Excellent Timing, or Why I Have Mockingjay Fever

Dear Friends,

I am gushing with excitement over this book I finished a few days ago. I can already tell you this will not be a cohesive review.

It will probably be more like fangirling.

Why did I stay away from Catching Fire for so long? I purchased a hardcover copy of The Hunger Games, for God's sake, but couldn't bring myself to pay full price for its sequel? (I only bought it last week because it was at Target for 12 bucks, SIX DOLLARS lower than price listed on dust jacket. Oh, shush, I will hear nothing of your save indie bookstores tomfoolery. I'm effing broke, okay? I'll save indie bookstores when I have a salary.)

This is how it happened: it's Sept 2009. Catching Fire is freshly released. I have time to kill at the B&N, so I sit down and start reading the first chapter (no real intentions of purchasing, mind you, only to get a headstart before hitting up the library). Angrily cast it aside after a few pages, cursing the flagrant exposition/repetition of things learned in the first book. (As I recall, I think I had only actually read The Hunger Games a month or so prior, which librarything confirms)

Anyways, long story short, I didn't read it until last week. And Mockingjay, which is all I have thought about since, comes out on TUESDAY. I hadn't even looked at the release date until after finishing CF - completely unplanned, but such perfect timing.

Anyways, as far as an actual book review goes, The Hunger Games are written for a slightly younger audience, like Harry Potter, so the writing is very simple. Not a lot of elegance. But with the most original premise YA fantasy has seen since Harry, you really can't put these books down. My only complaint is that the author chooses to disclose protag Katniss's every thought process, which makes some parts tedious if not annoying.

That said, if you haven't read these books yet, you should. Despite their flaws, they're still 20 times better written than the Twilight books, and are definitely taking the world by storm. I have a Mockingjay twibbon on my personal twitter profile pic, and check out these kick ass t-shirts from Hot Topic!!

There is really nothing else I can say.

ON A SCALE FROM 1-10
Plot Development - 8
Character Development - 6.5
Depth - 6.5
Voice - 5
Average Rating - 6.5