Category: Book Review
Themes in The Hunger Games
Since the invention of writing people have been analyzing it to death. Schoolchildren all over the world know this as they do their novel studies in English Literature (or an equivalent class). Recently, The Hunger Games has been the new target of educators who *gasp* are trying to get kids actually interested in books and reading.
Are they justified in this choice? I suppose time will tell, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some of the themes present in the popular series, shall we?
1. Survival.
Katniss struggles for survival on a daily basis, hunting and gathering out in the woods to provide for Prim and her mother. For her and many others in District 12, the threat of death is ever-present and it only gets ratcheted up about 10 notches when Katniss is chosen as a tribute. She has to survive her normal life, she has to survive in the deadly Games with only a 1/24 chance of survival (in the beginning anyway) and she has to survive the wrath of the Capitol afterward.
Now, all of us struggle for survival on some level, which is also why the series is so popular. Most of us haven’t had to go out and illegally hunt in the woods since the age of 11, but we all struggle to fit in, to provide for ourselves through work, etc. The Hunger Games can also be described as a coming-of-age story, which is in part because of the heavy theme of survival. Continue reading
“Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia” by Brandon Sanderson
When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that’s his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!
I’ve reached the third installment of Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz series and I have to say that I’ve been rather impressed with where he has taken this story. A lot of times when you get to a third or fourth book in a series a lot of time has passed for the characters which sort of spreads things out, but not with these. By the end of Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia there has barely been six months of time since the beginning of the first book, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians.
As usual, this book follows the humorous, snarky, side-tracked, whimsical nature of the first two books, but in addition it adds a little bit more depth. The relationship between Alcatraz and Bastille takes an interesting turn into what I’m sure if familiar territory for most 13-year-old boys and girls. As a result of previous actions Bastille goes through a tough time and Alcatraz wants to help as her friend but just finds everything so awkward and difficult while trying to. Awkward interactions between friends at that age is something most of the intended audience can certainly relate to on a personal level I think.
Even more impressive to me was the chance that the reader finally has to visit Nalhalla, the capital of the Freelands. For two books I’d been wanting to see what life was like for the Freelanders in comparison to the Hushlanders and I finally got my wish. A city of castles, magical dragon taxis, teleportation rooms, etc. It took the whimsy and fun to an entirely new level for the series. Impressive, considering there are talking dinosaurs in the first book.
Bastille goes through some serious growth in this book and I found it interesting to watch the decisions she makes as a result. She sort of learns to stand on her own opinions more than simply what is “expected” of her by the Knights of Crystallia. Of course, Alcatraz in his usual way completely fails to understand what’s going on with her until the last minute.
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia continues the story of Alcatraz Smedry in a great way while still allowing for the characters to break out of their shells from the first two books without changing who they are at their core. I think it provides some great lessons for young readers buried in between the fun and silly that permeates the pages. If you haven’t already, give these books a try, I think there is a little something for everyone, young and old alike.
Grade: B
Length: 336 pages
Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her.
Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of “Whack Job” in her home town of Adel, Georgia. With the onslaught of prescription medications and therapists threatening to push her over the edge, she wishes for a life far away from the one she has, a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone’s jokes and mockery.
Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true.
After living through an attack from her worst nightmare, she awakens to find herself far from home, surrounded by glorious riches and servants and a few demigods who enjoy killing things. Upon learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future, and the great Pythia that the gods have been anxiously awaiting to arrive for centuries. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given and to keep her family safe from a demigod Princess that wants her dead, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters, evading divine assassins and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. In the hopes of discovering the Most Beautiful and the truth of her destiny, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life and threatens to win her heart in the process.
[Full disclosure: I found Prophecy of the Most Beautiful on The Masquerade Crew and was so interested in it that Mark Lee put me in contact with Diantha Jones so I could request the book. Yes, I actually requested the book myself.]
Prophecy of the Most Beautiful is what fantasy should be: fast-paced, unique, well thought-out and unpredictable. It’s a book you won’t be able to put down, not only because of the awesome characters, but because the plot takes so many twists and turns you won’t have a clue as to how things will end! I know I didn’t.
In the beginning Chloe seems like your typical YA heroine, but this is certainly not the case by the end of the book. The main difference between Chloe and other female leads is that she actually has a backbone and doesn’t faint away at the sight of blood or agonize about killing people. She does what she needs to do to survive as the first Oracle of Delphi in more than four decades and doesn’t look back. In fact, you won’t find much teenage angst in Prophecy of the Most Beautiful. Sure, Strafford is a little tortured and seems like your typical bad boy, but the hints Diantha Jones is dropping seem to say that we’re not finished with him yet, that there’s much more to be learned about the Sun Prince.
Now for the plot: holy crap. I was absolutely glued to my computer screen and didn’t stop reading for anything. Prophecy of the Most Beautiful is a whirlwind journey and, at the risk of being cliché, you will not be able to put it down. It’s 266 pages of pure excitement and the cliffhanger on the last page was downright cruel, but certainly achieved its goal: getting me to want the next book. The last series I was this excited about was Krystal Wade’s Darkness Falls trilogy, so you know I’ll be following this one closely.
The way Diantha Jones set up her world, mixing in Greek myths and a bit of her own flair, was brilliant. The ‘iceys’ (immortals celeste) created to worship the gods and preserve their immortality, the demi-gods and even the gods themselves are not cliché because she has put her own spin on them. Not all demi-gods are created equal, as we learn and the iceys may not have things all that great up in the realm of the gods. It will be interesting to see more of this hidden world in the next book, Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise. I can’t wait to read it!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
E-learning 101 by Dr. Liz Hardy
(Cover picture courtesy of Kristina’s Favorites.)
E-learning 101 is the friendliest online learning guide on the planet!
Unlike other online study guides, E-learning 101 makes solving e-learning problems fun. Smiling dogs appear on most pages, helping the online learner to smile, relax, and engage with simple and accessible e-learning strategies.
The book presents 6 short lessons. Each lesson defines a common e-learning problem, and then walks readers through a series of steps to solve it. Interactive worksheets are included with every lesson, empowering readers to fix their e-learning problems right then and there.
The lessons are short, but cover the biggest e-learning issues:
* E-learning technology
* Finding more time to study
* Self-motivation
* Procrastination cures
* How to submit assignments on time, and
* Avoiding loneliness when learning online.
This online study guide inspires new online learners to face e-learning with confidence, replacing feelings of anxiety with action and achievement.
[Full disclosure: Liz Hardy sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
This isn’t normally the sort of book I’d review, but E-learning 101 is useful not only for adults learning online, but for teenagers too. Especially teenagers in small schools who have to take some courses online that their school doesn’t offer.
I find that one of the downfalls of most how-to books is that they don’t actually explain how to do things, but only give you tips without the reasoning behind them. Not so in Liz Hardy’s book! Not only does she tell you what to expect, she tells you some things you can do to make learning by correspondence easier and some common pitfalls students face. At the end of every chapter she has a box you can write in so you can actually apply the lessons she teaches you to your course.
Finally, adult learners who are either currently using e-learning or expect to be using e-learning can read a book that gives practical advice about what e-learning is like. There’s tips on scheduling time to work on your course, getting rid of procrastination (one of my personal bad habits) and avoiding loneliness. Really, what else can I say? This is 48 pages of pure gold!
Also: cute dog pictures on nearly every page, if you like dogs.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
(Cover picture courtesy of A Soul Unsung.)
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa has always felt powerless, useless. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could save his people. And he looks at her in a way no man has ever looked at her before. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.
At first I hated The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but by the end I actually didn’t mind it. The first 2/3s of the book bored me to tears and I wanted to slap Elisa for being such a wimp, but she acquired a spine in the last third of the book and it seems like Rae Carson’s writing improved. Now I’m left with the question: how was the book overall? Meh, I say. It could have been better, but I think the next book, The Crown of Embers is going to be better than the first.
On one hand, Elisa seems different from your typical YA protagonist. In the beginning she truly is obese. Not just “Oh no I gained 5 pounds!” ‘fat’, but honest-to-goodness obese. It’s a big part of her characterization and we see time and time again her unhealthy relationship with food. However, that’s not the main aspect of her character: Elisa is very intelligent and is very well versed in military tactics that benefit her secret husband, King Alejandro. Also: Alejandro is far from a strong male character; he’s quite a coward, actually.
On the other hand, being stuck in her point of view the whole time is annoying. She walks into obvious traps, both literally and figuratively, and goes through a very predictable character arc when she falls in the hands of the rebels. Yes, I understand that her transformation from self-conscious obese teenager to confident, more healthy woman is very believable in her situation. But it feels too cut-and-dry and has very few hitches. In my experience, such a large transformation is rarely easy, but it feels like Elisa just soars through and becomes the fearless rebel leader with few true difficulties.
The plot only really speeds up after she begins leading the rebels, more than halfway through the book. I don’t mind a slow plot if the author makes up for it in world-building and descriptions, but Rae Carson didn’t really. Her world-building seems thorough enough at a glimpse, but we learn very little about the Godstone, its purpose and the politics of all the regional rivalries in the country. The devil is in the details, I guess.
Still, Rae Carson’s writing seemed to improve in the last third of the book and the ending makes the next one seem promising, if nothing else. So yes, I will still be reading The Crown of Embers. But I will not be buying it.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.