The Dark and Hollow Places (Book 3) by Carrie Ryan

Rating 3.5 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385738595
ISBN-13: 978-0385738590

 Annah has been living and surviving on her own sing Elias left her three years ago. When she finally decides to do something and move on with her life she meets Catcher, her sisters traveling companion and former boyfriend, and discovers her long lost twin sister is alive and well but now in the Recruiters hands.

The third book in the series seems to be the darkest and bleakest of all. While Annah herself and her story is pretty bleak set in the ruins of the city (that was supposed to be safe), the Zombie horde hitting the city, the cruelty of the Recruiters, death being at every turn and a certain last stand feel to the story.

The previous two books always had hope attached to it. For Mary there was the place the girl from the woods had come from, for Gabry there was the City. The girls all had somewhere else to go, somewhere safer. In this book there is no where to go. As I said previously this book is really dark with no hope to balance the horror the character witness and participate in.

I really can not decide if I liked this book or not. I found the book to be a a bit too dark and depressing  for my liking, plus there were somethings (mostly story threads) about the book and series as a whole, that irked me. Having said that I kept turning the pages wanting to know what happened next, if the group would survive, and  what would be the fate of the city.

I didn't really like Annah. There I said it. She just didn't gel well with me. Her personality for me didn't fit someone who had been surviving in extreme conditions for a few years on her own. She just seemed so wimpy, defenceless and clueless. For someone who had led her life I would expect her to be really tough physically or mentally (possibly both), or a hermit who never went out side. Instead she was this wishy washy character who was annoying in most instances. The only time I felt I saw the person I felt she should have been was towards the end after her night in the snow storm which is about half way through the book.

It really bugged me again that we have no idea of what caused the zombie invasion or even why there was a rebellion. This time the characters were in a place where they could get answers yet seemed unwilling to dig deeper and ask why. Which to me would have been important to figuring out how to survive. Also why would know one want to do tests on Catcher's blood? or what research was done in the past? The science nerd in me was very frustrated with this lack of wanting to know more. But maybe this was just me?

I liked Gabry a lot better in this book, as a lead character (and whose point of view the story was told from in book two), she didn't impress me much. But in this book I liked her a lot more. She was more well rounded as a character and less annoying.  Elias on the other hand was a bit of arrogant bastard in this book, but I was not turned off his character. I think the revelations about these two characters this book made them far more relatable.

The ending I thought was great for the series as a whole. It was a little on the Walt Disney happy ending side of happy endings but nonetheless I still thought it was a lovely way to finish the series and this book in particular that had been so dark and then right at the end was a small glimmer or more accurately the possibility of hope.

By the end of the book I was happier with the story and the trilogy as a whole. The third book did round the trilogy of quite nicely (despite all my criticisms!), and even though there were elements that bugged me I was still drawn into this world and enjoyed reading about it.

If you have read books one and two you can not decide to stop at book two.

The Dead - Tossed Waves (Book 2) by Carrie Ryan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Gollancz (8 April 2010)
ISBN-10: 0575090898
ISBN-13: 978-0575090897

First Sentence: "The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going."

Gabry lives a quiet and safe life behind the barrier. But her world is about to shattered when one night of fun turns into a disaster. Now Gabry has to decide to live her quiet but safe life at the light house, or take a chance and leave everything she knows behind. Can she save her friends? what secrets is her mother keeping? and who is Elias?

This is the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The story picks up roughly 20 years after the events in Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary is the lighthouse keeper responsible for killing the unconsecrated (or Mudo as they are known in this town), and she lives with her 16 year old daughter Gabry. The story is told from Gabry's point of view.

The reader gets to learn so much more about the world Mary inhabited. Vista is similar to the village Mary fled from. It is controlled by the Protectorate a government that rules, from what I can tell, the remaining surviving cities. Young men are volunteered or dragooned as punishment into the military known as the Recruiters. Everyone else is encased behind solid walls and are forced to follow strict rules. I feel we also get a sense of the bigger picture here, of what has been happening in the forest and beyond.

There was not as much action in this book compared to the first book. Towards the end there was a lot of action, but I felt up to about halfway through the book, the pacing was fairly slow. The death toll of the main characters is pretty low too compared to the first book.

Gabry is a little bit of a strange character. I found on one hand she annoyed me, but on the other hand I liked her and felt sorry for her. Somehow she has grown up completely afraid of her world and even who she is. So she really struggles with the turn of events, and beats herself up over it. I enjoyed Elias as a character he has the whole mysterious stranger with a dark past thing happening.

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT - I was a little confused about Mary's story though. She apparently returned to the forest for a year or so, and its indicated she knows how to return to her home village. Yet she apparently has never returned even though it says in this book she spent some time in the forest previously (after fleeing originally). I am a little baffled as to what she was doing in the forest for that time?

DISCUSSION POINT - Another thing I don't really get plot wise is the zombies themselves. While Ryan does a decent job explaining why there is still so many around. It still doesn't ring true for me. I am positive in the first book Ryan said that the zombies sort of disintegrated the older they were. To me this would mean eventually the zombies would just decompose eventually. So why are there still so many around? I dunno maybe I misread, or I am misremembering that passage. Oh also I don't understand why the infection stopped the remainder of humanity using things like planes, cars or other technology? Wouldn't we have made power stations, airports etc safe to use? Also food, how are the remaining people living because farms don't seem to exist? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

This book sets up for another book as it ends with a bit of a cliff hanger then an epilogue. Looking on Carrie Ryan's website a new book The Dark and Hollow Places is due out March 2011. I will be interested to see where Ryan takes the story. If you have read the first book and liked it, then this is a must read to learn more about the world.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Book 1) by Carrie Ryan

Rating: 4 out of 5Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Gollancz
ISBN-10: 0575090863
ISBN-13: 978-0575090866

First Sentence: "My mother used to tell me about the ocean. She said there was a place where there was nothing but water as far as you could see and that it was always moving, rushing toward you and then away."

Mary is like any normal teenager. She hangs out with her friends, she has a crush on a boy, and she never goes beyond the fence. Mary lives in a village in the Forest of Hands and Teeth where the unconsecrated live. The world as we know it is gone, an infection that turned humans into Zombies ravaged the planet leaving only Mary's village as the sole survivors. The village is controlled by the Sisterhood, who govern and protect the inhabitants. But Mary is curious and in the Sisterhoods eyes dangerous. Eventually Mary must decide between her village or her dreams, and keep her friends safe at the same time.

A fascinating debut novel. Even though the story is set in a world full of zombies, its not really about zombies at all. The story is character driven and is about Mary figuring out the world around her and her place in it. Mary is a great character, not a typical YA novel protagonist. She is a little selfish, and shallow, but at the same time brave and loyal. She is a likable character though, and realistic.

I was a little disappointed while reading the book, about the lack of elaboration on what happened with the world. At the time I read this book (middle 2009) I didn't know there was another book. However after I finished the book I thought the lack of information was appropriate. Mary and her friends only know what they have been taught about the outside world, so it would seem silly for them to tell the reader all about it. Also it would seem and obvious story filler, if they stumble on a book/room/person that could tell them exactly everything they needed to know. Life doesn't get tied up in a neat little bow so why should this story?

There are some pretty emotional scenes in this book. With out giving much away, two main scenes stand out. One with Mary and her Mother as they say goodbye, and the second was when Mary was in the tree houses with her friends. I will leave it at that.

Ryan has done a fantastic job drawing you in and making you care about the main characters. She also makes the story suitably creepy, with a touch of horror. This is where I think the lack of information really helps to build the suspense. As they don't know what expect they are shocked or discovered by discoveries. Also there is a lot of action and carnage in this book.

All in all a really solid first book. It was a great read which was hard to put down. If you like zombies this would be a great read, but even if you don't like zombies (like me) this is still a good engaging read.

Mockingjay (Hunger Games Book 3) by Suzanne Collins

Rating 4 out of 5Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (25 Aug 2010)
ISBN-10: 1407109375
ISBN-13: 978-1407109374

First Sentence: "I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather"

Book three picks up where book two left off. The rebellion is in full swing and war is now declared.

The action is ramped up even more in this book. Lots of violence as well. Again Collins seems to balance progressing the story, with action and drama. The whole story never feels bogged down at any point. I managed to finish this off in three days and that's only because I had to go to work grrr.

I think Collins captures peoples thinking during war really well. It was interesting to see the different characters reactions to it. For instance some thought they should fight the way President Snow fought, and others thought they should preserve life. You could say the war really brings out the best and worst of people, and this story illustrates it.

There were some twists in the story line which will surprise you. Also by the end of it I was wondering if poor Katniss would survive both physically and mentally. She just cant catch a break. I actually really enjoyed Joanna as a character. Even though she is a little broken and a touch horrible, something about her was just enjoyable.

The ending - a lot of book bloggers have commented they were disappointed with the ending. They felt it was made to happy, and neat. I felt the ending was good until I got to the epilogue. The epilogue its self was fine, but not necessary. I suspect this is where the ending criticisms have come in as I felt the epilogue did not add anything to the story.

On a superficial note I much prefer the American cover to the cover released in Australia.

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Catching Fire (Hunger Games Book 2) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 5 out of 5
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (7 Sep 2009)
ISBN-10: 1407109367
ISBN-13: 978-1407109367

Opening Sentence: "I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air"

In Catching Fire we return to the world of Panem and continue the story of Katniss. The Hunger Games they won is long over and they are safely ensconced in the Victors Village. The only problem is the Capitol is not happy with what Katniss did, they want revenge. Katniss has a decision to make, does she fold to the Capitol's demands or does she fight?

Wow what a great second book! I couldn't put it down. I find second books in trilogies tend to be long winded and spends to much time explaining and setting up book three. Not the case with Catching Fire. It manages to finely balance expanding the story with action and excitement. I will not discuss the book in too much detail as I do not want to give the book away.

I must confess though Katniss annoyed me for about half of this book. I got a bit tired of her "oh woe is me" mantra. She just grated on my nerves even though I concede she probably had every right to it after what happened in Hunger Games. But by the second half of the book came around, Katniss was back to her old kick ass self. We do get to learn more about our favorite characters as well as get introduced to some new ones. Collins is able to make all the characters just come alive. I cant really discuss the characters with out giving anything away.

Some powerful themes are explored here. Oppression, violence, rebellion, survival, friendship, starvation, and revenge to name a few. Collins manages to address these issues with out being preachy or condemning.

There is quite a bit of violence in this book. Most of it demonstrates the worst of society and oppression. But it is there, and it is reasonably graphic. If your child is under 15 and wants to read this, perhaps read it yourself first and see if it is suitable.

To be honest don't bother reading this unless you have book three Mockingjay on standby. The book is left on a cliff hanger so you will want book three straight away to continue on with the story!

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rating 5 out of 5

The Hunger Games is set in a future in a land called Panem which was North America, is divided into districts. Each district is responsible for one particular item. District 12 where our story begins, is responsible for mining coal and is the poorest.

Katniss Everdeen is sixteen and earns food for her mother and sister by hunting in the nearby woods. They live in an isolated world cut of from almost everyone except the Capitol who dictates how their lives are lived.

Every year the Hunger Games are held. A boy and a girl from each district is selected to compete, and if they win they get fame and fortune, as well as all the food their district needs for a year. There is one catch, only the winner survives.Literally. The Hunger Games is a fight for survival, and the winner is the last person standing. When Katniss’ sister is picked for the 74th Reaping, Katniss quickly takes her place and seals her fate in the Hunger Games.

Well wow. What to say really. This was an amazing book. I have not found a bad review of this book, certainly not in the blogging world and I can see why. This was a real page turner that had you desperate to know more. I literally could not put this book down. Everything about this book just jelled with me.

“A few hours later, the stampede of feet shakes me from slumber. I look around in bewilderment. It’s not yet dawn, but my stinging eyes can see it. It would be hard to miss the wall of fire descending on me.”

The pacing was just the right amount of slow and fast which kept the story flowing;and it did not impede story or character development. Collins was able to get enough information across to give the reader an adequate view of the world she had created with out bogging the story down. The book cleverly manages to be humorous, bleak, touching and sad (I was one step off from bawling at one point) as the children are forced to fight to the death in order to gain food for their district. It is stated that the Hunger Games were a punishment that the Capitol implemented after a failed rebellion.

The basis of the plot is a modern twist on the ancient Gladiator competition and a communist state (though the actual Government structure is never clearly stated). The two are intertwined together to form the main storyline. The Capitol has complete control over its districts, with each district being completely isolated and governed by extreme violence.

I read a comment about the reality TV aspect of this book would quickly date once reality TV was dead and buried. I for one do not agree. In fact I did not see it as a reality TV type show but as a way for the Capitol to manipulate and control its people. Similar to the radio and PA broadcasts that China and the USSR used to get before TV (maybe they still get it, I wouldnt know). Bringing these two elements together creates a truly frightening world that Katniss inhabits.

Where to start with the characters. Katniss is brave and strong, Peeta clever and kind. Both are heroes. These are kids who had to age fast in order to survive and that was before they went to the Hunger Games. Their interaction is believable and the relationship between them fascinating. I don’t want to give anything away but basically there is no nice bow making everything pretty and ok. I don’t know if anyone else noticed but all the characters from the Capitol seemed to have Roman names. I would like to know if this was deliberate or a coincidence.

A fantastic novel that I would highly recommend. I cant wait for the sequel Catching Fire that is due out later this year.

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World War Z by Max Brooks

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

What a great read this was. I came to this book by reading a friends review on Librarything and thought to myself why not give it a go, I am glad I did. I do not normally read horror type books so went into this book not expecting much. It is not a true horror book though as there are so many other genres thrown in such as war, action, and drama to name a few. As for gore there are some gory bits but there is no more gore then you would get in a Michael Crichton novel.

The story is set in an alternate time line with no real specific dates/years given. All that is mentioned is the war goes for ten years and it happened possibly after or during the 1990’s. It is told through a series of interviews of survivors that Max Brooks has traveled the world to collect. This collection of stories provides an excellent picture of the years before during and after the War. While normally this sort of fragmented story telling would annoy me here it worked. Even though it was told from different point of views the story still flowed and was able to get what it needed across.

What impressed me the most was the obvious research that went into this book. Max Brooks knows his stuff. The history of pre-zombie countries is believable (I cannot comment on the accuracy though for some) and the responses each country gives to the growing menace is also believable. There was no point in the book where I though “Oh come on”. The reactions of people, and governments felt real. Either Max Brooks had some excellent advisers that provided him with good information or he has researched all aspects of apocalyptic survival minutely. I could almost believe this was an actual account of a catastrophic event. One theme that did strike a cord was what would we do if for some reason our society as we know it could not function. It was an interesting theme that Max Brooks had running through the book. I wont say any more on it so I don’t spoil anything.

The characters despite most only getting a one shot appearance were able to convey their personalities and experiences i n the short times they had been given. There were a few stories where I would like to have known more but it didn’t ruin the book for me if I didn't. Also while the majority of stories did come from the US, nearly all continents were represented even an Australian was interviewed and the New Zealanders mentioned.

I highly recommend this book.