The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: 2008
Series: The Hunger Games
Next in Series: Catching Fire

Review:

Panem: a dystopia that rose from the ashes of what used to be the United States of America and Canada, formed by twelve districts which are completely subservient to their Capitol. One district reduced to ashes in a civil war 74 years ago. As retribution for that war each district is required to draw by lottery the names of one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to compete in the Hunger Games, the ultimate in reality TV, with all citizens required to watch. There the tributes must fight to the death, for there can only be one victor in the annual Hunger Games.

Katniss: cold and calculating, yet vulnerable and scared, sacrificed herself to save her twelve year old sister. The female tribute from district 12.

Peeta: son of the local baker, unused to finding his own food or being hungry, has loved Katniss since he was five. The male tribute from district 12.

Haymitch: drunk and vicious, victim of post traumatic stress, coach to the tributes from District 12. The only surviving victor from district 12.

Gripping to the point of obsession, The Hunger Games draws a reader in like a moth to a flame. From chapter one on, it’s near impossible to put down. Don’t think that getting to the end of a chapter will help, because it each one ends in such a way that it would be easier to rip out a tooth than to stop reading. Katniss does what she has to do to survive. But it’s Peeta who really stands out as the moral character, who does what he must to save those he cares for. Unheralded, but with the potential to be the next “Harry Potter”, The Hunger Games is unlike anything I’ve read, where no one is exactly what they seem and everyone has a deadly secret.

Perspective:
The Hunger Games is told from Katniss’s point of view, in first person.

My Thoughts:
This book literally blew me away. I stayed up reading until 2 am, which is a bad thing when you have work at 7AM, and couldn’t sleep after I put it down because I was still thinking about it. The Hunger Games will work themselves into your life and into your dreams. The fascinating world developed by Ms. Collins is as captivating as it is terrifying.

It is, hands-down, dominating the top five books I have ever read, and I couldn't wait to get the second one.

Favorite Scene:
This is a toss-up between Katniss and Peeta in the cave when they’re both wounded and Katniss’s response to Rue’s death. Both had me near tears, but for very different reasons.

Who this book is best for:
Teenagers will relate immediately to both Katniss and Peeta, but people of all ages can enjoy this book.

Violence: 4 of 5. The tributes are there to kill each other, and death happens in some extremely unpleasant ways.

Stars: 5 of 5. Outstanding.

The Graveyard Book

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2008

Review:
The boy’s family was murdered when he was about eighteen months old. Just big enough to totter around, he wandered out of the house and up the hill into the nearby graveyard while the killer searched around for him. There he is taken in by unlikely pair named Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who were never able to have children. The only problem is that they’ve been dead for about two hundred years. The graveyard residents aren’t sure what to do with the boy, who has no name but what the Owens gave him, so they give him the Freedom of the Graveyard and name him Nobody.

Nobody Owens grows up very differently than most children. All of his best friends are dead. In fact, everyone he associates with has been dead since Victoria was Queen. His guardian is a vampire named Silas. He learns his letters and numbers from the fellow residents of his graveyard, and he thinks nothing of sleeping in a tomb every night. It’s all he’s ever known. The outside world isn’t safe for Nobody Owens, yet as he grows he dreams of meeting the living. But it isn’t safe, he’s told. The Man Jack is still looking for him.

And so Nobody Owens’ story is that of most people: that of self discovery. Nobody just does it better than everyone else, perhaps because Death isn’t something that frightens him. He lives in the world, and is more aware of his world, than anyone else because he learned from the dead that life is your chance to make your mark on the world, to go out and do what you can, to be who you can and to make the most of every moment.

We only follow Nobody for about thirteen years of his life, but he does more in those thirteen than most people accomplish in fifty, and for that he is a truly remarkable individual. But what is most charming about Nobody is his sweet naïveté. He can discuss for hours the uses of Ghoul Gates or who the Lady on the Grey is, but something as simple as “P is for Pig” delights him. He’ll anger fellow graveyard residents to borrow the books they have or find the deepest of the Tombs and confront those who live there. It’s Nobody’s character, delightful in al its angles, that kept me reading. And when it was over I wanted more but loved that that was all there was written down about Nobody. Gaiman’s ability to leave some adventures open to the reader’s imagination only adds to the joy his books bring.

Perspective:
The Graveyard book is told from third person limited, following Nobody Owens on his adventures.

My Thoughts:
This book was another one nominated by Jean-Luc, and it didn’t disappoint. At first I was reminded quite a lot of Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett, but as the story progressed I found this was due only to the location at which the story takes place and the fact that many of the main characters are deceased. I almost cried at the end, because I was so happy for Bod, but so sad that it was over. I think it’s perhaps the best book I’ve read by Neil Gaiman, a prolific author with many wonderful works to his credit. I would recommend it to anyone and was a delight to read.

Favorite Scene:
My favorite scene was when Bod confronted the Sleer with Scarlett in tow. Fascinating, creepy, exciting and thought provoking. But then, I've always been fascinated with the Celts. The chapter titled “The Witch” was also great.

Who this book is best for:
Listed as suitable for 9-12 year olds on Amazon, I would disagree. I would keep this for kids 11 years or up, despite the easy writing style and age of the main character, because of what goes on during the story’s climax. 9 may be a little too young to deal with some of the themes explored in The Graveyard Book. However, it has won the Newbery Medal and completely deserved it.

Violence: 3 of 5 for the creepy Sleer and the Jacks of All Trades.

Stars: 5 of 5

A Great and Terrible Beauty

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Author: Libba Bray
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2003
Series: Gemma Doyle Trilogy (Book 1)
Next in Series: Rebel Angels

Summary:
Right before Gemma’s mother is murdered by a strange shadow in Victorian India, she tosses her daughter a crescent eye necklace. That was her first vision. Now, Gemma is then on her way to a homeland she has never seen to be turned into a lady at a finishing school. To save face, she must say that her mother died of cholera and pretend her father isn’t addicted to opiates. And then there’s the odd young Indian man, Kartik who followed her to England, with dire warnings to end the visions she cannot control. Soon, Gemma is wading her way through the delights of finishing school politics and attempting to take charge of her strange powers. Led by the diary of a girl she believes long dead and with the fickle help of her finishing school chums, Gemma enters a world fraught with trouble.

Review:
Gemma is a typical sixteen-year-old in that she has done things she regrets, wants to fit in (even against her better judgment), falls for someone she can never have, can’t always control her temper, and looks up to a teacher who encourages her to think outside the Victorian box. She’s an abnormal teen in that she has odd powers. She’s very well developed as a character and despite her many flaws, you come out loving her.

And it’s not just Gemma who is fully fleshed out. Somehow all the characters seem like real people. Everyone has their secrets, the things they strive to fix or make up for in their lives. Gemma’s friends, her teachers and family are a product of their environment, and either struggle against it or are overwhelmed by it.

The portrayal of Victorian England is very true to what I’ve studied of it, and the finishing school Spence leaps off the page. Its goal is to turn young girls into proper Victorian Ladies, but is defined by its’ past. The fire that killed the school’s founder (and possibly others) is something that Spence is still trying to recover from, to hide the smudge the fire left on Spence’s reputation.

Perspective:
A Great and Terrible Beauty is told from first person present perspective, which is very rare for any book, fiction or non.

My Thoughts:
This is a phenomenal book. I am always overjoyed to find strong female heroines (which is probably obvious in my reviews), but most of them have so few flaws. I adore that Gemma comes across as an actual woman, flaws and all. She makes some colossal mistakes, worries consistently about how to mend them. Her realization that she must learn to accept what she can’t change is a lesson I wish I had learned earlier. Finally, a fantasy novel where the lessons can be applied to real life!

Favorite Scene:
My favorite scene would have to be where Gemma is locked into the chapel. It’s spooky with a touch of romance, Gothic in the extreme. I get happy chills just thinking about it.

Who this book is best for:
Any girl from 14 on up will benefit by reading this. My sister (code name Poppy) said this: "I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty. Woah, that was real good. I'll have to borrow the other ones from you sometime."

Violence: 2 of 5 for murder and death scenes

Adult Content: 2 of 5 for some suggestive scenes

Stars: 5 of 5 (if I could give it more, I would.)

The Blue Sword

Title: The Blue Sword
Author: Robin McKinley
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1982

Summary:
Harry’s life changes dramatically when her father dies. Her brother is stationed far from Home, in the Darian border town of Istan. He arranges for Harry to be taken in by the local Ambassador and his wife. There, in a place where her countrymen complain of the heat and are deemed “Outlanders”, Harry feels strangely at home. It’s also where she’s kidnapped. Enter Corlath, King of the Damarian hill-folk and Harry’s kidnapper. His magic told him Harry would be essential to his kingdom’s survival. But Corlath doesn’t know why. They must learn to work together to save the country they love.

Review:
Damar is a complex country with its own language. The world building is great, although it’s easy to tell that the Homelanders are based off of the English. This is the first book written about Damar, although Hero and the Crown takes place a few hundred years or so before the Blue Sword. Those familiar with the Hero and the Crown will be pleased to run into a familiar character along the way.

Harry is a very loveable character. She’s modest and quiet, but doesn’t back away from doing what she knows to be right. In fact, she doesn’t really have any faults. From learning a new language in a few days to swinging a sword with accuracy, Harry does it all.

Corlath is dark, mysterious and pensive and gifted with magic. Other than being obstinate, he has no flaws, either. His whole country loves him; people who didn’t answer for the king for centuries flock to his banner.

The only other characters the reader gets to learn about in any depth are Mathis and Jack Dedham, although a case could be made for Senay and Terim.

Perspective:
The Blue Sword is told from a third person limited perspective. The only characters whose thoughts the reader sees with any frequency are Harry and Corlath.

My Thoughts:
Again, this has been one of my favorite books for a long time. My first copy came from a library book sale, and I read it until the binding fell apart. (It’s in about seven pieces on my book shelf right now.) No matter how often I go back through it, I seem to find something that I didn’t catch before. Unfortunately, this book may be too idealistic. The characters can be a bit archetypical. It is still worth every second it takes to read, though.

Favorite Scene:
This is one of the best scenes I’ve ever read, and since I can’t do it justice, here it is: “Harry awoke in the dark…as she lay on her back in the blackness, the tears began to leak out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks and wet her hair, and she was too tired to resist them. They came ever faster, till she turned over and buried her face in the scratchy cushions to hide the sobs she could not stop. Corlath was a light sleeper. On the other side of the tent he opened his eyes and rolled up on one elbow and looked blindly towards the dark corner where his Outlander lay. Long after Harry had cried herself to sleep again, the Hill-king lay awake, facing the grief he had caused and could not comfort.”

Who this book is best for:
Women and other people obsessed with horses. My boyfriend (code name Jefferson) read it and said it was alright. I think it’s really a girl’s adventure.

Other books about Damar: The Hero and the Crown

Violence: 2 of 5 for battle scenes

Stars: 5 out of 5

Alanna: The First Adventure

So for my first Book Dame Review, I feel it is fitting that I review one of my all-time favorite books.

Title: Alanna: the First Adventure
Author: Tamora Pierce
Series: Song of the Lioness Quartet (Book 1)
Genera: Young Adult/Fantasy
Published: 1983

Summary:
Alanna of Trebond dreams of being a knight, serving her King and country, and doing great deeds. However, she has a slight problem: girls aren’t allowed to train for their shield. So she does what any determined girl would and cons her twin brother into forging letters saying they’re twin boys. She goes to the royal palace disguised as a boy and begins her training to be a knight; he goes to a far away city and studies sorcery. Once at the palace, Alanna makes friends and faces a number of challenges, from bullies and fencing to puberty.

Review:
In her debut novel, Tamora Pierce built a strong and enticing world of magic, mystery and exhilaration. Supplied with its’ own sources of history, mythology and theology the realm of Tortall leaps off the page. Tortall is full of diverse people, and even in this first book that is apparent as the reader meets people whose cultures are as dissimilar as medieval Europeans and the Bedouins.

Alanna is a smart, fiery and feisty heroine. She proves over and over that girls can do anything boys can – and be better at it if they work hard enough. There have been statements saying that she is too perfect a heroine, but I find this to be untrue. Alanna is stubborn to a fault and has a terrible temper which she cannot always control. She isn’t good at math, and has issues with self doubt. Despite all the time given to Alanna’s character, the supporting cast is surprisingly well developed, usually with artfully insightful one-liners to describe their personalities.

Perspective:
The book is told in a third person omniscient perspective, although it is a very limited omniscient, rarely leaving Alanna’s point of view. Occasionally there is a shift and the reader will follow things from another’s perspective. However, this is rare in the first book of the quartet and occurs only a handful of times.

My Thoughts:
I am one of those people who rereads books over and over, but there are very few that I’ve read as many times as Alanna: the First Adventure. I go back through it at least once a year, usually more often. When I first read this book I was 11 and wanted to be just like Alanna. (And I have to admit, I was very disappointed to realize that knighthood wasn’t an option for me outside of Vegas.) The plot was so gripping I couldn’t stop reading. I was enthralled as she hopped from one adventure, task or crisis to the next. It was comforting to know we were going through some of the same trials. Here I am, over 14 years later and I still can’t put the book down.

Favorite Scene:
Alanna’s time at Barony Olau is always a delight for me to read. I love history, and this glimpse into Tortall’s past was exciting and left me craving more.

Who this book is best for:
I recommend this book for young women in or close to middle school. I should add a caveat here, though. I have given this book to women of all ages and everyone has enjoyed it. It’s most influential for young women who are still developing and learning about themselves and provides a very positive role model.

Next book in Series: In the Hand of the Goddess

Violence: 1.5 out of 5 for death due to illness and some magical encounters with evil beings.

Stars: 5 of 5