The Hunger Games

As an extra "treat" and for your reading pleasure, this is the old-school review I wrote for The Hunger Games in 2008 after I read my advance reader's copy, before all the hype and popularity. I loved it back then!

In The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, the stakes are high for Katniss Everdeen. Either way, she loses. If she doesn’t enter her name more than the required times in the lottery, her family may suffer hunger. But the more she enters her name, the higher her chances are of being selected for the unimaginable, a teenage gladiator-like fight-to-the-death in an arena for the television entertainment of the country. Only one can win in this brutal game. And though Katniss has the willpower to win, can she really kill another human?

This fast-paced young adult novel grips readers to the end. Because of violent content, this is not a book for young readers, and discretion is advised, but neither is the book extremely graphic. The author kept me guessing about the outcome, and she didn’t cheapen the conflict by pulling punches. This is a fascinating look at the psychology of survival. It will be interesting to see where the following books in this trilogy take us.

Shatter Me

Sometimes a book stands out for the way it is written. Though the plot of Tehereh Mafi's Shatter Me is interesting in itself, this young adult novel certainly wouldn't have the same feel written in any other style. Used once or twice, hyperbolic metaphors can be startling, providing you with an extreme picture of an otherwise mundane moment or emotion. But what if a person's thoughts were dominated by such metaphors and a book was narrated from that person's point of view? It might seem ridiculous at first, but as you continue to read and the style stays consistent, it becomes something part beautiful/part insane, which I think is what the author was going for with her main character.

Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.

From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.

And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.

Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.

(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.

I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.

Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.

Shatter Me

Sometimes a book stands out for the way it is written. Though the plot of Tehereh Mafi's Shatter Me is interesting in itself, this young adult novel certainly wouldn't have the same feel written in any other style. Used once or twice, hyperbolic metaphors can be startling, providing you with an extreme picture of an otherwise mundane moment or emotion. But what if a person's thoughts were dominated by such metaphors and a book was narrated from that person's point of view? It might seem ridiculous at first, but as you continue to read and the style stays consistent, it becomes something part beautiful/part insane, which I think is what the author was going for with her main character.

Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.

From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.

And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.

Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.

(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.

I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.

Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Paranormal is really big in teen fiction right now...and has been for quite awhile. It can be tiresome reading over and over again about vampires, angels, werewolves, and other creatures of the night. But put a new spin on it, and the subject comes to life again. I don't see this teen phenomenon coming to a close anytime soon, but if you want to see the subject in a new light (i.e. without all the romance), check out Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, an anthology of short stories by sixteen different female authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

Short stories, yeah, I know. They get a bad rap because, well, they're short. But if that's a problem for you, Enthralled is different. Many of these short stories take place in worlds the authors have built in book series. In fact, I had my suspicions that some of the stories weren't standalones when I was reading at the beginning, but I knew it before I even looked up the authors' other books because I recognized characters from a young adult novel I'd read. So, if there's a story in this anthology that you really like, you can just look up the author and read more. You might even find a few new authors to try that you haven't before. And that's what this book is about for the authors, at least. It's a promotional tool, designed to spark your interest.

What I like about short stories is that they don't waste time. They have to get you interested immediately without a lot of set-up. They have to end quickly without a lot of time for frivolous details or drawn out romantic scenes. Romance is great, but paranormal romance tends to go off the deep end a lot of the time. There's only so many ways you can write about it, so many creatures you can use or make up. Have you been to a bookstore lately? What stands out first? That young adult section with covers of beautiful boys and girls, sometimes half naked, often with fangs or wings or colored smoke around them. You know what I'm talking about. Huge. Teen. Phenomenon.

Enthralled isn't about paranormal romance. When I picked it up, I thought it was, and I was more interested, at the time, in seeing if a book of young adult short stories could go off. The theme of the book, which holds all the stories together, is Journeys. In some way, each new set of characters has a journey to take. Often, to my surprise, the characters were siblings rather than romantic interests, though there were a few of those, too, the weaker stories, in my opinion.

Now, down to the nitpicking. The first half of the book is fascinating. Each new story is so different and not what I expected. In the latter half of the book, there are a far too many vampires and a few more romances. Plus, by then, I think I was getting tired of "starting over" with each new story, having to get into a whole new set of characters. Also, some of the stories were clearly from bigger worlds that the authors had written in other books. Part of that was cool. I liked having the sense that there was a bigger story, but sometimes, the short story didn't really have a satisfactory end. I guess that's where the promotional aspect of the book comes in. Like the story...buy the author's whole book. Great for the authors. Annoying for the readers unless you're looking for a bigger world to submerge in.

The theme of Journeys could have gotten old by story sixteen or even by story three, but it didn't. Each author approaches the subject very differently, and though a few road trips are actually taken in the stories, the paranormal aspect of it, in this case, is a plus, keeping the stories quite different from each other. The subtitle, Paranormal Diversions, describes this book perfectly. The title, Enthralled, not so much. I don't get it. Is the reader supposed to be enthralled? Are the characters enthralled with their own superhuman powers? Is anything paranormal supposed to be enthralling, simply because of what it is? I enjoyed the book, but I was hardly enthralled.

Three stars. If you are into paranormal teen fiction, check out this book to find new authors to read. The authors, alphabetically, are Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Caine, Ally Condie, Kimberly Derting, Kami Garcia, Claudia Gray, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Mary E. Pearson, Carrie Ryan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Margaret Stohl, Jessica Verday, and Rachel Vincent.

John Carter in Theaters Now

I went to see John Carter yesterday, opening night. This movie is based on books (which I haven't read) by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the same fellow who wrote Tarzan, to give you an idea of what sort of story and from what era it is. Actually, it feels a little like Star Wars, as you will see as you read more here.

If you haven't seen the previews, the basic premise is this: in the late 1800's, Captain John Carter, a fighter of a man with nothing left to live for after he loses home, wife, and child, stumbles into a sacred cave and ends up getting transported to the next planet over, Mars. Because of the gravitational difference, he is much more powerful on Mars than on Earth, and the smallest of movements sends him reeling into the air until he figures out how to control himself. He ends up as a pet of sorts in the city of a tall warrior alien race worthy of Star Wars.

Meanwhile, the scientist princess of the Redmen, a human-looking race, is engaged to be married to a brute of a man who wants to control the planet, and in her flight from her would-be husband, she is rescued by a man who can jump from the ground to the airborne ships they ride: John Carter.

What neither of them realize is that events on the planet of Mars are being orchestrated by an immortal race with a sinister agenda, and John Carter is not part of their equation.

The movie has quite a few plotlines going, but it's only confusing at the beginning when things are getting set up. Unfortunately for the movie, this long set-up as well as the many names and languages being thrown around and the difficulty of understanding everything said due to accents, language, or just volume might turn the audience off. But if you are willing to give the movie a chance to establish its world(s), the payoff is great.

The intertwining plots make the world seem fuller (it is based on a book, which would spend some time world-building, after all). The princess is intriguing, being a scientist, a warrior, and sometimes a lady in distress, too. John Carter's character is set up brilliantly and humorously, and in fact, there are moments of humor interspersed throughout the movie. But it doesn't feel like comedy. It's done so well that you might miss some of it if you blink or tune out: a short line of dialog here, a slap across the back of the head there. Then, some of the humor is more obvious. There's a loveable dog-like monstrous creature. And John Carter's attempts to adapt to the gravity on Mars, not to mention a surprising moment in an arena involving lots of blue blood, add lightness to a movie that could have made the mistake of taking itself too seriously. But it doesn't, perhaps coming across as a glorified B movie, to begin with, but wasn't that Star Wars, too?

As far as morality goes, again, compare to Star Wars. The gore is similar, and the princess wears some clothes that will remind you a bit of Princess Leia's slave get-up. It's rated PG-13.

Though I wasn't sure what to think of the movie at the start, and though the romance started out a little cheesy (yes, of course, there's romance with the princess), I really enjoyed this movie. It all leads up to a grand finale with awesome battles and a clever nod to the author of the book. Treat yourself to some fun and go see it, too!

Tuesdays at the Castle

When I picked up Tuesdays at the Castle last year before its release date in October, I thought it looked vaguely entertaining. It was about a princess, after all. But it didn't make it into my immediate next list because it was middle school fiction. As I've said in previous reviews, I'm not so fond of middle school fiction because about half of what I read in that age group is, plainly, boring. Jessica Day George's novel, however, is not. Instead, it's the perfect example of good middle school fiction, focusing on adventure rather than romantic interests.

Castle Glower is magical. It picks its own kings, and so far, the castle favors Prince Rolf, as shown by the fact that it moved his quarters right next to the throne room. But it's his sister Princess Celie that the castle seems to have a special connection with. Celie likes to draw blueprints of the castle, a task made more difficult when the castle adds new rooms on a whim, often on Tuesdays. But perhaps because of her interest, the castle responds to her wishes in ways it will not with anyone else.

When the king and queen are ambushed and appear to be dead, Celie's idyllic days of mapping rooms for fun are cut short. The princess and her siblings find themselves fighting for their place in the kingdom when two rival princes show up on their doorstep, the castle remaining mysteriously quiet as to what to do with them. As a sinister plot unfolds around them, they must believe in the castle's goodness and do what they can to help the castle oust the intruders before the intruders figure out how to silence the castle and its royal children for good.

It might sound a little hokey, but the story was honestly a lot of fun. It had great sibling interaction, a fascinating magical element, real danger, and loveable, well-imagined minor characters. Above all, in a clear battle of good versus evil, good wins (I'm not going to pretend that's a spoiler, because isn't that what we all want and expect?). And there's no angst-y teenagers or steamy romance threatening to overtake the plot. Though I love my young adult books, it's refreshing to take a break from all that every once in a while.

Four stars for Tuesdays at the Castle. Give it to your middle schoolers to read. Read it yourself!

Eve

Eve has been sitting on my shelf for awhile, mostly forgotten, so when I dug it out and read the back cover, I was surprised I hadn't read it sooner. It's right up my alley, being something between a dystopia and post-apocalyptic science fiction for young adults. It recently came out in the fall of last year.

In Anna Carey's novel, a plague has wiped out civilization in North America. All that's left are empty houses in empty towns with no working utilities and a few people scattered across "New America." In the wake of the disaster, one man has set himself up as King in the City of Sand. Eve lives in an all-girls' school, preparing to graduate her twelfth year, spend four more years in specialized training, and then become a contributing member in the City of Sand. At least, that's what she believes. But the new Government has more sinister plans for Eve and the other orphan girls who attend her school, cut off from men, taught to fear and hate men, except for the King, of course. When Eve, whose name is heavily symbolic, learns the truth, she escapes into the wild, which she has not been trained for and where there are few supplies. Eve must face all her fears in order to survive. There are roaming gangs of men who are just like everything she's been taught. There's the boy, Caleb, who seems like he wants to help. And then there's the King, the one man Eve has not been taught to fear but who should be feared the most because he wants Eve for a very special purpose.

This book has all the elements of great post-apocalyptic fiction, going the route of disease rather than world war. It's believable, and really, there's little science fiction to it. The world is recently devastated so that there are a lot of recognizable pieces of present day reality in it, but it's seen through the eyes of children who grew up after the devastation, so there's this great mix of familiarity and foreignness. This is the first of a trilogy, and I look forward to seeing how the author will expand the world she's built. I don't expect it to be the next Hunger Games, which was far more complex. But it's a book with heart and carefully created characters who make you feel with them. Friendship grows out of misunderstanding. Romance blossoms where fear was once rooted. Minor characters play their roles so well that when they are gone, you feel the loss. Two little boys in the story took on the face of my son, and when that happens, bring me the tissue box! Happily, those boys don't die, but others in the story do. Bravo to the author for not pulling punches, even if we only knew the characters for a few pages. She caused me to care in just those few pages, and I felt deeply with Eve at the loss.

No bad language. No over-the-top graphic violence. No sex scenes, though Eve is rescued from attempted rape. The story, though it has serious thematic material, is more hopeful than gritty.

If I had to rate anything about the book negatively, I'd say the romance is, perhaps, a bit weak. It's fast and, therefore, loses some believability in light of the fact that Eve has been taught her whole life to fear men. The author tries to ease Eve into it and us into believing it. It works okay but not seamlessly.

Overall, this is a fun, good, fast read worth three and a half stars.