I haven’t done a mini-review feature in so long! If you’re not familiar with how I decide what to review in this format, it’s fairly simple. If a book has already received a ton of press and my review is coming into the game a bit late, then I don’t see a reason to write out a summary of the plot and every little bit of what I liked and didn’t like as I do with my regular reviews. This is just a quick overview of what I thought of the book, spoiler-free (for those that are also a lagging a little behind in their reading).
I’ve finished several books this month that fit into those descriptions. Enjoy!
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Figured I better start with the most popular first! So, I realize a lot of people were not at all satisfied with how the trilogy came to an end of who Katniss chose and how, but really I was fairly content with it. I’ve never totally loved Katniss as a character (I think that’s what draws a lot of us to her…which, I know, sounds strange), but I wanted her to do a Katniss-like move when it came to how her story ended. And I think she did that.
This book was quite a bit different from The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but overall, I enjoyed it. The entertainment factor was still huge, the character development was interesting and timely, and the twists were unexpected. I will say that I was very unhappy with one of the deaths and though I won’t say that it was unnecessary, I still shed a tear or two.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
400 pages
Young Adult
Scholastic
978-0439023511
August 2010
Review copy received from publisher
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Alright, so I was one of those rare readers that just did not fall in love with Shiver. It was okay for me, but nothing wonderful. Rather dark and dreary actually. Linger, however, served its purpose and left me wanting more…especially with the ending! Whoa!
I do think that the descriptions of the love between Sam and Grace lean toward overly sappy and excessive (uhhh….Bella and Edward anyone??), but I can see how their relationship and the overall werewolf thing work for fans of fantasy/paranormal.
Ooh and this one was the first book I bought for my Nook. It was also the last…haven’t felt the need to buy anything else for it in the past month or so.
Overall rating: 3 out of 5
Linger
Maggie Stiefvater
368 pages
Young Adult
Scholastic
978-0545123280
July 2010
Book purchased by me 
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
I loved this book more than I could probably ever explain. I was so rocked by The Knife of Never Letting Go and the idea of waiting an entire year for this one hurt my heart. SO, instead, I waited until only a month before the release date of the 3rd book, Monsters of Men, to actually read it. I couldn’t handle waiting again, so I only had to wait once.
The characters, ALL of them, in these books are marvelously written and have such intensity. You can easily tell that every word that Ness writes was deliberately chosen and thought about. It’s rare that I am so impressed with everything a book has to offer, without being the tiniest bit disappointed in anything. If you’ve yet to check out the “Chaos Walking” series, do it!
For those of you that shy away from Science Fiction (as I definitely do), you should really give these a try. More awesome character development/plot than science fiction aspects.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5
The Ask and the Answer: Chaos Walking Book 2
Patrick Ness
528 pages
Young Adult
Candlewick
978-0763648374
August 2010 (hardcover released Sept. 2009)
Book borrowed from my local library
