Dystopian – Pages to Remember

Review for The Hunger Games

Where to even start! This book was never on my radar until recently mostly due to the fact that all I knew of it was that teens killed teens. Several people in my sphere mentioned it including my book club. On a whim I thought I’d listen to the audiobook. Having a 15 minute drive to work, gives me plenty of time for listening. Well, I finished it a few days ago. After mulling it over, I thought I’d lay out my thoughts.

So here goes!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre – Dystopian, YA

Series – 1st in The Hunger Games series

Rating – PG-13 for violence

Synopsis –

America no longer exists, and Panam has taken it’s place. Panam consists of twelve districts which are ruled by the Capitol. Most of the districts live in poverty and surrounded by rules & restrictions. Years ago the districts rebelled against the Capitol which resulted in district thirteen being obliterated. Now to remind the people of their submission, the capitol takes a boy and girl from each district and forces them to compete in a game to the death. Katniss loves her sister more then anything. Being from one of the poorest districts, Katniss has learned how to hunt and provide for her mom and sister. During the reaping, her sister’s name is called, and instead Katniss takes her sister’s place as tribute. She is whisked off to the Capitol with her fellow tribute, Peeta.

My Thoughts –

First off the narrator was fantastic! She gave each character a unique voice and captured their emotions well. I was impressed. For me the narrator can make or break a book. Even if the book was well written. So, liked that she did a good job.

Second, hats off to the author for being able to create a world grounded in our own, yet unique enough to be interesting. She had a way of writing that draws you into the story. For me this was more plot driven then character driven. The whole backstory and setting were well created. I liked how each district had it’s own resource. District 12 is somewhere in the Appalachian mountains which is a region that is fascinating.

Here is where it gets interesting, for a good chunk of the book I struggled to connect to any of the characters. My problem with Katniss was that she was so independent and strong that she was devoid of emotion. I mean really? She only loved Prim, who was kinda annoying. We do see the whole book from Katniss’s perspective so we get to know her really well. I just wished we could have softened some of her hardness. I’ll be honest I didn’t care for Peeta a whole lot. I know he is everyone’s favorite, but for this book, I liked Gale better as he was friends with Katniss from childhood.

Which lead us to the love triangle. While is isn’t horrible in this one, it is there. This trope has been way overused. Most of it was staged for the games which was different. But this will have repercussions later on for both of them. Katniss kinda was oblivious to the fact that Peeta actually liked her. Like really??? How did she not see that?

Peeta is nice to a fault. He loves people passionately, cares for his brothers, and has a humorous side. I just didn’t like him with Katniss. I did like Gale & Haymitch (not sure on spelling due to audiobook). Despite his being almost always drunk, Haymitch did have some good advice. Acted like a father to Katniss. Also, Rue! She was probably the best character in the whole book.

Let’s talk about the actual games.

To start I think the author used the games to show just how corrupt the government was. She shows that the crowds actually like it when a tribute dies. This is what the Capitol loves. Vanity, shows, and seeing just how far these kids will go to protect themselves. This is what Katniss and the others are up against. Even the President manipulates people. However, I did want Katniss to team up and make a stand that they won’t fight. Band together and make a statement. While she does try to take away there being a victor, I thought it was too little. So many lives could have been saved.

Do teens kill each other? Yes, they do. Do they want to? No, most of them are pawns and being forced into this.

It is an interesting story that is about love, survival, & self-sacrifice.

Content – No language which was surprising! Some innuendo, mostly just kisses tho. Violence is throughout the second half. Everything from a deadly hornet aka Tracker Jackers to sword wounds. Blood isn’t really talked about, but lots of characters die.

Conclusion –

Did I enjoy the story? Yes, to an extent I did. It was creative and the plot held my attention. I do wish the characters maybe were portrayed a little better. Tweak a few things here & there. I think the violence was a device used by the author to show the corruption, not to say I do wish there was less though. Also, I would probably not hand this off to a young teen. As an adult, I think it gives you things to think about. But definitely didn’t deserve all the hype it got.

I have started the second book which in some respects I like better. Although Katniss can still be so oblivious. 😉

What are your thoughts on this book? Favorite characters? Movies vs book?

Up next – I’m finally sinking my teeth into Wayne Thomas Batson’s newest installation in the Myridian Constellation series, Mirror of Souls!

Review for The Death Cure

The Death Cure by James Dashner

Genre – Dystopian, Mystery, Suspense

Series – 3rd book in the Maze Runner series

Rating – PG-13 for violence and death

Synopsis –

Thomas is fed-up with WICKED, they have told so many lies and caused him to lose many friends. They have even told Thomas that his best friend Newt has the virus. So, he decides to take matters into his own hands and leave as quickly as possible with Mingho and Newt. Yet, when their escape is too easy and they begin to suspect something is off. Did WICKED let them go? Will they be able to find a cure before it is too late? And just who can be trusted?

My Thoughts –

Wow, um kinda hard to believe that I finished this series already! Now that I’ve read/listened to the series, I can honestly say the first book is the best! The Maze Runner was able to bring to life these boys and yet still move the mystery along. Plus it didn’t have the weird love triangle that started in The Scorch Trials, ugh, sorry Brenda fans.

I just really didn’t like or trust her. Even in The Death Cure, she just got more annoying. Like what even, that kiss at the end?? Your best friend who was a girl just died, and Thomas goes and kisses Brenda? No! Just No!

I was also kinda sad about the characters in this one. So far they were pretty consistent, yet now Newt goes all crazy and acts completely different. I get he has the flare, but really! Ugh, * Spoiler Alert * His death felt so sidelined and why did he have to die? End of Spoiler. Thomas also was a bit wishy-washy not really knowing what he wanted. I missed the good old days when they had a mission to see through

The One good thing Character wise was Gally! So nice to see him again, despite how the author left him off in The Maze Runner, he had some redemption here that made up for Chuck a little bit.

The plot felt a little bit all over the map. Maybe that is just my take on it. The storytelling is pretty good, and Dashner creates a fairly believable world, especially when talking about recent events like COVID. Felt a little too close to home. Overall the plot moves more like 1 step forward, 2 steps back, which was a little frustrating. I did like the end though, not counting a character death, too convenient for me. 🙁 The whole going back to maze and saving everybody was good to see. I’m not really sure how I feel about the Immunes just leaving rest of world to crumble though, I guess there isn’t much they can do.

I have to say that I really liked how the movie did The Death Cure! They smoothed out a few crinkles and kept the characters from changing so much. They also did a much better job with the 2 character’s death. Didn’t feel so worthless and more self-sacrificial.

Violence – I feel like the author stepped up the violence quite a bit! What with the flare turning people crazy and zombie like. Lots of fighting, stabbing, characters get shot, and tazzed with electricity. One instance of running cranks (people with the flare) over in a car. The cranks were trying to kill our characters by smashing windows, reaching in and grabbing them by hair. One character shots another character to put him out of his misery. He is dying a slow and painful death. Didn’t really appreciate this at all. A building collapses causing characters to get trapped or smashed by rocks. One character stops a rock to save others before dying.

Language – Maybe 5 instances of mild swearing. The author invented his own colorful language that the boys use including: shank, slim it, and shuck, used throughout book.

Innuendo – None

Conclusion –

I feel like I mostly had negatives to say about book, but it really wasn’t all bad. There were a few nice moments, and I will say it was hard to put down! It’s an interesting end to the series a bit odd, but you get a few answers about why they went through the trials and maze, but nothing concrete. Movie better, period. Maybe, it would have helped to have read books before watching movies. 😉 The books are very much aimed at the YA audience, like 90% of the characters are teenagers. I have mixed feeling about this book, I liked it, but also got annoyed by characters.

Anyway, have you ever read this series and have a favorite? What are your thoughts about ending?

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Anna

Review for Flight of the Angels

Flight of the Angels by Allen and Aaron Reini

Genre – Science fiction, Dystopian, Christian fiction

Series – 1st in Flight of Angels series

Rating – PG-13 for violence and mild language

Synopsis –

Set in the future, where the United Coalition Navy has outlawed Christianity and those who profess it are sent to re-education centers. Captain Dex D’falco and his Christian group called the Angels are hiding out on a forsaken planet. After several run-ins with Marauders (a droid driven spaceship) while trying to gather much needed supplies, D’falco realizes there is a mole in his midst. Over at JenKore, a massive mining and military company, Darik Mason is given the impossible task of figuring out where the missing M-2 machines went. As the Angels fight for survival, someone high up the Jenkore food chain wants all the Christian dead and is willing to do whatever it takes.

My Thoughts –

This was quite the roller coaster ride!! I gotta say I really loved this book. Its been a while since I truly enjoyed a book this much. I have a soft spot for science fiction, always have. 😉 The author does a great job meshes Christian fiction and Sci-fi together. Compared to some other science fiction books that I have read, this one incorporates a fair amount of technology. JenKore is a technological company that creates robotic droids (in my mind I picture those droids in Star Wars Empire Strikes Back).

Not gonna lie, but there are a lot of characters to keep track of throughout the book. Once I got to know them, it was easier. It took me a while to connect to Dex, not sure what it was, but I didn’t care for him until later on. Maybe it had to do with how the authors waited until like 40% through to give us his backstory. Anyway, he did grow on me later on. But I really loved Darik and Nikky’s story line. FYI Nikky is the geeky tech guy who helps Darik track down some information on the M-2s. I loved how the author gave him a pet turtle. It just felt like something that would be realistic.

There were so many components to the plot. Things that I thought didn’t really matter, ended up playing key roles. The authors did a great job keeping things moving and letting it get bogged down. I also appreciated having an ending that wasn’t rushed and left me wanting more. Heads up they do leave it on a cliffhanger. 😉

It startled me how real this book felt. I can totally see this happening in the future. Already we are staring to see measures prohibiting Christianity around the world.

Violence –

Because this is set mostly in space, picture Star Trek type battles. Lots of shooting down ships. Now the Angels have a protocol where they do not shoot manned spacecraft. Overall not many deaths occur as mostly robots.

Now there are a few cases where Christians are put to death due to their faith. These are a bit more descriptive as they are first stabbed then their throats are slit. A hero try to prevent this, but is too late. Another instance a hero watches it on a camera and the blood spatters covering the lens.

Language – Usually Christian fiction steers away from inserting language, but this wasn’t the case. Stuck within the confines of what you would hear on a PG show like Psych or Monk. It was fairly spread out, but both believers and non-believers did it.

Innuendo – Not much. A couple hints that two characters liked each other, but not doing anything about it. A couple guys flirt with a waitress. Late on a character takes another character on a trip and they talk about flying away to the beach.

Other – One occasion where a couple characters get drunk.

Conclusion –

I really enjoyed this one!! There were a few mysteries that are not resolved, and I am looking forward to reading the second installment in this series. A well put together novel with some intriguing concepts thrown in the mix. Definitely geared towards adults. I cannot recommend this one enough! Go and get yourself a copy!!

I would love to hear your thoughts! Do you enjoy science fiction? What are some of your favorite genres??

Anna