Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

#2 in The Hunger Games Series
Published in 2009 by Scholastic
4 Stars


Goodreads Review
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.


Review:  Catching Fire is the second installment of The Hunger Games trilogy that introduces new characters and even deeper conspiracies and conflicts. Katniss has more struggles than ever and doesn't know who to trust or what she should do to protect those she loves.  In Catching Fire there is a lot of what everyone loved from the first book, The Hunger Games.  There is crazy fight scenes, government control and rebellion against it, and angsty love triangles.   


Catching Fire is a difficult book to review and I think this is because it feels like a transition book and not a novel in it's own right.  Many of the plot devices seen in The Hunger Games were repeated in Catching Fire.  Yes there were differences with some of the specifics, (who was involved, how things were set up, ect) but the main events were almost exactly the same.  This really bothered me because I think that in a series there should be a large story arc that spans all of the books and ties them together but each individual book should be it's own story with a unique beginning, middle, and end and Catching Fire was lacking that individuality.


I will say that I did enjoy all of the new characters, the arena setup was fantastic and very creative, and I LOVED the ending which was very exciting and did a great job of setting up the final book.  I liked learning more about the overall political climate in Panem and the impact that Katniss's actions will have on the future of all of the districts, not just her family and friends.  The action sequences were well written and very exciting and I really appreciated that evolution of Katniss's romances.  


Overall Catching Fire is a continuation of the story that provides details about the conflicts with the government on a world wide scale but does not stand as it's own distinct novel.  Catching Fire is still a very exciting book that continues the story well and should not be missed.

Booking Through Thursday 7/29/11

This is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday in which every week a different question is posted that generally involved books and reading.

What’s the latest you’ve ever stayed up reading a book? Is staying up late reading a usual thing for you?

I love to stay up late reading.  As a little kid I'd stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning reading even on school nights much to the dismay of my mother.  Today I still stay up late reading, but only until 12 or so.  I have to get up really early for work and maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I feel a lot more tired if I don't get enough sleep.  I participated in a 24 hour read-a-thon once and I stayed up all night reading.  I went to be at around 9am that day.  On the weekends I love to stay up really late reading, but I've had to cut back on the weekday readings.  Damn being a grown up!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

#1 in Vampire Academy Series
Published in 2007 by Razorbill
4 Stars

Goodreads Review

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's—the very place where they're most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Review:  Vampire Academy is a surprisingly gripping adventure novel that introduces the mythology of the vampire society of the series while still being a solid book within itself.  Vampire Academy is equally thrilling with fast action, fighting, and scintillating forbidden romance.  


Let's start off with my only real criticism of this book.  The cover art.  I hate it.  I really hate the expression on the model's face and the colors used, the background, the spine, the font, everything.  That coupled with the cheesy title really drove me away from the series for a long time.  Vampire Academy is a prime example of how a bad cover can almost ruin a book.  The only reason I read this book at all was because every single book blogger I knew was raving about this series.  Vampire Academy is also proof that giving into peer pressure is sometimes not such a bad thing.


Ok, now that that's out of the way I can go on with the many reasons I loved this book.  First there's Rose.  She's the main character of the book and she is smart, spirited, sexy, and strong .  She is loyal  (hey look an not s adjective!) and will do anything to protect her best friend, Lissa.  I like how Rose isn't perfect.  She may be beautiful but she still makes mistakes and is selfish and does stupid things and has to deal with the consequences.  I loved reading about her psychic connection with Lissa and her budding romance with Dmitri.  I also really enjoyed all of the other supporting characters.  I thought they were well portrayed and all helped the story progress.    


I also really liked the romantic scenes in Vampire Academy.  They were very well written; the tension and build up were perfectly timed.  I found myself skipping ahead in the book to get to the next sexy make out session which is something I really don't do in books unless I really cannot wait to read what happens next.


I also really enjoyed the vampire lore.  I thought the two classes of vampires were unique and interesting.  It helped the reader like the vampire characters because there were true evil vampires out there.  They fit both the goody Twilight mold and the pure evil Buffy mold, so there's a little something for everyone no matter which type of vampire you prefer.  


Overall Vampire Academy is a good introduction to a very compelling series.  It has plenty of action, suspense, and romance that is sure to thrill readers with every page.

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs + Giveaway! (CLOSED)

 #1 in Medusa Girls Series
Published September 6 2011  by Katherine Tegen Books - ARC
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Review:  Sweet Venom is an adorable tale about sisters finding each other and and finding the courage to follow their destiny.  It's about different personalities coming together and learning how to coexist while they fight to protect their world.  Mythological creatures are running amok and it's up to this trio of sisters to stop them, but are there even greater forces are work?  How will these newly reunited sisters deal with their mythological legacy while still maintaining a social life?

First let me just say that I have a LOT of cover love for this book.  For a modern retelling of the Medusa myth, there couldn't be more perfectly crafted cover art.  The title of this book is also perfect, reflecting both the joys and troubles of three very different lives coming together as well as the sweet venom that sends the monsters back to their world. 

The strongest part of this book were the characters.  Even though Gretchen, Grace, and Greer are identical triplets, they live very different lives.  Each chapter is told from a different girls perspective, so we as readers learn about their individual experiences and opinions which gives depth to the characters.  Grace is definitely the most developed of the sisters and is more or less the main character though Gretchen and Greer are both given time to shine.  I hope to read more of their stories in future novels. 

However there were some weak point in this novel.  First I think the cover, while being totally awesome, is a bit misleading.  I thought this book was going to be a lot darker than it really was, and even though it wasn't poorly written, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at the lightness and simplistic nature of the novel.  Secondly as the reader I was expected to know a lot of mythological creatures.  They were named (Chimera, Minotaur, Saytr, Dracaena ect) but not described well.  There were a couple of times where I had to go look up some pictures of the monsters so I would have a clearer image in my head.  I thought the action was well described but the creatures themselves were lacking in imagery. 

The ending is both good and annoying at the same time.  The ending introduced a greater story arc that seemed like a much meatier plot than what was presented in Sweet Venom.  Also, and I'm not sure if this is because I was reading an ARC (advanced readers copy), but the ending seemed very rushed and the final battles weren't explained well.  There is buildup to an attack, but we never actually see the action nor how the heroine escapes which is very frustrating as a reader.  I plan on buying a real copy of the book and I'm hoping the ending will be fleshed out more. 

Overall Sweet Venom is a light hearted introduction to three very different sisters and their joined destiny.  While it fell short as a stand alone novel, Sweet Venom is a great introduction to a larger story arc that had me totally invested.

Now Closed, Congratulations to AutumnRainFaery!

Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan

#1 in Shadow World Series

Published in 2010 by Ace
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
Meet Miranda Grey - music and magic are in her blood.

Overwhelmed by her uncanny ability to manipulate people's emotions through her music, Miranda Grey comes to the attention of vampire lord David Solomon. Believing he can help bring her magic under control, David discovers that Miranda's powers may affect the vampire world too...

Review:  Queen of Shadows is the first fiction book from Dianne Sylvan, and is an awesome urban fantasy/paranormal romance. Queen of Shadows is a gritty story that pulls you into the secret shadow world and all of the lore of the vampire society.  (Warning, NOT for the kiddies!  There are some very intense adult situations that could make younger or more sensitive readers very uncomfortable).

Sylvan does a wonderful job combining fact with her fiction.  The setting is completely believable and mentions real places in a town you can tell the author has personal experience with and a love for (Austin, where Sylvan lives).  I also appreciated the new age aspects that were incorporated from Sylvan's previous works.  The techniques described are based in real life applications which adds to the atmosphere of the novel. 

The characters were all wonderfully developed, even the minor characters.  They were real people with stories that might not have been told, but were evident in the thought put into their words and actions.  Now let's take a moment and talk about my favorite character, David.  He is not your typical paranormal romance man.  Yes is is tall, dark, and brooding, but he has a great sense of humor and a streak of nerdiness that I LOVE.  I love the fact that he plays tetris, has an iphone, and writes kick ass computer programs. 

The very best part of this book is the voice of the author that is present on every page.  The humor of this book is spectacular.  She doesn't shy away from violence or sex.  Sylvan attacks heavy subjects with a rawness that is honest and impressive.  If there's one thing about this story that I loved, it's the snarky and honest style in which it was told.

Overall, Queen of Shadows is a great urban fantasy of action packed adventures told with great style and humor.  An awesome read!

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Published in 2005 by Puffin
Ages 15+
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. 

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.


Review:  Looking for Alaska is a coming of age story that is both ridiculously hilarious and touchingly poignant at the same time.  This book deals with friendship, love, and death in a real and honest way that will hit home with not only teens but adult readers as well.  Brilliantly set up into two sections of "before" and "after", Looking for Alaska shows how a single event can change a persons life forever.


First I want to comment on the humor in Looking for Alaska.  There is a lot of it, and I like it.  The writing is witty and the dialogue snappy and clever.  More than once I literally laughed out loud while reading this book, much to my embarrassment because I got to the mother fucking fox hat in the middle of a crowded Starbucks.  


There is sex, drinking, and smoking in this book, but they are realistically done.  The sex isn't beautiful and perfect, it's awkward and a little embarrassing.  The drinking and smoking are also realistic in that for most teens they can experiment without anything horrible happening beyond a hangover and maybe throwing up after going a little too far.  However, I think Looking for Alaska also gives a warning about being irresponsible and the serious consequences drugs and alcohol can have without sounding like a public service announcement.  It handles a tough topic in a way that won't turn teen readers off for sounding too much like their nagging parents.


This book is truly unique in the young adult genre.  Looking for Alaska has equal parts hilarious moments and deeply emotional moments.  There are some great instances of reflection about life's purpose and the morality with which you achieve it that challenges younger readers into thinking beyond the mega hot brooding vampire.  That is the best part of this book, in my opinion.  How Green challenges the reader with complex issues is what makes this book a true classic.  


Overall Looking for Alaska is at it's heart, a story about self discovery.  It's about finding out who you are and seeking the great perhaps that lives within.