I read The Hunger Games about a year ago for book club, and knew that I wanted to read the whole series, I just didn't feel that keen to get started right away. That aside, it's safe to say that as soon as I'd finished reading Catching Fire, I had to download Mockingjay with the aim to start reading it ASAP.
Catching Fire was really slow to get started, with all the recaps from The Hunger Games and build up to what is to come but really didn't get started until Part Two, which is actually 170 ish pages in.
Bearing in mind the trilogy is for YA, I really felt this book had matured a lot since the first. The romance isn't as clingy (which I hated about the first book), and there were many more twists in this one. Oddly I didn't find the punishments as harsh as the first book but still interesting and actually more realistically implemented.
In terms of the plot, I thought there is only one way for the book to head in, and although it's predictable to a point, it's far from the same as the 74th games. Before the obvious happens, the twists run parallels with what our World has been witness to over recent years, and I love how this ties in. I can now actually see where Collins states she got the idea from (after flicking between a reality show and the news) which wasn't apparent to me after the first book.
I suppose as with the first there are too many characters to keep a grip on, and not even Katniss knows who all the tributes are, but I still feel I need to start writing down names as I go along as I just forget characters far too easily.
The ending, although extremely cruel to the reader, certainly does its job in making me buy the final book in the trilogy. I cant wait to get started and have big expectations for this book. I'm looking for more of what was in book two, less of book one and to get stuck right into the action! I love where it's heading and hope it can live up to my expectations.
4/5 because 170 pages is just far too long for a book to get going!
Review by Vicki Lawrence
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A Novel? Not quite, but this book certainly provided me with some light entertainment, that I really didn't think I'd get from a book that comprised solely of questions. Essentially the book takes you on a thought provoking journey of nonsense...
OK I'm not really selling this book am I?
The fact is, the book is cleverly written, quite scarily gets inside your mind and pokes fun at your answers but the questions asked, also give you pause for thought, some make you NEED to look up the answers online; some do not have a correct answer! It takes you through a series of emotions such as guilt, laughter and concern.
"Have you ever heard the saying, life is a sandwich of activity between two periods of bed-wetting?"
"Do you know what the longest military siege in history was?"
"If one of three planes was destined to crash, killing either the entire football team, the entire marching band or the entire cheerleading squad and you had to decide which plane was destined to crash, which plane would you select?"
The above questions are just a few examples, mostly the questions are cleverly laid out, to follow on from the last or a previous question.
This book would have received 5 stars from me, but many of the American references were lost on someone from the UK who doesn't follow US television or sports.
Should I discourage you from reading this book? If I were to ask you, have you ever picked up a book you didn't think you'd like, but upon completion was entirely surprised at your enjoyment of said book, what would you say? And If I were to say that this, simple, quick and quirky read may provide you with such enjoyment, would you still wish that I had tried to discourage you?
Review by Vicki Lawrence
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I never thought I'd end up giving this book 5 stars (official 4.5), having got to 39% and debating a two star score!
Firstly, this book has been on my to read list for years, I'm passionate about the subject and love reading anything set in this area of the World. My expectations were high, as were the reviews that led this to my to read shelf in the first place.
The start of the book is a great introduction to Greg Mortenson, his climbing career, his team and ambitions. When he fails at his most recent climbing expedition and loses contact with his team, he spends a lonely night, fighting the cold and extreme conditions high altitude in the Karakoram mountains has to offer. The next day, tired and weak he finds his porter, only to lose him again and stumble upon a village called Korphe.
The hospitality of the Korphe leader Haji Ali and his family, warms Greg's heart, and after seeing the village children learning with sticks, outside in the dust, Greg vows to repay the kindness he'd received by returning and building a school.
Great... Well maybe not, the next few chapters flitted between Greg's struggle back in the USA to raise money for the school, to his weird infatuation with a woman with full lips who became his girlfriend. I can't even remember her name, she was so irrelevant, that I have no idea why she was included in the book. This part of the book Greg spent feeling sorry for himself, a lot.
So skimming over few chapters to where the real action begins, I began to love the story. How selfless could one person get, on the other hand I found myself feeling sorry for his new wife, Tara, having to put up with him.
The only other negative to this book, may be due to the fact there were two authors. I loved the descriptive scenes, giving me several lumps in my throat, but it kept jumping to a very interview based, journalistic style. While interesting to hear the views of the many people Greg met along the way, I didn't appreciate being dragged out of my scene making!
Whilst my review may not sound positive, I am merely pointing out the negatives. If you want to read a story of friendship, hope and determination, all in a country fighting the effects of several wars (not just military), then read this book!
I will be reading the next book in the series "Stones into Schools" and seeing how the charity CAI have progressed in recent years. I find it highly topical, with the recent shooting of school girl Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan, that the fight for girls education in Muslim countries continues.
Review by Vicki Lawrence
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