I’m still processing so please be patient with me. This book did a fantastic job of showing humanities flaws, how a war She didn’t win, she survived.
I’m still processing so please be patient with me. This book did a fantastic job of showing humanities flaws, how a war is never won and that people will always have their own agendas, no matter the cost. It was really quite harrowing at times.
I loved Katniss, she had so many badass moments just by being herself. Everyone played their role so well, even if I didn’t necessarily like it.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when going into this and I do feel a little bit foolish for expecting a happy ending. I’d call it bittersweet. But once again, that’s war, that’s life.
I definitely complained a lot throughout this which I don’t necessarily think is fair. I think I’ll appreciate it a lot more on the reread.
I once again stand by, and will always stand by my hate for Gale and how much I detest his presence in every single one of these books. I suppose he served his purpose but at what cost? My mental well-being.
Nonetheless, I’m very pleased with this series and enjoyed myself very much. I look forward to starting the remaining two books. ...more
And so the stakes keep rising! This book was filled with some amazing world building that only proved to up the ante. Tensions are high from the get gAnd so the stakes keep rising! This book was filled with some amazing world building that only proved to up the ante. Tensions are high from the get go. I feel like Katniss’ character has grown so much since the first book (even though not a lot of time has gone by) - I think she really solidified herself as the “protagonist” in this one and I loved that for her!
Because Book 1’s main focus was the games, it was easy to focus on the ‘here and now’ rather than the larger picture, it was a different kind of ‘life or death’. But Book 2 really expanded on just how evil the Capitol is.
I also adored some of the new characters that were introduced (I’m looking at you Finnick and Mags!!). Especially as they’re from different districts to 12, it was so interesting to learn more about the other districts and how they are being impacted.
Now, what I will say is that I’m pretty sick of all this ‘Peeta or Gale’ back and forth - it feels redundant. And I’m sure there can be an argument made for how they both represent different things for Katniss and it’s deeper than just a love triangle but it’s doing my head in and I don’t want to see it. Let’s just make Peeniss endgame and be done with it.
(Potentially) Controversially, I think I did prefer Book 1 but I absolutely appreciate this one and everything it represents. Very much looking forward to reading Mockingjay and seeing where this story takes us. ...more
This was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for me. And by that I mean: I cried…like, a lot. Big ugly sobs too.
Coming to terms with your grief isThis was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for me. And by that I mean: I cried…like, a lot. Big ugly sobs too.
Coming to terms with your grief is hard and watching Coyote and Rodeo do so, separately and together, felt very powerful. They were on a real journey, as were the friends they met along the way.
I think anyone would have a hard time not being charmed by these characters. I can wholeheartedly say that I loved this book. ...more
Okay, I think I should first preface that I absolutely adore the film adaptation of this book. It doesn’t happen often but in this case, said film is Okay, I think I should first preface that I absolutely adore the film adaptation of this book. It doesn’t happen often but in this case, said film is far superior. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this read, but mostly for how it added to the film rather than anything else. Nonetheless, Nobley will always steal my heart. ...more
Okay Miss Suzanne Collins, I wasn’t aware of your game!
This book was an absolute blast. The story was nicely split across 3 Parts and felt ev4.5 Stars
Okay Miss Suzanne Collins, I wasn’t aware of your game!
This book was an absolute blast. The story was nicely split across 3 Parts and felt ever moving. Although I’m unaware of what happens in the rest of the series, this really set the groundwork’s for a great world. The world building plus all the interesting characters make for a great read. Not to mention the deep rooted criticisms on capitalism which I’m sure will become even more evident as I go on.
The Hunger Games had everything it needed to have. I laughed, I cried, I screamed. I’m really glad I picked this up (and can’t wait to see how the film compares!)...more
I enjoyed this read. It had a certain atmosphere, a certain ambiance, that drew me in. It felt magical, and adventurous and…smoky? I can’t e3.25 Stars
I enjoyed this read. It had a certain atmosphere, a certain ambiance, that drew me in. It felt magical, and adventurous and…smoky? I can’t explain it.
The first half of this was a solid 3.5 stars for me. The only reason I lowered my final rating was just because the second half felt like it lost a bit of its wind. I did slightly stop caring at one point which was disappointing.
Our characters certainly shined through - I absolutely adored Iris and Marin. Their budding friendship was actually so sweet.
What I will say is that I think this had the bones to be something great, it just needs a bit of polish....more
A wild read filled with tension and trauma. It was interesting being inside both of our main characters heads, in the present and in the flas3.5 Stars
A wild read filled with tension and trauma. It was interesting being inside both of our main characters heads, in the present and in the flashbacks spanning 20 years.
Nina was such an interesting character. It was easy to sympathise with her about certain things she experienced. And then she’d go and do the most wicked things with delusional justifications.
Similar things could be said for Maggie. Although, Maggie always felt like she really did have the right intentions, or, you could at least understand her motivations better.
I can’t say I feel completely satisfied with the conclusion but that’s probably because I’m a sucker for a happy ending. However, given the contents of this book, I suppose it was fitting....more
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was successful in laying out a lot of the consequences of global warming in an easily digestible way. 4.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was successful in laying out a lot of the consequences of global warming in an easily digestible way. It outlined quite a few simple ways that everyday people can lower their carbon footprints.
This is a good book for people who maybe don’t know a lot about what is currently happening to our world. It was short, it wasn’t too dense and included a lot of great anecdotes from people at the front line being affected the most by global warming.
Personally, I’d like to do a lot more in my personal life to try and save our planet. It won’t be a lot but this book puts a lot of stress on how if we all come together and do our part, we may be able to help our futures. This is a really optimistic take, I think we need a bit of that in our lives. ...more
I'm sorry but this was doing entirely too much. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly, but my god was this full-on. If you th3.5 Stars
I'm sorry but this was doing entirely too much. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly, but my god was this full-on. If you thought Book 1 was a lot with all the back and fourth, you're in for a sweet treat with this one. It was exactly the same but even more confusing because we were following so, so many more characters. Once again, this wasn't necessarily bad, but it did feel like we'd lost track of the original intentions. Hell, it felt like we barely saw any of our favs from the previous book.
I still had a great time with this, each character was so interesting, it was a shame it never felt like there was any time to fully explore them. Nonetheless, I'm interested to see what's next (even though it's been 6 years and I though this was a duology...)...more
I’m sorry, I just didn’t like this. None of the characters felt like real people, none were likeable and it all seemed a bit silly (derogatory). HarpeI’m sorry, I just didn’t like this. None of the characters felt like real people, none were likeable and it all seemed a bit silly (derogatory). Harper spent the entire book stringing Dan along, and Dan clearly never took her rejections seriously. Harper’s friends were incredibly unfunny but in their defence, I’m not sure I could put up with Harper blowing up all the time. And I know that’s a little bit insensitive because of her anxiety but little miss wasn’t doing anything to help herself, at that point she was just being a dick for the sake of it. Yup, definitely didn’t enjoy this read. ...more
This was a really cute read. I greatly enjoyed this take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. Toadling was such a gentle and lovable protagon3.5 Stars
This was a really cute read. I greatly enjoyed this take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. Toadling was such a gentle and lovable protagonist, it was so easy to empathise with her. And Halim was super sweet too, I would have loved to learn more about him. ...more
Couldn’t be more pleased with this read, Acaster strikes again! There was just something so magical about the prose used to describe all of t4.5 Stars
Couldn’t be more pleased with this read, Acaster strikes again! There was just something so magical about the prose used to describe all of these albums and how the themes followed the same narrative as James’ experience in 2016/17. I can’t say I’m a massive music person but this actually excited me at the prospect of discovering new music and in turn, that music helping you discover yourself.
This was very close to being a 5 star read for me but, unfortunately, I felt like it dragged nearer to the end. I don’t know whether this was actually the case or if it was just because of me feeling too drained but either way, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I will most certainly be listening to as many of the albums mentioned as I can - promise!! ...more
This whole book was an absolute BLAST! Words cannot comprehend how much I enjoyed this...but I will try nonetheless. The set-up was perfect and quite This whole book was an absolute BLAST! Words cannot comprehend how much I enjoyed this...but I will try nonetheless. The set-up was perfect and quite original, it has the usual tropes you'd expect to find but that only enhanced the experience because it was done so well. I cared about the characters, their struggles and their developing relationships. This was such an easy read and fun throughout, you couldn't have pried the book from my cold, dead hands. Not to mention the tension, the burn, my goodness, I was giggling and kicking my feet. I think it's pretty obvious that I will be reading the next instalment of this series, I cannot wait!...more
This was fun, wholesome and heartbreaking all at once, I really enjoyed this read. Such a fun concept, it was truly giving Just Like Heaven vibes. OurThis was fun, wholesome and heartbreaking all at once, I really enjoyed this read. Such a fun concept, it was truly giving Just Like Heaven vibes. Our main characters were well thought out and suited one another perfectly. Definitely worth a read. ...more
This was decent, I really liked when it focussed on Phoebe's struggle with grief and how her relationship with her father and others was reflected in This was decent, I really liked when it focussed on Phoebe's struggle with grief and how her relationship with her father and others was reflected in the true crime stories she immersed herself in. It had the tiniest bit of an Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine vibe (and I mean the tiniest, tiniest, barely there vibe). I really enjoyed the relationship between Phoebe and Sam and wish we'd seen a bit more of them being functional and happy together. Still, it was nice. ...more
I found this book to be wholly enjoyable. It wasn’t without faults but what is? This was a fun concept and while we’ve seen it before, I think it stilI found this book to be wholly enjoyable. It wasn’t without faults but what is? This was a fun concept and while we’ve seen it before, I think it still worked perfectly well. Two lonely people interacting through letters without knowing one another’s identity is a classic. That being said, the letters didn’t take up a massive portion of this book. The presence was often there but other plots took precedence.
I liked Mercy and Hart together. Their whole “hate” thing wasn’t entirely believable and I think they switched up super fast but I can look past it. When they were together, they were great.
I think what I enjoyed most about this was Mercy and her passion for her family business. The love and care she put into being an undertaker was truly a sight to behold. I also liked her relationship with her family (although they frustrated me a tad in the beginning).
I will admit, I think this book found it hard to decide what it was going for. The romance, the plots and the world building didn’t always feel like it meshed very well. I’m still not sure I fully understand the world we were dropped in. And I would have loved to see more focus on the takedown of Cunninghams.