If you like stubborn (not necessarily smart) heroines, love triangles, alpha males with rock hard abs, gruesome murders and grown-up bullying, I think you might like Fire Baptized. It really isn't a bad book, and a lot of people have enjoyed and will keep to enjoy it. As of now I am the only person here on Goodreads not to like it that much. Try it, and see for yourself.

Blurb

Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens (2/5 Stars)
• Review: The Killing Dance by Laurell K Hamilton (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Deadline by Mira Grant

Deadline by Mira Grant
(Newsflesh Trilogy #2)

5 out of 5 stars

Published by Orbit
This review contains spoilers for the previous book in the series

Whoa.

After reading Feed I had pretty high expectations for Deadline. I was pretty sceptical to how I would like the book without leading lady George. I shouldn't have been worried, Deadline blew me away with the power of a tornado.

After George's amplification Shaun is a wreck. He has turned away from his Irwin nature and is a shell of his former self. And oh yeah, he is going crazy. He talks to his dead sister in his head. The only thing driving him is uncovering the people responsible of her death. With his new crew he follows dubious leads and gets caught up in a conspiracy of a size they had no way of expecting.

I would like to compare Deadline to Feed for a bit, so you can get an idea of how this story is like. Where Feed was very heavy on the blogging mechanics, in Deadline ratings aren't important any more. As the story is told from Shaun's point of view, and he really doesn't care about the ratings, they take a background. He's still writing posts, and After The End Times still exists, but there are less massive descriptions of them maintaining their blog. It was a change for the better in my opinion.

I was naive to think Feed had a nice deep story. So, so naive. In Deadline the true digging starts. The conspiracy goes way, way farther than you will ever be expecting. By the end of the book the you-know-what is hitting the fan. I'm getting goosebumps right now by just thinking of it. There is something seriously wrong in the world after the Rising.

Deadline is a very emotional story. Shaun tries to deal with his sisters death, failing miserably. There is actually a little bit of romance, which surprised me. The After The End Times crew is in real danger now. Not just from zombies, but from something way bigger. And these people aren't even afraid any more to sacrifice some innocent bystanders. You just don't know when something bad is going to happen, and how bad it will be. I read the last two-hundred pages in one sitting because I just didn't want to put it down.

I'm thinking about pushing my boyfriend into reading Feed just so I can let him read Deadline, I loved this book so much.

I cannot wait until Blackout is released. That book is going to be so epic.

Blurb

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Feed by Mira Grant (4/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

The Hunger Games Readalong: Chapter Fifteen

Running up to the release of the movie, Larissa from the Howling Turtle and Sharon from Obsession With Books are co-hosting a Hunger Games Read-Along! Every other day a blogger will share a little story, a picture, a video or something that has to do with that day's chapter. To see the full readalong schedule, go here.


Today we are going to talk about Chapter Fifteen. For those of you who need a reminder, in this chapter Katniss wakes up after the tracker jacker stings. The nightmares are fading and the reality of the Hunger Games is coming back. She makes a pack with the little Rue, and they share food and comfort.

I found a still of Rue (played by Amandla Stenberg) in the movie on IMDB. Click on the photo to go to the source. She looks nothing like how I pictured Rue. For me she has a way more angular face, a bit more bird-like.

Chapter Fifteen is a very mellow chapter as far as that is possible in The Hunger Games. After the horror of the nightmares the tracker jacker venom induced, it's time for a little bit of friendship during the Games. It really helped for me to establish the character of Rue more, and it was nice to see Katniss's softer side.

Because nothing controversial happens in this chapter, and I still would like to create some conversation, I have thought of a game to make it a bit more interesting. I always love discovering new good books, and I'm sure you guys know of a lot of books that I have never heard about! So, let's play...

If you like The Hunger Games, you probably also like...

I'll go first. If you like The Hunger Games, you probably also like Divergent! In Veronica Roth's debut the future city of Chicago is divided in five groups, each with their own characteristics. It reminds me a bit of the district system in THG. Also, the mean character Tris in Divergent is one strong lady, just like Katniss. It doesn't have a love triangle, but since I don't like love triangles at all, I don't mind that one. If you're interested in this book, you can check out its Goodreads page, or my review.

Have you read Divergent? Did you like it? Or do you have a way better recommendation? Leave a comment!

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
(Divergent #1)

5 out of 5 stars

Published by HarperCollins Children's Books

Divergent was so incredibly fast-paced that I finished it within two days. Even though it has close to five hundred pages, it doesn't feel like so long a read. From the moment we meet Beatrix, later shortened to Tris, I was hooked.

I like this book so much that I don't have enough words to write a full review. There is not one piece of Divergent that I didn't like. I loved the romance between Tris and Four. I was swooning after fifty pages, which is a record for me. I love the sense of community in the Dauntless. I loved Tris as a character, I loved that she wasn't a total goody-goody. I loved the simple and clean writing style. And I loved the holy-crap-the-world-is-going-down exciting ending.

The most incredible thing about Divergent is that it's a debut novel. That means Ms Roth is only just getting started. There is going to be so much awesome in her future...

Blurb

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)
• Review: Feed by Mira Grant (4/5 Stars)
• Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

5 out of 5 stars

Published by Balzer + Bray
ARC won through giveaway by the author

I would like to preface my review by saying that I am a massive Diana Peterfreund fan. From the moment I read Rampant, her book about killer unicorns (I know right?!) I was hooked. When I found out that she was writing a dystopian version of Jane Austen's Persuasion, I was taken aback. Talk about something different! I got afraid, what if I don't like this book? Will I still be able to call Ms Peterfreund one of my favourite authors? Or will I hang my head in shame and mumble "Yeah well, the new book is just so different..."?

What the hell was I worried about. For Darkness Shows the Stars is AWESOME. First, the cover is beautiful. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but still, it's a plus. Second, I really like the title. It's a change from the one-word title trend that still has YA land in its grip. It's a very cool title, even though as a Dutch girl I have troubles pronouncing it correctly.

And third, probably the most important one. The story. The STORY, you guys! I flew through For Darkness Shows the Stars in two days. It has everything. A rock-solid foundation in world-building, loveable characters, a super sweet romance, a father you would love to strangle, genetically manipulated ancestors and a devastating war... It has it all!

What I especially appreciated is how there isn't really a villain in For Darkness Shows the Stars. Except for the main character Elliot's father maybe. I could totally strangle him at times. Almost every single character is a shade of grey. Everyone has been made into what they are, more often than not outside of their own fault. Elliot really has to rethink who she is and what she wants to stand for throughout the book.

Elliot is a main character that I love. She is a strong, but humble girl. She chooses the well-being of her subordinates over her own. I admire this trait in her. I'm sick of all the wussy heroines bloating in self-pity. She isn't perfect though. She's always so busy thinking of other people first, that she forgets herself. Throughout the book she learns how to stand up for herself.

Of course, I can't write a review of For Darkness Shows the Stars without talking about the love interest. Kai is, just like this book, awesome. I'm a big sucker for the kind of dark and broody guys, and Kai lived up to it. What could have been a very difficult and painful relationship, Ms Peterfreund made Kai swoonworthy by adding letters. Letters from when Kai and Elliot were friends as kids. They show a softer side of him, but also show the start of what makes him as he is now. Why yes, I know that I'm being mysterious. But I just really don't want to spoil anything for you! All I have to say on the matter is that from the start of the book, I was rooting for Kai and Elliot to have a happy ending, one way or another.

Do you like romance? Read this book. Do you like post-apocalyptic? Read this book. Do you like horses? Read this book. Do you think Elliot is a cool name for a girl? Read this book.

No seriously, read this.

Blurb

Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)
• Review: Feed by Mira Grant (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Errant by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Feed by Mira Grant
(Newsflesh Trilogy #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Orbit

Not one for zombie books usually, I picked this one up because it came so highly recommended. The plot sounded like it had more to it than some shambling corpses moaning "braaaaiiins" while doing the zombie shuffle. I was expecting interesting zombie novel. I got blood-racing mystery, action and heart-wrenching drama.

Imagine a world where every single person is infected with a virus. This virus will turn you into a zombie when you die. Imagine more than seventy-five percent of the world population killed by the virus. This is the world Georgia and Shaun are born in. Adopted brother and sister form with their best friend Buffy the team of After the End Times, a blog dedicated to news. But blogging is a dangerous business in 2040...

Feed is a good book. It has a rock-steady foundation and lovable characters that inhabit its world. Even if you don't like the actual content, I don't think anyone can say this book was not thought through. Usually I find little plot holes in a book. They don't bother me much, but they're there. I couldn't find any in Feed. The characters stayed within their personality. If there was a computer in scene one, it's still there in scene two. I admire this extend of editing that goes into this book.

I loved that there was a good reason for the zombies to turn, you know.. into zombies. I hate lame excuses like, they just turned up this way! There was an extensive background that made it a whole lot more believable for me.

The extend of the details will put some people off. There is a lot of in-depth philosophy, info on the way viruses behave, and the inner workings in the blogging world. This book is VERY heavy on the blog mechanics. Because people don't leave their houses any more, except if they must, blogs are the new form of entertainment. They will be the first to tell you where a new outbreak is. There are a lot of different styles of blogging, and there is a lot of emphasis on the characteristics of each. As a blogger myself, I found this quite interesting, but I can totally understand why some people won't.

If you decide to give Feed a try, be prepared to invest a bit in the story. The plot doesn't always move along all that fast, but it will get there. And if it does, you will be amazed.

Blurb

In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead.

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:

When will you rise?

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Alienation by Jon S. Lewis (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty (2/5 Stars)
• Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

2 out of 5 stars

Published by  Harper Collins, Inc
Review copy received through Netgalley

I didn't really like this book. It was completely over the top for me. I like books with a message, as long as it's done subtly. Bumped is just one bombastic piece of culture shock with messages flying all over the place, with the subtlety of a grenade-impact.

The blurb sounds interesting, and the simple cover appealed to me. There are the twin-sisters split from birth, a virus that makes having children after the teenage years impossible. And don't forget we're living in 2035, so advanced technology is present.

This book would have been so much better if the main characters, Harmony and Melody, were even remotely close to likeable. I was in constant discussion which one of the twin sisters I disliked more; the annoying my-God-is-better-than-yours sister or the equally annoying what-others-think-of-me-is-the-most-important-thing-evar sister. Even worse is that they don't develop as characters, but that towards the end of the book there is a sudden "halleluja!" moment where they for no reason at all change into a "better" person. Ugh.

I think this book was more written to shock its audience than truly have something to say. It's a continuing rampage full of made up words, orgies, Brave New World kind of drugs and a whole belief system based on supply and demand. Add the Psalm-spewing twin for some contrast, and you have Bumped. Even though categorised as young-adult, I would definitely not recommend this for your fifteen-year-old. This book is more on the adult than the young side.

Blurb

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Marked by P.C. Cast (3.5/5 stars)

More links

• Author page
• Harper Collins, Inc
• Goodreads

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
(The Hunger Games #2)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Scholastic Press
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

The sequel of the extremely popular The Hunger Games, Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss and Peeta, two teenagers that try to survive in a world ruled by those in the Capitol.

When they both won the Hunger Games, they defied the Capitol, and they're going to have to pay for that. Neither them or their families are safe. I can't say more about the plot without spoiling it, but expect there to be a lot of hardship. Decisions will have to be made that can either save their loved ones or sentence them to death.

The Hunger Games was so absolutely awesome, I expected Catching Fire to at least be its equal, if not even better. I guess I'm quite disappointed now. Catching Fire didn't have the same lightning fast pace, the suspense. Especially the first part of the book was terribly slow. There was a lot of switching back and forth between past and present that was so confusing and unlike this series that I caught myself wishing for an editor to clean this part up.

When the pace did pick up, 'bout halfway in the book, the story resembled the one described in The Hunger Games a little too closely for my taste. And while the one in THG was so frightening and thrilling that I was sitting on the edge of my chair, urging myself on to read quicker, the plot in CF felt a bit old. You can only kill off so much characters before it stops to be scary.

What I did enjoy in this book is that there is a lot more attention to the world of Panem, where rebellion is starting in several Districts. I liked that we got more insight into how the Capitol oppress the general masses. We also get some glimpses into several other Districts, how people live there, which was pretty awesome.

I'd also like to give another cliffhanger warning. The end of Catching Fire gives no closure at all. Expect to be gasping and panicking when you come to the final pages. Make sure to have a copy of Mockingjay nearby before finishing this book.

This was by no means a bad book, yet it's not as awesome as its prequel. It's a decent continuation of the story, but I was expecting something that would leave more of an impression. Still, this trilogy is definitely worth continuing.

Blurb

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1)
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (Gods & Monsters #1)

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(The Hunger Games #1)

5 out of 5 stars

Published by Scholastic, Inc.

This book is as good as everyone tells you.

In a world where poverty and social depression widely spread is, Katniss grows up trying keep her little sister and mother from starving by hunting in the dangerous woods nearby. When her little sister is called to play in the Hunger Games, Katniss tries to protect her and goes in her place. Now she has to kill twenty-three kids in an arena before she can go home...

When The Hunger Games suddenly became extremely popular, I though to myself, this probably is just another Twilight. Don't throw stones at me, but for me Twilight wasn't as absolutely awesome as everyone seemed to think. A nice read, but I could've lived without it. So I put off reading The Hunger Games, thinking it was nothing special really. Then one day an extremely kind person gifted this book to me.

And it turns out, The Hunger Games is so extremely awesome.

In my little bubble where I shun everything that is popular and trendy, I never even knew what this story was about. I didn't know this was about kids killing each other in an arena in order to survive. If I'd known that I would have picked this book up earlier!

The first thing I fell in love with is the world. I have a little soft spot in my heart for dark settings. For the hopelessness, the gritty life where you have to fight to stay alive, to even have enough food to get through the day. And I think that in The Hunger Games, this is portrayed beautifully. It feels realistic. Everyone in District 12 knows they are being wronged. Yet no one sits around wallowing in self-pity. They life their life as good as they can, quietly hoping one day things will change.

At first sight it might seem strange that teens of ages between twelve and eighteen are willing to kill each other. You have to take into account that they have a wholly different upbringing and live in a way more violent world than we do, though. They grow up seeing these Games on the TV, year after year. They see other children brutally killed, and see all these relentless killers crowned as heroes. I think this can turn innocent teens into monsters that will do everything to win The Hunger Games, and come home as victor. Tributes like Katniss, however, are completely different. She fights only to survive. Winning isn't really her goal. She just wants to be able to return to her sister and mother, so she can take care of them again.

Katniss is a great character. She is strong, smart, and independent. She is hardened by the circumstances she lives in day after day, yet she is compassionate towards the people she cares for. There was a beautiful moment when one certain person dies in the arena (telling you who would be a spoiler). At times I did want to scream at her for not seeing certain things. She's not that good in the romantic compartment. That does fit her though. She has never had the time to think about boys. I hope this changes throughout the next books. I would like to see her a bit more confident in that area.

What I did not like is that I'm seeing the start of a love triangle here. I seem to be the only person in the whole wide world that does not enjoy these horrible devises to create tension between the characters. Nine out of ten people I know just fall in love with one person, and stick to that person. In books it seems to be the rule to like two different guys at the same time, who are usually complete opposites of each other. I don't know, it doesn't seem that realistic to me. I'm sure it can happen. But not to every single girl/woman starring in a book with a romantic (sub)plot.

Anyway, I hope the rest of the trilogy doesn't heavily rely on the Gale/Peeta choice, because I think that would be a shame. The Hunger Games is wonderfully fast paced, with very well written action scenes, that are clear and easy to follow, while being thrilling at the same time.

I think it's a smart move to make a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, and not only because its popularity. The book is written for the white screen. It's fast paced enough, with a lot of action that works really well in a film. I'm especially looking forward to the film image of District 12 and the Capital. I would love to see how they portray these places.

In a way, The Hunger Games does resemble Twilight. It does to dystopian novels what Twilight did for paranormal romance books. It makes the genre accessible to the general public. I think we will see a lot of dystopian novels this year.

If you haven't read The Hunger Games, do it. This book is totally worth your time.

Blurb

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 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, 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 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 will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.