 In the Host the Earth is invaded by "body snatching" aliens. They are small, wormlike creatures that embed themselves in the brain's nerve-endings of sentient beings, in our case humans. In doing this they take over the person's body, have full access to their memories, and silence the actual owner of the body (in most cases.)
The book starts off with Wanderer, a "soul" as they like to refer to themselves, coming to Earth and being inserted into a human who is part of the last believed human resistances, Melanie Stryder. Soon Melanie proves to be difficult host, when she will not be silenced. It isn't very far into the book when Wanderer soon becomes sympathetic towards Melanie and the rest of humanity. Together, like it or not, they set off to find and protect those people that Melanie, and inadvertently Wanderer, love; Jared, Melanie's love, and Jamie, Melanie's kid brother. However only being able to "see" Wanderer in Melanie's eyes the resistance, including Jared, imprison Wanderer, and even try to kill her. As time goes on, Wanderer, soon renamed Wanda, proves she is not a threat to anybody and that she is there because of the feelings she inherited from Melanie for Jamie and Jared. But Wanda separately builds up other relationships with the members of her small human family, and she has to decide what's more important? Her own happiness and life or the happiness and safety of those she's come to love? I first heard about this book from a friend back when we were in high school. She'd just read the Twilight saga and liked it so she ended up reading the Host. (2 things to note here... when I say like I mean liked not LOVED. She wasn't a crazy fan girl. And secondly this was back when all these books FIRST came out and the movies weren't even a sparkle in Hollywood's eyes.) I love aliens about as much as the next girl... Actually I don't. They've never been my "thing". So when she persistantly recommended this book over the next few years, all I did was look at her and give the passive and SAFE answer, "Oh sure. When I get the time I'll read it. It's on my To-Read list..." blah blah blah. We've all heard that line when we recommend a book that someone finds less than fascinating. (Sorry Tree!!!!) I'm even more ashamed to say that her persistence wasn't what persuaded me to read the book... it was the movie. I'm sorry all of you like me that hate it when someone only reads a book because of the movie. One day after work I was tired and wanted to relax to a new movie so I turned on the Host. I rather enjoyed the movie and some of its underlying themes so I thought, "Why not try out the book?" Well like any book, it was spectacularly better than the movie. I know I know... DUH!!! I do have one small confession to make... I'm completely, head over heels in love with Ian O'Shea in the book. I think the undying devotion and eventual love he has for Wanda, a parasite that so many believe is part of the enemy, touched me and made it so easy to gravitate towards him as my favorite. I also love that he is at the heart of a very important message that the book presents, that it isn't what's on the outside that matters but what's on the inside. All throughout MOST of the book, everybody that knew Melanie, can't see past the crime that Wanda committed at someone else's hands, stealing Melanie's body. At first In hates her too and even tries to kill her, but afterwards he feels overwhelming remorse because he got to see something nobody thought the parasites were capable of, selflessness and sacrifice towards a human. Afterwards Ian works very hard to prove himself trustworthy to Wanda. Through their mutual trust of each other Ian gets to see Wanda as herself, he even gets to the point where Wanda can see him like a soul. He doesn't see her as some parasite that stole Melanie's life but as someone who deserves a life just as much as any other human. He loves her not for how she looks, whether she looks like Melanie, a little silver centipede, or as her finally and permanent self, he loves her for how she thinks, acts, and treats others. Not many people can say they make opinions of people based on their insides, on their souls. We all want to think we "judge" others not on their outward appearances but for what's on the inside, but I don't know a single person who doesn't judge partially on how someone looks. I mean we all are guilty of starting a conversation with someone purely because we think they're attractive or because they look a certain way, at least once in a while. Or for that matter NOT talking to someone because of how they look. I think this is one of the best examples I've seen in books of how it really looks to love or even like someone purely for how they are instead of how they look. I've heard and read plenty of reviews that complain about the length and pace of the book. Yes the book, in the eBook version I read, is just over 600 pages, large by a lot of standards. There were moments in the book that it could have gone at a faster pace, but there weren't many of those moments. In general went at a very leisurely pace. Granted there are some that prefer a more fast paced read. I think that Stephenie Meyer did a good job countering the pace, which to some could be a problem, by having what I believe is a very strong plot. Again I'm not a big alien fan, in my opinion once you've seen or read one alien story you've seen/heard them all. But it was the way that Stephenie Meyer did this story that made it different in its own little way. The mixture of extraterrestrial involvement, end of the world,
0 Comments
 Logan Thibault is a U.S. Marine that has seen his fair share of action in his three tours of duty in Iraq. But on his last tour he comes across something that changes everything… a picture of a beautiful woman. He doesn’t know where it came from, but his fellow troops soon realize that this photo seems to bring Logan good luck. When he returns home he begins to think that there may be something to this whole luck thing. With some prompting from a friend, Logan sets out from Colorado to North Carolina to find this woman.
After some detective work, Logan tracks down the woman, Beth, and gets a job at her family’s dog training kennel. He starts to settle in Hampton and slowly begins to bond with Beth’s Nana and son, Ben. Beth however has a bad feeling about Logan. Between feeling like he’s hiding something and her knowing that her younger brother, also a Marine, was killed by friendly fire in Iraq, Beth can’t bring herself to like Logan let alone trust him. But finally, after weeks of trying, Logan breaks down her walls. Things are really looking up for Logan, but there are just two little things in their way. The truth about why Logan’s there in the first place, and Beth’s powerful, and slightly possessive, ex-husband. This book was really a catchy book and it had all the elements that Sparks fans have come to know and love. If any of you are looking for a quick, but good read, or if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan this book is definitely for you! J  At the beginning of the year, yes I realize that was a little while ago now, I read the Maze Runner.I had heard good things about it, and I like similar books so I thought why now. I was surprised. I don't necessarily mean that in a good way, but not entirely in a bad way either. I didn't know what to make of this book. I liked the fact that it wasn't the usual cookie cutter book, where you can guess what is going to happen. But, it's hard to explain, it didn't grab me as much as I had hoped or as much as other books have. I'd read the rest of the series, but I don't know if I'd reread them anytime soon.
So I should probably give you a breakdown of the story for those of you that haven't read it. Thomas is raised up in a box to a new world, with zero memories of any prior life. He soon discovers that his new world is a deadly maze filled only with teenage boys, and they need to find a way out of the ever changing maze before it's too late. Their time line gets a deadline when a girl is raised up into the maze with a warning that the end has begun. I'd recommend it to those that love the dystopian genre. If you like the Hunger Games or Divergent, I think you'd like this book as well. I can't say anything about the rest of the series because I haven't read it yet. If you have read it or do read it, PLEASE comment below and let me know what your thoughts on the book were!  At the beginning of January I started reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I have heard a lot of things about these books, some good some bad. I've seen various renditions of Alice in Wonderland, my favorite being the 1999 version with Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Short, and Christopher Lloyd. So I decided it was finally time for me to read the books.
Alice in Wonderland takes Alice on a crazy journey through Wonderland from a Rabbit's house to, the Dutchess's peppery house, a tea party, a beautiful garden and a courtroom, all the while changing sizes about as many times as locations. I got through this first book pretty fast, mostly because I knew in general how it went and I could visualize it better. Through the Looking Glass was even more wacky to read, in my opinion. In this one Alice get into another world by going through a mirror. In this story she meets Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, Humpty Dumpty, the Red and White Queens, and a crazy Knight. With this book I had a little harder time getting through it. There were some parts of it that I had see in various Alice in Wonderland tellings, like the Tweedles and the Knight. But I had a hard time with the way that a lot of the characters behaved towards Alice. For example Humpty Dumpty wasn't a very kind character, he was condescending to Alice. The biggest problem I had with these books was that there was no blinding moral to them. I'm quite use to reading books with a message, some moral dilemma that the main character has to overcome that teaches a lesson. I couldn't find one in this book. When I thought about it a lot and did a lot of stretching to get it to fit this story, I thought that one could make the moral of being happy with what you have and who you are fit. But that's still a stretch. I came to this conclusion because throughout all of Alice in Wonderland, Alice is changing sizes and appearing in different places. She has a problem with it, but it comes to not see so important by the end of the book. I don't know how well this moral fits Through the Looking Glass because she doesn't really have that same problem in that story. Like I said I'm not really use to not having a moral to a story, so if someone has a better idea for a moral for these two stories please comment and shed some light on it for me. Overall I didn't really care for either books, even less so for Through the Looking Glass. I mostly read them because they are classic pieces of literature that people have enjoyed for quite some time. I however don't really think I'm one of those people. They seemed a bit rushed, in the fact that Alice is always in a different place or around different people every chapter (and the chapters weren't very long). She was never in one place or around one set of person(s) for long enough to really learn anything from them usually. Now that I have it out of my system, I probably won't read these stories again, at least not for a long time. It just wasn't my cup of tea.  This last week I read the book that inspired the movie Beastly. At first I was a little skeptical because I like the movie but it is a little cheesy and cookie cutter, plus I'm not Vanessa Hudgens biggest fan or her acting "skill". But I was very pleasantly surprised by the book however. Yes it was still a big cheesy in parts and cookie cutterish in sections but it was still very good, especially for someone like myself that loves fairy tales. For this review of the book I'm going to break it into two parts, one for the book alone and the second for comparing the book to the movie for those that have watched movie.
The book is about a self-centered teenage boy who has been taught that looks and money are EVERYTHING. If you are beautiful then you can do anything. Which leads to him playing a practical joke on an "ugly" girl in his school. Unfortunately for him he finds out, too late, that this girl is a witch and she casts a spell on him that makes him a beast. He has two years to find someone he loves who loves him back, and prove it through true loves first kiss, then the spell will be broken. She also bestows to him a magic mirror that will allow him to see anybody he wants in the outside world. But still it isn't as if he can walk the streets of New York looking like a werewolf mutant. It makes it even worse when his father buys him a house away from everybody he knows, his father included, and locks him up there. His only companions are a house made who barely speaks English who has been sworn to secrecy and a blind tutor. Over the first year of his transformation he takes up a passion for reading and roses. His roses are his life, so when someone breaks into his green house and hurts his precious roses he catches the man. To save his own skin the man offers to give this beast his daughter. Shocks the beast accepts for two reasons, he actually knows the girl from his old prep school and because he is afraid that her father might make the same offer to someone worse in the future. Soon the girl arrives at the house and so begins his journey to not only get someone to love him but of falling in love himself. I think the message of this book is what really catches me to the general story plot, even though I've seen and read different versions of it in the past. Today so many people look and looks and money to guide them in relationship, whether friends or romantic relationships. It is always about what the other person can do for you. This idea of loving someone for inner beauty needs to be relayed to more people as a life lesson growing up. Maybe the divorce rates wouldn't be so high and people would keep friends for longer than a few years. Relationships are no longer based on substance just temporary things like looks and money. I will say the one thing that had me a little worried about this book when I first started reading it was how the author would handle the enchantress that turns him into the beast. In the Disney movie she isn't really in it, but I knew that being a modern take of the story the author could go to many places, some not too great. I will say it was done very tasteful as far as storybook witches go. The magic wasn't over the top and dark. The main differences in the movie and the book were pretty big, but not completely necessary for the movie. First off was in the book the beast looked more like the Disney beast than the bald, scarred, tatooed boy that was in the movie. In the movie he could still go out without getting too many stares. In the book he was a big, furry, mixture of animals like gorilla and lion and wolf. He had huge claws and fangs and was inhumanly strong. Second difference was in the movie he only had a year to find true love, while in the book he had two years. It actually makes quite a bit of difference to his development. Because he pretty much spends the whole first year in the book being angry, betrayed, unwanted, and then finding something he truly cares about. In the second year he has almost a full year to get the girl to fall in love with him, and to fall in love himself. It just seemed like a more realistic time frame for true love, at least in my opinion. Third difference the beast actually wants to continue learning, which leads to his dad sending the blind tutor. In the movie he doesn't really care about learning and keeping up his education. This difference leads to quite a few things in the book. First off he isn't quite as angry toward the tutor, he reads like crazy, he learns to love roses and gardening from the tutor, and when the girl moves in with them all he, knowing from looking in the mirror, builds her a magnificent library, which leads to some of their first and more deep conversations. And fourth and final big difference is that he actually keeps in contact and befriends the witch that puts the spell on him. Through the mirror he can see her, but because she is a magical being he can also talk with her. She gives him counsel and he ultimately helps release her from her own kind of prison. I think it was a nice touch of closure. In the movie they never really seem to get along and he always seems to hold some hatred for her and what she did. I think by having the closure and even comradery between the beast and the witch it shows that he actually has learned his lesson, even more so than she had hoped for. Overall I would say I pretty much love this book. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale and this just made it so more so. I like how the author put a modern twist on it and did it so that it didn't ruin the innocence of the message. I would recommend this book to just about anybody who loves a good fairy tale or love story.  Hiy'all!! Okay so I finished New Moon this last week so I thought I would share my thoughts on it, especially considering that I didn't write a review about New Moon alone, I wrote it as a mass review with Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
My initial thought, was that it was still the hardest to read of the series. I know it's not a greatly written book, but I'm one of those people that can get so absorbed in a book that I tend to "feel" the character's pain... ya I sound psycho... but that's how I feel about just about all characters when I read, especially when it comes to emotional pain. So the turmoil that Bella goes through because of Edwards leaving her and telling her he doesn't want her anymore, is always hard to read. Jacob helps lessen it at times, but his constant "mood swings" when he changes into a werewolf almost hurt as much as Edward's rejection. Over all I got to say this is my least favorite of the Saga because of the depressing flavor the book has throughout just about all of it. One of the big aspects of the book that I loved the first time that I read the book, and surprisingly more so this time around, was the werewolves. I liked that Meyer didn't do the generic version of a werewolf, which in Breaking Dawn you find out why she didn't. I like the idea that they are either in a full human or full wolf body, it characterizes the animal instincts in us all, is how I saw it. Some people, like Jacob, are resentful of some of our animal instincts while others like Quil love and embrace it. And I especially loved how it was anger that triggered their inner werewolves. Because the wolf side of each of the Quileute boys is free, unconfined essence of themselves. How many of use can be unbridled, or to put it better uncensored, when we are controlled by our emotions? I know I have a hard time thinking through what I need to say that doesn't hurt people when I am controlled by my anger or even hurt. The second thing I liked about this book was Edward's reason for leaving. He sacrificed his own happiness for the safety of the person he loved. Of all the messages in this book this is one of those that sticks out to me the most. People need to see that love is putting the other person first. When Bella and Edward first met in Twilight I had to admit it was kinda more of an infatuation (on both sides) and a lot of stocking... but I think that Edward leaving to protect Bella from essentially himself evolves their relationship to the new category of love. Yes it hurt her in the process but he was trying to put her before himself, which in my opinion is the definition of love. And the final high light of this book, for me, was Jacob's role in the whole book. Aside from doing all the stupid, reckless things with Bella, he is what every friend should be... dependable, true and a rock. He has more motivation than an average friend would or really should, but he can put those aside, or at least pretend to, and can be there for Bella when she really needs him. He keeps her safe to his best ability, even with her slightly, borderline suicidal seeming tendencies. She considers him "her own personal sun", that he makes her feel warm and gives her something to look forward. And he pulls her out of the depression she is in after Edward leaves. That says a lot about his character. I think that Bella's dependency jumping from Edward to Jacob is a little disheartening but Jacob can't help that and he just tries to be there for her when and how he can, which he does very well. The one aspect of this book that I really didn't care for either time I have read this book was Bella's infatuation with dangerous things just so she could hallucinate Edward. This is just one of the many topics that I think Stephenie Meyer could have been more tactful writing about when teenagers are her main audience. And this one is actually two bad notions to put into a youth's mind! First doing dangerous things, even when it scares or could hurt people that care about you. Like when Bella and Jessica are going to a movie in Port Angeles Bella walks up to a bunch of strangers in a dark alleyway because they remind her of some very BAD guys that she very nearly was attack by in Twilight. Jessica is scared witless and is constantly trying to get Bella to just walk away, to which Bella responds by either lying by omission, I think I know them, or by just ignoring her. Then fixing up and riding the motorcycles with Jacob, even though she knows that it would kill Charlie if something happened to her, or cliff diving ALONE!!! Yes by all means lets put stupid, irresponsible notions into the minds of children so that they can care even LESS about how their actions effect anybody besides themselves. We don't have a big enough problem with that already! The other problem with her doing dangerous things just so she can hallucinate Edward is that she is purposefully trying to cause a hallucination! Now I don't know how much this concerns other people but trying to cause a hallucination makes me worry for the person's sanity and the safety problems they could impose on themselves and others. Especially since teenagers don't really seem to know many LEGAL ways to cause hallucinations. I think this is just a scary fact for that and it again brings us back to Bella's utter dependence on Edward. In Twilight Bella couldn't stand the IDEA of Edward leaving, and she handles the reality of it a bazillion times worse. But there's some good news for readers... Jacob comes along and she uses him as a surrogate Edward. She goes from being completely dependent on Edward to being completely dependent on Jacob! I mean what does that say to the teenagers of this country? Well kids... it's okay for you to not be able to be independent of your boyfriend... and if he ever leaves you we understand that it's "natural" for you to become dependent on your best friend who is completely in love with you and who's emotions you are toying with in the process. And she does toy with his emotions... she knows full well how Jacob feels for her, a feeling with she doesn't reciprocate, but because everything is about her... Bella continues to spend all her waking hours with Jacob doing some more stupid and irresponsible things that allow her to hallucinate Edward... yup makes perfect sense to me. And the final problem I had with this book was that the second that Edward found out, second hand, that Bella had jumped off a cliff (presumably to commit suicide), he ran off to the Volturi to commit a strange little suicide... :/ What does that show the teenagers that read this book? That if the object of your infatuation, because that is pretty much what Bella is to Edward at first, goes away permanently or dies... then the first logical thing to do is go kill yourself. We have enough problems with suicide in this country so we need to be careful "romanticizing" it to our youth. Again I don't think it is a superbly written work, but minus the two major problems I mentioned above, I enjoy this book, though less than the rest of the Saga. :)  I just finished rereading Twilight, in honor of the final installment of the saga coming out into theaters this last week. And I thought to myself... while I'm at it I might as well rereview the book as well. I went and reread my initial review, and realized that I didn't give as in-depth a review as I have other books.
I am going to begin by summarizing my last review. I read this book because I wanted to try something new and because at the time my friends were very interested in the series, both books and movies. I liked the book in general, though I was still skeptical about the whole vampire/human love dynamic. My favorite character was by far Edward. And I found the characters to be relatable. My impression after rereading it is slightly different. I still very much enjoyed the book. But after two years I will say that my opinions have changed just a little bit on other aspects. I thought Bella was intelligent when I first read the book, and I think she might be average book-smarts wise and even observant, but she lacks a good chunk of common sense. All throughout the book her thoughts narrate the events, and she often thinks to herself that she should be afraid. "Common sense told me I should be terrified." -Chapter 13. This is just one example. Her lack of common sense just rubbed me the wrong way after rereading it. Another thing that I noticed, probably more so since I have read the entire series and watched all the available movies, is Bella's willingness to pretty much sell her soul. Edward states that he doesn't want to damn her to an eternity of night. Edward isn't shy about telling Bella what he thinks has happened to his "afterlife" because of being a vampire. But it doesn't bother her at all that he pretty much believes that he is damned for eternity. She tries to convince him, and I think at times herself, that their afterlife isn't an issue, that either it doesn't exist or that because of all the good he has done by refusing what he is, that surely he couldn't be eternally lost. Being someone who strongly believes in a heaven and a hell I had a hard time "accepting" this concept, and I still have a problem with it and essentially Bella because of it. Edward is still probably my favorite character. And while I was reading I came to the conclusion of why I think it is that I enjoy this book so much, as well as why other people do, even though it is a 2nd rate book in terms of idea and writing skill. I believe it is Edward that is the key to it's success... at least in my mind. All throughout the book Edward does many heroic things saving Bella's life time after time, always putting her first. And he dotes on her. He is romantic, and open! He talks about what he's thinking (most of the time) and how he feels, and he is honest with her. What woman wouldn't want that in a man? Bella never has to, logically, question where she stands with him, because it is as obvious as the nose on his face, or probably more like the eyes on his face. However I think that the author could have been a little more tactful in showing teens, her main reading audience, what a normal, healthy relationship looks like. Teenagers have gotten the completely wrong idea about what a relationship looks like based on this book. Edward for all intensive purposes stalks Bella leading up to them actually being in a relationship. He technically does so when they are dating also, but she knows about it and is okay with it so it isn't "technically" stalking. .. :/ And he's borderline controlling, he does it to keep her safe, but girls are going to get in their heads that a guy being controlling is doing it because he cares and in the "real" world that more times out of naught is not the case. Then Bella, not so much in Twilight as in New Moon, goes to pieces when Edward leaves or says he's leaving or when she isn't around him. Girls are going to think that's normal to depend so completely on their significant other... and to an extent it is... but they also need to understand they need to be independent as well. I'm not saying all teenage girls are going to base life experiences off of this book, and I pray they don't, but when a person is young and doesn't really have any life experiences to base things off of they have to go with what they know... tv, books, magazines, etc. So I believe even though I enjoy the romantic aspect of this book, I think Mrs. Meyer could have done a better job making it less confusing to the younger readers, so that they didn't get a skewed idea of a healthy relationship. Like I said in my first review I found many of the characters to be relatable... well aside from turning into a wolf or wanting to suck people's blood. I mean more their emotions. Bella doesn't feel like she's beautiful or worthy of Edward's attention, like so many girls feel. It might just be me, but I also relate to the fragility of Bella compared to Edward, mostly because I feel the same way around everybody. Its hard to think of the many small ways that the characters are relatable, and I can only speak for myself, obviously. I know several people who don't care for this series and have asked me time after time why I read this "smut"... and I've had various reasons that I've given, but after rereading it this last time I think I have summed up why I enjoy the book as well as the series. Though I don't like the vampire vs werewolf thing, and how monsters are romanticized, I like the world of fantasy and I like romance books. This just happens to bring those two genres together... and most importantly into a book that I don't feel dirty reading. So many books now a days are raunchy, don't even get me started on how much I don't understand out erotic books fall under the romance genre according to our society. I can read a modern love story that isn't full of sexual tension or garbage along those lines. Because with Edward being so much more powerful then Bella that element is eliminated, well until the final book when Bella and Edward get married, and the author tries to keep as much mystery as possible. Pretty much in one sentence... I will continue to enjoy this book series because it has my two favorite genres rolled into one series, and it doesn't make me feel dirty to read like so many books now-a-days do.  Hello y'all!! So I am in the process of rereading the Hunger Games Series. I am almost done with Mockingjay! And I have got to say it is almost MORE sad the second time than it was the first time! Mostly because you know what is going to happen but there is NOTHING you can do to stop it!!! :( Sometimes I feel like if I just will a book to change... it will! Then I go off in my own little world and think about all that could happen if it did. But alas... It never does! :(
So for those of you that have not read Mockingjay or Catchingfire OR Hunger Games (watching ONLY the movies does NOT count!!) then you might want to stop reading this... and go read them before you finish this blog! :( Because I guarantee you there will most likely be spoilers... because well I've never been real good at not giving SOME things away when describing a book or movie... So let us begin! So in Catchingfire, Peeta and Katniss get engaged (forceably by President Snow) and go on their Victory Tour, which all Hunger Games Victors must go on through the Districts of Panem. When they get back from the tour they find out that they are going to be in the 75th Hunger Games. While in the arena this time though they are the ones that team up with others. Amongst the few they group up with is a man named Finnick Odair, who you come to realize isn't always what he seems and who you just keep finding new layers to. Finnick ends up saving Katniss and Peeta on numerous occassions. Once they all discover the secrets of the arena and the numbers dwindle to single digits, Katniss, with the help of a new ally they make in the arena called Beetee, blows up the arena force field allowing them to escape. Unfortunately their original plan, which wasn't known to Katniss or Peeta, didn't go as planned and the two get separated. You find out at the beginning of Mockingjay that the rebel forces, that have been growing and headquartered in the apparently "obliterated" District 13, have rescued Katniss, Finnick and Beetee, but that Peeta was left behind in the arena and captured by the Capitol. You also find out that because of Katniss's actions in the arena District 12 has been punished by being blown up, which only about 10% of the population escaped from. Throughout the book Katniss takes up her role as Mockingjay to help bring the districts together to overthrow the Capitol. All the while she is scared of what the Capitol is doing to Peeta. Periodically President Snow has Peeta give a short interview which is broadcast over all of Panem. On the last of these interviews Peeta warns the people of District 13 that they are going to be bombed, which leads to his beating, and what you later find out to be tortured and "hijacked". When Peeta is rescued shortly afterwards he has been altered so much so that when he first reunites with Katniss he tries to kill her. Slowly they try to help rehabilitate him, and slowly make small steps. Then they all, Katniss, Peeta, Gale and Finnick all end up going to the Capitol to take it over. This is the part that I am at. And it has been quite interesting rereading it because I've rediscovered small things... and after I've thought over the theme of the books, new things come up all together. I've also had a few discussions as of late as to the motives of characters and themes of the books as a whole. The part that is getting to me is that the parts that are the most painful and sad to read, since I've read it before, are almost worse than the first time!! :( It is probably worse because I know it is going to happen and I try my hardest to will it differently but it just doesn't change. As I said in my first paragraph. :) But in general I think this is the book that encompasses and portrays all the underlying themes that have come up minorly in the two previous books. It all weaves together into a full picture, which gives the read the whole sense of what the books are meaning. I love it! There is one aspect of the books that burns my biscuits, and it actually has very little to do with the books and more to do with the readers of the books! Ever since Twilight, readers of similar books feel the need to divide up love triangles, real or imagined, into teams. In Twilight you had Team Jacob vs. Team Edward and now we have Team Peeta vs. Team Gale. The book does have a romance, yes, but it is a minor thing in the book. Not necessarily that it isn't in the book often, but it is symbolic and isn't just about the romance. It is about different choices, how different people bring out different things in us, so many different things. And people have taken the idea and symbolism behind that and turned it into something that isn't as important as some of the real ideas of the book. You have themes like humanity, keeping our principles in tough situations, standing up for those that can't defend themselves, and not choosing entertainment over our moral standards. But by all means lets ONLY take the romance out of the book. I've read a review or two about how the romance seems forced, which at TIMES it does, but it is a nice add to the book, it draws in more people, it makes it more relateable to modern day times, and it gives more suspense to the book. I mean in the first book it is forced at times, but you see it really blossom into a mature relationship instead of a means of survival. It just makes me sad that so many people are picking up ONLY the romance and not the really important messages that the author was trying to convey. If you haven't read the books because you haven't gotten to it or because you think it conveys a bad message because the first book is about kids killing kids, I respect you for not budging on your moral standards. But I want to let people know that there is more to it than just violence and gore, it is about standing up for what you believe, which is why I MUST commend your steadfastness to your principles. All-in-all I would say I like this book better the second time around. The first time I thought it was too doom and gloom, but now that I have come back around to it in the circle of books, I can see how all the themes and morals and ideas of the book come together and become really prominent in this one book. And I will change my last review (star-wise) from four stars out of five, to five out of five.  For those of you that have known me since high school or before you know that about my freshman year I came across this author, Bryan Davis, and fell in love with his writing. His first book was called Raising Dragons in a series called Dragons in Our Midst. It is about two teenagers, Billy and Bonnie, who both have extraordinary traits. Billy can sense danger and breath fire. While Bonnie has a gift for words and dragon wings. They are classified as anthrozils, meaning both have one parent that USE to be a dragon. Together these teenagers, with the help of an assortment of friends, battle to save the world from becoming Hell on Earth, literally.
Song of the Ovulum picks up where their story left off. It has been 15 years since Billy and Bonnie got married and had twins, Charles and Karen, oh and saved the Earth. But the world isn't the same place it was when they were teenagers, acceptance of dragons and anthrozils is no more. In fact all known anthrozils have been taken captive by the government and have been being tested on to find the secrets of their extraordinary talents, Billy and Bonnie are amongst these anthrozils. Before they were taken into custody however, knowing they were going to be targeted by the government, they sent off their twins to be hidden. And over the years that followed the Bannister twins were lost. But after years and years of searching Billy's oldest friend hunts down the twins, now named Matt Fletcher and Lauren Hunt, and it is up to them to help save their parents. Matt has his father's ability to sense danger, but he can also heal people, as well as himself, at an accelerated rate. Lauren glows in the dark and can hear the minutest of sounds and even people's thoughts. This book has all the adventure and excitement of all 8 of the previous books! When Bryan Davis finished the eighth book, Bones of Makaidos, he said that he was basically going to retire that cast of characters. That was unless he could come up with a real mind blowing idea for them. So when I first heard that this book was coming out I thought, It is going to stink. All the characters that I have come to know and love as... well as friends have grown up and have started living different lives than the ones encompassed in the first eight books. There is no way this one will be any good or at least I won't like it compared to the other ones. So I started reading it with low expectations, and this is what I have to say about that... No matter what, if you find an author that you enjoy and respect NEVER underestimate them! This book, even after I anticipated very little from it, was just as good as the other books Mr. Davis has written. I recommend it for any Christian/Science-fiction fan! The only bad part is... I now have to wait until August for the second book in this series to come out!!! :D For those of you that don't know how the order of the series goes here it is. Dragons In Our Midst (DIOM)
The books are divided into three series but they are the same series technically. There is also a new short story called Maiden Flight, that recaps Bonnie's first flight. To check out the author and the rest of his books head on over to daviscrossing.com  Hello y'all!! How many of you have read the Hunger Games? No! Just watching the movie doesn't count! Well I am going to discuss the Hunger Games here! WARNING!! There are going to be a lot of spoilers... so if you haven't read the book I don't recommend continuing.
In the first book the Hunger Games the main character Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl living in a post-apocalyptic, totalitarianistic society run by the high tech, rich Capital. There are 12 districts that make up the country Panem (a destroyed future America), Katniss is from District 12, however there use to be 13. During a rebellion 74 years earlier District 13 was obliterated, or so the citizens of Panem are told. Every year to remind the remaining 12 districts of the power of the Capital, the Hunger Games are held. The Hunger Games take 24 children, between the ages of 12 and 18 and make them fight to the death until only 1 is a live and becomes the victor. How this is done is 1 boy and 1 girl from each district is selected at random during the "reaping", pretty much just a fancy word for the act of selecting the children. During District 12's reaping Katniss's little sister Prim is selected to participate in the Hunger Games (it's supposedly an "honor" according to the Capital, but of course it is pretty much a death sentence.) Katniss rushes to her sister's aid and volunteers to take her place. There can be volunteers for a tribute (also known as a contestant of the "games"), but it is rare in District 12. So Katniss is the girl from District 12 that will be going and the boy that is selected is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. Katniss and Peeta haven't had MUCH interaction in the past, but the one time that she remembers was when they were young and she was on death's door from starvation. Peeta risked a beating from his cruel mother to get Katniss some bread, which ultimately saved her life. Because of this act of kindness Katniss isn't sure if she will be able to kill Peeta when and if the occasion arises in the arena. Katniss and Peeta are shipped to the Capital with their drunk mentor, Haymitch, who is the only living victor of the Hunger Games in District 12. Haymitch's role as their mentor is to first off teach them skills that could keep them alive in the arena, second get them prepared for their interviews (which will bring in sponsors) and third to procure sponsors while they are in the arena. Now some of you might be confused about sponsors. Sponsors are rich people from the Capital that put money towards their favorite District tributes. Pretty much they give their money to the district mentor(s) and they get to decide which ONE of their living tributes they want to use the money to send supplies (aka: medicine, food, or gear) to. Katniss and Peeta are concerned about Haymitch's help, or lack there of really, because he is ALWAYS slobbering drunk. However they make a deal and he promises to stay sober enough to help them stay alive if they listen to him. So they go through their group training, never REALLY showing their skills, by order of Haymitch, so that the other tributes won't know what their strong suits are and underestimate them. Then they have their individual "practice" where they show their best skill to the Gamemakers (the people who control EVERY aspect of the games) and they get a score that help sponsors get an idea of how good each tribute is. Katniss finally gets to show her real strength, archery, and Peeta shows his attribute, strength. Both score very good. Then the final activity before the games... interviews. During the pre-interview discussion, Haymitch can't think of something that will make Katniss someone that sponsors will want to invest in, she's "got about as much charm as a dead slug" as Haymitch puts it. Katniss ends up going to the interview somewhat unprepared. She does good but not anything spectacular that will make a lasting impression. Then it's Peeta's turn. You find out that he is a smooth talker and can make just about anybody believe or do anything just by talking. As the interviewer's last question for Peeta he asks if there is a special girl back home. Peeta at first says no, then after further prodding, he admits that there is this girl that he has had a crush on as long as he can remember, but that she probably didn't even know him until the reaping. The interviewer, a genuinely nice man, tells Peeta he has no choice but to win the games and then this girl will HAVE to go out with him. Peeta replies that won't help him, when asked why not he replies, "Because... because... she came here with me." Katniss is furious because she thinks that by Peeta declaring his love for her he has made her look weak to all of Panem. Haymitch points out that Peeta has done her a favor by doing the one thing that she couldn't do... make her desirable! So from that point on Haymitch tells Katniss she needs to play along with this scheme of star-crossed lovers to obtain sponsors. And that is exactly what Katniss believes Peeta's declaration to be, a ploy to bring in more sponsors, nothing more. The night before the games Peeta and Katniss have one last conversation, at which time Peeta makes (what I believe) is the most memorable quote and idea of the book. He says that while he's in the games he wants to find a way to show that the Capital doesn't own him. He doesn't want them to change him. That if he has to die, he wants to do it as himself. Let the 74th Hunger Games Begin!!! Katniss and Peeta arrive at the arena, or rather a chamber under the arena to get prepared. Then they are raised on little platforms onto the actual arena. The platforms are arranged in a circle around a huge cornucopia, which holds all the supplies (weapons, food, medicine, etc.). Haymitch however has given both a last bit of advice. Ignore the cornucopia and the supplies, run away from it, find water, and stay alive. He explains that the cornucopia is a ploy to bring in the tributes where an inevitable blood bath will ensue. Sounds like a good solid plan to Katniss... until she sees that one of the weapons is a bow and arrow, a weapon that she knows will give her a fighting chance to win the games. Her small moment of hesitation in Haymitch's advice causes her to miss her opportunity at the bow and she has to settle with a small bag close to her with basic supplies. She gets away just in time too. In the first day 11 tributes die. Through her first few days in the arena Katniss almost dies of dehydration. When she finally finds water, and decides to stay around it, the Gamemakers drive her away from it using a wall of fire. But it isn't just any wall of fire, it spits fireballs with deadly accuracy. Katniss comes to the conclusion that it has been too quiet for the Gamemakers for the past couple of days so they are bring the tributes back together for more action. After a few serious burns Katniss finds out that she is right about the tributes being brought together. Luckily for her she has found a suitable tree to camp out in. However in the night the surviving careers (tributes generally from Districts 1, 2 & 4 that have been trained their whole lives so that they can volunteer to be in the games and win for their districts) find a tribute not far from Katniss, kill the girl and then take up camp under Katniss's tree. To Katniss's great surprise Peeta has joined the careers and is actually helping them to track her down! Katniss can't think of what to do so she stays in her tree, when sometime in the night the girl tribute from District 11, Rue, gives Katniss the escape she needs. Rue silently shows Katniss a tracker jacker nest on a branch in her tree, directly above the career's camp. Because of the fire that brought Katniss here, the resulting smoke has lulled the tracker jackers into a sluggish state. (Tracker jackers are a mutation created by the Capital during the rebellion. They look like bees but have a deadly venom that, in small amounts, will cause horrible hallucinations, and, in larger amounts, death. The special trait of tracker jackers is that, like their name implies, they will track down those they believe are responsible for disrupting their hive.) Deciding it is her only chance to escape, Katniss first warns Rue so she can get away safe, then starts sawing the branch holding the trackers. Only having small windows to saw the branch without causing unwanted attention, it takes Katniss a whole night to saw down the branch. Unfortunately she gets stung three times in the process. On the upside it does exactly what Katniss wanted. It chases off most of the careers and kills two in the process. Katniss also has discovered that one of the dead careers has her bow and arrows. So before fleeing the scene Katniss goes to get her bow and arrows, but in the process succumbs to the side effect of tracker jacker bites, horrifying hallucinations. Struggling to keep hold of what's real, and fighting loose her precious bow, she hears approaching footsteps. She starts panicking, when suddenly Peeta breaks through the underbrush of the forest and tells her to run, helping her gain her footing and run. As she's trying to decide whether this whole encounter is real or part of her hallucination, Cato (the head and most dangerous career tribute) bursts through the underbrush as well. She runs as fast as she can, but she finally falls into unconsciousness. Days later Katniss wakes up to find that Rue has found her and has actually nursed her back to health. The two decide to team up. And the first thing on their to-do list is to destroy the supplies from the cornucopia, which the careers have collected and keep guarded. During the actually attack on the careers, which is successful, Katniss loses hearing in her left ear and also contact with Rue. When she finally hunts down Rue, she finds she has been caught in a net. Right as Katniss is releasing her from the net, one of the other tributes throws a spear that pierces Rue through the stomach. Katniss doesn't wait long enough for the killer to draw another weapon before she shoots him in the neck with an arrow. Slowly Rue dies in Katniss's arms. To pay tribute to Rue, Katniss covers her with flowers and shows her the respect that Rue has earned in her eyes. It is at this time that the Gamemakers make an announcement that will change the course of the games. They have decided to make an amendment to the game rules. Instead of allowing only 1 victor they will allow 2 if they are from the same District. At this point the only districts that still have both tributes are 2 and 12. Katniss sets off in search of Peeta, who she has learned is seriously injured because Cato caught him helping her escape the night of the tracker jacker attack. When she finally finds him he is on death's door by the river in the arena. However she doesn't find him until she is literally on top of him. She discovers that strength wasn't his only skill, he excelled in camouflage and that is what has kept him out of Cato's hands since the attack. She cleans him up and gets him to a cave for cover, but she quickly comes to the realization that the cut Cato gave him, across his upper thigh, has become horribly infected. She does what she can and then spends the rest of the time keeping up the star-crossed lovers facade'. She learns that a lovey-dovey moment will bring them gifts from sponsors, like a kiss means food. So they spend the next couple of days learning about each other. Peeta tells her that he first fell in love with her when they were 5, on the first day of school. His dad was taking him to school and pointed her out as the daughter of the woman he once wanted to marry. When Peeta asked his dad why he didn't marry her, he tells Peeta that she fell in love with a coal miner. Of course being the curious child, Peeta asks why she chose a coal miner over a better-off-baker. His dad says because when Katniss's father sang it was so beautiful that even the birds stopped to listen. Later that day in music, the teacher asked the class who knew a certain song. Katniss's hand shot up and she sang it for the class. At that moment Peeta fell in love with her because she had a voice so beautiful that, like her father's, the birds stopped to listen to it. Unfortunately shortly after his story, Peeta is overtaken by a fever because he has gotten blood poisoning from his infection. Again the Gamemakers make an announcement. The following morning there is to be a feast for the remaining 8 tributes. At this feast there will be something there that each district desperately needs. Katniss wants to go because she believes there will be medicine there to heal Peeta, but he refuses to let her risk her life to save his. Haymitch at this point sends Katniss another sponsor bought gift... sleeping syrup. She gives Peeta some berries coated with this syrup and he falls into a day long sleep, giving her the time she needs to go to the feast and retrieve his medicine. While Katniss is trying to escape with Peeta's medicine the girl tribute from District 2 attacks her. She goes into this rant about how they killed Katniss's precious little ally, Rue, and pretty much trash talking Katniss, Peeta and Rue. Just as she is about to start mutilating Katniss's face Thresh, the GIGANTIC boy tribute from District 11 comes and flings the girl off Katniss. He beats her to a pulp for killing "the little girl" from his district. He turns to Katniss and tells her that because she tried to help Rue he is going to let her off the hook just this once. Katniss gets back to Peeta, gives him his medicine and then passes out because of a head injury inflicted from the girl from District 2. When she wakes up Peeta is back to normal, minus there still being a cut on his thigh. The next few days they are stuck in the cave because of a massive thunder storm. When they finally get out they decide to go hunting. But between Peeta's injury, and lack of hunting ability, Katniss leaves him to gather roots and berries while she goes a small distance away and hunts. When she gets 2 rabbits and a squirrel she returns to where she left Peeta... but he isn't there. Instead there are some berries that she recognizes as nightlock, VERY poisonous berries. As she is calling out his name he emerges with more nightlock. She is relieved but taken back by her scare so she burst out in this tangent at Peeta, turning her back on him during the outburst. All of a sudden a canon goes off, the Gamemakers way of announcing a tributes death. When she swings back on Peeta to make sure it isn't him, a hovercraft comes and retrieves the body of one of the sneakiest tributes just yards from them. They find out that she had eaten some of the berries that Peeta had collected and unintentionally killed herself. So now it is down to Peeta, Katniss and Cato, as they soon find out Cato killed Thresh shortly after the thunderstorm subsided. Slowly they make their way back to the cornucopia, where they know Cato will be. Night falls just as they are about to make it to the cornucopia, and out of the darkness Cato comes running at them. They defend themselves but find that he wasn't running at them to attack, but running away from another Capital mutation, or rather a pack of dog-like mutations. They make their way to the cornucopia just as the mutations reach them. As they are scurrying up the cornucopia, one of the mutations bites into Peeta's calf, ultimately tearing it off completely. In momentary safety, Katniss makes a tourniquet for Peeta's leg, just in time for Cato to appear and capture Peeta. Cato is in bad shape, but has enough strength to keep Peeta between himself and Katniss's arrow. During a rant, Peeta silently signals for Katniss to shoot Cato's hand, that just happens to be next to Peeta's face! Being an excellent shot, she hits right where Peeta told her, causing Cato to lose his grip on Peeta and fall off the Cornucopia into the pack to mutations. They slowly eat him, just enough though so as not to kill him. Out of mercy Katniss ends Cato's suffering. The mutations leave, at which time Katniss and Peeta believe they will be named the victors. But instead the Gamemakers make another announcement. They state that after looking over the rules, their previous amendment that there could be two victors from the same district is no longer applicable. That there can only be one winner. That they will have to fight to the death. Peeta takes out his knife, which Katniss reflexively draws her bow at, thinking that he means to kill her. Peeta throws his knife away and tells Katniss to kill him, that her life is more important than his. Startled at this, she too throws away her weapon. They argue about who is to die and who is to go home. Peeta, already weak from blood lose from his calf injury, takes off his tourniquet allowing himself to bleed to death. At the last minute Katniss remembers the nightlock and takes some out so that they can both die and not kill each other. Right as they put the berries into their mouth the Gamemakers announce that they are BOTH the victors of the 74th Hunger Games. Quickly they spit out the uneaten berries. A hovercraft comes and takes them back to the Capital. Just as they land though, Peeta collapses from blood lose. He is rushed to surgery and Katniss is taken somewhere for medical attention. The next few days Peeta and Katniss are kept separated from each other and the rest of the world. Finally the victor's interview arrives and Peeta and Katniss are reunited for the first time!! But not before Haymitch gets a warning to Katniss. The Capital is very upset with her. Her little "berry stunt" made the Capital look like a fool. And that they plan on punishing her and Peeta if they find out that it was as an act of rebellion. So Haymitch tells her to go overboard with the love angle, making everybody believe that she would have rather died then kill Peeta. She asks Haymitch if Peeta knows about this plan, and Haymitch says Peeta doesn't need to know because "he's already there." She's confused about what Haymitch means but goes with it. They get away with the love angle and are shipped back to District 12. On the train ride home Katniss and Peeta have a small reprieve from the cameras. Katniss starts to worry about what she will do when she gets home, about her relationship with Peeta. You see there is a boy, Gale, back home that she thinks she loves (though she never says that in the book, you do get the jest of it through her constant worrying about what he is thinking of her intimate moments with Peeta). When Peeta asks her what is wrong she says nothing, but then enters Haymitch. He says, "Great job, you two. Just keep it up in the district until the cameras are gone." Peeta, having never been in on Katniss and Haymitch's star-crossed lovers plan, is confused. Katniss admits that Haymitch had her pretend to love Peeta to keep both of them alive in the arena and is having to continue it because the Capital is mad at them because of the berries stunt. Peeta is crushed at the fact that she pretended and you finally find out that he is genuinely in love with Katniss and has been since he was five. Thus ends the first book in the trilogy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I first heard about this book a few years ago, I thought that sounds gruesome and just wrong... children being forced to kill other children. So I didn't read it until this last month. And I have to say... I LOVED IT!! Yes it had a lot of blood and gore, but the message behind it was what really hit me. The character I thought conveyed that message the best in this book was Peeta. In the beginning of the book he states that he doesn't want the games to change him, that he doesn't want to be just another monster in their games. Peeta portrays the small majority that have standards, morals, and a conscience. He wants to stay true to himself, even in a difficult situation that would drive just about anybody to become a monster, and he does stay true to himself. Through the book he only kills one person, and that was on accident, and he shows great remorse for that. You get the implications that he killed another person, but they don't say whether he does or not, and if he did it was out of mercy because another tribute had already brutally wounded them. He shows that when it comes down to your life verses someone else's, if it endangers your moral code, some might even say your soul, you should always choose to protect that other's life even if it means your own death. In a nutshell he portrays selflessness. People now a days think the world revolves around them. That everything is about them. People are slowly losing their humanity. That is what this book portrays, a world we are headed for that has lost humanity. I think it was very well written, had very relate-able characters, and conveyed an important message, which is what I look for in a book. One last thing about the book, and it ties into the movie. A lot of people have been making racist comments about the character Rue, more specifically how she was cast in the movie. Amandla Stenberg was cast as Rue. For those of you that haven't seen the movie or the previews, Amandla Stenberg is African American. A lot of "fans" are complaining that they made Rue black, and that has deterred them from the movie. I hate when the human race shows its stupidity in this fashion. Because had these "fans" actually read the book, which I believe any good, self-respecting person SHOULD do before watching a book-gone-movie movie, they would have found that Rue is indeed African American in the book. To support my argument, I reread the book and found in 3 different places descriptions of Rue. The most straight-forward and the first description of Rue is: And most hauntingly, a twelve-year old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that, she's very like Prim in size and demeanor. -Found in Chapter 7 I believe that if people want to make comments like this, they need to first READ THE BOOK THAT THEY ARE COMPARING TO THE MOVIE!!!!!!! I can not and will not take any comments about the movie serious unless the person has first READ for themselves the books. I share Katniss's thought in the book, and I have been saying it for years... Stupid people are dangerous. This was really a good book, if you can get past the gore. It had a good message, that becomes even more evident once you read Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I definitely recommend it! Especially if you have seen the movie!! Yes they did a great job staying with the book, but the movie can NEVER replace the relationship you build with the characters. So hunt it down in your library or go buy it... you won't regret it!!! |
ReviewsBooks have become a part of my life. However, that wasn't always the case. Since discovering the wonder of books, I can't seem to find enough time in the day to indulge in my bibliophilic ways. This page is to catalog those things which I have read. I hope you enjoy! Current Read
Recent ReadsCategories
All
Archives
August 2025
|
"WORRYING DOES NOT TAKE AWAY TOMORROW'S TROUBLES,
IT TAKES AWAY TODAY'S PEACE"
IT TAKES AWAY TODAY'S PEACE"
|
ABOUT MEMy name is Stefani. I am a princess, a dragon rider, a warrior, a magician, a time traveler, a crime solver and so much more. But for "technical" purposes you can call me a Librarian. I teach Elementary Library and Technology as well as High School Coding and Robotics. In my spare time I love books, archery, fishing, crafts and a lot of little things that make life wonderful.
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
|