The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old, living in the coal mining District 12 with her mother and sister, Prim. Her father died a few years ago in a miners accident and since then Katniss has been doing everything in her power to care for her younger sister and mother. Picking up her father’s bow and using the skills he taught her in the local forbidden woods she supports her family.
The annual Hunger Games, a tournament where a boy and girl from each district ages 12-18 are selected to compete in a deadly game of kill or be killed, comes around and she soon finds herself in the Capitol being prepped for the deadliest days of her life.

I was surprised. I have heard so many great things about this book from friends that I just had to read it. Now I have had books like this before, Harry Potter is one, but I honestly thought that with the basic plot of the story being children forced into killers in order to live, that I wouldn’t like this book. Wow, was I wrong. Now I still don’t agree with the idea of children killing children but Collins wrote the death parts in fairly non-graphic, dare I say it, and tasteful ways. Yes, there are a couple of cringe worthy moments, but there are also heart breaking moments.

The plot was astounding. We get to know Katniss very personally in the first few chapters and are then transported to the Capitol where we see how incompetent she is for the challenges she’s about to face. We meet her support team and Peeta, the boy selected from District 12 to play in the games. This was my favorite part of the book, seeing the modern world from a new angle. Then the fun is over and the games start. As said earlier the deaths where as tastefully done as one can imagine for this type of book. What I really enjoyed was the added level of complexity in the game, by the sponsors and support teams. The players aren’t just sent into the game but can try getting sponsors to help them throughout the contest; this gave a wonderful twist to the book. Also the last part of the book has some wonderful twists that I toughly enjoyed.
I think Katniss was well written in first person and that we were easily able to understand her and her actions. I liked having Peeta, Cinna, Gale, Prim and others support her, without an external support team no one would last long in a game like the one Katniss was forced to play. It is a game of mental more then a game of physical, and the game is very physical.
Panem, a future version of North America and Canada, was my least favorite part. District 12 was interesting, the Capitol a little less then original, and the arena was undefined. By undefined I mean Katniss took almost two days to reach one spot, but then she is constantly going back to that location within a few hours. Also there is mention of grassland but we never get to explore it. I did enjoy the Mutations though. These creatures are very useful to the book, though slightly creepy, and add a level of understanding to how much genetic engineering has changed in the world of Panem.

I read this book in two days and have to say that I love it. True the morals of some characters is disappointing, Katniss never felt remorse for her kills, but the book is still very good.

A

Alienation by Jon S. Lewis

From a perfect life to pure chaos, that is Colt McAlister has been dealt. Shortly after his 16^th birthday his parents were both killed in a car crash. Just it wasn’t any random accident, no it was a hit and run target mission put on by aliens. Since then Colt has moved to Arizona to live with his Grandfather Murdoch, who is a famous -if only in comic form- hero. In Invasion, book one of the CHAOS series, we learned of Colt’s family history with a secret government branch that focuses on protecting earth from aliens forces who are planning on taking over earth. Now it is Colt’s turn to continue the family legacy and join CHOAS Academy with his old friend Danielle Salazar and his new friend Oz Romero. As a team they must learn everything they can before the Thule aliens invade.   
As if this wasn’t enough Colt is constantly in the cross hairs of a master assassin. Watching your back isn’t good enough when the hunter is a skin changer.

I when I picked Alienation up I had just finished two fairly large books, one 500 pages another 400 and was happy to see that Alienation was a grand total of only 274 pages. When more and more authors are going for long 400-800 page books I started to wonder, can an author create a gripping book in so few pages? Well, Jon S. Lewis did it.
We start Alienation where Invasion left off. Colt is living with his grandfather getting ready to leave for CHAOS-Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural-training.

I really got to know Colt through Alienation. He learns so many things about himself in the book, some good and some not so good things. We see how he is willing to stand up for what he thinks is right and protect those he cares about. He also reacts the same as any other human would, making him more then just a ‘cool’ character, which he is.
Same with Danielle, she doesn’t get enough credit in my opinion. Smart, friendly and a pro-hacker I just loved watching her take over and help Colt as he was going through so much stress, not to mention the death threats.
Now what are we missing in this team? Yep, the muscle in the group. That is covered by Oz, son of CHAOS director Lobo, has grown up in the alien world and knows how to fight. He is a great character that I truly hope will get more of the spot light in the next edition of CHAOS.

We didn’t get to see any alien planets this time but there were gadgets aplenty to make up for it.
I was thrilled with how this book turned out.
Another really cool this is a short 6 page comic that stands in as a prolog. I think that was one of my favorite parts.
So much is packed into such a small book, and the fact that it is small and can be read in a few hours is great. 

A
Thanks to Booksneeze for giving me this review copy.

The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden city.

Freya Reynolds is a university student with a touch of OCD and an obsession with myth and folklore. Daniel Tully is living rough on the streets of Oxford, waging a secret war against an enemy only he can identify. Years ago, they found themselves in a world few know is real. They have since gone their separate ways and tried to put that adventure behind them.

But the mythical world is now bleeding into our reality-a dark spiritual evil that is manifesting itself in forgotten corners of the British Isles. Alex Simpson is a Scottish police officer who specializes in hunting mythical creatures. Together, they must confront the past, the present, and points beyond to defeat the ultimate threat to humanity.

Nothing they've seen so far prepares them for what awaits . . . in The Realms Thereunder.

(Taken from the back of the book.)

This book is very well written with only a couple typos found. The chapters were also a little confusing at first. Due to the fact that the story is set in two times and then multiple point of views (POVs) in these times, the author has the book set up with chapters and then sections within these chapters. At first I found it confusing but after the first two chapters I thought that the chapter/section layout was very smart and easy to follow.

The beginning of “The Realms Thereunder” was wonderful on both parts, past and present. I quickly learned important things about the settings and people that attached me to the world and characters. Sadly I felt that the “past” part got repetitive, predictable, and overall boring near the end. To make up for this the “present” sections always had me guessing and wondering what is going on and about to happen. All in all the plot was an excellent start to the series, giving us the first steps of the next adventure and the history in one entertaining story.

I thought that the world was very well created with both old and new creatures to keep you interested. The mix of dragons, trolls, elves and other classics of fantasy blended in seamlessly with yfelgóp, Tuatha Dé, changelings, and more.
Britain served as an excellent springboard for this book. Giving us a rich history, you can tell Ross Lawhead did quite a bit of research for this book. He expanded Britain’s history and added a wonderful variety to what we already know making me feel pulled in and wondering if his tale could have real happened.

Daniel and Freya were properly formed and well rounded. They had different depths of character between their younger and older selves in a realistic way.
Something I truly enjoyed watching through the book is their friendship. They are polar opposites of social classes, forced to work together. They had disagreements on what they thought they should do, but worked it out and focused on the main goal, get home. Other times they didn’t agree and handled it in another very human style, avoided each other, but once again they saw the need and worked it out. I liked the author having them mix like this, it gave a very interesting view about life styles and working together.
Ecgbryt and Swi∂gar added a wonderful flare to the story with riddles, wonderful accents, and tales from the history. Many of the characters had accents, Ross Lawhead did a great job with these. I could almost tell who was talking from their accent; few authors can do such a great job with this.

I liked this book, it was a nice fantasy book that had me interested throughout. I am waiting a little less then patiently for the next book in the series to come out.

A

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Book Sneeze for providing me with a copy of The Realms Thereunder.

Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul

A dragon egg is in the clutches of an evil wizard, Risto. Paladin and his followers know that if the egg is hatched within Risto's clutches destruction will befall that land of Amara. Paladin must rely on a slave girl turned servant, who has an extraordinary gift. Just this child isn't a warrior, she knows nothing of the world beyond the village she served in as a slave. How can she fight evil wizards, find a hidden treasure and expect to raise minor dragons?
Kale has already started her journey, following a planned path she is looking for adventure as a servant in the capital city Vendela. When she is told that she is suppose to follow a couple of strangers into a bog looking for a wizard that doesn't want to found, battle an evil wizard and raise minor dragons she doesn't think she can handles it all. Will this naive girl survive the dangerous path she needs to follow and trust in Wulder?

Kale is the main character of Dragonspell, she was very well developed growing throughout the book in a realistic manor. With her history as a servant showing through everything she does it was easy to understand her. She learned a lot throughout the book, growing from and ignorant slave girl that doesn't understand companions and friendship, to a quester who is looking forward to learning as much as she can about the world around her.
There were many characters in this book, though not to many that I got them confused. I enjoyed all of them. They were all unique in their own way; Dar and his flashy antics, Leetu as she learned to lead, Fenworth with his nonsense talk, and little Gymn fainting throughout the book, as well as everyone else had some special feature that I loved.

For the world, Amara is probably one of my favorite fantasy worlds. With minor dragons, the 7 high and low races, the bogs, mountains and the history made Amara feel like it was a real place. The magic was well placed and didn’t over bear the book, but still was needed for the plot. The minor dragons really made the world stand out, with their adorable hobbies that had me laughing.

Plot was fine, slightly slow at times because it would wander from the main plot line. I feel this is okay though, it gave us more insight into the world and characters as well as taught many lessons about character development.
The book could have been read like it had two main plots, find the meech egg and teach Kale. I liked this because it made the book more interesting. With only one plot the book would have been very similar to many other books, the underlying plot gave a certain flare, which made Dragonspell more memorable.

All in all I feel this book was a good lighthearted and humorous read to enjoy with my busy life. 

A

Thank you Waterbrook for giving me this reviewers copy.

The Final Hour by Andrew Klavan

Charlie West is caught. His days of running from the law are over, but that doesn’t mean he is safe. Prison life isn’t like walking though a bed of flowers, and the Homelander members that share the prison with him are making sure he knows it. Beatings are common and death is peering over his shoulder. He has to get out if he is going to live to see the New Year.
Freedom is offered but at a terrible price. Will he do the unthinkable to get out and save the lives of others? And what about the Homelanders? Almost all have been caught but that doesn’t mean they will stop fighting. They are mounting a final attack that will happen at the last possible hour. . .

I loved this series. Book 1, “The Last Thing I Remember”, was fast pace and all action. While Book 2, “The Long Way Home”, was absolutely hilarious. Book 3, “The Truth of the Matter”, had emotion and discovery, and I feel book 4, The Final Hour, was a mix of all these, but mainly action.

Once again Charlie is written amazingly, the first person view point had my heart racing while he raced through the mud, exchanged bullets and crash landed. It also helped me will him on, making me feel the loneliness of prison life, cringe with pain at each blow and hold my breath hoping and praying for the best.
Charlie is truly the main character but I have to add the Detective Rose and Mike were excellent. Stone face and chucklehead gave me something to laugh at in the midst of the trouble.

Plot was different then the last 3 books, it was more straightforward. Almost all the questions have been answered in the past books. This book was more about getting an ending that ties up the last loose ends and leaves the reader content. It was a good plot with action and twists, but I feel that it was the weakest of the series. Now as a testament to the series and how good it is, the plot was still amazing. Just not quite as strong and interesting as “The Last Thing I Remember”, “The Long Way Home”, and “The Truth of the Matter”.

Klavan brings up ideas of bravery, morals, and perseverance. All of which I loved, using a fiction book to teach, and in such a way that it doesn’t slow down the plot, phenomenal!
In closing I think this is one of the best series I have read, the best first person I have ever read, and a great addition to Christian fiction.  

A

Thank you to Book Sneeze for giving me this book to read.

The Map Across Time by C.S. Lakin

When Sherbourne’s queen dies the king goes insane, shoving his daughter and deformed son away. Trying fill the empty space his wife left he turns into a collectaholic, thinking things will help fill the hole. But greed over takes him, to afford his stuff he raises higher taxes on the poor. Sadly for Sherourne the king’s greed is only an underlying problem. There is a deeper sha’mad, destruction, happening and the only way to fix this qa’lal, or curse, is to go back to where (or when) it started, over 300 years earlier. Will the rejected prince take a risk to gain favor in his father’s eyes and save the kingdom? Who will be the Pa’lat, the Deliverer?

Aletha and Adin are a prince and princess.
Aletha is the older of the two, and it shows through her actions. At a young age she was forced to grow up quickly, to protect her brother and be a leader of the kingdom.
Adin meanwhile is shy.  With his hunched back, scared face and twisted leg he feels like a freak. Gladly letting Aletha take most of the roles the young prince should. Adin had the most character development in the book, he wasn’t the same person in the end. He also over came many troubles, teaching a lesson of perseverance.  
The rest of the characters in “The Map Across Time” are enough to give depth but not overwhelm us. It was like “Goldy Locks and the Three Bears” just right. Not to many and not to few.

This book is over 400 pages and I have to say Lakin did a great job giving description and insight without bogging down the book. Every question is answered, there wasn’t anything unneeded, and the time travel was done excellent. The plot wasn’t overly confusing but it was intricate. The only problem was the plot wasn’t “fast pace”, it was well paced to keep me reading but not “I can’t stop reading this book” fast. Looking back there is nothing I can think of that Lakin could have done to speed the plot up without hurting the book.
Most of the time I think the characters make the book, but this is an exception. The plot in this book is purely amazing, the characters and world just added to it.

Sherbourne was masterfully woven together. There is; history, language (some used above), lands, creatures, even futures in this world.

Great book well worth reading!

A

P.S. Some might read this book and wonder how it is related to Wolf of Tebron, you’ll learn. Just hang in there, it’s near the end.

The Door in the Dragon's Throat by Frank Peretti

*to a tune* There's a hole in the bottom of the desert. There's a hole in the bottom of the desert. There's a hole, there's a hole. There's a hole in the bottom of the desert. And in that hole is a cavern, and in that cavern is a door, and behind that door no one knows what... *song goes on*

So, with the mystery of what is behind the door enters Dr. Jake Cooper an archeologist. Who has traveled the world with his crew Jeff, Tom, Bill and his two children, Jay and Lila.
They were asked to come explore a pit in the desert by President Al-Dallam who is looking for riches. What they find there though is utterly amazing.

In short I was pleasantly surprised, Frank Peretti wrote an entertaining book in 125 pages and with only 9 named characters. In a publishing world where everyone wants depth, lots of characters, and at least 300 page books this was a wonderful break. I loved sitting back and reading Door in the Dragon's Throat.

I read this book years ago and enjoyed it just as much now as I did then. The thrill, excitement, discovery was like when I first read it, The Door in the Dragon's Throat was so good I read it in one sitting. With my busy life I loved the fact I could sit down and read an entire book so quickly, do to its size.
Now don't get me wrong! Even though it was a short book it is by no means simple. No it is complex compared to what I see in most pre-teen books. Twists, action, insight, adventure, explosions, everything I look for in a book were here. Good enough for an older teen or even adult reader.

Peretti also filled this book with lessons of greed, revelations, trusting in God and more. These are wonderful lessons taught without over preaching.

Frank Peretti was my first “big” author I had ever read as a kid, I started with his teen books then his pre-teen. Looking back I decided to read The Cooper Kid adventure series again and see what I thought of it years later as a reviewer.  I wasn’t disappointed. This book is great.

A

The Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin

Thanks to Living Ink Publishers for giving me this book to review.

Joran is a simple black smith, but when his wife vanishes for apparently no reason he feels guilty. He will attempt traveling to the 4 corners of the earth to find her with only a lone wolf to guide him.   

As soon as I started reading this book I was enchanted. With bright, colorful, and diverse characters you will smile or even laugh out loud at their charisma.
Joran is realistic, he deals with the faults that everyone does, anger, loneliness, fear, despair and much more. He will connect to everyone in any part of his walk through life. Ruyah  is there to help Joran with this journey. Ruyah is a wise wolf who spouts advice that is so true it is annoying, yet at times he acts like a giant puppy.  The secondary characters were enjoyable and thought provoking. Lakin did a nice job with all of the characters in this book, making everyone special.

The plot wasn’t action packed, which I found it relaxing. Since “The Wolf of Tebron” is about 250 pages long I felt it didn’t need to have a very fast plot to get me through it. It was an enjoyable read. At times though, it did seem as if the plot was starting to feel a little repetitive. Just as I was about to really get tired of it the plot changed. I was amazed at the timing. She gave flashbacks when needed, gives insight when wanted and covered great topics in “The Wolf of Tebron”. The lessons she covered in this book are so wide that I can’t even write down most of them. I will have to re-read this book to get a better understanding of only the lessons in this book.  To me this book is more like a long parable than the title “Fairy Tale” given on the cover.

I didn’t have any problem with this but I would like to notify you that this book includes magic, and something some might miss interpret as ideas of ‘mother earth’.  The way it was done was fine, maybe a little confusing but still good. 

I really enjoyed this book, it was fresh, entertaining, humorous, thought provoking and all around great.   

A