THIS CONTAINS LOTS OF SPOILERS.
You know what sucked?
New Moon.
I hated New Moon.
An entire book of Bella acting like an idiot and being bored reading about werewolves.
I mean, in the scheme of the series, I understand it’s purpose. To provide backstory and try to get me to not want to hurl every time I see Jacob’s face.
(It didn’t work, but it’s totally fine, they let Taylor Lautner be the new Vin Diesel, anyway.)
I finished Catching Fire, book #2 in the Hunger Games series, at 3am.
Much like the first book, it started off hard to get into, but I assumed after a few chapters, I’d be hooked.
But, I wasn’t.
To be fair, I already dreaded it. Katniss and Peeta come back from the Capital, cue the teenage love triangle and crying into a pillow.
Except none of that happened. Katniss just comes home and stops talking to Peeta, I think? I honestly have no idea because exactly nothing is explained. She’s just home and angsty and still whining about the fucking berries. Oh, and she’s hunting with Gayle again, you know, the guy I have absolutely no emotional investment in because all I know about him is that he is also poor and apparently looks attractive killing animals.
And really, Katniss, I want to like you. You’re strong and smart, which I try to remember when my eyes glaze over as you complain about everything. But, you’re 17 years old. Two hot guys tell you they love you, and you squirm around like you have the emotional capacity of Elmo. By the time I was 17, I had been in love at least four times. None of this is making sense.
And just when I am trying to wrap my head around the GIANT GAPING PLOT HOLES, surprise! Back to the Hunger Games we go.
I texted my Hunger Games Sponsor.
Me: Wait. They have to go BACK INTO THE GAME!?
Jen: Yep.
Me: WTFOMG I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS. I’m feeding this book to Poppy.
Jen: I know. I KNOW.
I don’t want to spend 800 chapters keeping Katniss and Peeta alive in the jungle with my mind powers (it’s similar to how I keep my plane from not crashing, except there’s less praying and I’m allowed bathroom breaks.)
I’m tired.
While the book did pick up from that point, it all felt rushed. Why don’t we learn more about the victors? Why isn’t the game explained the same way? Why am I picturing Finnick as Matt Dillon’s weird looking brother from Entourage? Why does everyone have ridiculous names? IS THIS WHAT THE FUTURE IS LIKE!?
I’m beginning to wonder if maybe this book was written by an entirely different person.
I wasn’t prepared when it ended, but what it lacked in depth, it made up for in plot twist and cliff hanger.
Dammit.
On to book three.
Check out my review of Hunger Games and Mockingjay!
Oh, if you didn’t like the second book, you’re going to hate the third one.
I agree! I was really disappointed in the ending. Very rushed.
dammit.
Yeah, seriously. I liked the first two books fine, but I could not take what a whiny bitch Katniss was being in the third. I don’t think I got past chapter three.
I haven’t read them yet, but to be fair I think your review is talking me out of it. I’m thinking I could just read more vampire sex books and invest my time better. Right?
Vampire sex books = J.R. Ward. But not, like, virgin, sparkly vampire sex. No. Ward is OMG it’s freaking hot in here, I think I might spontaneously combust vampire sex.
I like J.R Ward, but the similarities between her books and Lara Adrian’s books annoy the hell out of me. I prefer Laurel K Hamilton for my sexy vampires.
I’ll have to check her out. Thanks! I’m always looking for new authors. Kresley Cole is also good for supernatural romance, but she’s a good mix of sexy and hilarious.
J.R. Ward = Yummy Hot Sexy vampires!!
I have read all of them plus her work before the vampires written as Jessica Bird they are also good, I just started the third book in her fallen angel series last night. I have loved everything of hers!
I enjoyed all three books for what they were, but Katniss is a hard character to identify with.
Agreed. There is almost no part of her I relate to, which is weird. It’s like she was almost made TOO hard.
I’ve never heard of these books, and am kind of intrigued now.
But seriously. What is up with all futuristic books having characters with weird names?!
I liked book 1. I did okay with book 2. I absolutely despised book 3. Would not read it again. Ever. For any reason.
And I reread probably 80% of the books I read.
Sorry. You will probably hate book 3. I thought it was by far the worst. It seems like it’s written by a totally different author and doesn’t connect well with the rest of the series.
I get the whole love triangle thing. Katniss doesn’t want to fall in love with anyone because life on the Seam is so hard. She’s loved and lost a lot of people in her life from accidents and starvation and stuff, and that keeps her from wanting to get close to anyone. Also, she really doesn’t want to get married, because getting married means having the sexy times and making lots of babies. She doesn’t want to bring a new life into the world knowing that one day her own kids would have to go the Reaping. And I doubt there are very many convenient ways of birth control in this world, so she’s all, “To hell with this, I’ll just make myself a vibrator out of a bee hive or some shit and take care of things MYSELF.”
Also, I think the reason you don’t learn more about the victors is that they’re really just disposable characters meant to get the plot from point A to point WTF.
I could not stand the 3rd book. Why end it like that????????????? I agree you think someone else must have written it.
Book 3 is better much better. Book 2 is like waiting for an orgasm that never happens. Hang in there, it gets better.
Of course, I LOVE the series.
I really want to like Katniss. Really, I do. But I hate how this supposedly strong, capable, feminist hero for young girls to look up to, in the end makes all her decisive actions at the behest of (or in reaction to) male characters. Grrrr…
All that said, I can’t wait to see the movies. Apart from Woody Harrelson I think they are ridiculously well casted.
It’s funny because I think Woody Harrelson is perfect for Haymitch? Drunk, beligerent asshole with a secret soft-spot for these tributes?? Perfect I tell you – perfect!! :)
Well, I guess it depends on how well-worn he looks. I was expecting someone old and disheveled. Like, really disheveled.
Again, with you on New Moon suckage.
Downloaded books…but had a date with Edward for Breaking Dawn on the big screen one more time before he gets booted outta the theatres to make room for the onslaught of Oscar flicks. I am still so blinded by Edward that I can’t move forward…but I will. I promise. Just not thrilled with the idea of New Moon quality suckage.
Book 3, Mocking Jay, is somewhere in between book 1 and 2. Not quite as good as 1, but better than 2.
Ooo, just read the comments, 3 is not popular. I kinda liked it though. I finished the whole trilogy less than a week ago and I’ve already started rereading it.
I told you these books were like crack. Not necessarily good, but UNSTOPPABLE. I found myself going to Barnes and Noble at like 9:55 in my pajamas in order to buy book 3 before they closed, so I didn’t have to wait until the following day.
Don’t read book 3!! Just imagine something for yourself, it’s much much better that way. That book ruined the series for me and I LOVED the first two books.
Book 2 was ok, but not really memorable. (Could be all the pot I smoked as a teenager.. who knows) I also loved Finnick, stupid name or not. ;)
Book 3 pissed me off at points, like the author just goes on a killing spree.
But, I think it ended the best way it could have though, considering the circumstances.
All in all the trilogy is really good, it made me cry, laugh, pissed me off, gave me hope, crushed that hope…
After I read that trilogy I read the “Fever” series by Karen Moning. Good shit right there. All i can say is: Jericho Barrons *swoon*
This makes me sad. 2 was my favorite book.
On a lighter note, you can go to thecapitol.pn/ to find out which district you would be in. I’m in 9.
Oh no! The truth is, I may have LIKED the story of book 2, but I just wanted MORE of it. More details, more explanation, more everything. It seemed too rushed, and I just wanted to know more. I felt kinda in the dark.
That makes sense. The plot gaps didn’t bother me that much because I tend to make up my own shit anyway. I fill in all the blanks and create back stories and futures for all my favorite characters …
This probably explains why I never had many friends in school.
This is amusing me to no end that in spite of having yourself convinced you weren’t going to like these books, that you’ll have them done by New Year’s Eve. I’m handing them out like crack to my friends and they’re all getting hooked too.
I liked book 3 more than book 2 but not as much as book 1. Very similar to Twilight really (and I completely agree with everything you say about New Moon. Hated it – read it 5 times and still hate it).
Blurg! Now I am torn. I downloaded the book, but now I am not sure I want to invest. I have only somewhat succeeded to de-Twilight myself, but I am still googling rumors that Midnight Sun is coming out.
So is this something a Twilight freak would like, or should I just keep searching for my new Edward, which btw, I hear Vampire Diaries gives you a slight Twilight buzz, but I haven’t checked it out yet to know for sure. I am skeptical.
Honestly, read it. It won’t interfere with Twilight, I worried the same thing, and it’s totally different.
Also, did you read Midnight Sun online? It was so good!
Yes! It was awesome, and I would DIE if she actually finished it. Nothing like being inside Edward’s head, pretty awesome. God, I have problems.
Lili St. Crow books starting with Strange Angel.
Skip all others.
WARNING!!! You are going to hate the 3rd book. It’s so hard to follow and Katniss is not Katniss at all. Least favorite in the series so if you hated the second you’ll loathe the third.
I love them all. I thought book 2 was incredible, and I was pleased with the ending in book 3.
Haha I told you! Just wait, the 3rd book is the absolute worst! Especially if you like Peeta, your just like WTF.
Have Fun.
Am I the only one that liked the third book? It was definitely different from the previous two, but what I think slips through the cracks is that at the end of the day, it is still a dystopian novel, and I kind of like that it’s not an in-your-face romance (… as most of the books I read are). Anyways, give it a chance, I think liking or not liking it is completely a matter of personal preference :)
Book 2 was my favorite, but I too wanted MORE of it! They get darker, but she’s growing up and the world is getting scarier (like it does when you get older) so it makes sense. And get ready for nightmares. The capital pulls some scary scary shit in book 3.
Still haven’t read it. Pretty sure I don’t want to now. I have a 4-year-old diva whining daughter… I don’t need whining in my fictional fantasy life too.
I think I’m the lone dissenter here. I actually liked the 3rd book. I didn’t understand some of it, so I’ll probably read it again. You’ll get mad, but that’s okay. I think that the ending is the way it’s supposed to be.
I hope you can get into book 3 (Mockingjay) more than I can. I read through book one and two like wildfire. I couldn’t read them fast enough. Then I started book 3 and hit a brick wall. It was slow and draggy and nothing was happening and I ended up not even reading half of it and got my peeps on Twitter to tell me what happens and who Katniss ends up with. Needless to say I hate how it ends so I am glad I didn’t waste my precious hours reading that crap. Although a lot of ppl I talk to love how it ended and think she ends up with the right guy. I call BULLSHIT. My opinion is the only valid opinion, right?
I don’t know who wrote that book and I don’t to know because I still LOVE TO READ, but I am mostly disturbed by the fact that the GIRLS are named “Katniss” and “Peeta” and the BOY is named “GAYLE”, which is not even the way old men who are named that even spell it (“Gale”..I know this bc I work with old people).
PS Even though everyone at work was addicted to Twilight I never read it, mostly because I don’t understand why they couldn’t have gotten a cuter/better/more expressive actress for the movies….which I also refused to see, on the basis that Taylor Lautner was Sharkboy and that was just the worst thing I ever paid for 3 people to see….
SO, I thought the lack of details of the victors was ingenious in the second book. Instead of Collins explaining that people and victors are disposable to gain control for the Capital’s way, she showed you. She made them dispoable, and consequently, she invoked that feeling that it should’ve invoked…. you wanted to know more! But instead, discarded them just like the capital. IDK, I liked it.