Everyone I know who reads YA has been anticipating this one. When DIVERGENT first came out, I remember telling students that I liked it better than HUNGER GAMES, and that's saying a lot. If you haven't read DIVERGENT, you need to just go do that right now. The rest of you, keep on reading.
Here's your quickie synopsis - The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered--fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Many, many secrets are revealed in this finale. We learn the story behind the creation of the factions, how Tris and her family are involved, as well as what is beyond the walls of the city. The "why" of the factions is the biggest discovery of the book. I think the seed there is enough to begin a whole new book. But anyway, it creates some tension between Tris and Four. They all must continue to make difficult choices, as the uprisings from the second book continue.
Overall, I do believe it's a worthy ending to the series. But, I'm still digesting the ending. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. The writing is wonderful, and the action kept me turning the pages. The best part about reading the finale in a popular series is talking about it with others. So, I'm off to do that now. (And to anticipate the DIVERGENT movie, of course.)
Enjoy this interview with Veronica Roth about the writing of ALLEGIANT, as well as a few tidbits about the movie!
I normally only review books here, but I couldn't help but add my two cents about the much anticipated HG movie.
So...What did you think of the HUNGER GAMES movie? I thought it was great! The casting was superb. The acting was wonderful by all. Jennifer Lawrence was incredible. The moment I saw her, she felt like Katniss to me through and through. Peeta was exactly as a I imagined in the book, as was Gale. Elizabeth Banks was a hoot as Effie Trinket. I didn't recognize her at all underneath all of that outrageous makeup. Speaking of the fashion of the capitol - wow. I remember reading about the bright colored clothing and hair, but seeing it on the screen was quite shocking. Could fashion really evolve into that? Let's hope not.
Woody Harrelson was perfectly cast as Haymitch. Lenny Kravitz was a brilliant casting move. I loved him as Cinna. I look forward to seeing him more in the future installments. I'm assuming they will definitely be filming book 2 & 3. How could they not?
The only disappointment for me was the camera techniques. I'm not sure if this comes under the purview of cinematographer or director, but there were some "tricks" that distracted from the enjoyment of the movie. At some points the screen would go blurry and then back to clear. It made sense once or twice in the context of the scene. But then it became over used and just annoying. Also, the screen would go grainy. I'm not sure what that was supposed to depict, but it was completely unnecessary. Also, there would be a hand-held camera look where the action would go herky-jerky. I can understand some of that when people are running through the woods, but together with the other two aspects, I felt it was overkill. With such great acting and an excellent story, these "tricks" simply distracted me from the movie. But those were minor details that didn't take away from the movie overall.
I loved it! Now I'm anxious to see the other two books on the big screen!
Please share your thoughts of the movie. Did it live up to the book?
So...What did you think of the HUNGER GAMES movie? I thought it was great! The casting was superb. The acting was wonderful by all. Jennifer Lawrence was incredible. The moment I saw her, she felt like Katniss to me through and through. Peeta was exactly as a I imagined in the book, as was Gale. Elizabeth Banks was a hoot as Effie Trinket. I didn't recognize her at all underneath all of that outrageous makeup. Speaking of the fashion of the capitol - wow. I remember reading about the bright colored clothing and hair, but seeing it on the screen was quite shocking. Could fashion really evolve into that? Let's hope not.
Woody Harrelson was perfectly cast as Haymitch. Lenny Kravitz was a brilliant casting move. I loved him as Cinna. I look forward to seeing him more in the future installments. I'm assuming they will definitely be filming book 2 & 3. How could they not?
The only disappointment for me was the camera techniques. I'm not sure if this comes under the purview of cinematographer or director, but there were some "tricks" that distracted from the enjoyment of the movie. At some points the screen would go blurry and then back to clear. It made sense once or twice in the context of the scene. But then it became over used and just annoying. Also, the screen would go grainy. I'm not sure what that was supposed to depict, but it was completely unnecessary. Also, there would be a hand-held camera look where the action would go herky-jerky. I can understand some of that when people are running through the woods, but together with the other two aspects, I felt it was overkill. With such great acting and an excellent story, these "tricks" simply distracted me from the movie. But those were minor details that didn't take away from the movie overall.
I loved it! Now I'm anxious to see the other two books on the big screen!
Please share your thoughts of the movie. Did it live up to the book?
Wow! What a ride! This is definitely one of the coolest books I've read in a while. It's an action-packed, science fiction book bursting with 80's culture.
Wade Watts is living in the year 2044, and the world is a pretty depressing place. Hunger, disease, poverty are rampant. Wade is living with his aunt, since his parents both died. However, she's not exactly loving. She only took him in to get extra food vouchers. He also has to hide his meager possessions or his aunt's bully boyfriend will snag them to pawn. The trailer they live in is stacked about twenty high in a strange ghetto like community called "the stacks."
So, you can see that escaping the real world is the number one priority for Wade. Since it's 2044, the escape is a pretty elaborate virtual reality called the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual world created by a legend game designer. The world is filled with planets, each with a variety of fun to be had. You can go on quests and other video game adventures or you can simply live, shop and socialize.
When the legendary designer James Halliday dies, he leaves an unusual will and testament. The entire world watches as the video is played of Halliday launching the most epic "easter egg" hunt ever. He explains that he's hidden three keys in OASIS. When a gamer reaches the keys, they will reveal clues to ultimately reach the egg. The reward for reaching the egg first is his entire fortune. This creates a whole culture of egg hunters, called "gunters" hunting after this easter egg. Wade Watts is the one to find the first key.
Halliday was obsessed with 80's, since that's when he grew up. So all the gunters study the TV, movies, comic books, mangas, and most of all, the video games of the decade. Halliday most certainly will require knowledge of 80's culture to decipher the clues needed to reach the egg.
I dare anyone who grew up in the 80's to read this and not be totally hooked! The references are hilarious and totally recognizable. Plus, the OASIS virtual world created is fascinating. Sometimes you forget that the character is inside an imaginary world. It's mind-bending to think that while Wade is traveling to different planets (some designed to look like science fiction worlds like Arrakis, Star Trek, Middle Earth) that he's doing it all in a fake world.
This is not only action-packed, but also intriguing to consider whether some of this technology may be in our future. The 80's culture made me smile and laugh out loud. The history of arcade video games was also fascinating. It brought back memories of playing Pac-Man and Defender at the skating rink. The whole book feels vaguely familiar, but also strikingly original. The author did a brilliant job of weaving the 80's culture without it taking over or becoming gimmicky. It's truly a part of the story in an authentic way.
Trust me, you will LOVE this. You won't be able to put it down! And after reading, you'll be dying to take a trip to the arcade. For real.
It is an adult book. In fact, it won the ALA ALEX Award, which is an award for adult books that appeal to older teens.
Check out the book trailer. I think it evokes some of the "old school" feel. Although, I wish it was a little longer and included some of the 80's music from the book. Check out the author's website here.
Wow! I love being blown away by an intriguing, well-written book! At first, this will seems similar to HUNGER GAMES, but it turns our to be very much its own thrilling tale.
In a futuristic dystopian Chicago, the society is divided up into five factions. Each society is founded on a particular virtue - Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Candor (honesty), Amity (kindness), Erudite (knowledge). At sixteen, teens must choose which faction to align with. First, they take an aptitude test to see which faction they most belong in, then they can decide to follow those results or choose another faction. If they leave their home faction, they never see their family again.
Beatrice Prior gets some unusual results at her aptitude test. The test proctor tells her that her results are inconclusive - that she is part Abnegation, part Dauntless, but really neither. The proctor whispers that she is "Divergent," and she should not tell anyone. It's dangerous. So the proctor deletes the results and enters the results manually as "Abnegation." Beatrice tries to get more information, but she's shushed out of the room and told to be very careful.
After much thought and boredom with her home faction of Abnegation, Beatrice decides to leave Abnegation. She has never really felt like she belonged in her home faction. The strict selflessness, which includes bland food, bland clothing, and lack of excitement, has driven her to the wild looking Dauntless faction. She has watched the kids from Dauntless as they laughingly jump on and off moving trains. Even if their life seems foolish, constantly displaying wild acts of courage, it has an excitement that she craves.
The new recruits to Dauntless must undergo a stringent initiation process. It's brutal and forces Beatrice to face fears she didn't even know she had. Plus, the recruits are in competition with each other, which brings out the cruelty in people. Beatrice must fight others and compete with herself to get through initiation to become a full Dauntless faction member.
This is thrilling, suspenseful, gritty, and thoughtful. It's a roller coaster ride, and I was so sad for it to end! The writing is impeccable. The characters are amazing! You will NOT be able to put it down.
I'm thrilled to hear that it has a sequel. It's going to be a trilogy. In fact, the cover for the sequel was just revealed. Check it out:
And you probably don't need more convincing, but just in case, check out the trailer below:
After winning the Hunger Games in book one, Katniss and Peeta continue their facade of being in love. The realize that they're on thin ice because of the rebellious way they won. They continue to play the game as they travel among the districts in their victory tour. But they begin to notice little signss of unrest among the districts. And when a man gets killed because he displayed a small sign support for them, Katniss realizes that there is much more going on then she realizes.
Finally, she realizes the effect that their little stunt in the games had when the ultimate punishment is announced. The 75th anniversary of the games, called the Quarter Quell, is a special games. It calls for something unique to happen. Katniss and Peeta must compete again. The President declares that this is to symbolize that the Capitol has power over even the strongest in the districts.
This is just as suspenseful as the first book and leaves even more questions unanswered! You won't be disappointed! I don't think I can move onto another book until I've finished this trilogy!
I know, I know...I'm the last person on the planet to finally read THE HUNGER GAMES. Here's the deal. I ordered it for the middle school library I was at when it came out. I planned to read it, since I loved GREGOR and this new book by Collins was already receiving so much buzz in Libraryland. I even began reading it. But the whole idea of fighting to the death just turned me off. Frankly, it didn't appeal to me at all. And there are so many more books to read, that I just declined.
Since then, I've heard so many people rave about it and now it's even becoming a movie. Alas, I finally read it. And yes, it's as good as everyone says. I couldn't put it down. It kept me up at night.
For those few left who haven't read it. Here's the summary: The setting is sometime in the future and all that's left of North America is a country called Panem. There are 12 Districts and a central district called the Capitol. Years before, the districts rebelled against the Capitol, so now to be continually punished, each district has to give up one boy and one girl to compete in the Hunger Games. The two children are chosen randomly through a drawing, called the reaping. The game itself is brutal. The contestants are put in this arena to fight to the death. The winner is then given a life of luxury and fame for the remainder of their life.
The characters and action are what made the book so appealing. Katniss is the female character. Her younger sister's name is pulled at the reaping, but she volunteers to go in her place. Peeta, the boy who is chosen, has an interesting connection to Katniss. Through the story, we learn more about Katniss's past with her hunting partner, how the death of her father transformed her life and how she may actually have the skills to win the game.
The action wasn't as gruesome as you might imagine. Although the fact the the entire world is watching the games is a little disconcerting, even more so since it's mandatory to watch. Sadly, there are elements of our current society that make the idea of watching this as entertainment not so far-fetched. What I really appreciated was the hunting and survival skills that Katniss needed to use. It reminds you of how important those skills really are when you're in life or death situations. But there were also a lot of mind games, so it was really fascinating.
Overall, it's though-provoking, moving, sad and action-packed!
If you haven't read it yet, it really is a book you won't soon forget. Now I'm really excited about the movie!
