Mockingjay Book Review (Hunger Games Series)

Mockingjay is the third and final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, following Hunger Games and Catching Fire. If you haven't read these books, I would highly recommend them. They aren't uplifting, humorous, or light but a good read still.

At the beginning of Mockingjay, Katniss is in the hands of the rebels in District 13 while Peeta is in the hands of the Capital and President Snow. The rebels want Katniss to be their symbol of hope, their "leader" in a propaganda sort of way. When people see her, they will want to fight. Wherever Katniss goes, a TV crew is right along her side, and they are able to infiltrate the Capital's system and show her on TV around the different districts & capital, hoping to stir up the rebellion. What I like about Katniss's character is she isn't a good actress - but what she does is because of her own decisions, and instincts. She is a fighter, she feels sorrow & pain, and she feels confusion. The Capital brings Peeta on the TV, begging Katniss & the rebels not to start a war - that too many people will be killed and no one will be left. He begs her to stop, but Katniss does what she feels is right. War is inevitable - the Districts are tired of being under the control of the Capital, but is the new rebellion government what they need?

The story itself is rather dark and dreary - it is a war book. People die, you get frustrated with the rebels, you are enlightened about other Hunger Game victims, and confused by what is right. Katniss isn't the perfect character, but what human is? Do things get resolved in this book? Yes. Is it a happily-ever-after book? No. How could it be? Katniss has experienced having to kill people, having her friends killed, the Capital poisoning the minds of her friends, toying with her mind, the loss of her home, etc? What kind of person would you be after experiencing all that?

This series is depressing, but engaging. I couldn't put down any of the books, and am relieved that the series is finished. No more waiting!

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Clockwork Angel Book Review - Infernal Devices Series

Clockwork Angel is the first of The Infernal Devices series, which takes place during the time of Queen Victoria. The world is full of mundanes - humans, Downworlders - vampires, warlocks, etc..., Demons, and Shadowhunters - cross between angels & humans that have one purpose, to kill Demons.

The book follows Tessa Gray, a young American who comes to England to be reunited with her only living relative, her brother Nathaniel. When she arrives in port, her brother is nowhere to be found but has left a note entrusting her in the care of two elderly, odd-looking women. The women take her, and she becomes their prisoner and student. She learns that she has the magical ability to Change, to take on the form of the living and the dead. They force her to do this painful process over and over, telling her that if she obeys her brother will be released and they will be reunited. She goes along with their plan until she learns she will be marrying the Magister. Her attempt to escape fails miserably, but she is soon rescued by Shadowhunters and taken to their Institute. The Shadowhunters teach her about London's Downworld, and the nature of things going on around her. They promise to help her find her brother, which leads them to suspicious activity of Downworlders they thought were allied with them.

I see a lot of similarities between this series and the Mortal Instruments series - the main character being a strong girl with a special ability, two boys (in this case both Shadowhunters) that are drawn to her, and a last minute heroic act by the main character. The book was entertaining enough, and quick to read. The book has some humor which kept the plot moving, although the villain was somewhat of a disappointment in the end. If you're a fan of YA Fiction, you'll probably enjoy this book.

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Stieg Larsson, The Thriller Books Millennium Series and His Dangerous Life

Stieg Larsson is one of those authors whose life story is as interesting a journey as that of the characters he created for his novels. Even more so perhaps, because it is real life, not fiction.

Larson's first career was in the largely harmless and safe profession of graphic designer and photographer. But the young Larsson had bigger things on his mind. As a science fiction fan from a young age, Larsson loved books and writing and as he matured, he slowly transformed himself into a journalist. More importantly, he transformed himself into a committed crusader against right wing extremist groups in Sweden and in Europe.

He was inspired in this regard by the life on his grandfather Sverin Bostrom, a well known anti fascist in his day, who was imprisoned by the Nazis during the second world war for his Anti Nazi beliefs.

Larsson became an expert on right wing extremism, giving lectures for Scotland Yard on the subject, and eventually became the editor of an influential anti extremist magazine, Expo.

Stieg's expertise did not come without risk. For the last 15 years of his life, with his public profile growing, Larsson and his life long partner, Eva Gabrielson, an anti Vietnam War demonstrator in her youth, lived under constant threat to their lives from underground extremist groups. The couple avoided being seen in public, lived in a shuttered house, and kept details about their lives as secret as possible. Knowing a good deal about how right wing extremist groups worked, Larsson actually wrote a book for the Swedish Union of Journalists, on how journalists should protect themselves from threats.

It was in fact the isolation brought about by the threats, that led Stieg to write his novels, alone at home at night, as a form of relaxation. The three novels together form what is now known as "The Millennium Series."

Larsson died suddenly of a heart attack in 2004 and given who he was, many questioned if there was more to his death than the public were permitted to know. Foul play has been repeatedly denied, but as we all know, many things can be denied.

The three novels "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" were published posthumously. Regarded as innovative and unique in their genre when they first appeared, in the intervening short years between then and now, the books quickly became international best sellers and have sold to date, more than 27 million copies. The novels are now popular books on audio, all three being read by English actor Simon Vance.

An unfortunate epilogue to Steigs story is that he failed to make a will, the end result being that his life long partner and confidant Eva Gabrielson (they were not married) has received none of the wealth his books have earned following his untimely death, the estate being awarded by the Swedish Courts to Larsson's closest relatives, his father and brother. Bitter court battles have ensued.

Reader's have you drawn up your will?

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Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series #1)

Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series #1) Review

Paige Williams thinks she has finally escaped her past. She thinks she has found the perfect home in lovely Kanner Lake, Idaho. She thinks that surely here, in this quiet little tourist town, she will find friends and family to make her finally, for once in her life, feel like she belongs. Her life is on track, and she feels a promise that soon, very soon, she'll find someone to be that sister she always longed for.

But then she finds a body in her hot tub. Worse still--the body of the local celebrity, a retired actress that was seen arguing with her that afternoon. Paige knows as she looks into the dead face of Edna San that life has caught up to her again, and the panic sets in. She doesn't know what to do, only that she can't trust anyone, especially the cops, not if she wants to keep her own life.

Over the course of the next 24 hours, quiet Kanner Lake is tossed into an uproar. A missing celebrity brings the press descending, making young journalist-hopeful Leslie Brymes anticipate her big break. Chief of Police Vince Edwards is glad for the distraction, since the next day is the first anniversary of his son's death in Iraq, and staying at home with the wife he's grown apart from will only depress him more. Café owner Bailey Truitt might be the only one in town to actually be upset by Edna's disappearance--the actress wasn't well liked, but Bailey had connected with her, and Edna had responded by giving her a monetary gift every month that really helped with the medical expenses incurred by Bailey's husband's seizures. And behind it all lies Black Mamba, a killer waiting to strike and bring down his prey with all the might of his namesake.

Violet Dawn is a fast-paced story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, as Collins' books always seem to do. Though the bulk of it takes place within a single day, the reader is treated to several different perspectives that give a very complete picture of the goings-on, and it's also peppered with flashback-narratives of a girl named Rachel who will grab your heart and not let go. It's an intense book that isn't afraid to look at the dark side, be they in the depths of a broken heart or the mind of an abused child. The faith message is there through the point of view of Bailey, and though it's presented to the main character by the end, through the majority of the story it's more a promise than anything.

This book will take you through the dark, lonely night of one lost woman and bring you out again in the Violet Dawn of morning. I promise you'll have a hard time putting this one down, and I know personally I can't wait until the next in the Kanner Lake series is out so that I can pick it up. Brandilyn's "seatbelt suspense" is as involving as ever, and her sound advice of "don't forget to breathe" is well deserved.

Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series #1) Feature

• ISBN13: 9780310252238
• Condition: USED - LIKE NEW
• Notes:
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Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series #1) Overview

A young woman with a mysterious past and a deep need to belong. An assassin with unusual methods and great professional pride. One woman's secrets unleash an entire town's pursuit, and the truth proves as elusive as the killer in their midst.

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Perfectly Plum: An Unauthorized Celebration of the Life, Loves and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series)

Perfectly Plum: An Unauthorized Celebration of the Life, Loves and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) Review

Perfectly Plum: An Unauthorized Celebration of the Life, Loves and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) Feature

• ISBN13: 9781933771045
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Perfectly Plum: An Unauthorized Celebration of the Life, Loves and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) Overview

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Speculating about the cultural metaphors in Janet Evanovich's wildly popular mystery series (which includes 11 books, from One for the Money to Eleven on Top), this anthology takes a look at lingerie-buyer-turned-bounty-hunter Stephanie Plum and catalogs her bad luck with cars (she's blown up quite a few), her good luck with men, her unorthodox approach to weapon storage, and the rich tapestry of her milieu: Trenton, New Jersey, also known as The Burg. The contributors praise the way the series smartly spoofs that familiar chick-lit epiphany—I have a bad job and what I really want is a goodman!—in "Bounty Hunting as a Metaphor for Dating," "Why Stephanie Should Quit Her Job . . . but Never Will," and  "Nothing Better than a Bad Boy Gone Good." Several essays veer from the chick-lit perspective and focus instead on the comic theme of luck and chance that ties Stephanie to the barroom gamblers and gangster meanies of her home town in "Luck of the Italian?: Skill Versus Chance."

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