Review of Catching Fire (The Hunger Game #2) by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

Sparks are Igniting, Flames are Spreading and the Capital wants revenge.

Against all of the odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the 74th Hunger Games with her fellow district 12 tribute Peeta Mellark and they are both still alive. Katniss should be relieved at this and even happy that she gets to go home to her family. However nothing is ever simple in Katniss's life and the way she wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance due to the relationship which was portrayed in the games and Peeta is avoiding her at all costs. What makes it even worse there are whispers of a rebellion raising up against the Capital - a rebellion which may have been started by Katniss and Peeta.

Much to the shock of Katniss, she has fuelled the unrest and she is afraid that she will not be able to stop it now that it is in motion. What scares her and her family even more is that she is not convinced by capitol officials that she should try to stop it. As it draws nearer to the tributes victory tour of the districts and the capital it is obvious that the stakes are even higher that ever that they achieve this. If they are not able to convince the capitol and all the citizens of Panem of their love for all ages then the consequences with be horrifying. Katnis is about to be put to a harder test that the hunger games themselves.

I love Suzanne Collins writing style and she never disappoints. Her Trilogy is a great series however the stories stand alone as well - this is due to the way that she summarises what has happened in the previous book. Katniss is such a well rounded character who interacts like she is your best friend or a close relation. I would still highly recommend that you read the trilogy in order if you can because the story line is very linear. I have recently re-read the trilogy because of the new instalment to the The Hunger Games Story.

Click the following link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1407132105/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1407132105&linkId=3f8833b00a2892cde5d9df4f24cba9f9

Review of The White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat by Holly Black

This book is writing by the author if The Spiderwick Chronicles and is a fast paced extraordinary fantasy world.

Cassel is cursed and he is cursed by the memory of the 14 year old girl that he had murdered. Life at the school is a constant trial for him and when he goes out home things are just as bad. Nobody is going to forget or let him forget that he is a killer and that he is not a magic worker either.

His family are classed as one of the big five families in America and ever since the use of magic was prohibited since 1929 and magic workers have been driven underground and into a life of crime. While people still have the need for her touch, their curses, the magical killings, the transformation that they bring and times have been hard from them. His grandfather has been driven to a life of drink, his mother is in prison and all the rest of the family detest that he is the only member of the family who can't do magic. 

However there is a secret at the centre of his family and he has to inherit this and find that this is terrifying and the truth of this is even worse. The white cat is one of those novel in which shows how the world has been changed by the infusion of magic. In Holly Blacks world, only 1% of the population can work magic but 100% of the population have the power of nightmares.

This is not one of my favourite books, it started slow and it took everything to continue with the book. I usually love this type of story and it even had a synopsis which lead me to believe that this was an adult version of Harry Potter. I would recommend this book as just because i didn't love it does not mean that others would love it, I just found the story slow in progress but i like the writing style and would like to see other titles by Holly Black

Click on the following link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0575096721/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0575096721&linkId=2b69ebd4da389c29b80672754313b787

Review of The Hunger Games (Book #1) by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Winning means fame and fortune, Losing means certain death - all this means that The Hungers have began ..... May the odds be in your favour.

In the ruins of a place known in history as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capital which is surrounded by 12 outlying districts. The Capitol is seen as being harsh and cruel for all that live in district 12. Every year the reaping happens, this means that each of the districts have to supplied one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate to the annual Hunger Games. This is the fight to the death on Live TV which is beamed to all of the district

16 year old Katniss Everdeen regards this as a death sentence when she volunteers to take her sister place when Prim's name is selected for the games. Katniss has been close to dead before and she needs to survive and this is like second nature. Without actually meaning to she becomes one of 24 people who are the contenders for the 74th Hunger Games. If she is to win this and return home she will need to make choices which make her weigh survival against humanity, life against life. 

Katniss's male companion from district 12 is Peeta and he has a crush on Katniss. During the lead up to the games we can see the crush turn to love for him and this becomes the pillar of strength for both of them. To get the districts 12 tributes ready for the games Haymitch the previous victor, Effie who helps with the public relations and a team of stylists who get them ready for the many appearances and for the beginning of the games.

I love Suzanne Collins writing style and she know exactly what makes a reader feel part of the story. It is full of twist and turns which has you guessing at each turn. Even though you know that Katniss is ok because she is in the sequel Catching Fire. However once you have finished the book you can not wait to see how the choice of who has won The 74th Hunger Games will have on the survival of the Capital and the surrounding districts. She also has you wanting to have none of the characters change due to the story and you know that this is not the case as everyone is affected by the results.

Click the following link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1407132083/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1407132083&linkId=f94c342c5ca08a367f83f179cf747308

Review of The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

The book is a story which link a grand baronial house on Loch Ness, in a quirky small-town bookseller and a single mother who is looking to a fresh start. It is a story which brings together in this witty and warm heartening novel which is for the book lover.

Single mother Zoe is desperate to escape from London and she is wanting to build a new life for her and her son Hari. In London she can hardly afford to live in the crammed studio apartments on a busy London street. A street full of honking horns and shouting football fans who keep them awake at all times of the night. If she doesn't find a way out of London soon, Zeo knows that it is only a matter of time before she has a meltdown and it affects hers and her sons life. On a whim, she answers a ad for a nanny job in the Scottish Highlands which is about as far away from the crushing nature of London and she finds that this sounds like heaven.

The job that she applies asks for a person who is able to care for 3 'gifted' children and two of the children have the nature of feral wolverines. The children father is recently widowed and is an absolute wreck and his children run wild in the tumble down castle on the banks of Loch Ness. Still the peaceful location in picturesque Scotland is everything that London is not and Zoe rises to this challenge. With the help of Nina, the friendly local bookseller and Zoe begins to put roots in the community. Zoe is finding that books, the fresh air and the kindness that she has received enough to heal her broken family.

I found this book a good cosy summer read ideal to read in the current weather outside. I immersed myself in the story as i have done the move that Zeo has done from the hustle and bustle of southern England to Loch Lomand. I went through all  of the emotions that she went through. I love the way that Jenny Colgan writes making you find you falling in love with all of the characters. I can not wait to read her new book Five Hundred Miles From You

Click on link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PCST6YD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07PCST6YD&linkId=af91c15d3c50e4c1be9f5c55fe3ea47f

Review of Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Hot Dog Girl By Jennifer Dugan

Eloise (Lou) Parker is determined to have her best and absolute epic summer of her life and she only has a few things standing in her way. She has landed a job at the local Magic Castle Playland ...... as a giant dancing hot dog. 

Her biggest crush, the dreamy Diving Castle Nick, who already has a girlfriend .... not good, who is literally the Princess of the Park. However she has never liked anyone, boy or girl, as much as Nick and she wants to have her chance  at her happily ever after before everything changes. She is working along side her best friend Seeley, who operates the carousel, who is her partner in crime however it isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to find her best friend a perfect girl or Lou's quest to net Nick.

Then the owner of the Magic Castle Playland has called a meeting to advise that this will be the last year that the amusement park is open unless she finds a way to keep the park open. 

I love this debut from Jennifer Dugan's and the coming-of-age romance which includes a princess, a pirate, a hot dog and a carousel operator and how they find love and themselves. It is coupled with unexpected people and unforgettable places. I have enjoyed the way we get to know the characters and how they are experiment with life and sexuality. It is a true story of the experience of most young adults which is happening over the world. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a child/young adult who is working through who they are.

Click the following link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0525516255/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0525516255&linkId=ee9f8351256204c434fe2b796e05910d

Review of The Mystery of Alice by Lee Bacon

The Mystery of Alice by Lee Bacon

The Audible exclusive is about 13 year old Emily Poe who has been given an opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to attend the exclusive Audyn School in Manhattan.

To be able to win the scholarship, she has to pass a text to show her eligibility and it is nothing she's ever experienced before. The test is held in a bare room, a strange set of clues, a locked door and a mysterious organisation. called the Leopold Foundations watching her every more. 

However the real test has just began, despite the strange circumstances - a new house, a new uniform, new gadgets and new school. Emily instantly bonds with fellow scholarship winner Alice Ray and the become fast friends sticking together through all of these new experience

The Alice goes missing, Emily then starts to chronicle every twitch and turn in searc for her friends through her video diary and blog. Emily uses this median to set out to start her investigation behind her best friends disappearance. Soon she finds herself being drawn into the Audyn School elite called the nobility, who each have their own web of secrets themselves. As she builds clues and lies surrounding Alice disappearance and she needs to find a way to sort out the truth and fiction to solve The Mystery of Alice before it is to late.

I love the way that this is presented with the blog type entries which draws you into collecting the clues and want to help Emily solve this mystery. It is a way of getting an insight into how someone from a second class background joins the elite school system. It is a classic tale of how children makes friend and how they open up to each other. It is due to this stand oafishness and awkwardness of new friendship, it shows how quickly children can adapt, It also made me reflect on my childhood and how moving made all of my friendships went in my youth.

Click on the following link to get the Amazon exclusive:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DFRCDQY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07DFRCDQY&linkId=b6533f50c190e488b4412ac5b1ebec2c

Review of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This is the first book in the trilogy of The Illuminae Files and was written by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It starts with Kady Grant breaking up with Ezra, she thinks  this will be the worst thing that she will go through in her life. That was before her home planet is invaded by Military forces, with the enemy fire raining down on them Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto a ship evacuating craft.

The warships are the least of there problems, a deadly plague has broken out and it mutating with horrific results and the fleets AI, which should be protecting the crews could actually be the crews biggest threat. When the lower members of the crew are asking questions nobody in charge will actually give any explanations of what is happening. Kady finds herself plunging into the web of data hacking to find the information which will led her to the truth. It soon becomes clear that there is only one individual who can help her find the truth about what is going on. 

This story is being told in a unique way by using a fascinating dossier of the hacked documents, psych assessments and documents showing what the heads of the fleets are doing to try and stop this information being leaked. I actually enjoyed the way that this book is presented and the way that the story flows and explains the first part of the story contained in the trilogy. I love the way that Amie and Jay have written this together and I like their individual works as well. i am excited to see where the story of Kady, Ezra and the other survivors progress between the chapters of the trilogy. I would hope that the writing style continues through all chapters. 

Click the following link to get your copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/178074837X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mystickt-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=178074837X&linkId=dcb42d6241a2e5cadd6f35331fe3f3ee