Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

To read my review of the first book in this series, click here: The Hunger Games.

Title: Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: High Violence and Disturbing Scenes
Premise: "By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion" (King County Library System).
Opinions: My husband and I read this book together as I had persuaded him to read the first book, The Hunger Games, and he enjoyed it.  We both agree that Suzanne Collins does a brilliant job of showing that life continues outside of the main character's influence.  For example, you know that something is going on by the way certain characters are acting/reacting and as I reader was enticed by this; curious to know what else is happening that we don't know about.  Then, in the end, we find out the bigger picture.  Loved how well Ms. Collins does this. Katniss is not my favorite character of the book.  There are times that she got on my nerves, but in all honesty she acted completely in-character and was well written. We also get to see more dimensions inside of her as the main character, which did help us to keep reading.  I LOVE Peeta. I love the sacrifices that he is willing to make.  I'm also intrigued by Gale and look forward to, hopefully, seeing more of him in book three, Mockingjay. 

Major Warning though for parents.  Both my husband and I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, intriguing, and entertaining, but due to the premise of this series, there are scenes of horrific violence.  They aren't overly described (which I am grateful for), but they are described well enough to seriously make me cringe.  I would recommend reading this book before your children do, to better determine if it is something that your child can handle.  The violence is the main reason I gave this book a LIKE rating, rather than something higher. 

Variant by Robison Wells

Title: Variant (Variant Series #1)
Author: Robison Wells
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Teen/YA Fiction Dystopian
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence (some hinted at and others openly shown)
Premise: "After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems" (King County Library System).
Opinions: This was an intriguing book to read.  I was completely fascinated by the plot about a teen from the foster care system who gets into a private school only to find out there are no adults anywhere.  Talk about cool.  Then the twists kept coming.  Oh my goodness!  (Can't give away too much.) I kept trying to figure Benson out and what was really going on.  Trust me...I had no clue and my jaw dropped when I found out.  Even the end of book made me sit up and say, "NO FREAKING WAY!!!!"  This book is a psychological thriller.

I did wonder about Benson as he appeared callus toward things that some of the students said that had happened at Maxfield Acadamy before his arrival.  But, then again I wondered if I were coming from a life of abandonment would I act the same, and I honestly might have.  I think the main reason I didn't give this book a fabulous rating is because I spent the whole time reading the book trying to ascertain who was really in control and at the end I still have no clue.  But, hey, that just makes me want to read book two - Feedback - which came out this last week.  Well played Robison Wells.

NERDS by Michael Buckley

To read Stephanie's review of this book, then click here: NERDS.


Title: NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society (NERDS #1)
Author: Michael Buckley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Junior/Mid-Grade Fiction (depending on the library then possibly YA)
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings:  None
Premise: "While running a spy network from their elementary school, five unpopular misfits combine their talents and use cutting-edge gadgetry to fight evil around the world". 
Opinions: This book is creative, imaginative, superlative, etc.  This book is just pure fun.  Weaknesses become strengths.  Popular guys become nerds, and nerds become heroes.  I loved the sense of humor and the hidden growth of characters hidden amongst outrageous creativity.  My favorite character by far is the Hyena - a 12 year old hired assassin with a super power all her own and the ability to use fabulous footwear to get the job done.  I love how Michael Buckley creates a world where you can suspend believe and enjoy the ride.  It even has a semi-hidden message to all bullies in the world....Be nice to NERDS, one day they will rule the world.  Well, there's a lot more to it then that, but you'll just have to read this book to find out.  ;-)

Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack

To see my reviews of the first three books in the series click here: Lemon Tart, English Trifle, and Devil's Food Cake.

 

 

Title: Key Lime Pie (Culinary Mystery #4)

Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Part-time detective and full-time food lover Sadie Hoffmiller has traveled to the Florida Keys to help her new friend, Eric, track down the whereabouts of his missing daughter, Megan" (King County Library System).
Opinions: This book continues on with the life of spunky, tenacious, food-addicted Sadie Hoffmiller.  I adore that the book begins with Sadie filling her community service duties as penetence for what happened in the last book.  I also loved the additional tension as Sadie has to determine her feelings for Eric (met in book 3) vs. Pete (met in book 1).  This is a great book for showing Sadie growing by leaps and bounds and she is full of faith in people and in food.  Josi S. Kilpack does a fantastic job carrying on an incredibly fun mystery series with inventive twists and turns that keep me reading.  I've already put book five on hold at my library.  I recommend you do too.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides

Title: Janitors (Janitors #1)
Author: Tyler Whitesides
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "A sixth grader stumbles upon a secret that threatens to turn schoolchildren everywhere into mindless automatons" (King County Library System). 
Opinions: This was an interesting book to read.  The plot is inventive.  I mean who else would come up with the idea of school janitors mixed with magic.  I loved Tyler Whitesides ability to take things that we take for granted when going to school and putting unusual twists to them.  I'm intrigued by the main characters - Spencer and Daisy.  Spencer is slightly OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and often feels the need to clean his room and to wash his hands.  Daisy is highly gullible, especially when she is nervous and is often misled by the school bully because of it.  However, Daisy and Spencer make a great duo for combating the evils that invade their school. This book is definitely written for a younger audience, but would be great for parents reading together with their young kids.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction/Dystopian
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: High Violence but with a soft touch (I'll explain below)
Premise:  "In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place" (King County Library System)..
Opinions: I know!!! I am SO behind the times.  I just barely read The Hunger Games.  In my defense, when I first tried to place a hold on this book at the library I was #96 in line.  Now having read it I see why so many be are absolutely nuts about it.  For me...I quite enjoyed it, but I'm not obsessed by it.The reason is that it was more violence than I usually prefer.  However, I do have to give major kudos to Suzanne Collins.  Even though the story requires there to be that violence she actually does quite a tame job with it.  There is no overly extensive description of that violence.

Overall, I quite enjoyed reading this book.  It's smooth reading and the characters are well developed.  The plot is highly intriguing and engaging and the book was hard to put down.  My favorite characters by far are Rue followed by Peeta.  Again, my only issue was a personal preference of less violence.  As such, I recommend this for older teens and adults, unless our Fabulous Reads parents out there read it first to see if their children can handle it.  So if you enjoy dystopian novels than I highly recommend reading this book.  As for me, I am going to borrow book two and three from a friend so I don't have to wait to get it from the library.  Then, once I'm done then I will enjoy the movie.

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

Title: The Clockwork Three
Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Junior Steampunk Fiction
Rating:  Fabulous!!!
Alerts/Warnings: Some Violence
Premise: "As mysterious circumstances bring Giuseppe, Frederick, and Hannah together, their lives soon interlock like the turning gears in a clock and they realize that each one holds a key to solving the others' mysteries" (King County Library System).
Opinions: The Clockwork Three is a stand alone novel that is incredibly well written to the point that the story and the people came alive to my imagination and I found myself easy immerse inside of it.  Matthew J. Kirby does a wonderful job of interweaving three individual stories so that you can see how each person's actions can affect someone else.  Giuseppe, Frederick, and Hannah are amazing characters. I love Giuseppe's beautiful talent with music.  I admire the courage of Hannah when she does all she can to take care of her family.  And I am impressed by Fredrick's ingenuity and his heart.  The three youth may not always make the best decisions, but they learn to trust and build friendships with each other and grow through extensive difficulties. I highly recommend this book for all ages to read.