The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes', by Suzanne Collins, is another masterpiece in the Panem world. It is a prequel to 'The Hunger Games', and tells the story of Coriolanus Snow, an ancestor of President Snow.

Coriolanus is in his last year at the academy, an elite high school. He is a top student, is set to graduate with honors, and is on track to enroll into the university next year to complete his education and make a better life for his family. The Snow's have a long history of power, success, and wealth, but the war with the rebels has left them almost destitute.  The Snows are a proud family however, and are trying their hardest to keep up appearances of prosperity. Coriolanus having a good career is their only hope to make it to stay in the high social class in which they belong to.

Fortunately, Coriolanus has landed a spot as a student mentor during the 10'th annual Hunger Games. It is an honor since only 24 are chosen, two mentors for the 12 districts, one boy and one girl. His family status should get him a decent competitor, but when he is stuck with the girl from district 12 he begins to question his own worth and if his dean has a grudge against him for some reason. He absolutely has to receive one of the prizes awarded at the end of the games, so his hope is riding on an eccentric wild card from district 12.

'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' is both captivating and enthralling. I was glued to the pages and could not set it down. With so many cliff hangers, it was practically impossible to put down. My advice, don't read it when you have a lot going on because you will not want to stop reading! By the end of the book I was so invested in the characters I didn't know how I wanted it to end. It left me pondering life, sacrifices, love, and human nature at its core. It is tragic, beautiful, and heart-wrenchingly wonderful.

Divergent series

This is another series that I have recently fallen in love with. There are three books in the series with a fourth book that is from a different character's viewpoint. The plot takes place in a Dystopian Chicago where the city is divided into five factions. These factions believe that the world was destroyed by man's inner desires- so each faction focuses on one virtue:
Euridite: Knowledge
Amity: Peace
Candor: Honesty
Abnegation: Selflessness
Dauntless: Bravery
When a person reaches the age of 16 they go to a choosing ceremony where they then choose which faction they will live the rest of their lives in. Some people choose to stay with the faction that raised them, but some people choose a faction transfer and leave their families and homes behind forever. The motto of the society is "faction before blood". If a person does not fit into any faction, they become factionless- which mean they are at the very bottom- homeless, hungry, and without family or friends. Then there are the Divergent, the group of people who threaten the way their society works because they have aptitudes for more than one faction. Being Divergent is dangerous. The leaders of the communities want to kill anyone who is different from them.

This series is full of action, adventure, romance, the power of choice and individuality, and oh so much more goodness. I would highly, highly recommend it. (The movie as well!)

The Selection series

I am such a hopeless romantic. So when I can find a really good, not too cheesy book that feeds that part of me, I am a happy girl. Well, I have found just such a series. The series is called 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass. It is about a futuristic society who has a monarchy government. When the prince becomes a certain age 35 girls are drawn at random to move to the palace and go through a modern day Bachelor (like the tv show) type ordeal. So basically the prince dates 35 girls at one time and eliminates them when he feels like it won't work out. The main character is America, who is not sure if she should sign up for the selection or not. On the one hand if she happens to be chosen her family will be provided with food and money while she is away, things they never seem to have enough of. However, if she goes she may lose the love of her life and be stuck courting a stuffy prince who she has no interest in whatsoever.

I keep trying to find the words that describe how amazing this series is... but there are none. I have eagerly anticipated the printing of each book and novella, just like I did with Harry Potter, so I believe that says it all. I have recommended this series to quite a few people, and not one of them has come back and told me that they didn't like it. More often then not, they come back mad that I so rudely messed up their sleep schedules because they couldn't put these books down.

Shatter Me

I recently have read an amazing series by Tahereh Mafi, well the books in the series that have been written anyway. I am anxiously awaiting for the next book to be written, but the first two are called 'Shatter Me' and 'Unravel Me'. It is a story about a girl who has a lethal touch, literally. If her skin comes into contact with another human being, she could kill them. Not really sure what to do with her after a tragic accident, society throws her in a mental institution where she has absolutely no human contact for hundreds of days. All she has to keep her sane is a little notebook that she can write her thoughts in, and a very small window in her cell that she can get a glimpse of the sky. Her world is then turned upside down yet again when all of a sudden, they give her a cell mate.


This was a very interesting read for me. The authors style of writing is unlike anything I have seen before. I thoroughly enjoyed these books and would highly recommend them. However, there are some adult scenes that are probably not appropriate for younger readers. These are categorized as Young Adult, but I would probably not recommend them to anyone younger than high school age.

Matched

The latest series that I read is called the 'Matched Series' by Allie Condie. I must admit that this is one of those "latest and greatest" series fads that everyone is reading and yes, I jumped on the bandwagon and read them too. The series is yet another futuristic series where a new form of government has taken over. This particular government is called The Society which holds complete control over practically everything that its citizens do. From where they work to who they marry every thing is pretty much decided for them. There is no choice. The reward for this is safety. There is no disease, no wars, just citizens living peaceful lives. When  The Society first came about they even had a committee to examine all of the art and music in the world. This committee selected 100 songs and 100 paintings to survive and destroyed the rest. Therefore there is no longer creation of art or music of any kind and has become a lost art. When teenagers reach a certain age they attend what is known as a Match Banquet. They get to go have a fancy dinner with food they have never had and at the end there is a ceremony where every teenager is given a match, or future spouse if you will, from somewhere in The Society. Almost everyone is matched to someone that they have never met, so when Cassia is matched to someone she has known her whole life, she is completely shocked. The week following the Match Banquet is the beginning of realization for Cassia  that The Society may not be as perfect as she always thought.

While I did enjoy this series and found it an entertaining read, I think it might be a little overrated. Yes it is good, but no it is not amazing. Just a fun read. I would recommend it, but I just hope it doesn't become an unbelievably overrated fad like Twilight (ugh). (Oh no, I wouldn't say these books are as terrible as Twilight, I was just referring to the fad thing.)

The Maze Runner

A couple of weeks ago I finished 'The Maze Runner' series by James Dashner. The reason it has taken me so long to write this recommendation post is because I debated whether or not to recommend it. I actually couldn't figure out if I like the series or not. Although it kept me up nights with its page turning excitement, each time I finished a book the haunting question of "did I like that?" loomed over me. This question thus far has proven unanswerable, something that is quite baffling to me. It is with this struggle that I have decided to recommend it. If a book can cause me to puzzle over it for such a long time, actually make me stop and think about it and its complexities, than it must be worthy of reading. I would be lying if I didn't say that the book was almost scarring to me. Yes, it has it's entertainment factor, but the fear that this might actually happen to our world some day hovers over me leaving a lasting impression. So my friends, I would definitely recommend this book so that you can judge for yourselves.

“Such a display of death - how could it be considered a victory?” 
-James Dashner-

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins, has become a national phenomenon.  And like all phenomenons, there is bound to be some controversy. In case you don't know anything about this series, it is about a futuristic country that includes the capitol and thirteen districts. There was a time when the districts rebelled against the capitol and to prove their power the capitol initiated something known as The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games requires two children, a boy and a girl, from each district to be put in an arena and fight to the death. The last child standing wins fame, fortune, and best yet- extra food for their district for that year.  One guess what the controversy is over... You got it. The kids killing kids part. And of course that is absolutely awful! But to me, that is kind of the point. It should shock you. It should make you stop and think. It should make you question your government instead of following along like a mindless robot. And I think the biggest lesson of all, is that kids should NOT hurt one another. It has been said that these books model our society- and I must admit, I agree. How many violent games are there? How many gangs involve too many kids? And remember how we are in the middle of a national bullying crisis? Violence has become socially acceptable in our society and I feel like these books kind of draw us out on that. These books teach, inspire, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you skip meals because you literally cannot put them down. Suzanne Collins is an amazing author and she deserves credit where credit is due. The movie is indeed incredible, but nothing beats the books. So read it and decide for yourself. And I would love to hear your opinion on this series!

“Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.” 

The Shadow Children

Today I finished the seventh book of an amazing series called The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. These series are set in the future after the country has experienced a major drought and famine with thousands of people starving to death. The government decided to pass a law that limits parents to have only two children. Luke however, is unfortunate enough to have two older brothers, making him a third child. It is illegal for him to be alive- so he has to stay in hiding for his entire life. If anyone sees Luke, both him and his family can be shot to death on the spot. Luke's whole life he has been living in fear of being discovered- until he meets another third child that is determined to do something about it. Third children are referred to as 'shadow children' because they aren't supposed to exist. This series is about these children's struggle for freedom.

These books are not very long and are definitely page turners making them fast, fun reads. I honestly couldn't  put them down and when I finished one of them I rushed to buy the next one. My husband was definitely ready for the Barnes and Noble charges that went on my Nook to stop, but I couldn't NOT finish the series. The were just too good. Read them, you won't be disappointed!

The Shadow Children Series in Order:
1. Among the Hidden
2. Among the Imposters
3. Among the Betrayed
4. Among the Barons
5. Among the Brave
6. Among the Enemy
7. Among the Free