“The Darkest Minds” by Alexandra Bracken :: The Darkest Minds

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“I had the strangest feeling, like I had lost something without ever really having it in the first place – that I wasn’t what I once was, and wasn’t at all what I was meant to be. The sensation made me feel hollow down to my bones.” – Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken was, unsurprisingly, dark – and in a multitude of ways.

The book begins with the reader completely in the dark. There is little explanation of recent events, enough so that, even 50 pages into the book, I was still uncertain of its purpose, as well as several critical plot points. (For example: “Why are all of the adults so evil?” “What kind of government, or people, would put up with corruption like this?” And, “Who are the ‘good guys’?”)

Outside of this unfortunate vagueness, I actually enjoyed the book quite a bit. The plot, narrated in the voice of Ruby, the main character, is very personal, and, therefore, personally terrifying. The abuse of the unnaturally gifted is realistically portrayed in the lives of the children of a dystopian Earth, where a new virus has caused the majority of its children to die – or morph into something new, something more powerful than any human ever before.

These “Psi” children, in their evolution, have become outcasts from society, and reality as is known to the rest of the world. Sent away to camps where they are tyrannized, abused, and strictly prohibited from regular interaction with their peers, they slowly begin to either corrupt, or revolt.

But never escape. Escape is impossible from a prison world, one that labels you “broken,” “inconvenient,” and “dangerous.” Children band together to fight for normality, and eventually, control. But can such a conclusion ever be obtained?

For dystopian fiction, Bracken’s Darkest Minds is okay. But I would not go so far as to call it anything more than that. The language is very rough; not, I think, deserving the book’s prerequisite rating of readers 12 and older. And there is a notable lack of any redemption. By the end, I was left in a melancholy slump, hoping without success for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

The tunnel stayed dark.

For the older reader, The Darkest Minds is an interesting dystopian read, not in the ranks of Collins’ Hunger Games, per say, but certainly worth checking out of your local library for a quick holiday read.

“Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins :: The Hunger Games

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Title: Mockingjay // Author: Suzanne Collins // Publisher: Scholastic Press

“I’ll tell them how I survive it. I’ll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I’m afraid it could be taken away. That’s when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I’ve seen someone do. It’s like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious… But there are much worse games to play.”
–Suzanne Collins, “Mockingjay”

* Note: SPOILER ALERT – If you have not read the first or second book in this series, this review will NOT make sense to you, and it WILL spoil them for you. Avert thine eyes post-haste if this be so! (Otherwise… I guess you’re good. Read on.)

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How does one win an unending Game where the life of one means the death of another, friendship kills, and love is betrayal? If surrendering to death is made inconceivable, winning impossible, then the answer lies in contradiction. One can not win, must not win, and so must fight the Game itself.

Katniss Everdeen has escaped the Game at last, carried away by a secret organization of rebels based in a District long though to be dead. Headed by the calculative and unforgiving President Coin, District 13 has survived (and only barely) for its anonymity and equality of arms with the Capitol.

No longer.

The Districts have launched a full scale rebellion. The crooked rule of the Capitol is blatantly denied, and war is announced. Not a street, nor home, nor child’s dream is free of images of fighting, and the hope of freedom burns like a forest fire through the land of Panem.

Peeta is a prisoner of the Capitol, and it is evident that his health, mental as well as physical, is quickly degrading. A rescue mission attempt would be possible, but costly. Katniss is torn between her love for the boy that is dying on television, and the one that is willing to die beside her.

With the Districts in upheaval, a figurehead is necessary to maintain the fire, and keep the fight alive. Katniss is chosen as that figurehead- The Mockingjay. Rebel. Lover. One who is willing to take the pain for the sake of freedom. But off camera, her stance is far more uncertain. Can I do this? What is it that I fight for?

When questions such as these go unanswered, she takes it upon herself to find out. President Snow or no, war or no, love or no, she determines to find answers, with only her family, her bow, and other, darker things to sustain her.

Her fight has not left the Mockingjay along with her flame. Instead, it has grown into an upheaval of her own. No amount of fired arrows or stricken targets is enough to cool her wrath, not until the Districts are free, the people fed and housed, and the Capitol burnt to the ground. After that? Not even Katniss herself knows.

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I am… conflicted over Mockingjay. My sea of emotions (at risk of sounding awfully cliche,) is vast, and anything BUT still. There is, atop its crests, the obvious disappointment of finishing a marvelous book series. (On a scale of Post-finishing depression, I would rate it beneath Narnia but slightly above The Door Within.) I was massively appreciative of the series as a whole.

HOWEVER, Mockingjay in itself did not live up to my expectations. I could blibber, blubber, and plenty of other bl___’s for hours about tiny details, but I’ll give you my main three Oh, stink points.

Oh, stink #1. Katniss simply cannot seem to make her mind up about who she is “really” in love with. I see that in actuality this situation could be presented, but in Collins book, it contrasts Katniss’ normal firmness of belief and decisiveness. She can pin a deer to a tree without thinking twice, but when it comes to romance, she is at a loss. In my opinion, it makes her a weaker character. (Hunger Games fans, forgive me now.)

Oh, stink numero DOS. The violence in this addition to the series is notably pronounced. It is less artful, and more for the sake of Action! Contention! Emotion! FREAK OUT!

Oh, stink III. The leaders of the rebellion are corrupt. And besides that, the movement is fueled mainly by hatred. There isn’t really a righteous cause that is well represented.

Over all, though, I stand firmly in the conviction that The Hunger Games is a good series, and well worth the time I spent reading (and re-reading) it. I look forward to whatever Collins cooks up next.

“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins :: The Hunger Games

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Title: Catching Fire // Author: Suzanne Collins // Publisher: Scholastic Press

“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay.” –Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games

*A note, before I begin: This review contains spoilers. If you haven’t read the first book, this is not for your eyes. Go get The Hunger Games and read that first. 🙂

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Nothing is real, Katniss Everdeen. Their cheers are hollow, barely hiding the hatred beneath, the readiness for rebellion. That is the word of the hour, isn’t it? Rebellion. They hate this system, these Games you’ve played, and won. They are prepared to deny the tyrants, even facing death, for the hope of their future, and their children’s future.

Your life of pleasure means nothing. Your hunting days, spent by the side of your “cousin,” are past, though you may try to deny it. You are not a child any longer. Nor is He. And your new life- the eating of fine foods and wearing of warm clothes that so many others lack- it has no purpose.

Love is hard, Oh girl of many faces. You hide behind so many masks, hide behind so many layers of mistrust, it is becoming hard for you to see the truth. Which will you accept, Katniss? The friendship of a life long ally, who desires it to be more? Or the sacrificial love of the tall boy with the burned, loving hands. If you only put down the masks, perhaps you would see which is right.

What is your reason to fight now, survivor of tortures and deadly snares? Your family is safe- as safe as any rich in the shadow of the Capitol. The Games are behind you. You’ve nothing left but to forget. If you can. Will you? Do you even want to?

Rebellion! shouts the hungry and dying around you, Girl on Fire. No, the time for the spark is past, if they are to go on. You are The Girl on Fire no longer. The people need a sign, a hero around which to rally their forces. You must evolve, shed the flame and take on the feathers. Learn to fly. Katniss Everdeen: The Mockingjay.

This transformation will take time. You will feel great pain. But pain you know intimately. It is one more name in the ensemble that hangs over your head, fills your dreams, but you have bested it once. You can best it once more. Do not doubt this, Mockingjay. There is no time for doubt. A battle against an unbeatable foe will only be won in complete courage.

Know your friends, Katniss, and beware of your enemies. Behind the rose, you will find blood, and the clock will give you hope. Understand now that the Games will never really be over- they have only just begun. Hold fast your bow, huntress, and shoot straight if you value your life.

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Both of the times that I have read Catching Fire, I’ve been pretty conflicted. (Note the fact, though, that I’ve read it twice. :-)) Suzanne Collins writes like no other author I know of. And her story, the world she creates, is so realistic it’s disturbing. (Don’t get me wrong- I love it.) It is easy to care for her characters like so many do because she has given them life. Even more so because of her prophetic tone.

I liked the second installment in this Hunger Games series far more the second time through, and seeing as I haven’t read it for awhile, it was kind of like picking up a new book. I was anticipating it that much more. Digging into it again was like eating a popsicle in the summertime: Sweet and filled with flavor and color, but leaving you even thirstier then before.

There were more negative elements in Catching Fire than in The Hunger Games. Certain unmarried characters share a bed, but not for the sake of anything inappropriate. It is put down as a need of human closeness, and a survival instinct. But that doesn’t make it alright. Just… bothersome.

Also, as Collins puts Katniss in uncertainty as to who she really loves, it makes her come across as indecisive. An indecisive hero though, I feel, is bound for failure. It adds suspense, but altogether, takes away from the story.

In conclusion, and for clarification: I loved the book, would have liked it to be better, and anxiously await the chance to start on the next one. Tick Tock, Mockingjay. Time is running out.

“Taken” by Brock Eastman :: The Quest for Truth

Taken is, I believe, the epitome of adventure. It’s got vehicular chases. It’s got pirates. For crying out loud, it’s even got secretive blue skinned forest-people! Whether you read it on a Kindle or a paperback, believe me when I say: You will never look at oranges the same way again. (Uhh… you kind of have to read the book… Moving on.)

***

Daily life for the four Wikk children (Teens Oliver and Tiffany, and 11 year old twins Mason and Austin) is far from normal life here on Earth. You take the bus to school? They take sky-scooters. You read a book? They flip through e-journals. Coffee wake you up in the morning? Energen is the Wikk boys’ drink of choice, supplying a 100% natural jolt of energy

Even the Wikk’s strange definition of normal, though, is shaken when their parents are kidnapped. Captured by a member of a secret society named the Übel, the parents leave their e-journal, a chronicle of their past adventures, with the children. Using the information within the journal, the siblings set out to save their parents.

But on the small forest planet, Jahr des Eises (German for “Year of the Ice”), danger approaches swiftly, and in many forms. Chased by a pirate ship-dealer, seeking escape from secretive forest tribes, and exercising a constant caution against discovery; the Wikks are working with all they have in them. But will it be enough?

***

Classic science fiction. Great, believable characters. Giveaway coming soon. (Whoops. Did I type that out loud?) Keep an eye out, folks…

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4 of 5 stars

8+

“Alienation” by Jon S. Lewis :: The C.H.A.O.S Trilogy

After Invasion, I thought that Mr. Lewis might have trouble carrying on such a great story.
I now know that I thought wrong.

***

Colt McAlister is…
a stereotypical “California dude.”
a decent surfer.
a guitar  player.
living with his grandfather in Arizona.
The list goes on. And on the list, scribbled in pen right under “teenage hero,” is the word, “alien.”

Not one hundred percent, but there is alien blood in his body, blood which he previously knew nothing of. When he was very young, his parents allowed him to be injected with Thule blood. They hoped that he would fulfill an ancient prophecy claiming that the Thule, an evil alien race, would be vanquished by one of their own: The Betrayer.

And now he’s feeling the effects. Enhanced speed, agility, awareness- but at the same time, fear. Colt is en route for a school that trains and dispatches alien fighting soldiers. What if someone were to find out his secret? He bleeds red, but he moves twice as quickly as any common man. He has no scales, but is feared nonetheless by the mighty Thule warriors.

With the lives of millions placed within his hands, and a clock that continues to tick faster and faster, Colt must use all of his abilities to fight off the invading aliens and save the human race from total destruction.

***

Just as good as the last. My brain burnt out on goodness at about pg. 11. And I kept reading. 🙂 No profanity, no unneccessary gore, and repeating reminders of God’s very real power. Can’t wait for the next. (Which happens to be coming out in January.) Quite literally until the next...

I was provided with a complimentary copy of “Invasion” through Booksneeze, a book-for-review program. This in no way affected my views or opinions of the book.

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5 of 5 stars

11+