The Hunger Games By: Suzanne Collins

Story: Twenty- four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: The book The Hunger Games Is a must read book, Cut and dried. I didn't need a bookmark while reading this book because i would just have to flip through the pages and find the most recent drool marks on the page I was on when Mr. Sandman finally gave up on the sand and moved on to using boulders. I found most of the characters believable, and the alloy of highly advanced technology, survival, and primal instincts, is perfect. If you want to read it is recommended by the surgeon general that you have book two close at hand and there should be a written warning that you will suffer from withdrawals and stress due to suspense till book three comes out in August.

Book A-Like: Enders Game, by Orson Scot Card; The Arena, by Fredric Brown.

Profanity: None

Drugs and Alcohol: Alcohol, but not in good light.

Sexuality: None

Violence: This book isn't for the squeamish or faint of heart, to put it simply.

2010 Debut Author Challenge

Great news! The Literati group is participating in the 2010 Debut Author Challenge! We'll keep a list here of the books we will be reading. For now our goal is 12, but that number may grow.

For a book to qualify, it must be an author's debut, and it must fall under the Middle Grade or Young Adult categories. Visit The Story Siren to join in the fun!

Here are some places you can go for book suggestions:

The Tenners

Authors Now

Class of 2K10

2010 on Goodreads

If you are a 2010 debut author and would like us to review your book, send me an email:

SuzetteSaxton (at) gmail (dot) com.

Happy Reading!

Evermore

by Alyson Noel

Story:

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.

Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head—wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Review:

Evermore is a very easy read and very fun. I read it and the sequel, Blue Moon, in an evening each. While the book captivated me and kept me reading much later than I should have, I did find myself wanting to skim through certain parts. Ever is an interesting character and I enjoyed her personality. The relationship between Ever and her younger (more dead) sister Riley is also well-written and layered. It reminded me much of my relationship with my younger sister.

However, I did find some of the other characters hard to like. Ever's friends in particular were difficult to appreciate. I'm not sure exactly how much they actually qualify as friends. I was actually annoyed by them occasionally. Also, some of the characters seemed to act without reason. While their actions are explained at the end of the book, it just takes too long for sense to be made of certain story elements. I found the lack of clarification a little frustrating and wished it had come sooner. But despite these few rough spots, I thought the books were still a very good read. I did, after all, read 2 of them in 2 days!

Book-a-Likes: you'll like this if you like most paranormal YA novels, particularly The Mortal Instruments and Vampire Academy.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Profanity: None

Drugs and Alcohol: Some teenage drinking

Sexual Content: Mild, none specifically but plenty of references to it and whether or not it will happen

Violence: Mild

Reviewer:

Julie