Review of Catching Fire, the 2nd Hunger Games Book

I was ecstatic about the Hunger Games trilogy when I got to the end of the first book. And then it was time for me to start the second book. I would pick it up with great anticipation, but just couldn't get into it. I think I had to restart it about four or five times, get past those first couple of chapters, and then I was able to fully immerse myself in it. I have no idea why it takes me so long to get into these books. Once it got going, though, I couldn't put it down.


Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games and now must go on their Victory Tour. Katniss is torn between her true feelings for Gale and her show of feelings for Peeta. She does have some feelings for him; they just are not the same. The love triangle heats up in this book, especially once Katniss hears what the Capitol is expecting her to do.

The stakes are also higher in this book. Katniss and Peeta have incited rebellion in some of the Districts. Granted, they were just waiting for an opportunity to have an uprising, but here it is. This puts both of them and their loved ones into more danger.

This is also the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, which means it is a Quarter Quell. These special editions of the Hunger Games always have some kind of sick twist to them. This one is by far the worst. Katniss does not believe for a moment that the special circumstances of this particular Quarter Quell were a part of the original plan, but she is forced to go along with it.

Drama and danger keep the pages turning, well into the wee hours of the morning. The first-person narration as you walk inside Katniss' shoes helps to keep you engaged and to feel like you are a part of the action. I again zipped through this book and cannot wait to get my hands on the final book of the trilogy to find out what happens in the end. I am glad I continued with the series.

Review of Child of the Mountains

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank is the story of a young girl named Lydia who lives in Appalachia. It takes place in the year 1953. Lydia feels pretty lost right now. She has been sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Her father passed away in an accident some years ago. Her mother is currently in jail, for theoretically killing her little brother, BJ, who had cystic fibrosis. Her grandmother has also just passed away. She is angry and confused and turns to her teacher for support and guidance. Along her journey, she also discovers some life-changing family secrets.



The dialect of this book made it difficult for me to read at first. As I went on, either I got used to the dialect or it seemed to be less prominent in the writing. It almost felt like Lydia's use of more proper English improved as the story went on. The dialect is necessary, though, to have a more authentic feel to the book.

I enjoyed reading this book and was able to do so rather quickly. It is a common tale of a girl trying to find herself after tragedy befalls her family. The cystic fibrosis part of the storyline was more unique. I felt like I understood Lydia and some of her anguish. I felt sorry for her.

The book seemed like it just ended, and the story was resolved too easily. I would have liked the final courtroom segment to be fleshed out just a little bit more so that the ending made a bit more sense.



This book is also available for your Kindle.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

About A. Jacob Sweeny, Author of The Pulse Myths Series

A. Jacob Sweeny holds a degree in History with an emphasis on Ancient Near East. Her immersion in world myths and her archaeological fieldwork provided the initial spark that led to the development of The Pulse Myth series which is a trilogy that includes Pulse Of Heroes, Of Blood And Pulse, and soon to come Pulse Genesis. Adding to this collection is a new series of novellas and shorts called- Pulse Historia. A Sword for- His Women available in kindle version is the first short. Besides writing, A. Jacob Sweeny loves to cook and Italian and Indian foods are some of her favorite cuisines. She has always been immersed in the literary world and will read anything from Shakespearian plays, philosophy and spiritual books, to comedy and modern thought. She is a strong advocate for the protection of women and children worldwide. And is active in animal rights groups. She suffers bouts of writer’s insomnia, and is delighted to share those hours with her pug and two cats.

 Keep up to date with A. Jacob Sweeny by visiting the website for The Pulse Myths Series at http://www.pulseofheroes.com/

Join the Facebook page for frequent updates and to connect with fellow fans at https://www.facebook.com/ThePulseSeries

Review of Pulse of Heroes

I wasn't sure what I was going to think when I agreed to review Pulse of Heroes by A. Jacob Sweeny for Tempting Book Tours. I am relatively new to the world of the paranormal in books, but keep coming across some gems. The following Amazon description told me right away that this book was going to be something different that I would probably enjoy.

A suspenseful, passionate, paranormal romance that sweeps through the emotions of first love and heartache as it traverses centuries and continents.

Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially school and relationships. Her great aunt from the old country says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school becomes interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town.

After seeing the School Regent out with a group of young guys just before Christmas, Michelle is convinced that there is something odd about them. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she embarks upon a mission to figure out what is really going on. After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever.

Elliot is no ordinary human. In fact, no one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Through them, Michelle learns that history and myths from around the world are dotted with references to their kind. Michelle falls madly in love with the ever-striking and mysterious Elliot and, as much as he tries to fight it, he develops strong feelings for her as well. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality. Their feelings grow in intensity, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together.

Michelle learns that there are infinite shades of gray between black and white, and has to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love. After some unexpected twists during a family trip to Europe, she has to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot’s wondrous world. Ultimately, it is up to Michelle to make the split-second, life-altering decision that will either tear them apart forever, or give them another chance.

The book is in two parts. At the very beginning, we are introduced to Michelle and her friends as they prepare for Halloween. A near-accident and a premonition give some insight into what is yet to come, without giving away major plot points. Michelle is a very relatable character, with the usual problems of what to wear to the upcoming dances, strep throat, and that elusive boy. You feel a kinship with her and root for her in the romance department. Despite the bizarre happenings with the boys at the school down the road, the storyline seems quite believable and realistic.

As she gets to know Xander and Elliot, you find yourself being drawn into their world. You strive to understand their complex history and even find yourself falling in love with Elliot. You want to keep on reading so that you can discover more of the missing pieces and fit together the random bits that you already have. The second part focuses more on the battles being waged between the boys of the Hekademos School and others of their kind. Michelle has been drawn into the middle of it all, questioning her relationship with any of them. At times you wonder if she has made the right decisions; other times you find yourself yelling at the book (or Kindle in my case).

A.J. Sweeny has done an excellent job of blending fiction with history in a way that I have never before seen. I felt like I learned something new about both mythology and some historical stories as I read through the book. I also felt inspired to look up some of the stories to which she alludes in her tale. The teacher in me appreciates that aspect of the book. Perhaps some young readers will feel compelled to learn more about mythology and history, where they would not have otherwise?

It took me longer than usual to finish Pulse of Heroes. I am a fast reader, so 500 pages usually is not an issue for me. The first chapter or two take some time to reel you in. Once I got going though, I had to take longer because I needed to taste every word, feel every emotion, and process every new bit of information. The pages turned quickly, but I didn't want to miss a thing. I was actually disappointed when it was over, only because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I absolutely must get my hands on the rest of this series!



  

Pulse of Heroes is also available for your Kindle, by clicking here.

 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review of Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

I fared better with the second installment in the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. When I polled my friends about how they felt about the series, many of them said that they felt the series started to go downhill, starting with this book. I beg to differ. I liked this one better.



First, there was much less violence. I don't mind action movie. I even enjoyed Die Hard, to which the author compares the series. Somehow, though, I don't like it as much, as it was presented, in a book for kids.

Second, Artemis Fowl actually has a softer side. At the end of the first book, he begs for Holly to help his demented mother. In this one, he teams up with the LEP to rescue his father, who is being held for ransom up in the Arctic. Many of the characters from the first one book make an appearance. Holly and Artemis even seem to form an attachment to each other as they have to save each other's lives.

This installment was a little bit more interesting to me, as I already knew the characters. I thought the story flowed better than the first one, with a more understandable plot line. I also managed to read it within a couple of days, whereas it took me several weeks with the first book. I feel more optimistic about reading the rest of the series in preparation for the release of the final book this summer.

Review of Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl is a name I had heard time and again, but had never tried to read. When NetGalley announced that Disney Hyperion was going to release the ebooks for us reviewers, two at a time each month, I decided to check them out. The final book is coming out in July, so they wanted to offer us the opportunity to catch up on the series should we want to check out that one.


Starting the book, I have to say that I was torn about whether or not I liked it. Artemis Fowl is a despicable character. He has no patience for his mother, who suffers from dementia. He plots to kidnap a fairy to gain riches. He comes from a long line of corrupt people. And he is only 12 years old.

Artemis is also highly intelligent. His plot to kidnap Holly, the fairy, is so intricate and so well-planned, that he is always one step ahead of her army. They keep playing right into his hands. An amusing part of this whole part of the story is the seriousness of tone and how it mimics movies that I have seen about armed forces and how they speak to each other. When I did a bit of research about the book, I found that the author supposedly even describes it as "Die Hard with fairies."

It took me a while to get through the story. Basically, Artemis has discovered the existence of fairies and goes after them. Meanwhile, the fairies are going after trolls. Artemis manages to kidnap a fairy named Holly. Her people come after her and actually pay Artemis a ransom for her.

Yes, there are a lot of other things that happen and a lot of other characters. Honestly, this was all I got out of the book. It was hard for me to read, but so far the second one is easier for me to get through. I did a brief poll of my friends. They either loved the series or hated it. We shall see how I manage with the rest of it.

What do you think of Artemis Fowl?

Review of Loving Emily

Ryan Mills is only focused on one thing. He has a huge crush on Emily Wintraub. In fact, he thinks he is actually in love with her, even though they have never spoken. But he is going to her Sweet Sixteen party with his best friend Michael and hopes to find the courage to speak to her. Maybe she will like him and even go out with him.

Ryan manages to pry Emily's attention away from Derek Masters, the dreamy captain of the basketball team, with whom most of the girls are in love. They really seem to hit it off, but then his jackass best friend Michael gets completely wasted and manages to ruin the party. Ryan tries to make amends and drags Michael out of the country club. He leaves him standing by the stairwell and tells him to not move. He has to just tell Emily something, hoping to salvage whatever kind of a connection they had started prior to the disruption. Michael looks at him and says, "Soldier Rock!" and mentions he has something important to tell him, as Ryan walks away.

When Ryan returns to the stairwell, Michael is gone. Somehow he has managed to get his keys and to take off in the car. The next morning, Ryan finds out that his best friend crashed his car and is dead.

He blames himself for the accident, having left Michael alone while he went after Emily. Had he just taken him home at that moment, Michael would probably still be alive. Never mind his past history of substance abuse.

Despite the ruined party, Emily finds herself falling hard for Ryan. The two of them enter into a hot and heavy relationship. They begin to have difficulty, though, as Ryan finally figures out Michael's secret and vows to take care of Michael's unfinished business. Ryan feels torn between the love of his life and loyalty to his dead best friend. Because he feels responsible for Michael's death, it feels wrong that he is carrying on. Had he not been pursuing Emily, this would not have happened. (At least not at this point in time.) At the same time, he tries to salvage his damaged relationship with his own family.


I loved this book. It was honest and heartwrenching and refreshing to have such a story being told from a male character for once. The emotions being shared by the characters seemed valid and true, even if their situations are not going to be as familiar to most readers. After all, how many teenagers live in the lap of luxury with an Oscar-winning director for a father and parties at country clubs? But teens ruining their lives with drugs and having intense relationships are surely familiar topics. Being torn between love and responsibility is something that we can struggle with all of the way through adulthood. And everyone battles their parents, especially during the teenage years.

Ryan's devotion to his friend, to Emily, and to Michael's secret are admirable. He has to make a lot of difficult decisions along his journey. Sometimes they probably weren't always the right ones, but he learns a lot as he goes through them. He has to learn how to forgive himself and his best friend. I think he could be a good role model. While many will not find themselves in this exact situation, his journey can be thought-provoking. It's a love story that will be enjoyed by both adults and young adults. I had a hard time putting it down and want to read it again.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookRooster in exchange for my honest review.

Review of Dead as Dutch

I am not a fan of the Zombie genre. I don't understand the fascination with them. But when I was offered the chance to check out Dead as Dutch for free in exchange for my review for BookRooster.com, I decided to give this young adult novel a chance.

Stan is a film student, preparing to film a ten-minute short called Letter 13 for the coveted Fatty Arbuckle prize. He has grandiose thoughts of himself being the next Hitchcock or Coppola. On his crew is the scary-smart Irv, who seems to know a little bit about everything. His kid sister Dana has been coerced into helping him film as second unit. Keisha is the sexy female lead. Bryce is the whiny, spoiled rich kid who is used to getting his own way, especially as a talented actor. He is playing the lead opposite Keisha. All we really know about the plot of the movie is that it involves running from aliens. A good director is supposed to go with the flow and the flow quickly changes while the fivesome is working on their project.

When they accidentally uncover a mysterious metal box, their movie takes a completely different turn. The sun is going down, so they start to meander back to their campground, only to get completely lost. They stumble upon the cabin of the creepy Munyon, who seems like he belongs in Deliverance, and offers them shelter for the night. However, they quickly realize that they are not alone in the woods. Can they make room in the script for the Undead, while still clinging to their own lives?


The book was a relatively easy read for me. It flows in the same pattern as watching one of those cheesy teen horror movies unfold. The characters and the plot completely fit the mold. It reminded me of the I Know What You Did Last Summer series, as far as the characters and cheese factor were concerned, though much less scary. In fact, when the resolution comes at the end of the story, I was not surprised and actually suspected such an ending was going to occur.

Rich Docherty makes sure you really know his characters as he frequently rabbit trails to tell you each one's history. The backgrounds for some of them did seem pertinent to the story. Other ones were way too long and almost unnecessary. But unlike some other books I have read as of late, his background stories were well distinguished from the current plot. I could envision them as memory sequences during a movie.

It isn't going to qualify as literature of the highest quality, but it provides an escape for a few hours.

Get your Kindle copy here, regular price $2.99.

Huge Giveaway With The Vampire Hunter's Daughter

Are you a Facebook Fan of The Vampire Hunter's Daughter yet? If not, you better get over to Jennifer Malone Wright's page as soon as you can! She is running a HUGE giveaway right now. You have 12 more days from this posting to enter.

The Grand Prize Winner's special gifts include two autographed books, five free e-books, $10 to both Amazon and Starbucks, and an autographed bookmark. Two runner-ups will each receive an autographed copy of Jen's other book The Birth of Jaiden and a $5 Amazon gift card.


Gaining entries is easy. Visit the giveaway app and follow each step along the way. All you have to do is "Like" the pages of the books and their authors. Tweet about the giveaway. And share it with your friends!

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter is the first vampire series that I have fallen in love with, as I am not usually a fan of the genre. Jen is proving me wrong in my opinions!

Let me know if you have entered the giveaway! And good luck!

Review of The Hunger Games

It's a hot topic right now, as The Hunger Games movie was just released in theatres last weekend. Many people have gone to the movie without reading the book. Still others have read the book in advance of going to the movie.

I admit that I am not really interested in going to see the movie, but was curious about the books. I remember hearing people talk about them a couple of years ago when they first came out. But the idea of a bunch of starving kids fighting to the death was not interesting to me at all. I had picked up the book a couple of times to read it, but could never get past the first few pages. This past weekend, I made a concentrated effort to at least get through the first chapter. I wanted to give it a truly valiant effort. And by the end of one chapter, I was hooked.




Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old. She lives in District 12 in the nation of Panem, formerly the place known as North America. All of the districts are run by The Capitol. As punishment for an uprising some years ago, most of the inhabitants are kept in extreme poverty. People are forced to scrounge for food and often die for hunger, though the cause of death is often listed as something like pneumonia. Katniss takes care of her mother and her beloved 12 year-old sister, Prim, by illegally hunting in the woods outside of the fenced-in area and trading some of the meat for other foods and items. Their father was killed by a mine some years ago. Their mother was too depressed to care for her family, so Katniss took charge.

Once a year, The Capitol forces a battle between the Districts known as The Hunger Games. One boy and one girl from each district is chosen to compete. The 24 kids are forced to battle to the death as inhabitants of Panem watch on live TV.  This year, the girl from District 12 is Katniss's sister, Prim. Katniss quickly steps up to take her sister's place.

Survival comes naturally to Katniss, but so many other factors come into play during the Games. When she inadvertently becomes a national sensation prior to the Games, her chances of survival increase in the eyes of the audience. But it also marks her as one to remove as far as the other players are concerned. Will she be able to survive and bring pride to District 12? Can she win the big prize and care for her family in a way that she has never been able to before? Or will she succumb to the survival instincts of the other players?

I loved this book. I didn't think that I would. Katniss is the narrator and tells the story in real time. That makes you a part of the action as being told. You see the world through her eyes and witness events as she does. The pages turn quickly as you are engrossed in her life. It is action-packed, without being gory or obnoxious.

I want to point out that there really is not a lot of gore in the book. The killing scenes give enough detail to make a point, but are not so detailed that you will be completely grossed out. This is not just a story about teenagers fighting each other to the death. While a couple of the characters appear to be out for murder, it is more of a survival instinct that keeps them fighting and killing. They don't have any other options if they want to survive. To give in and lie down to defeat is suicide. What would you do?

For those who really want to, you can get into deep conversations about how this book parallels history and other cultures. Naturally, one of the historical societies that comes to mind is the Romans with their gladiator battles. It also makes a strong statement about society and the problems that come with too much governmental control.

Other than its message, it is just a good read. I was reminded a lot of Stephen King's book The Long Walk (which was written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). I read a lot of Stephen King starting when I was about 10 years old. But I was the kind of kid who could handle that type of subject matter without a lot of problems.

My advice to parents who are questioning this book for their own kids is to read it first. As an adult, you are going to get more out of it than teenagers will. Assess the book for yourself and then think about your own child. Everyone's child is different, so you can't say that it is more appropriate for a 17 year-old vs. a 13 year-old. And definitely read the book prior to seeing the movie. I have heard that you understand the movie a little bit better if you do, which is usually the case.

As always, I would love to hear your feedback on the book. I'd even love to hear your thoughts on the movie adaptation.

You have many options for how you read the Hunger Games. Click on one of the links below to purchase your own copy.

• The Kindle version of The Hunger Games.
• Get a movie tie-in paperback version of the book.
• Purchase the trilogy as a boxed set. Once you read one, you will want to read them all!