Weekly Book Roundup (Nov #4)

Good gravy, how time doth fly! Time to see what I've acquired this week1!

Library:

This book was recommended to me by Dahlia. She claimed it to be "a riot", and I find myself in complete agreement with her assesment thus far.

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant

Ace Detective

Snappy Dresser

Razor–tongued Wit

Crackerjack Sorcerer

and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton

—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.

These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.
The end of the world?

Over his dead body.

In Other News:
*Holy moly, I've cracked the 100 followers mark2! Huzzah! I logged on this morning, and there they were! 110 loyal followers3! Thanks, y'all! Hopefully I'll have the shipping fundage to thank you properly in the near future.
*I've been featured on The Story Siren's lovely Fresh Face Friday meme! Thank you, Kristi!!! Also featured was an array of impresive new-to-me blogs as well as one I'm very familiar with, Pirate Penguin Reads! Yay, Sandy!
*I may be the last to have noticed, but there's already a fun challenge lined-up for the fast approaching new year: The 2010 100+ Reading Challenge!

I'm looking forward to participating in this one! It sounds easy enough, but that's two books a week! Lately, I've only been able to manage to one a week, so we'll see. Do you think comic books count?
*YA Vampire Books has just cracked the 40 follower mark and is having a celebratory contest! One winner will get $16 to spend as they see fit at The Book Depository4! YA Vampire Books is a blog about all things vampire, and spotlights one vampire related thing a week- be it books, TV shows, or movies. So what're you waiting for, my darling fanged kiddies? Head on over this instant and check it out!

Happy reading,

Zombie Girrrl

footnotes______________________________________________

1  Kudos to The Story Siren for starting and promoting the IMM meme!

2  Has anyone else noticed the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality of follower collecting? It's like Girl Scout badges. But fear not, little ones, I'll not fall prey to the collector's mind set nor be swayed by the hoarder's wiles! I'm just pleased that several someones find my blog worthwhile.
3  Of course, I'm only assuming you're all loyal. I suppose some of you may just be following because all the cool kids are doing it. It may have absolutely nothing to do the content, layout, or my sparkling personality5!

4  Have you been to TheBookDepository.com? International shipping is FREE and some new titles are up to 50% off! They even have hard to find foreign covers for some books! I think I'm in love!
5  Blame the blatant egotism on Skullduggery Pleasant. He's a very self-assured individual, and it does tend to rub off.

Win Wondrous Strange!

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, faeries are just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, whose steel-gray eyes mask an equally steely determination to protect her Sonny guards the Samhain Gate, which connects the mortal realm with the Faerie's enchanted, dangerous Otherworld. Usually kept shut by order of icy King Auberon, the Gate stands open but once a year. This year, as the time approaches when the Samhain Gate will swing wide and nightmarish Fae will fight their way into an unsuspecting human world, something different is happening . . . something wondrous and strange. And Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her but to the heritage that awaits her. Now Kelley must navigate deadly Faerie treachery—and her growing feelings for Sonny—in this dazzling page-turner filled with luminous romance. Wondrous Strange is a richly layered tale of love between faerie and mortal, betrayal between kings and queens, and magic . . . between author and reader.

Interested? Good! Then head on over to La Femme Readers for your chance to win a copy of Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston! The deadline is November 30, and two lucky winners will be drawn using Random.org. Open to Us and Canada only.

Good luck,

Zombie Girrrl

My Take On Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I had a hard time getting into this story in the begining. I'd be reading, and it wasn't like I couldn't put it down. It might have been me and my preoccupation, but I felt like I was a stone skipping along the surface but never really sinking in. It was definitely no fault of the characters; Sam was instantly endearing with his borderline self deprication, dark past, and gorgeous lupine eyes, and Grace was a lot cooler than most teen romance leads- not at all swoony or overly dependant on her new found beau. The language was realistically eloquent, never feeling forced or over done. I loved how Stiefvater would see the opportunity for Sam or Grace to be overly verbose in their proffesions of love but she'd let it pass with a funny, "But nobody talks like that," thought.
I don't know why it took almost half the book to catch my attention, but once it did I was hooked!
Sam was definitely my favorite, though it was easy to put yourself in Grace's shoes. I've read that Stiefvater has a love affair with music and writes some into each book, in this case it was Sam who was the musician. He played a little guitar, though it didn't come up enough for it to seem like the author was trying to make a "Save the Music" type statement. He occasionally composed lyrics in his head about whatever he was feeling; it made him seem very relatable, and yes, even more lovable. Grace on the other hand was the exact oppsite of Sam; controling, but not scarily so; orderly, but not nuerotic. As Sam said, she was a sleek digital clock synced up with global time zones and he was a snowglobe of shaken up emotions. They complemented eachother perfectly.
Werewolves: Take a step back from the werewolf you've been raised with and meet a new breed. The moon has nothing to do with these guy's cycle. Instead it depends on the temperature. When the temperature drops, the humans infected with the lupine disease1 tranform into actual wolves. I loved the werewolves. Loved! It was very original- I love to see an author step out of the box of preconception and come up with something completely new.
This was definitely a story of love and longing, but it lacked the typical undertones of creepy obsession and sycophantic semi-worship. Thank. God. Grace and Sam were mildly obsessed with each other, but they were at least aware of it. Grace could still function without Sam holding her hand, and vise versa. Their relationship was actually healthy! It was refreshing.
Ratings: I'd rate this PG13 for mild sexual content. It was handled as discretely and tastefully as pre-marital relations can be.
I give Shiver...

Four Zombies!

Yes, despite the fact that I initially had a hard time getting into it, this was an excellent book. The characters, premise, and writing were all top notch and I really do think that had my week been calmer, I would have been hooked right off the bat. I'll be rereading this when I'm not so busy to confirm my hypothesis2.
I'm really looking forward to reading Linger. I can't imagine what else could happen, and I'm dying to see what Maggie's gonna put us through next. The synopsis has me very curious and a little worried...

Happy Thanksgiving,
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_________________________________________________________
1  Or cursed, whichever way you prefer to look at it. I prefer the disease slant, it's more intersting and more modern. Like viral zombies! Way cooler than spontaneous reanimation. Any-who!
2  I'll be getting a finished copy, though. It wouldn't be right to like a book so much and not even own the finished copy!  So what's a girl to do with her ARC? I think y'all can guess...
3  P.S. He'll always be Sam to me. I don't care if his names "officially" been changed to Lee in the next book, Sam will always be Sam- even if it takes a bottle of White-Out to make it so!  XP

***I won this ARC from a contest hosted by a fellow blogger.***

The No Kill Book Shelter is Now Open!

The No Kill Book Shelter for Books I Didn't Like

Just because one person didn't appreciate a book doesn't mean that someone else won't absolutely love it. The books you'll find here in the shelter have been badly neglected and unloved. In some instances they've even been verbally abused. Book violence is a very serious issue, one that we should all do our part to remedy. Support your local No Kill Book Shelter and give a bad book a second chance.

For the sake of unloved books and for the purpose of giving them a good home, Jane of Life After Jane has opened a shelter where, for a limited time, you can adopt one book and give the love it deserves!

Applications for adoption must be sumitted by December 8th, and two lucky families will be chosen and annouced on the 9th, so there's not a lot of time! Head on over today and give a deserving book a happy home!

Zombie Girrrl

Her Name's Eleni and She's Having a Contest!

And it's a good one, too!
To help get us in the holiday spirit, two lucky winners will recieve their choice of book straight from Amazon! The only stipulations are that you keep it under $25 and that you are a resident of either the US or CA.
Contest ends December 20 at midnight, so sign up today1!

May the odds be ever in your favor2!
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes__________________________________________________
1  Just to be careful, I made the whole body of the post a link to the contest on La Femme Readers! There's nothing worse than  wanting to enter a  contest or something and missing the link.
2  Allow me to rephrase: May half of the odds be in your favor, and half of them be in mine.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

The results are in and the winner of the Top 5 Recommended Reads Contest is... *drum roll*...

Natalie of Mindful Musings1!

Natalie recommended City of Bones by Cassandra Clare2 as her top recommended read of the year, and chose Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow3 as her prize!

Congratulations, Natalie! And thank you, participants and Park Avenue Princess!

Happy Reading,

Zombie Girrrl

footnotes________________________________________________

1  The winner was drawn by the Park Avenue Princess at Random.org. 
2  I love this series!

3  I was secretly hoping someone would win this book, it's fantastically gritty!

Weekly Book Roundup (Nov #3) Plus Awards!

Time to see what I got this week1!

Gifted:
My good friend Orchid was kind enough to pass along a few duplicates to me! She gave me the first three Maximum Ride books2! Thanks, Orchid!

Awards:

Ohh La La Award:
I'm super excited to accept this award from Heather of Gofita's Page. Merci beaucoup, Heather! This award is si jolie3! Aside from passing it on, I also get to answer a few questions!

Where is your favorite place to read?
Outside, but only it's not too sunny as I tend to burn, and not too windy because I don't like my pages to blow, and not too cold because I don't like layers. On second thought, an arm chair's good. But only if it's by a window because I prefer natural light, and it doesn't rock because it gives me vertigo, and... :} I also like reading while walking.

Bookmarks or dog ears?
Bookmarks! To dog ear a good book is sacrilige! If I don't have a bookmark handy, I just leave them lying open. This habit drives some people nuts, though I really don't see what the big deal is.

What's the best book you've read so far this year?
Ooh, toughy! The first thing that comes to mind is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, nd since I don't wish to torment myself, I'll just stick with that.

Do you like to snack while reading, and if so, what is your favorite snack?
Not really. I do like to have some water near at hand, though.

Book borrower or book collector?
Both. Half of my TBR list is borrowed books, and I'm a total book hoarder. I like to squirrel them away around the house so I'm never far from something to read.

Nominies:

Pirate Penguin
Teens Read and Write

Park Avenue Princess
The Story Siren
Dahlia's Eclectic Mind
The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
The Tainted Poet
Bloody Bookaholic
vvb32 reads
La Femme Reads

Congatualtions, y'all!

I also recieved a few awards from Dahlia of Dahlia's Eclectic Mind! Thanks, D!

Let's Be Friends Award:
Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Nominies:

Park Avenue Princess
Dahlia
Orchid
Eli
Eleni
Taschima
Velvet
Allysa
Sandy
Heather

Dahlia also gave me the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Zombie Chicken Award, but I've already recieved these in the past, so I'm not gonna pass them on again.


In Other News:
My first contest has come to a close! Thank you a million times over, Park Avenue Princess for the help and the promotional opportunity! And thanks to everyone who entered and all my new and old followers! You guys rock! I hope it's not too long a wait for my next contest.

Bonne lecture4,
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_______________________________________________
1 Kudos to The Story Siren for starting and promoting the IMM meme!
2 The first three Max books are definitely my favorite. I think he went too far with the fourth and fifth books.
3 so pretty
4 Happy reading

Contest Reminder

Contest Closed

Just a quick reminder that your chance to win 1 of 5 amazing books expires Saturday November 21st, so if you've yet to enter, do so now! Unless, that is, you don't want to win one of the following1:
World War Z by Max Brooks
Den of Shadows by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
The Looking Glass Wars By Frank Beddor
Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow


Interested? Good! Then click HERE to enter2!


Good luck!
Zombie Girrrl


footnotes__________________________________________
1 The three titles without links haven't been reviewed on my blog for some strange reason, but I assure you that they are Five Zombie reads!
2 Don't freak out, but you will be sent to anoter blog when you click this link! The contest is in conjuction with The Park Avenue Princess' Saturday Spotlight meme. You can read an interview with yours truly and then sign up for my contest at the end of the post!

My Take On Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Two theater-mad, self-invented
fabulositon Ohio teenagers.
One boy, one girl.
One gay, one straight.
One black, one white.
And SUMMER DRAMA CAMP.
It's a season of hormones,
gold lame,
hissy fits,
jazz hands,
song and dance,
true love,
and unitards
that will determine their future
—and test their friendship.

Talk about two very different takes on a book!
After reading Dramarama and being slightly less than thrilled, Orchid lent it to me with the warning that I shouldn't expect too much. It was too glittery and the characters were all too dramatic1.

ZG: Glitter, you say? [feigns disinterest]

Orchid: Yes, glitter.

ZG: How much glitter? You know, for curiousities sake. [plays coy]

Orchid: Gobs of it. [suspecion creeps into voice]

ZG: *heavy sigh* I guess I could give it a shot. [rolls eye as though granting a huge favor]

I was not disappointed.

This book is definitely in a league of its own as far as I'm concerned. I've never read a book about the theater and Broadway before, and the only apt term for what I found in Dramarama is "Fabulous!" E. Lockhart dropped showtunes titles and Broadway stars like breadcrumbs, but I never felt out of the loop or uninformed. It wasn't forced, it just was. I danced around my room for a few days after reading this, the theater vibe was that contagious.

The whole story was not about glitter and gold lame2, however. It was about friendship, expressing yourself, accepting who you are, and finding where you fit. Demi and Saydie's friendship was fun to read about because they were both so encouraging and flambouyant. I loved the songs and dance reutines they put together to survive their fabulacking Ohio town.

But my favorite thing was this wasn't your typical chicklit. Everything wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. If it were, I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much. I've found that while most chicklit books are like a box of perfect bonbons with creamy centers and zero calories, E.'s are more realistic and thus more enjoyable4. Her books are like that same box of chocolates, but now you're eating them with the knowledge that the average chocolate bar has 3 to 8 insect legs in it3. They're fun and sorta outrageous, but still realistic. And I love the ending! It allowed your mind to wander down the path of time and imagine what would have become of Demi and Saydie after The End.

Ratings! I'd rate Dramarama PG13, but only mildly so. There was a little kissing, but nothing too much, and no hanky panky. Yay!

I give Dramarama...

Three Zombies!

I will definitely be looking into E.'s other books after this. A little birdy told me that The Boyfriend List would be right up my alley...

Happy reading,

Zombie Girrrl

footnotes____________________________________

1 For Orchid's full review, click here.

2 Pronouced "la-may"

3 Is it wrong that this doesn't temper my love of choclate in the slightest?

4 Case in point, The Disreutable History of Franky Landeau-Banks. I loved that book because it had a tinge of reality and everything wasn't hokey pokey all the time.

***I am not recieving compensation for this review. All opinions expressed above are those of the author of this blog alone. The above reviewed book was acquired from my library. Individual results may vary.***

Weekly Book Roundup (Nov #2)

It's that time again, time for me to share what I've acrued this week1!

IMM:
This week something wonderful came in my mailbox; a 6lb box of books, swag, and Halloween goodies from Katie of Katies Book Blog. It was like a slightly belated birthday present, and I tore into it with the zeal of a five year old! Inside was the following:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)
Never Cry Werewolf by *** (ARC)
Devil's Kiss by *** (ARC)
Snap by Carol Snow (ARC)
Danial X by James Patterson (PB)
The Dark Devine nail polish and soundtrack2
Hush, Hush book plate sgined by Becca Fitzpatrick3
various bookmarks including one for Meridian signed by Amber Kizer
2 Oh. My. Gods. buttons4
You Are So Undead to Me t-shirt5
a foot-long pumpkin pen
a ghost lamp
2 glow-in-the-dark wrist bands
2 mini note pads
a bouquet of Blow Pops
a pumpkin Pez despenser
1 pair fuzzy purple socks6
And... I think that's it!

Major thanks go out to Katie for having such an awesome Halloween bonanza! BTW, she's having another awesome contest as we speak! She's giving away Need by Carrie Jones! The contest ends Nov 20, and there's a link on my sidebar. -->

In Other News:
The results are in, and 43% of you had it right! I am now 22 years old! Whoo! I don't know what some of you were thinking, 15 to 17?! As if! I remember when the Macarena was invented8!
Thanks to everyone who voted and all well wishers. ^-^

Happy Reading,
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_______________________________________
1 Kudos to The Story Siren for starting and promoting the IMM meme!
2 The nail polish is seriously my favorite shade of purple, and the soundtrack is sooo good! I think I've mentioned before how much I love book soundtracks; it really gives you a feel for where the writer's mind was at, so I now have a pretty good idea (I think) of what happens in The Dark Devine.
3 This went straight into my copy! I squealed when I saw that.
4 The one with the winged shoes now resides on the grey leopard spotted cardigan I got for my birthday.
5 More squealing. I'm currently reading this book, so now I can read and wear it!
6 These made me giggle. They're really handy, though, because my feet are like ice cubes. They're like corpsickles. ^-^
7 Not sure I should be bragging about that...

My Take On Soulless by Gail Carriger

First off, this is not technically a YA book. I've seen it circulating the YA blogosphere quite a lot, I even won my autographed copy from one, so I was a little surprised to find out it was in fact an adult book. There are a few scenes that more delicate readers1 will have to skim over, so I'm gonna rate this book a strong PG13 for graphic adult situations2. Aside from the occasionaly "scene" this book read very much like a YA book. It was fast paced with excellent characters, just the right amount of mystery, and hilarious dialogue. It's an excellent crossover book for adults looking to get into YA or vise versa.

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

As for the book, it was fabulous! I couldn't get enough of Miss Alexia Tarrabotti and her everpresent parasol3! The setting was a lot different from what I usually read, but it was a great change of pace. The characters were vibrant and loveable, I especially loved reading about her flambouyant friend Lord Akeldama. I was always waiting to see what he'd wear next, and I was never dissapointed. Carriger was never sparse with her descriptions of the characters, the world, or the political workings thereof. The story was never slow or bogged down by details, though.

The character interaction was the high point for me. I especially loved Alexia and Lord Maccon's bickering and Alexia's relationship with her best friend, Miss Hisselpenny. They had this snide little thing where Alexia would insult Miss Hisselpenny's taste in headwear and Miss Hisselpenny would then criticise Alexia on her accademic pursuits. It was hilarious!

This book was a riotous introduction into the colorful, magical world of Miss Tarrabotti. It had me laughing out loud in innapropiate locals, but I've never been shy about that sorta thing, so I'd just say, "I'm sorry, but this is a really funny book! You'll have to excuse my laughter because it simply cannot be helped!"

I give Soulless...

Four zombies! This novel of vampires, werewolves, parasols, and steampunk (which is best read with tea4), is high up on my list of recommended reads5, and I eagerly await the release of the second volume in the Parasol Pretectorate Series, Changeless, in May.

Happy reading,

Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_________________________________________

1 Such as myself. As I've stated before, I don't like smut in my reads, so when I encounter them I skim over them.

2 Keep in mind, however, that my idea of what's what might be a little more conservative than a-ver-age bear.

3 If you're in the market for more parasol shinanigans, read the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. It's got a slower pace, but the characters are fairly similar. The main premise is that Peabody is a witty and highly intelligent woman archeologist in a non-steampunk Victorian England, though the story takes place in Egypt. Her and her hot Archealogist husband solve mysteries and fight against grave robbers and such. They're very good. But I digress...

4. That's what Miss Carriger wrote on the inside flap. It was very cool of her. ^-^

5. A totally true claim. I'm lending it to my sisters and I've been dropping strong hints to my aunt that she would enjoy this series very much. So yeah, it's for everyone (over a certain age6).

6. It's my personal opinion that that age is 17.

***I am not recieving compensation for this review. All opinions expressed above are those of the author of this blog alone. Individual results may vary.***

Weekly Book Rounup (Oct #3, #4, & Nov #1)

Sooo much to catch up on! I've been lazy in the IMM department these last few weeks, but no more! Here's what I've gotten for last three weeks1!

Library:
Nothing much to report on this front as I've been trying to shorten my TBR pile. It has gotten rather out of hand of late. I did get Catcher in the Rye a couple weeks ago, though. I love that book! Holden is awesome, and one of my new favorite characters. Expect a full review in the near future.

In My Mailbox:
I won Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll from Velvet in an Easter egg contest she had during Alice in Wonderland Week. She also threw in a box of Chocorooms2 from the Catapillar. Thanks, V! I've set Alice aside to be my Christmas read3.
I also won a Leviathon postcard signed by Scott Westerfeld (!!!) from Celia. Thanks, girl!
From Fatastic Book Review, I won a signed copy of Soulless by Gail Carriger, which came straight from the author! She wrote, "Best read with tea!" inside. So true! Thank you, Tina and Miss Carriger! This book was fantastic and hilarious!
I also won a crisp new copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick from Cindy over at Simple Life and Reading. Thnaks, Cindy!


In Other News:
~Don't forget to enter MY FIRST CONTEST EVER! One lucky winner willl have their choice from five of my all time favorite books!
~Also, Dahlia is celebrating her 1 year blogoversary right now, and there's a copy of Leviathon up for grabs, so be sure to head on over for that!!!
~It lives! My computer is back in action! Turns out it wasn't actually dead, it just had a massive stroke or something and lost all its memory. But fear not! It was backed up on a portable hard drive. I highly recommend you procure one for your computer, they are a God send4.
~It's my birthday (week)!!! Feel free to shower me in praise and well wishes, and don't forget to cast yor vote on my poll! ;)

Happy reading,
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_______________________________________________
1 Kudos to The Story Siren for starting and promoting the IMM meme!
2 Chocoroom-chocoroom-chocoroom! New favorite word! Say it, it's fun!
3 It seems more seasonal than zombies or fallen angels.
4 Que heavenly choir.

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

Head on over to Tynga's Blog Design to enter for a chance to win a custom blog button! There's a few requirements: you must follow, you must post, and you must fill out a little thingy, but it's super easy and the prize is awesome! I'd love to have a button for my blog, especially if it's free!

Good luck1!
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_________________________________________
1 But not too much luck, because I do want to win, after all!

My Take On Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.




Ever read a book that so good, it felt unnecessary to write a review? So good, that the whole world must already be aware of it, and to say so would just be redundant? Well, that's how it was with Catching Fire.
I'll admit I was a mite worried that it wouldn't live up to the awesomeness that was The Hunger Games, so I put off reading it for a little while, but I need not have worried. From page one, I was, once again, Katniss. I felt her fear, anxiety, and resentment. I lived her life. Suzanne Collins has a style unlike any other I've read. Reading her books is an intense experience, and her characters and the world she's created are wonderful and, in some instances, frightingly real.
There was less action than the first book initially, but it picked up very quickly, and like a juggernaut, it just kept gathering momentum. The plot was also a lot thicker than the first book, and we were pulled deeper into the instability in the Districts. The old characters were really expanded on and a lot of depth was added, also a bunch of new ones were introduced.
Now, I don't want give too much away, but I will say there was a lot more Gale/Peeta time1. Poor Katniss is stuck between a rock and hard place, in the love department2. On top of that, she's stuck trying to get in the good graces of the hideously evil President Snow in order to ensure the safety of her loved ones, and handle all the pressures that come with being a champion, including a tour of the whole country where she and Peeta witness the instability of the population and the Capitol's hard handed control methods. And, O, the twists this story takes! And the ending? Amazing! I read the last few pages over at least five times before I even thought about setting the book down, it was so... what's a word meaning, "Whoa, dude, I did not see that coming!"? Not "shocking," that's not nearly big enough. If you like an unpredictable thrill ride that really pulls you in, you must, must, must read this series!


I give Catching Fire...
...Five Zombies! I cannot wait to get my greedy little mits on the third installment!

Happy Reading,
Zombie Girrrl

footnotes_________________________________________

1 Whooo!

2 Choose you side now, Gentle Reader, because there will definitely be some boy rooting going on! I was on Team Gale in book one, but you really got to delve deeper into the characters in CF, so now I'm torn. Peeta or Gale? Gale or Peeta?

3 Are you reading it yet? No? Well, what are yo waiting for?!

****I won this book in a contest, and am not receiving compensation for this review. Individual results may vary.***