Here are two very popular books from two very popular authors and what I thought of the two.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My favorite part of this book was the depth of the characters, I absolutely adore Catniss's character development. They were all just so relatable to me. The plot line itself was an excellent story of a dystopia in the future where "tributes" must be given to the capital to play in what they call "The Hunger Games." The contestants of these games are all young and are put in an arena with one another and in order to win, he/she must be the last one standing (meaning that he/she must kill the others and watch others die at the hands of the other contestants). All of this is done so that everyone in the 12 districts remembers that the capital is supreme and they can never rebel AGAIN. It is a very dark story but also a very touching story. This book has just about everything one could want in a Sci-Fi/fantasy novel: action, mystery, drama, romance and of course fantasy. It isn't meant for the faint of heart as there are some grotesque scenes, but not anything too bad. The love story/stories in the novel are very compelling and pull you right in. I could not wait for the 2nd novel in this series (Catching Fire) which I will be reviewing another time. I would recommend this book for the ages of 12 or older. READ THIS.... 5 out of 5.
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
I picked up this book after reading Westerfeld's wonderful dystopian series titled Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. Those are definitely a READ THIS, though we're not talking about them right now. This book surrounds two vampire (peep) hunters as they track down and eliminate some of there former friends. I liked the idea of the plot line of this story, however the story itself did not live up to my expectations and just seemed very dull altogether. It hinted at mystery, romance, and action but didn't actually deliver on any of them. The characters also lacked depth or any clear sense of a personality. Lacy was written in a fairly annoying way using the word "dude" far too often, making here a very unbelievable heroine or a romantic interest to anyone. Cal was a tad too dull but a bit more on the heroic side. Overall it just didn't catch my attention and doubt I will be reading the next novel in the series. It was very disappointing since Scott Westerfeld truly is such a wonderful author. I would say this book is a 12 or older book. However this is one on my NOT THAT list... 2 out of 5 stars. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts on either or both of these books because I would love to see others perspectives, however do so respectfully. Hope everyone has a good weekend, only one more week until I visit my mother in Florida : )
Porphyria
Hmm...intriguing concept, but I'm not sure that I want to be told NOT to read any book. Especially since I liked Peeps. But don't take it personally, that's just my opinion. I like that you took the initiative to do something new and different that sets it apart from most of the other book review blogs.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I understand what you're saying and it's important to me for people to understand that I'm not telling anyone not to read a certain book by putting it on a "NOT THAT" list, I'm saying I wouldn't read it again, not that others shouldn't give it a chance. In fact, I have the poll up because I want others opinions on BOTH books. I really appreciate the input : ) and hope that you keep reading.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either, but "The Hunger Games" seems pretty intense. It's amazing to think that those kind of things actually happened way back in the day...I'll have to check that book out over x-mas break!
ReplyDeletePS - what does Porphyria mean? Is this a mythological name?
Oh by the way I forgot I didn't answer your Porphyria question... I'll probably make it into a blog post because it's by one of my favorite poets, so my blogger name comes from Robert Browning's poem called "Porphyria's Lover." I'll be posting the actual poem later.
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