The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

 Judul : The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0)
Penulis : Suzanne Collins

Tebal : 517 halaman

Penerbit : Scholastic Australia

Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined—every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Mockingjay

Title : Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)

Writer : Suzanne Collins

Publisher : Scholastic

Synopsis :
My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.

I like the story. I found this trilogy was a constant page-turner. Mockingjay was still awesome, the story was good, the plot also. And I think the writing had improved, the pace was not too fast although I felt the last part was not long enough, especially after Katniss killed President Coin. Bla bla bla... and then bam she came back home without punishment. 

In this book, I found that the characters became dull and somewhat strange. Like Gale. I thought he was the cool one, always in control, but also gentle. Here, I found him heartless and ignorant. He was also quite talkative and humorous like Peeta, I sometimes couldn't find the differences in the way those two talked. He seemed not understand Katniss anymore. Maybe that was because of Katniss herself whose mental was broken down. But I thought Gale as her bestfriend could always be dependable. I didn't like his eagerness in designing bombs and his coldness in deciding enemies' fate in District 2.
 
Furthermore, I found Katniss had changed. She was not that strong and cool girl in previous books. She became defensive, sad, and crazy wounded animals with a lot of nightmares. Well, I could not blame her to be such a person. I meant with all the things that happened to her, it was surprising she still had sanity. The Hunger Games were too much. And some more Peeta was abducted and abused inhumanly. However, I didn't like the way she treated Peeta after she found out he was not the same person anymore.
 
I hated how Finnick and Prim died. Those two characters were so lovable and it was cruel how they died. 

Well, at least Peeta was alive. I always liked him, although maybe it was because he was so unlucky and pathetic that it made me concern about him. I didn't know how he could still maintain his cheerful and easy-going style after what happened. The abuse, the lost of all his family, the feeling of being alone...
 
I think this kind of story is too unbearable, too bloody, too cruel for me. It made me awake at night replaying all the scenes in my head. How sad all the characters were. They were all damaged by the war and the rebellion.
 
“Now we're in that sweet period where everyone agrees that our recent horrors should never be repeated. But collective thinking is usually short-lived. We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction.” 

The ending was not enough for me. Gale left without words. Just like that. Katniss chose Peeta because he was the only choice. I knew she loved him but Suzanne Collins never described her feelings and with such short endings I couldn't help thinking that everything was forced. Or maybe Katniss was the solitary type, she didn't need boys at all. She was incapable in expressing love, the sullen and the bitter girl unable to trust the world surrounding her because it had tortured her in such a young age. As Gale said, Katniss would choose the one she could not survive without. And it was Peeta all along. Although she didn't deserve him. Such affection, dedicated love from Peeta was not exchanged in equal manner.
 
Four stars!!!

I'm glad the series are over. It was better than Twilight, of course. Can't wait for the movie :D  

"She loves you, you know," says Peeta. "She as good as told me after they whipped you."

"Don't believe it," Gale answers. "The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell... well, she never kissed me like that."

"It was just part of the show," Peeta tells him, although there's an edge of doubt in his voice.

"No, you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that's the only way to convince her you love her." There's a long pause. "I shoud have volunteered to take your place in the first Games. Protected her then."

"You couldn't," says Peeta. "She'd never have forgiven you. You had to take care of her family. They matter more to her than her life."

"Well, it won't be an issue much longer. I think it's unlikely all three of us will be alive at the end of the war. And if we are, I guess it's Katniss' problem. Who to choose."

"Yeah. I wonder how she'll make up her mind."

"Oh, that I do know. Katniss will pick whoever she think she can't survive without."

...That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. 

As always, dreamer is always sad when everything is over... No more Hunger Games...


:)

Catching Fire

Title : Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)

Writer : Suzanne Collins

Publisher : Scholastic

Synopsis :
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Suzanne Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire, the second novel of the phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy.

I think this is much better than the first book in terms of surprises and ending. But the style of writing didn't improve. It felt raw and strange sometimes especially with lack of descriptions. The plot was too fast, it was like watching action film not reading a book. However, this book was really a page-turner that I couldn't stop reading.

Actually I didn't peek on goodreads reviews as usual before reading this book. I wanted to guess what happened as I read the book. Maybe because of that, I was surprised with almost everything. The rebellion, the hidden motives, the conspiracy were unpredictable (or maybe I was just too dazzled with the story that I was lazy to predict anything).

I still like Katniss. Well, I knew she was ignorant and cruel to Peeta and Gale. But I understand why she was like that. Years of depending only on herself, she couldn't easily break off her strong personalities. Most of the times she had to use her brain and not emotions. That's why she didn't express love the same as normal people did.

Oh, I love Peeta. It is true that Gale understands Katniss better than anyone. But I don't care. Peeta deserved Katniss more since he put Katniss above anything else in his lives.

"Because I don't want you forgetting how different our circumstances are. If you die, and I live, there's no life for me at all back in District Twelve. You're my whole life. I would never be happy again. It's different for you. I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard. But there are other people who'd make your life  worth living."

Such dedication... I was speechless. Although I knew slowly Katniss falling in love with him, I wanted her to realize faster how perfect Peeta for her. Forget Gale. 
 
So sad for Peeta... He was captured at the end of the story and yet Katniss still hadn't realize that her sorrow and painful heart was because of her love for Peeta. I meant it was soooo obvious when she felt that their last kiss had been different.  

Four and half stars only because of her writing. *Sigh... The story itself is very perfect. 

Dreamer must change the sleeping habit... 


:)

The Hunger Games

Title : The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1)

Writer : Suzanne Collins

Publisher : Scholastic

Synopsis :
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

WINNING WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

I didn't know what to expect from this book. But because there were so many good reviews about this book, I believed it would be good. 

And it is. This book kept me staying out late until 5 am, unable to put it down.
 
The first part of it actually bored me. Maybe I could not wait for the actual hunger games to start when the tributes killed each other. Yes, I was that sadistic waiting for the brutality :(
 
That's why I felt quite disappointed when I found out that there were not many fightings inside the book. The book was written in first POV and Katniss as the main character was not really involved in the killings. Her strategy was a good defence and avoidance. But I like the part where she struggled for life, trying to find food and water hopelessly.
 
Really, this book is very cruel. I mean killing each other was not enough and they had to find a way to survive in the wilderness. At least Suzanne Collins wrote it in purely first POV so that it was not necessary to show all the killing scenes.
 
I like Katniss. She was tough, serious, smart, and cautious. She was so cool. And her expertise in bow and arrow makes me love her more. I always like archers (like Legolas in the Lord of The Rings :D).
 
The romance was very little. The boys here are Gale and Peeta. Gale didn't get much scenes in this first book of the trilogy. So, I didn't bother to pay much attention to him. But Peeta who was together with Katniss joining the hunger games was a lovable character. He was not macho and great as usual dreamy male characters, but I like him. He seemed easy-going, although he was inside that crazy stupid game. He could laugh and joke in spite of his wounds. And he was so sweet to Katniss, loved her very much that it hurted him so bad when he knew that everything Katniss did was only for the games.
 
It is so long ago since I read good fantasy novels like Harry Potter and Eragon. The Hunger Games is really awesome. My complaint is only for the writing. It needs improvements in building real, strong, and memorable characters. Most of the side characters were not well-developed; like the members of prep team, Katniss' mother, and some of the tributes. I cannot help thinking that they were merely book ornaments without feelings and emotions. Hence, I only give this book four and half stars. 

Dreamer needs diet seriously,


:)