Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This review reveals important plot details. Proceed with caution.
 
Up until about page 250, I was wondering why everyone I talked to seemed somewhat disappointed in this book. I was loving it. Peeta’s changed nature, especially, completely threw me and was a genius move on Collins’ part. In fact, it was around p. 250 that I was just sure Collins was going to have him killed, and I was in agony over it. Although I liked Gale, my heart was always with Peeta, so of course, it couldn’t have ended better for me in that respect. Or could it have? Here is why the book went downhill for me during the last 150 pages, in no particular order:

First, Peeta. Although I felt like enough time passed for his change back to the old Peeta to be believable, as the reader, I was really left in the dark as to the whole process, especially in its final stages. One moment he still wants to be handcuffed to a pole, and the next (yes, I know it was weeks later) he is out planting primroses (which really was a perfect Peeta-like thing to do, but how did we get the old Peeta back? That’s what was missing.)

Next, Katniss. In the first two books, I didn’t think she could be a better heroine. She was determined, strong, kind, and brave. I don’t know what happened in this book, but she lost most of the qualities I loved about her. I understand that war and death and extreme hardship can change a person (and I thought Collins’ did an excellent job of helping us feel that pain…the image of Katniss cracking was very tangible), but it just went a little too far. I had two big disappointments: I wanted to see and feel more real grief from her for Peeta’s condition for Peeta’s sake and not so much anger for the way he was hurting her. We catch a few glimpses of her trying to reach him, but usually she’s just mad and hurtful. Second, I wish she hadn’t voted for another Hunger Games. I guess she had to help Coin feel a false sense of security, but I felt like this was Katniss’s chance to take a stand against the very thing she’d been fighting for the whole time…and she totally blew it.

Speaking of the government, I didn’t feel like that resolved well at all. Of course we know through the whole trilogy that President Snow is evil, and we have our suspicions that President Coin is just greedy for control as well, but we have no real evidence that Paylor is going to be a great leader. Since she was voted in by the people, there’s hope that things are changing for the better, but we really don’t know anything, and for one of the major themes of the book, it took too much suspension of disbelief to just hope that things were all wonderful without being told how they came to be that way. I just couldn’t believe that such a dysfunctional government didn’t have any problems anymore, but if it still had problems, then what was the point of the books?

One of the things that other people have commented on and that I agree with is that there was no closure with Gale. For someone with so much fight, he certainly gave up easily. And what made Peeta fall in love with Katniss again? She certainly didn’t do anything particularly redeemable.

It was difficult to see so many main characters die. But I can’t say I was surprised in that respect.

One of the things that bothered me the most was that Boggs’ final words, about not “trusting them” and “killing Peeta,” were never really revisited. We’re made to feel early on that we can trust Boggs, but he told Katniss to kill Peeta. And obviously Katniss didn’t really listen to him in either respect, so what was he really trying to say?

All in all, I just have to wonder how the book would have changed if Collins had done three, two, even one more revision. Because that was the main problem for me: it didn’t feel as well thought out as the first two books. I really think some things would have changed with a couple more rewritings.

Okay, that got a little too long and involved, but overall I have to say I actually really did enjoy this book, as well as the two before it. The fact that I only gave it three stars reflects the fact that I was somewhat disappointed with certain aspects of it, but doesn’t show how engrossed I was the whole time I was reading and how fascinated I was by the plot and how attached I was to the characters.

Last but not least, doesn’t Collins pick the most perfect names for her characters? Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim, Haymitch, Cinna…all just perfect.

I wrote this review before creating this blog.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I read this book in preparation for our trip to Gettysburg. Even though I was only about two-thirds of the way through it when we got there, it made the experience SO much more enjoyable and meaningful.

There is quite a bit of mild language. I wasn't bothered by it because Mike edited our copy, but just consider yourself warned.

I felt like I was reading the actual thoughts of the generals and other leaders. All the descriptions were so vivid and realistic. (And then, of course, once I'd actually been on location, reading was even more enjoyable because I knew what it felt like to stand on that historic ground.)

This is a book I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend. The Battle of Gettysburg was the major turning point in the Civil War, and is therefore one of the most important events in our nation's history.

I wrote this review before I created this blog.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I read this book several years ago, and recently, I've wanted to read the other books in the series, but I couldn't remember this one well enough without re-reading it. I listened to the audio version this time. I still loved the story, but the audio was annoying. It was a full cast recording, so it had a different voice for every character. In my opinion, either dramatize it or read it, but don't try to do both. I would have much preferred one reader for the whole book.

Overall, I love Shannon Hale's writing style. She uses simple, vivid descriptions. I felt like the plot slowed a little in the middle of the book but picked up pace again at the end.

One of the things I loved in particular about this book was that she had me actually believing that Ani could communicate with horse, birds, and the wind. Unlike some fantasy novels that just seem a little over the top, this one just contains a few magical elements...just enough to make the impossible believable.

I wrote this review before I created this blog.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

I ended up liking this book way more than I thought I was going to during the first few chapters. At first it was just a little too weird for me. It also seemed quite a bit more sad and hopeless. However, as the book progressed, Shannon Hale's writing style grew more and more captivating, and I felt very invested in the main characters. If anything, Shannon Hale's writing style only improved with this book, and her descriptions of the fire language were so easy to believe and picture and feel. Sometimes, as she described Enna's relationship with fire, they were almost a little too real as it seemed almost like what some people experience with addictions.

Beyond that, I thought it was a beautiful tale of friendship...Enna and Isi each helping one another and giving something of themselves to the other.

The part where Finn magically shows up just in the nick of time to help save Enna and Isi was eye-rollingly unbelievable, but of course I loved it, and that's just what I wanted to happen.

In the end, I loved it, and I'm looking forward to River Secrets.

I wrote this review before creating this blog.

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

Out of all Shannon Hale's books, this one seems to get the least praise and the most criticism. Knowing that, I was prepared not to like it. Maybe my expectations were too low, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I liked it just as much as The Goose Girl and Enna Burning.

I don't know if Shannon Hale pulled off the male protagonist quite as successfully as the heroines in her other books. However, Razo is such a fun-loving character, it was impossible not to love him. I liked him in the other books, so I was really interested to get more details and see his character developed more fully.

While I was listening to this book, I caught myself thinking (again and again), "I wish I could write like Shannon Hale." There is something about her style that totally captivates me; whether it is her simplistic descriptions or capturing the perfect metaphor, I don't know, but I love it. It's all so fresh and original. You don't hear the same phrases and descriptions that have been used a thousand times by a hundred authors.

I'm so sad I don't have Forest Born yet because I would much rather read that than the next book I have in line.

I wrote this review before the birth of this blog.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

This review reveals some important plot details. Proceed with caution.

 I feel a little disloyal for not absolutely loving something by Shannon Hale, but the truth is I was disappointed with this book...not disappointed like I-wish-I-hadn't-read-it, more just disappointed with the overall pace and writing.

I wasn't very impressed with her descriptions; she reused the same ones over and over again, which is so unusual for Shannon Hale. Plus, the middle of the book was so slow. Rin had the same thoughts, the same emotions so many times. Was it really necessary for the development of Rin's character? Maybe.

Because with all my complaining about lack of pace, I really felt that Rin's discovery of her ability to people-speak was set up beautifully. For the first half of the book, I thought all she had was tree-speaking, and then all of a sudden things started to click and fall into place. Could the discovery of this gift have been so believable if the pace had been faster? I don't know. It's a paradox.

Also, I liked the ending, as everything wrapped up quite satisfactorily, but again, it just seemed rather slow and drawn out...a few too many "Aren't we amazing?" conversations between the fire sisters. However, it really was a better ending to the series than River Secrets would have been.

And I still love the characters. In fact, I think Rin might be my favorite out of all Shannon Hale's heroines (though Dashti would still be a very close second). She was so honest and had such a real problem...fighting her own natural desires/wants/passions with the type of person she wanted to become (kind/selfless/helpful/good).

Oh, and I just have to say that I think Selia is truly a despicable villainess. Don't you just loathe her? But then to realize that she was the villain in not only Goose Girl and Forest Born, but the sub-villain in Enna Burning and River Secrets...GENIUS! And it really helped tie all the books together.

So, yes, I was disappointed, but you can tell I still enjoyed it, and you definitely don't want to skip this book if you've read the other three.

This review was written before the birth of this blog.

More Picture Books

I wrote these reviews before the birth of this blog.


1. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, Don and Audrey Wood
How's that for a long title? We usually just shorten it to "Big Hungry Bear." I have to say, we like this book so much that it's not just a part of the favorites list, but it is a favoritest favorite. It has all the elements of the perfect story: an endearing main character (Little Mouse), suspense (the big hungry bear), humor, involvement with the reader (the reader speaks directly to Little Mouse), and in the end, triumph against all odds (for Little Mouse and the reader). And the illustrations? I can't praise them enough. Little Mouse's expressions are priceless, and of course, must be mimicked by us. How can books like this escape the Caldecott?!

2. I Love Bugs!, Emma Dodd
The fact that I'm listing a book about BUGS as one of my favorite books proves that I'm a mother of boys. We love this rhyming book that explores all kinds of bugs from "curl-up-tight bugs" to "glide-across-the-ground bugs." The book ends with the "eight-legged hairy bug," whose appearance is appropriately accompanied by bloodcurdling screams from Aaron and me.

3. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
This book is a great introduction to less well-known animals, like bush babies or platypuses, as well as the familiar elephants, giraffes, etc. The book is set up in a question/answer format: What do you do with a nose like this? (five different noses are shown); turn the page to find the animals and the answers (ex. If you're an alligator, you breathe through your nose while hiding in the water.). At the back of the book, there are more fun facts about each animal.



4. Llama Llama Red Pajama, Anna Dewdney
This is a fun rhyming book about a little llama who gets put to bed by his mama llama. He realizes he doesn't like being alone and calls to his mama llama for a drink of water. She doesn't come as quickly as he would like, and he gets very impatient, and even frightened, that he has been left all alone. My favorite line? "Please stop all this llama drama and be patient for your mama." And if you think mama llama isn't fun to say, then just trust me, it is.


5. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Eric Litwin
While not as sophisticated as Big Hungry Bear, this book has become a fast favorite among the whole family. Pete, who is a very cool, very laid-back cat, loves his white shoes, so he sings about them. During a series of unfortunate events, the shoes turn from white to red to blue to brown and finally back to white. Every time the shoes change colors, Pete sings a new version of his song. In the Johnson household, the song is belted out at an alarming volume with plenty of head bopping and bobbing. And the moral of the story? Be happy with whatever comes your way. "Because it's all good."