She has sparked a fire...

Novel: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Science Fiction

So if you've read the Hunger Games in its' entirety you know that Katniss and Peeta BOTH make it out of the arena alive and together! This was the first time in the history of the Hunger Games and it has not only brought happiness to the Districts but also anger from the Capitol. Of all the 74 years that the Games have been going on there has only ever been one Victor. The case of there being two is shocking and unheard of for the country of Panem! It looks like the Capitol may have a rebellion on their hands, courtesy of "the girl on fire."

Let's start a riot. 

Katniss has successfully achieved what she had been trying to do from the start, winning the Hunger Games, but she was not the lone Victor! How could that be? I thought only one person was able to win? Well it turns out Katniss and Peeta had both agreed to eat poisonous berries, once they knew they were the last two remaining in the arena. This justifies the love that they have for one another but also serves as an act of defiance, placing the Capitol in a position where they are forced to crown two Victors. In crowning two Victors, the Capitol has been presented as foolish and the Capitol's president, President Snow, shows up to pay Katniss a visit in the new palace that she is now living in because she is Victor. He threatens Katniss and says she must make the Capitol look high and mighty again by calming the people of the Districts because her little act of rebellion in the arena has caused some of the masses to gain courage and start riots threatening to bring down the Capitol.

  Let the Victory Tour begin! 

Katniss and Peeta are required to go on a Victory tour, visiting each District and being presented as Victors of District 12. Once again they are pampered and styled and made to look gorgeous for the crowds to see. Peacekeepers are now running the Districts because the people are making an effort to start rebelling against Capitol rule. Katniss is now the one to thank and she is made aware of this through her visits. People are adorned with "Mockingjay" mementos as a sign of joining forces with Katniss, who had worn a Mockingjay pin in the arena. By representing Katniss and her victory they too are rebelling against the Capitol's way. 

  The Quell of the Quarter.

Every 25 years of the Hunger Games the Capitol has a Quell. So for each quarter they occur a special Game is held. Remember that the Victors from each Game are never included in another lottery, therefore they can never participate in them again and are safe from being chosen in the future. A Quell is another Hunger Games but with special circumstances in which the previous year's Victors now serve as the tributes' mentors. The 25th Quarter Quell had the people of the districts select the tributes to be in the Games, the 50th had four chosen tributes  rather than two per district, and the 75th would have a similar ruling as well. Both Katniss and Peeta wonder what will be in store for them as mentors of this quarter's Quell. I could not believe what was planned for the 75th, after I read what President Snow announced it would be I was actually outraged and thought to myself, 'How could the capitol do this?!' 'How dare President Snow do this!' 

'On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female  tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.'

Here we go again... 

This is unbelievable! This is how President Snow will get revenge against Katniss for the Capitol's sake. When I read this I couldn't believe Katniss was going to have to go back in there! I also thought, oh geez, here we go again.... Thankfully Collins doesn't make it mundane in the second book. I was like don't let this be one of those books where the same things just keep happening over and over again in each book. Collins doesn't let that happen! It was exciting to read how professional "killers," previous victors of other games, try to survive the Quell when they are forced to face each other. It really was the best of the best in the arena and a much bigger challenge for Katniss and Peeta to try and make it out alive. Katniss swears to herself that she will do everything she can to keep Peeta alive, she owes him that much. She vows to have him make it out alive and would rather die in his place. So unselfish and so beautiful. So Katniss must face bigger and badder challenges in the arena in order to make sure her plan works. Peeta on the other hand has a different plan in mind.

What else is in store?   

  Here are some new things introduced and things that I loved about this book!

• Finnick Odair is introduced! He is a Victor from District 4. He fights with a trident and net to capture and kill his opponents. He comes off big headed and egotistical at the start of the book but changes in Katniss' eyes after he saves Peeta's life in the arena. He is looked upon as a sex symbol for the Districts in the book, with his good looks and witty charm. 

•  The clock pattern of the arena. This was a really interesting idea. If the victors were able to figure out that the arena was split into segments based on the hours on a clock they had a better chance of surviving the deadly events that the Capitol used to try and eliminate them in the arena. There are segments that include tidal waves, lightening storms, carnivorous monkeys, and jabberjays. Each one causing physical or mental ailments to the contestants. 

•  The Mockingjay as a symbol of the rebellion. This was Katniss' memento in the arena and because of her defiance in winning the games everyone has been plastering it on everything, even bread! This is the ultimate sign that those who carry the mockingjay with them are joined as one in the fight against the Capitol. 

 This book left you hanging by the end of it and ready to finish the story with the third! So many twists and turns are on the way I am sure of it! I'll leave the rest for you to discover!

Here's to the rebellion!!

-Twiig 

  

Grab a seat, take a bite.

Novel: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Science Fiction

   I finally got the hunger! After seeing this book pretty much everywhere I went, I finally decided I needed to read it after a co-worker of mine gave me such a rave review on it. I'm normally not super hardcore into science fiction type novels but I feel like my interests are expanding in this genre especially after finishing this book. I'm currently sinking my teeth into the second novel, "Catching Fire," but realized I really should be reviewing the first since it's a staggeringly intense reading experience! I like to start off with two things, the artwork because I adore anything pertaining to visual art, and the writing style of the author to give you guys a taste for how the book is written. At first the artwork appears pretty masculine for my taste, I think this is why I strayed away from it when I initially saw it sitting about all over bookstores.  The layout is very nice however, it definitely grabs your attention and I love the fact that all three of the books stay true to keeping the same design but are broken apart by color. It definitely makes the appearance of my bookshelf look pretty! The writing style is very easy to read and understand. You definitely won't get bored and it's very easy to catch onto the story right from the start.

    The Hunger Games is a novel set in the future where the country of Panem, what used to be North America, is divided up into thirteen separate districts and ruled by one, which is the wealthy class, and is referred to as the Capitol. Each district produces something essential in providing for the Capitol's comfortable lifestyle. The beginning of the book introduces to us the main character of the novel, Katniss Everdeen. She lives in District 12, one of the thirteen districts, which is known for its coal mining. In just the first few pages we learn that she has awoken to a day they refer to as "The Reaping", she had lost her father in a coal mining explosion, she illegally escapes into the forest which is Capitol territory in order to hunt for animals to provide for her family, and she despises the Capitol. That's a lot on your plate in just a few pages! This is just the start!

    You will get lost in the world that Collins has created. The districts have real people suffering from starvation and death. They have absolutely no say in how the Capitol runs things. The Capitol has all the glitz and glam and high tech futuristic electronics to captivate your imagination. The country has been broken down into only two classes, you are either a lower class citizen struggling to survive in one of the districts or a high class citizen enjoying a glamorous life at the Capitol. Here's where the story gets crazy...so what is "The Reaping" you ask?! The Reaping is when the Capitol draws two people from a lottery, a male and a female from each district, and throws them into an arena to fight until the death. The last one standing wins a year's worth of food for their district and becomes a Victor for that year's Games. The Capitol treats this like a sporting event, watching the chosen few, picking favorites based on strength, talent, and intelligence, and televising it for the entire world to see. Katniss's younger sister Prim had been chosen for the Games, but Katniss has stepped in to take her place. She will have to fight to the death to make it out alive. One versus 23...

"May the odds be ever in your favour."

    Katniss will now leave behind her family and her best friend Gale, whom is her hunting partner. They are best friends and claim to be nothing more, but you almost sense an underlying passion that they each have for one another whether either of them admit it or not. Katniss must also face a fellow District 12 member, Peeta Mellark, whom we find out has been in love with Katniss since he had first saw her in District 12. All the select participants get sent to the Capitol where they are pampered, trained to survive and receive guidance from a former Hunger Games victor, whom acts as a mentor and tries to keep one of his district's tributes alive in order to win the Games. With so much at stake you can't help but read on to unravel all the excitement this book has to offer! So what's at the Capitol and why is this such an enchanted place to live...

• Crazy futuristic technology! You press a button to get instantly hot food. You take a shower and are dried off and clean in mere seconds. There are special force fields around to prevent people from wandering into particular areas.
• Food, food, and more food! They have everything to eat there and then some! All the Hunger Game participants are encouraged to eat until they can't move! They will need to eat because once the Games start they will need it for strength and to keep them nourished until they are able to provide for themselves in the arena.
• Crazy fashion! Metallic makeup/tattoos, over the top hair colors, and wild outfits with feathers and gems! The people of the Capitol even dye their skin different colors as a fashion statement! They have state of the art technology to clean, buff and beautify all the Hunger Game contestants until they come out sparkling for the start of the Games.

The Characters

• Katniss Everdeen- the main character and narrator of the novel. She is the heroine and is not afraid to fight for what she believes in when it comes down to saving the ones she loves.
• Peeta Mellark- the son of a baker whom is chosen to participate in the Games along with Katniss of District 12. He is head over heels in love with Katniss but must deal with facing her in the arena knowing that only one person will walk out of it alive.
• Gale Hawthorne- Katniss's best friend and hunting partner. Katniss begins developing feelings for Gale over time and is unsure whether these feelings are mutual with how he feels about her.
• Haymitch Abernathy- Katniss and Peeta's mentor for the Games. He is a lousy drunk who is never really focused 100% of the time on developing his tributes but he is good hearted and makes multiple efforts in giving them advice on how to make it out of the arena alive. He was a former Victor himself.
• Primrose Everdeen- Katniss's younger sister. She is sweet and wishes only for her sister to fight for her. She was picked to participate in the Games until Katniss stepped up to take her spot.

The Overall Show

    Each participant basically needs to give the audience of Panem everything they have inside and outside the arena. The Capitol wants them to put on a show! Build a personality that the audience will love, tell a story that make them sympathize with you, and have outstanding costumes that make them never want to take their eyes off of you. These are all essential in preparation for entering the arena. The higher the audience rates you the better advantage you will have in terms of getting special gifts that may help get them out of a bind once the fighting has started. Katniss and Peeta sure do know how to enthrall the audience. From their fancy ensemble to their charming mannerisms, these are sure things to win the audience over. It is rather their incredible story, of an unheard of romance between two tributes in a Hunger Games event, that has the audience captivated and rooting for their love to remain strong through it all. Will their love survive? Who will make the ultimate sacrifice in the end? There can only be one winner...

    This book is about making a stand and being a leader. It's about following your heart and making sacrifices for the ones you love. I also want to point out the fact that all this is about a girl! A girl who provides for her family, has suffered a loss with her father's death and who has a hatred for the Capitol. This isn't some masculine macho book about men fighting to the death. No. This is a book where the tough, gritty hero is a sixteen year old girl who does everything she can to survive and deal with starvation and love and the twisted games of the Capitol.  Every other typical female character is usually the damsel in distress who is waiting to be saved and swept off her feet by prince charming. This is quite the opposite, it's empowering and goes to show you that females fight with passion and ferocity when they are put to the test. Katniss says what she wants and handles everything her way. Will she have the strength to survive the Games, defy the Capitol, and remain true to herself through it all? Pick this book up and start reading it now if you haven't yet!

Read it before it's too late. The movie hits theaters March 23, 2012. Let the countdown start now...

-Twiig