Mockingjay: A Book Review

Mockingjay is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I haven't reviewed the first book because I wasn't reviewing at the time I read it, but you can find millions of reviews on Goodreads. That being said there are spoilers to the first two books in this review!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Published: 2010
Format: Hardback
Source: Borrowed

If you're coming directly into this book from the last, Catching Fire, you're a little confused and completely hyped up. This book doesn't slow down too much from the ending of the last. It's nothing compared to the arena, but it remains interesting. I really enjoyed this as the finale and I was, mostly, happy with the direction Ms. Collins chose to take her trilogy.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the arena, not once, but twice. But going in, she couldn't have known how far reaching the rebellion she sparked was. Saved form the arena during her second Hunger Games, Katniss is pulled into District 13, the center for the rebellion against the Capitol. She's accompanied by a few other victors, some friends from home, her family, and Haymitch. But Peeta was left in the arena and in now being held captive in the Capitol! Katniss has a decision to make and many things to learn.

With this book, I didn't feel the initial slow, dragging feeling I did with the beginning of the second book. This one comes nicely directly out of Catching Fire. It picks up a time after Katniss is pulled from the arena, but not too long. She's still struggling with her injuries and confusion. A bit after that, action picks up a bit, but nothing to rival the action in the arena. This book is, largely, about the people in the districts and about the rebellion, not so much the war. There are a few nice "war" scenes, so that's something I liked.

The characters in this book are lovely continuations of their previous selves. I adore the development of Finnick and getting to see him and Annie. Peeta in this book, I thought, was unlikable (all be it with good reason...). I'm not a big fan of Gale, but he, eventually, turned out a bit better. Katniss, herself, is still interesting. I don't like the way her character is taken in the end, but I'll handle that issue in another post.

Despite how much I disliked the epilogue, I give this a 4 star review. The plot continued wonderfully. The characters developed interestingly. The writing was wonderful, as always. If you enjoyed the first two books, I can't see how you'd not want to finish the series! It's a wonderful end, if you ignore the painful epilogue.

How did you like the finale of this trilogy? What did you think of Peeta's character in this one? Do you think this book provided the ending the trilogy deserved?

Catch Fire: A Book Review

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I haven't reviewed the first book because I wasn't reviewing at the time I read it, but you can find millions of reviews on Goodreads. That being said there are spoilers to the first book in this review!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Published: 2009
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed

Assuming you've read the first book, you have some idea of what's going on and what to expect. I adored the first book and couldn't wait to continue the series. This one slows down a bit at the beginning, compared to the first book, then picks right back up. Many people complain about the characters changing, but I didn't have a problem with it. In fact, I liked the developments between characters and seeing them change over time. Over all, I really enjoyed this book and it made a lovely sequel.

After winning the Hunger Games in the first novel, Katniss returns home to her family and settles into a new life in Victor's Village, next door to both Peeta and Haymitch. Returning home after the games is difficult on Katniss as she contends with possible feelings towards Peeta and working to understand the new relationship she has with her long time friend, Gale. Before she can really work anything out, she and Peeta are taken on their Victory tour around the districts, but it's nothing like Katniss imagined. She and a handful of berries set a spark of rebellion in the districts. Snow warned her a fire's hard to control, even for the Girl on Fire.

As I said, the beginning of this book is rather dull and it takes a while to actually get into it. I would say Collins's strongest point in the first book is the action within the games and the high stress situation. The Victory Tour is neither exciting or high stress. I suppose for Katniss it's high stress knowing a rebellion is brewing at her feet, but it isn't nearly as exciting as the first book. That being said, when the action does pick up it's great, as always. I love Collins's style of writing action scenes. The main action scene (if you've read it you know what I'm talking about ;) ) is amazingly done and I loved the new characters!

Speaking of the characters, I was happy with them. Ever present minded and caring Peeta is there in all his glory.You get to see a lot more of Gale, who is extremely interesting and one of my favorite males. The other Victors you meet are lovely. Beetee, Finnick, just, ah! I love them so much! Now Katniss, everyone says that Katniss's character changes, becomes weaker, but I kind of disagree. I'm planning a whole post on this one after my review of Mockingjay, so I'll talk more about it there.

Over all, I give this book a 4 star review. It was wonderful for a sequel, though the action was missing in the beginning, I understand the necessity of it. The new characters are beautiful and wonderful. The returning characters are as I expected them to be. The writing was very well done and I recommend it highly!

Have you read Catching Fire? What did you think? Was it a good sequel to The Hunger Games?

An Author Interview with Jody Gehrman

Last Friday I posted my review of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman. I loved the book and approached Mrs. Gehrman for an interview, and she said yes! I'm so happy So let's get right into it!

Goodreads
Website
Buy Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft: E-book or Hard copy
And get the other books on Amazon

Jody Gehrman is the author of seven novels and numerous plays. Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is her most recent Young Adult novel. Her other Young Adult novels include Babe in Boyland, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, and Triple Shot Bettys in Love, (Penguin's Dial Books). Babe in Boyland won the International Reading Association Teen Choice Award and has recently been optioned by the Disney Channel. Her adult novels are Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin (Red Dress Ink). Her plays have been produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of English at Mendocino College.

Lifeducks: First, I want to say thank you so much for the opportunity to review your book, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft. I really enjoyed reading the book, but for my readers have not, would you mind telling us the general idea of Audrey's story?

Jody Gehrman: It's about a 17-year-old witch-in-training who must hone her newfound magical powers in order to save her mother from an evil necromancer. Oh, and it has magical chocolate cake plus cute boys!

LD:What inspired you to write such a neat story?

JG: I've always been fascinated with witchcraft. I even dabbled in it a bit in my youth. I started writing it about seven years ago as a book for adults, but I never felt like it was quite working. Then I realized it would be better as a YA novel, so I pulled out the old draft and gave it a radical makeover, including a brand new protagonist and a totally different plot.
LD: What about the background love story? Why did you choose to not make the love story the focal point of the novel?

JG: Audrey's attraction to Julian needs more time to really develop, and while I do see the love story getting fleshed out in the next two books, in this first book she's got her hands full. Her primary concern here is getting her magical powers up and running so she can save her mom. Still, Julian's too cute and charming to ignore completely! She feels an irresistible connection with him. I do love romance, when well done, but Audrey's story isn't just boy-meets-girl. She's busy!
LD: What would you say was the most difficult part about writing this story?

JG: This book took me longer to write than anything I've ever attempted. I had to be patient and wait until the story unfolded. That can be super frustrating, but I do believe you can't force a book into being--or if you do, anyway, it usually shows.

LD: Which of your characters do you feel like you relate most to?

JG: That's a hard question. I relate in to Sadie, Audrey and Megan in very different ways. I relate to Sadie's mentoring style, to Audrey's intensity, and to Megan's drive to be a rock goddess. Not that I AM a rock goddess, but I'd like to be! I guess all of my characters reflect a different part of my psyche.

LD: What lessons or feelings do you hope your reader will take away from the experience of reading your novel?

JG: I hope they'll see the magic in everyday life. Audrey's ability to absorb everything around her and channel it does happen all the time on a subtle level; we pull ideas and emotions from our environment and channel it into our work, our art, our interactions. It would be gratifying if readers resonated with that and started to recognize it more.
On the other hand, the wonder of being a writer is that readers always see something I never intended to show them. Maybe they recognize reflections of people they know in the characters. Maybe the setting reminds them of someplace they've been. In a way, the responses that surprise me are even more delightful than the ones I predicted. It's the ongoing alchemy that happens when a reader's imagination encounters the words on a page.



Questions about Life And Other Works
LD: Would you like to tell us a little bit more about yourself? What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not working?

JG: Yoga, kickboxing, swimming, theatre, thrift shopping, reading, movies and eating. I'm a big fan of bacon and chocolate, though not necessarily together.
LD: I’ve read you’re also a playwright. How does play writing differ from writing a novel? Which do you enjoy most?




JG: Plays are all about dialogue; it's your only tool. I think writing plays hones my dialogue skills so when I go back to novels the muscle is stronger. Plays are much more communal by nature, too. You usually work with the director and cast; that helps fight the solitude of writing novels. When you see a play performed you get to feel what the audience feels; you know when a joke falls flat, when a kiss or a monologue moves people. With novels, you have a huge space between you and your readers; only through reviews and emails do you know what they're thinking. But novels help me reach a wider audience, and I get a bigger canvas to paint on. I can delve into setting and pack in all kinds of sensory details. For me it's ideal moving back and forth between the two forms. I call it "cross-genre pollination." My work in one form inspires and strengthens my work in the other.

LD: So Disney has shown interest in your novel Babe in Boyland. How excited are you to have the opportunity to see your novel in movie form? Will you be working on the script?

JG: Disney has their own distinct style, so they're hiring a screenwriter. I'm fine with that. I actually think I can learn a lot more this way; I get to see how another writer transforms my story into something that will work on screen. I think it will be fascinating. Since I've experienced the "letting go" process plenty in theatre (hanging back as a director makes changes or interprets my play in new ways) I'd like to think I'm not as control freaky as most writers. Who knows, though! I'm just really excited.
It's kind of a dream come true, even getting as far as the option.



Questions About the Writing Process
LD: For those of us who are aspiring authors, I can't resist a couple of questions about your experience. What inspired you to become an author?

JG: My first "novel" was really a very long letter sent to my best friend about us riding around on our flying dogs. I was eight. We'd moved to Canada for the year and I missed our imaginary games, so I wrote about them instead. I guess writing for me has always been about delving into imaginary worlds. I still tend to think of each of my novels as long love letters to a place, a time in my life, a person, a feeling.  

In college I discovered playwriting, and after college I freelanced as a journalist. Both of these experiences really confirmed my commitment to writing, in part because they helped with the inherent loneliness that can become an occupational hazard. As a playwright I love working with actors and directors; as a journalist I love doing interviews. These more social aspects of writing balance out the isolation of writing novels.
LD: Where do you like to write? Do you have a specific place or time of day that you like to do your work?

JG: I have an office, we call it "the writing room." It's my favorite place in the world. I'll attach a picture. I'm generally a morning writer, though when I'm on a roll I'll sometimes write all day.




LD: What went into your decision to be a self-published author?

JG: Here are some of the reasons I decided to experiment with the independent route after publishing with large, established houses for the past decade:1) TOTAL CREATIVE CONTROL: While authors occasionally get to offer input into book design and marketing strategies, more often we're sidelined or not included in the process at all. With AUDREY, I hired my own model and sketched out my own vision for the cover. We transformed my writing studio into a photo studio and my husband David went to work. For over a week obsessed over fonts and poured over Photoshop tutorials. We had a blast making it our own. I plan to attack every aspect of marketing with the same gusto. It's liberating, taking control in this way. 2) MASSIVE INCREASE IN ROYALTIES: I know I'll have to sell a lot of books to earn anywhere near the advances I got with my book deals. Still, considering that I'll be going from an average of 10% royalties to a much larger percentage, even a moderate success has the potential to keep me afloat. 3) NO WAITING: Ask any writer and they'll confirm that the waiting process is endless and creatively draining. You have to wait months for editors and agents to get back to you, your pub date gets delayed, your project is on hold until you can get more feedback. It goes on and on. With this process, publishing happens when I say it does.



4) IT'S FUN: I'll probably be singing a new tune if my marketing falls flat and I join the fifty percent of self-pubbed writers who earn less than $500 a year at their craft. After living with the disempowering lack of involvement I often felt with traditional publishing, though, there's a real skydiving-esque thrill to all of this. I'm taking the plunge. The outcome is uncertain. Wish me luck.


LD: Do you have any advice to give to me and other aspiring authors?

JG: One: Write on a regular schedule.

Two: Surround yourself with people who support your writing dreams. 

Three: Know that external validation (getting published, getting praise) can only take you so far. You have to love the process itself, savor it every day. That's where a writer's true pleasure lives.


I really want to say thanks again for the wonderful opportunities you've given me with both the review and this interview. I wish you the best in your future works and I can't wait for the next installment of Audrey's story!


If you missed my review of Jody's newest YA novel, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, Check it out HERE!

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft: A Book Review

When the author approached me for a review of this book, I was little apprehensive. It sounded like a good idea, but so many books do. I'm extremely happy to say, I enjoyed this book. I would like to thank Jody Gehrman for the opportunity to review, and love, this book! I eagerly wait the sequel!

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman
Format: E-book
Published: 30 June, 2012
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
BUY IT

This was the very first book I read on my new Nook Color, and I loved that, but this is a book review. This book is quirky, suspenseful, humorous, and exciting! I easily read a few chapters a day for the first couple of days, but once I hit chapter thirteen, I was hooked. I did not put down my Nook for anything more than a moment. I became enthralled background story of a relationship Audrey develops, not to mention the main story line: chasing the bad guy to save Audrey's mother.

In this book, Audrey Oliver is a 17 year-old girl living an ordinary life. She loves baking, like her pastry chef mother, and chemistry, like her late father. She has a best friend and a talented sister. One day, Audrey just feels that something is terribly wrong. When Sadie, a young estranged cousin, shows up, her suspicions are confirmed. With the story of her mother having to attend to "family business," the girls continue in their life. But weird things are happening to Audrey. She sees weird visions and seems to make things happen. Finally, she learns that she, and her mother, are witches. After that life shattering news she learns her mother is fighting an evil man and that Audrey may be in danger too. How is Audrey supposed to balance family loyalty, self-preservation, and her new magical abilities, not to mention falling in love? What's a witch to do?

As far as the story itself, I liked the idea of it. What can I say? Throw some witches onto paper, have them fight evil and fall in love, I'm sold. I also really loved the characters and their development. Sadie was, by far, my favorite character. I love her quirky personality and how lost she is at first in the Oliver home. I also love her menagerie/entourage.  Meg was also an interesting character, being entirely without knowledge of the truth. Then there's Julian. I love that man. I'm so glad that Ms. Gehrman didn't make him evil or sketchy like so many authors feel the need to do.

My only real complaints are stylistic. I questioned the use of some metaphors and found, I think, two typos (only one I marked as distracting). My first complaint, though was the vocabulary. I'm an avid reader and English major with, what I consider, an advanced vocabulary, but within the first 10 pages, I had to look up 2 words and noted one as and unnatural words for a high school junior. If she was said to be an extremely intelligent or advanced student, I'd probably over look  these words, but for a Young Adult novel I found them to seem pretentious and unnatural. After page 10, though, the unusual wording stopped or died down enough I forgot to notice.

Overall, I give this book a 4 duck rating. I really really enjoyed it, despite me minor, English major-esque, complaints. I really think that anyone who enjoys exciting fantasy novels, novels about witches and magic, or just really good, fast paced reads would really like this book. I, personally, am patiently (or perhaps impatiently) awaiting the sequel! Look below the rating for where you can purchase your own copy to love.

Check out the e-book, available for $0.99 HERE!
Or get a copy from Amazon for only $9.99

The Princess Diaries: A Book Review

Surely, we've all seen the two Disney Princess Diaries movies starring Anne Hathaway, yes? I love these movies, and pretty much anything starring Anne Hathaway, so at my best friend's insisting, I decided to read the first book in the series by Meg Cabot. Man, was I in for a surprise? My best friend had told me that the movies and books were different, but I hadn't foreseen another Ella Enchanted (yes, another Anne Hathaway movie) style adaption, that is to say that the books and movies happen to have the same name and a few similarities.
As much as I love the movies, I also loved this book.

As always, I'll begin with a kind of "who-would-love-this" section. This book is really, obviously, aimed for the teenage, female population, as most of Meg Cabot's YA books are. Honestly, I think anyone who likes the books about the life of off-beat girls would enjoy this one. I would, personally, classify this as a YA Chick-Lit book. Despite the fact that I mostly dislike Chick-Lit, I love YA and really enjoyed this book. I really like the character of Tina (removed from the movie) and I hope to see much more of her throughout the rest of the series. I also really liked Grandmere, even though she's kinda horrible. One character I really dislike, not as a character but as a person, is Lily. I kind of like that the character exists, but I dislike her as a person.

If you didn't already know this, Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries is a book about a young girl named Mia. It is her diary as she goes through her life of mediocrity. She goes to a private school in New York (Not San Francisco), has a cat names Louis, a best friend named Lily, and a mom who is dating her teacher. She also has a dad who is a diplomat in a small principality called Genovia. Here's the kicker, not too far into the book Mia's dad find out that he will have no more children and he now has to tell Mia she will inherit the throne of Genova, because by diplomat he means Prince. The rest of the book follows Mia's understanding and experiences as she discovers her heritage, the world discovers her secret, friends betray her, and her Grandmere tortures her with "Princess Lessons."

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I liked coming into it having seen the movie and knowing the story, then having everything I thought I knew turned on its head. I like Mia's outlook on things and her writing is certainly, I think, true to a 15 year old's journal. I really enjoyed reading it and thinking back to being 15, thought I'm not a princess, and remembering the horrors of being 15 and imaging placing being a princess on top of that! I also really liked how she reacted to the news in the book verses in the movie. It's hard to explain without spoiling the differences, but if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about.

Have you read The Princess Diaries? Did you enjoy it? What did you think of the movie?

The Dream-Hunter: An Adult Book Review

"What mattered most was the present, and that was what he focused on. Always."
        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter



"Feel? Why would anyone in their right mind wish for that? Feelings are for fools."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

"Geary had never been aroused, amused, and highly offended all at the same time before."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

"The key to humanity is simple. Life your life with purpose."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

For my first Adult Romance in a while, this book was absolutely perfect! I really enjoyed it. Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of my favorite romance authors, and she's wrten a YA! Excitement abounds! I really like the new myths she's added into the mythology of Ancient Greece.

Summary: Arik is a Skotos, cursed by the gods to have no emotion and to feed off the emotions in the dreams of human. He has spent his life drifting from dream to dream looking for the emotions to make him feel alive.

Meageara hated her father's hunt as a child, but when he's on his death bed, she swears she'll carry on the quest and clear his name. A hollow promise then has become her life's purpose. She searches for Atlantis, keeping a stern, strong air in the patriarchal society of academia.

In her dreams, Geary can let go. She can be herself in all her fears, doubts, happiness, and sexuality. A man takes the place of her sexual fantasy. But only in her dreams, until Geary finds him floating in the sea near her research vessel. A man stepped straight for her dreams with a promise to make her lifes work come true.

Will Geary let go and trust her dream lover? Does he deserve to be trusted?

Characters: I really love the characters. Arik is so beautiful and has an almost childish ignorance about the human world, but dry humor doen't escape him. The otehr Skotos I adore is Solin. He's cold and amazingly sweet and humorous. Meageara is a good, likeable character. She's a strong woman, which by now I'm sure you know I love. She doesn't just fall into Arik's arms (or bed) the moment he arrives and promises to make her dreams come true (erotic and otherwise). My favrite characters are Kat and Persephone. Kat is a major part of the story but you'll have to read it to see why I like her. Persephone is actually only a very small part towards the end, but I find her adorable! She is understanding and a good balancing act for the "cold" god Hades.

Plot: I really liked the plot. There isn't a lot of sexual scenes, but the few are done well and tastefully. I like that there aren't many sex scenes. Through out the book, especially when seeing Arik's point of view, about erotic ideas and thoughts, but it doesn't take away from the plot. There is a lot of action that I really enjoyed. My favorite thing about this book is that the book isn't about sex, it's about Meageara, Arik, Gods, Goddesses, Atlantis, a quest, and consequences.

Recommendation: I would say that I  suggest this one to anyone who likes Adult paranormal romances. This certainly isn't one I'd suggest for anyone under 17, at the youngest. Like I said, don't expect a lot of erotic scenes, expect some, but expects a lot of action and dry humor.

Little (Grrl) Lost: A Book Review

“Have you ever seen a fairy?”
“Oh, sure. Duncan’s father is supposed to be one.”
“Really?”
“That’s what Melissa told me. But you shouldn’t call them that. Just say they’re gay.”
–Charles de Lint

Language is the oldest of magics.
–Charles de Lint

If you’re looking for a neat story about often forgotten creatures Charles de Lint’s Little (Grrrl) LOST is perfect for you. I greatly enjoyed reading it. It was an excellent break from the books I usually read. De Lint truly did a wonderful job on this one.

It’s the story of a friendship like no other. T.J. (the Big) moves into a new house from the country and thinks she has mice. Imagine her surprise when a door in her wall opens and out steps, not a mouse, but a 6 inch tall girl. Elizabeth (the Little) is dreadfully misunderstood by her parents and so positive she doesn’t need them. Despite being so small, Elizabeth is courageous, even if she does have an attitude problem. Their friendship is troubled and that’s just the beginning!

I highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys books about friendship, outcasts/misunderstood people, or various mythical creatures. Charles de Lint is an excellent YA novelist. The story isn’t at all hard to read and makes for great leisure, easy reading. I personally can’t wait to read another of his wonderful novels.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre: A Book Review

“Tarry with me, my love, at my side.”

-Gail Carson Levine

I haven’t enough words to put the praise I have for Gail Carson Levine into. Until now, I had only read her most well-known novel, Ella Enchanted, and it was my favorite. Recently I was lucky enough to find two of her other books at a used bookstore. I got decent copies of Fairest and The Two Princesses of Bamarre. The later I read first and absolutely loved it!

Princess Adelina is a shy, timid little princess. Princess Meryl, Adelina’s sister, is more of an adventure loving, courageous, strong willed princess. Princess Meryl always planned to find the cure to the Gray Death and to protect her sister. When the tables are turned and Meryl gets the Gray Death, it’s up to Adelina to leave the warmth and safety of her castle home in hopes to save her sister. Can a shy little princess become a hero? Or with Bamarre lose both the princesses?

I absolutely loved the fairytale way Levine tells this story! Such a beautifully spun new tale for the ages. It’s so wonderful to read a standalone novel and it’s even better that it was amazing. While Ella’s story still remains my favorite, this book is certainly towards the top of my list of favorite full novel fairy tales.