The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

I came back to blogspot to look for a poem I posted a number of years ago, and discovered that people still look at this blog... which is so weird because I haven't posted in it in so many years. I just forgot about it and I realized that I wasn't very good at giving book reviews. I just consume books now, anything that makes me think too hard makes me roll my eyes because I don't have the patience to analyze it and digest it. I blame my BA in English. *cue Avenue Q soundtrack*

In any case, I'll throw in a new review today, just for kicks, since people seem to still look at this. Or rather, stumble upon it. So, why not.

The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston is a new series by the prolific supernatural romance writer. Although you wouldn't think she was very prolific by her newsletters (lots of complaining and whining about how hard it is for her to meet deadlines). This story is about an ex-marine who has trouble adjusting to normal life, who one day gets killed and is given the opportunity to become a "Crow" or a second chance at life as a warrior under the viking god Skuld. She consents and has to adjust to a whole new kind of life.

The main character is kind of annoying because she constantly refers back to her previous life as a marine, and how awesome it was. While withholding alot of details about her life before her military career. The male protagonist is very one-dimensional, but he's a viking. As usual, the side characters interacting together is far more entertaining than the main storyline.

This book is fun, but is not her best work. This book feels like an extended prologue for explaining the world... the story doesn't feel like it gets going until the very end when *spoiler alert* the bad bitch goddess steps out of Brianna's skin. The whole exposition for the world could have been condensed into one chapter if only Kera wasn't so pigheaded and thick. And alot of the explaining could have been done simultaneously with the plot development, rather than pause the action to have an extended dialog where the Crows freak out about clipboards and how to annoy each other. Don't need to point out when people are being annoying, it stands out on their own.

Anyways, despite my irritation with some of the writing, it was entertaining enough that I would read the next books. Hopefully, the plot picks up a bit and it's focused on Erin... Anyone that doesn't have nightmares is worth exploring.

I'm currently re-reading all of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series in anticipation of the last book's release next January. I haven't read them since I was 12, and I stopped at book 8 I think. There has been alot that I've forgotten and didn't notice at that young age. Looking forward to finishing that series. I'm in the middle of book 5 right now... and had totally forgotten how annoying Nynaeve is. It's unfortunate that so many chapters are from her POV in that book.

The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Miller

I picked up this book because there was an intro by Neil Gaiman where he says he bought this book before he wrote "American Gods" but didn't read it until after he wrote his novel. After reading the book, he wish he'd read it earlier because it's awesome.

Having just read American Gods, I decided to give it a try.

It is completely different from American Gods.

It's also hilarious and awesome in an unexpected, matter-of-fact way.

It's about a bunch of fairies who, during a drunken bender, stumbled onto a cargo jet and ended up in New York.

They become friends with a bunch of crazy people, and incite a war amongst local fairies. It's just a fun book because of the way it's written. Everything is stated in a matter-of-fact way, assuming that you follow, even if the words are completely implausible together.

"I just vomited in your bath tub. Don't worry, no doubt fairy vomit is sweet smelling to humans"

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I've heard of Neil Gaiman for awhile now, but never had a chance to read his books until now. I loved the movies based on his books, but I didn't want to tamper with my enjoyment of the films by reading the books. When I saw him on Craig Ferguson promoting the anniversary of American Gods, I jumped at the chance to read something by him.

The book is about Shadow, a guy who's down on his luck and is approached by a mysterious man to be his muscle. Without much choice, Shadow agrees and becomes the companion of an immigrant God, specifically Odin. Together, they embark on this mission to gather all the immigrant Gods to battle the new gods, namely Technology and Media, etc. There are lots of interesting twists in the story and a number of parallel story lines. The ideas are very rich and could be explored repeatedly while still being an easy read.

I liked the ideas presented by the book, but I'm not sure I'm a fan. It just didn't grip me. I could put it down without feeling empty for not finishing the story, even though it's my kind of book.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This is the last book in the trilogy, and it comes to a fitting end.

Once Katniss is rescued from the arena, the civil war begins in earnest. She is taken to join the rebel forces while Peeta is taken by the Capitol. Both sides use them against each other in an effort to win the war. It becomes an moral discourse on what is necessary to win a war. Do you kill people for the greater good, or try to salvage what you can so that there is a future at all.

Eventually they save Peeta in an effort to keep Katniss with the rebel cause, but they find him brainwashed to destroy her. Meanwhile, she finds herself and Gale are drifting further and further apart. He lives for the cause, while she finds it an effort to live at all.

Finally, the rebels win, but at a terrible cost that Katniss cannot come to terms with. During the public execution of President Snow (the Capitol president), Katniss decides to execute President Coin (the rebel leader) instead, because she's realized that there would not be a true republic after the lengths Coin went through to win. It would be simply replacing the existing system with a different face.

With both leaders dead, the survivors of the war elect a new leader. The Hunger Games are over forever, but the impact lives on in Katniss and Peeta's memory.

I think the reason I loved this series so much is because Katniss is so real to me. I find myself identifying with her struggles, her moral point of view. I know that I would have made much of the same choices at 17, and I can imagine the scarring of her experiences.

So good. I hope they don't screw up the movie.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Book two in the Hunger Games trilogy. So good. You cannot read the trilogy independently because the cliffhangers will kill you. So glad I didn't read this series till all the books came out.

In this book, Katniss is home having survived the Hunger Games with Peeta. She's recovering from post traumatic stress and trying to figure out her feelings about Peeta and Gale. She loves both of them, but there is so much history that she can't choose. However, she has to continue the pretense that she's in love with Peeta for the media. Gale continues to survive as he has always done.

When Katniss and Peeta go on the Victor's Tour through all the districts, they unintentionally incite rebellion and gradually they become a symbol for the skyrocketing discontent. To make matters worse, this year is the Quarter Quell. Every 25 years of the Hunger Games is a twist that makes everything worse. This year, the players are drawn from the existing pool of victors. Meaning Katniss ends up back in the game.

During the game, the players band together and make it a point to fight the game itself rather than fight each other. They succeed and trigger a new civil war. At the end of the book, Katniss and Peeta are separated. One is adopted by the rebels, and the other is taken by the Capitol.

Eeek! Just started book 3.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is another book that I feel is along the same vein as Ender's Game. Also unbelievably good. I can't quite believe this is marketed as a young adult novel, with its dark themes and ethical commentary on government control and blind consumption of popular culture. Although I wish this book was out when I was considered a young adult, just so I can see how I would react to this book.

It is essentially a cross between Battle Royale and Survivor in a post WW3 environment. In retaliation for a popular uprising years ago, the Capitol has created the Hunger Games, where a boy and a girl under 18 from a formerly rebel district is randomly selected to participate each year. The game is a Battle Royale, where the contestants kill off each other until only one survives. All the while, the games are broadcast throughout the world as a reality TV show. How each player plays the social media and survival game determines how much help they get from the spectators. In this story, Katniss volunteers for the games when her sister's name is chosen. She undergoes the media blitz before the game, which is a stark contrast to the actual games. She survives the game, but not without consequences.

One of the ploys they use to help her survive is to play star-crossed lovers with the boy who is chosen to play the game with her. Normally they are to kill each other, but he professes a love for her before the games begin, so they are able to use that to garner sympathy from the viewers. And in a last ditch effort to usurp the power of the game, the two pretend to commit suicide rather than kill the other off. This causes a chain reaction among the former rebel states because to them, it's not an act of love, it's an act of rebellion.

This is the first book in a trilogy. In the middle of the second. Just as good. I think I would react exactly like Katniss in her situation... if I managed to survive at all.