91. Read and Review 100 Books (22/100) Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

'Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.'

Yay! I've been waiting for the final chapter in the Hunger Games ever since I first started reading this trillogy! Yes, its easy reading, yes, you'll finish the book in about 4 hours, and yes, its yet another young adults novel but, darn it, its just sooo good!! A brilliant conclusion to the series.. my only regret? There wont be any more (boo!) 

91. Read and review 100 books (11/100) Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

'Katniss Everdeen continues to struggle to protect herself and her family from the Capitol in this second novel from the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.'


I wouldn’t say that Catching Fire is as good as the first novel but let’s face it, a lot of the time when there is a trilogy saga being set up it’s the middle book that fails to deliver what’s expected because usually its busy setting the scene for the nail biting conclusion. Anyway, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this book failed to deliver, or fizzled, and although it wasn’t up to the standard of the first book, it was still pretty darn good! I can’t really say too much without risking giving away too many plot twists… let’s just say that once again peace and quiet doesn’t last long for Katniss and Petar upon returning to District 12 and it indeed isn’t too long until the President is once again causing trouble, placing their lives in danger and forcing them together to defend themselves… looking forward to the third book in the trilogy – The Mockingjay 

91. Read and review 100 books (10/100) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

'Sixteen-year-old Katniss is smart, athletic, and fast. She can take down a rabbit with a bow and arrow, hitting it straight through the eye. Will these skills be enough to survive the Hunger Games?

Suzanne Collins, the author of the middle-grade fantasy series The Underland Chronicles begins anew, exploring a future landscape that will be familiar to devotees of science fiction's dystopic strain. In a nation called Panem, which occupies the landmass that is the present United States, a parasitical fascist Capitol dominates 12 conquered districts. There was a thirteenth district but it was obliterated during a rebellion. The totalitarian government keeps the subjected populations in line by threatened devastation, starvation, and brutality.'


Terrible name (the young protagonists name is Katniss Everdeen), Brilliant novel! Reminded me a little a Margaret Atwood Dystopian future - one where civilisation as we know it has crumbled into ruins and the rich and powerful minority use the poor as 'entertainment' while controlling them by denying even the most basic of human needs - food, water, shelter, love... a land where those in power remain in power by sending a very clear message  - Mess with us and we'll do something worse than kill you... we'll kill your children.


Brilliant plot, perfectly paced and well written and just fantastical enough, I didn't want to put this book down and found myself stealing whatever spare time I could find in my day to keep reading... cant wait to read the next in the series.


On a side note yes I agree, I seem to have a bit of a children's book thing going on here at the moment but I'm guessing it might have something to do with being wiped out in the evenings when I get home from work and just wanting to escape into an easy reading fantasy...

91. Read and review 100 books (9/100) The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

'All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.


In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate'


Good last book, left me wanting more.. I didn't feel as if the story was completely over as there where a couple of threads left open.. but *sigh* I guess it is over.... then again never say never!! 

91. Read and review 100 books (5/100) The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

'Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen prperty and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.'

I have found my Harry Potter replacement... his name? Percy Jackson... yes I'll be the first one to admit that I like children's books, and I'm not being facetious here. This really is like Harry Potter - only a Greek version! The series is all about a boy, who doesn't really fit into the real world, who finds out that he is actually the child of a Greek god, and is squirreled away to a private and secret 'summer camp' that normal people can't see even through its right in front of them, where he is taught how to be a good little demigod.. but alas, war is brewing and only our special young hero can stop it by going on a quest to retrieve something that was stolen... sound familiar? It should, if you're at all familiar with Mr. Potter! However don't let that influence your judgement of the story - it is different enough to stand on its own merit and it kept me interested on a flight between Seattle and Houston for 4 hours! An easy and quick read (remember, children's book) I found the writting to be entertaining and the premise to be unique enought that the tired and overused ideas didn't detract from the main story line. Looking forward to starting on the second book this weekend... hopefully it can keep me entertainined through my next flight or two!!