Oops.
Dear Live Journal:
Sorry I have neglected you once again. For this I am deeply sorry will you ever forgive me? What's that? You will forgive me if I post a reeeeally long entry? Okay then. :) That I can do.
I wont actually be typing all of this, just coping and pasting it from my new blog, Robolobolyn's Books. But it's the same thing, no?
I'm going to post both my review of Catching Fire on Thursday, and my reviews of Say the Word and (Re)Cycler yesterday. (Oh, and be warned: ALL REVIEWS CONTAIN SPOILERS!)
Review of Say The Word and (Re) Cycler
Hello! :) It's pretty early for me to be awake this morning, only 10:30, but I'm up, so I might as well blog like I said I would.
I'll start with (Re)Cycler, because that was the book I finished reading first.
First of all, if you haven't read Lauren McLaughlin's Cycler, then don't read (Re)Cycler. That will just ruin the whole thing.
(Re)Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin (Published Aug. 25th, 2009)
"Jill isn't your typical teenage girl. She's got some... issues. Every month, for four days she turns into a guy. Jack. Jill is gone, her body is gone. She has been replaced by Jack, a guy, complete with all of the parts. At prom, people began to suspect that something wasn't quite right with Jill, so when she got the chance to move to New York with her best friend Ramie, life began to look up. She'd be with her best friend, Jack could be with his girlfriend, and Jill could have some time to figure out what she wanted to do, collage wise. If only Jill's boyfriend could be there, too. Instead he's off traveling the world, thinking less and less about Jill. As both Jill and Jack began to discover just who they are and what they want to be, their relationships take a nose-dive. Can they fix them, or will Jack and Jill be destined for loneliness?"
I was really surprised by Jack and Jill in this book. Both of their characters changed soo much throughout the book. I was also really surprised that Jill managed to download "Jacktime" thoughts as easily as she did. After years of blocking him out, I thought it would take more time. I guess, as Jill's character became more mature, so did her ability to "download Jacktime memories".
I really had to laugh at Jack, as usual. he always manages to come up with some wacky, reckless, and totally fun! I loved how protective he became of Jill, and felt horrible for him as his relationship began to crumble. While I was pretty sure that Jill's relationship would survive, I was never so sure about Jack's. Ramie just seemed to distance herself from both Jack and Jill, and seemed to care less and less.
All in all, this book recieves FOUR bookmarks! :)
Now, on to Say The Word.
Say The Word by Jeannine Garsee. (Published March 17th, 2009)
"Shawna Gallager is "perfect." Supposedly. But what happens when Shawna gets sick of pretending to be someone she's not?
After Shawna's lesbian mother suddenly dies, and Fran (her mother's partner) and her two sons show up, Shawna's world is suddenly turned upside down. Her father decides to take revenge on Shawna's mom, and taking everything away from Fran seems like a pretty good idea. Their house, the art gallery, everything. Gone.
As Shawna fights her rebelling side, the one telling her to stop what her father's doing, to help Fran and her sons, things get worse. And it's all Shawna's fault. Shawna knows she must do something to help, but how?
Follow Shawna on her heartbreaking journey to self discovery in Say The Word."
I loved this book! It was one of the best books that I've read in a while! And the best part? The ending wasn't completely predictable. Which was a refreshing change. I recommend this book to anyone who, well, likes books. It is well worth buying/getting from the library/borrowing/whatever. The characters will draw you in, and wont release their hold on you until well after this book has been finished.
This book gets a well deserved FIVE bookmarks! :)
Now, one last thing before I go. Faye, from Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm, is having a very awesome contest! You can win your choice of four books. And, I might add, they are all very awesome looking books. :) Here's the link: Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm
Catching Fire Review
I just finished Suzanne Collin's Catching Fire, which is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. This book can be summed up in one word - wow - but I'll try to give you a few more words than that so that you can decide if this book is worth reading or not.
First of all, here is the link for the first book in the Trilogy, The Hunger Games.
I'll give you the official description for THG, then, if you decide you want to read it, and don't want either book spoiled for you, I'd suggest you leave until you've read both books.
Here's the Chapters review of the book:
"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 other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV. One boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and sixteen are selected by lottery to play. The winner brings riches and favor to his or her district. But that is nothing compared to what the Capitol wins: one more year of fearful compliance with its rule. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present."
And the Goodreads description of THG:
"Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place."
Now on to Catching Fire. Because my sister is getting the computer soon (due to whining and bugging mom until she all but got her way) I have only about another 30 minutes on here before I get kicked off. So instead of writing my own description for the book, I'm just coping and pasting this from Goodreads. I did the same thing for THG (obviously). I'm just going to write a few comments afterward. Here it is:
"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge."
I can't really tell you just how much I loved both books. I'm not sure how, but Suzanne Collins managed to create some of the best, most gripping, genuine, convincing, and some downright malicious characters. You know the kind, where you just can't seem to put the book down, where you read in the middle of class, and cry with the characters or laugh with 'em? Suzanne Collins created that for me, and, correct me if I'm wrong, for many other readers, too.
When I first read The Hunger Games, I couldn't seem to put it down, and read it within a day or so. Sadly, I had a bit of a wait for the second book, which didn't bode well with me. I'm not a patient person, and I do not take waiting for (amazing) books well. So when Catching Fire (finally) came out I decided that when I got it I would read it slowly. Kind of like Georgina does with Seth's books in Richelle Mead's Succubus series. And you know what? It actually worked. Wanna know why? Cause I had about 10 other books that I had to read at the same time.
Now, let me babble on a little about what happened in the book, and just what I thought about it.
First of all, I'm Team Peeta. I always was and always will be. Not that I don't love Gale. He's hot, and I'd love to date him if he actually, you know, existed. But I love the idea of Katniss and Peeta way better than I love the idea of Katniss and Gale. To me, Katniss and Peeta seem like they're made for each other, and Katniss is just talking a long time to realize it. As for K&G? To me they should stick to being best friends, let Gale find someone else. I've actually been thinking that Gale and Madge could be good together. But anyways, the kiss between K&G? *Ugh* is all I have to say. Shouldn't have happened. (Well, I guess it kind of had to happen, to make things more interesting, but whatever.)
As for the 75th Hunger Games? Well, let's just say I felt for those guys, not just Katniss and Peeta, but all of them. I'd hate to have to face something like that, feel like I'm safe, and then, BAM! you're not so safe anymore. I loved Mags. Loved, loved, loved her! I thought what she did for - Oh, what's her name? The woman who was originally picked? The one with the kids? - was so sweet and brave. Anyone else would have been like, oh well, as long as it wasn't me, who cares? But not Mags. :)
And Finnick? Loved his character. Well, not so much at first. At first I didn't think I'd like him at all, but once the Games started, even though Katniss wasn't convinced, I knew that he'd be trustworthy. And I think I literally felt my heart breaking when I found out about Annie. I thought that was really sweet. Here's this incredibly hot guy, who could have anyone he wants, and he chooses the crazy girl. I loved that.
Was anyone else completely shocked at the ending? Where half of the contestants were going along with Haymitch's plan to keep Katniss (and Peeta) alive? I didn't see that one coming. While I knew something was fishy, I just couldn't figure out what exactly it was. For a while there I was kinda going with Katniss' theory on everyone wanting Peeta to be the spokesman for the rebellion. But then I began to think, no, that can't be it. I just couldn't figure it out. And the very ending? Where Katniss learns that The Capitol has Peeta? Again, I felt my heart break into little tiny pieces. Though I did love her reaction. To me it just proves that she really does have feelings for Peeta. But, damn! Curse you Gale! If you do ANYTHING to get in between K&P I will personally rip you to shreds. (Tehe, I feel violent).
And, um, bye-bye District 12? That I want to learn more about.
I give this book 5 bookmarks (5 stars) and the anticipation for the next book and 10 million bookmarks. :):):)
Another thing I should probably let you know is that I won my FIRST CONTEST! :):):):) After school on Friday, before I left for camping, I found out that I won THE EX GAMES by Jennifer Echols. You can't imagine how excited I was. I freaked. I quickly e-mailed my address then got in the car and headed for The Campground. I'm not sure how long it'll take to get here, all I know is that I'm EXTREMELY excited! :) And the best part? It's a SIGNED copy! :D
I'm gonna go now, but not before letting you know once again, that you should be SUPER NICE and check out my blog. robolobolynsbooks.blogspot.com/ I've now got TWO followers! ;p
Robolobolyn
xox