JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Winning will make you famous.
Losing means certain death.

The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The ‘tributes’ are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Ah, The Hunger Games! A cult classic and a Hollywood movie franchise. How have I not reviewed this on the blog before? I recently reread the entire series and have found myself swept back up in the Panem world, fighting for Katniss and feeling empowered by the development of the series (even though I know everything that happens).

The Hunger Games is a post-apocalyptic YA series set in futuristic North America. At the centre of the series we have Katniss Everdeen — she is strong, resilient, smart and a fighter. She must use her wits to survive in the games, where the last person standing wins. You either win or you die, and Katniss is determined to live. She hates the Capitol more than anyone.

When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble.

The Hunger Games is rather violent for a YA book series, but I think that’s one of the reasons readers love it so much. After all, you can’t have the main character entering a fight-to-the-death tournament and not have gruesome fights featured in the book.

The high action plot is what I really loved about this book. I was desperate to keep reading to find out how Katniss was going to survive, but also how our other favourites were going to do in the games. Suzanne Collins was able to build most of the book around what happens in those games, drawing out power play and alliances but also showing us how the Capitol manipulates the games to make it entertaining for those in the Districts who are watching.

To confuse my enemies, I start a fire with plenty of green wood. Even if they think it’s a ruse, I hope they’ll decide I’m hidden somewhere near it. While in reality, I’ll be tracking Peeta.

One of the strengths of this book are the friendships and the side characters. Haymitch and Effie bring hilarity to an otherwise solemn and melancholic plot line. Katniss’ friendship with Rue in the games allows us to see an endearing side to Katniss, who at times can come across a little plain. And of course, Katniss’ friendship with Peeta is one of the things driving the book. Their budding friendship is the focal point of the second half of the book and we learn so much about their characters through their actions when they’re in the games.

“Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn’t he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?” says Peeta.
“With all that alcohol in him, it’s probably not advisable to have him around an open flame,” I say.
And suddenly we’re both laughing.

There’s a lot of hints about what’s the come in the series, particularly with the surprise ending. Collins does well to explain the world to us as we need to know things, so we don’t feel like there’s an info dump and we also don’t feel like there’s too much information we’re not privy to.

The Hunger Games heavily relies on its first person narration, with Katniss being extremely honest with the reader and providing as much backstory as possible but also divulging her feelings and her doubts to the reader. At times, she can be a little overwhelming for the reader. I often found myself skimming paragraphs that were really just her reflective thoughts. I was mostly there for the plot and yet the book felt so heavy on character development that I felt myself getting a little tired by Katniss towards the end. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fantastic protagonist. She’s just a little much in this first book.

If you haven’t yet read The Hunger Games, this book is really for everyone. The characters are fantastic and the plot is addictive. And I also encourage people to read this if all they’ve seen are the movies. Suzanne Collins provides so much information and backstory that needed to be cut from the films so there’s a lot you can pick up from the books if you haven’t yet read them.

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
September 2008
Scholastic Press

Begin End Begin: A LoveOzYA Anthology by Danielle Binks

Bestsellers. Award-winners. Superstars. This anthology has them all. With brilliantly entertaining short stories from beloved young adult authors Amie Kaufman, Melissa Keil, Will Kostakis, Ellie Marney, Jaclyn Moriarty, Michael Pryor, Alice Pung, Gabrielle Tozer, Lili Wilkinson and Danielle Binks, this all-new collection will show the world exactly how much there is to love about Aussie YA.

I love this anthology! All of the stories (and the chosen writers) gel really well together and it’s really nice to see a focus on Australian young adult fiction. This anthology features some really well-loved Aussie writers, well-known for their novels and their trilogies. I would’ve liked for it to feature perhaps one more debut writer (in addition to Danielle Binks) because this anthology would’ve really helped them kickstart their writing career and would be a great way to introduce YA readers to another fresh, unpublished voice.

“LoveOzYA was born from readers and writers and all who love Australia’s national youth literature. It was not born out of patriotism or a rejection of international voices — far from it. LoveOzYA has been about the inclusion of voices. And it has been a movement, as the name suggests, about love.”
-DANIELLE BINKS, anthology editor

I’ve broken down my review and posted about each individual story in the order in which they appear in the book.

One Small Step by Amie Kaufman
This is a sweet story set on Mars, about a young girl whose parents are encouraging her to continue her school education on Earth at any one of the prestigious universities who have recently offered her a place. She’s not sure what she wants to do, so she hasn’t made a decision yet. Also, she happens to be in love with her best friend and doesn’t know if she should tell her. She doesn’t know if her friend feels the same way.

“Keiko’s the only one who doesn’t care who or what I am, apart from just being me. She’s been around way too long to be impressed. You’d think things would be simple around Keiko, right? They’re not.”

This short story is really well-paced and quite enjoyable. The characters are really relatable and the romance between the two girls is really sweet. I must admit, it did feel a little self-contained for a short story. I got to the end of the story and felt like a lot of things were wrapped up, and I didn’t have any burning questions (which is something I thought short stories usually encourage?).

I also thought that the story should’ve been a bit longer. So much happens in the story (plot-wise and character-wise) that I felt like a higher word count was needed to really give the story more room. It’s really well-written though, and I enjoyed reading it. I think fans of Amie Kaufman will love it for its setting and also for the high-action plot.

I Can See The Ending by Will Kostakis
This story has such an adorable concept! It’s about a boy called Adam who gets glimpses of the future and can sense how things will play out. Once day, when hanging out with his colleague Nina, he foresees that the two of them will get married but will then later get divorced. Adam thinks that he should perhaps change fate. Perhaps he should not get into a relationship with her at all if it’s just going to end in heartbreak? Adam really struggles to understand how he’s supposed to use this gift he has.

“Time bends. I feel the hot rage before I see her. We’re standing on some street. She’s shouting, spitting, all rage, too. She’s older, we both are. I can tell without a mirror. I know the difference in my joints, my body seems less cooperative as I amble towards her. She raises a hand and throws smoothing at my chest. I catch it, almost fumble. She leaves. I hold a ring.”

This short story is the perfect length. It’s enjoyable, and it’s the perfect balance of character-driven and plot-driven. There’s fantastic character development and the premise is really unique and engaging. The story still leaves plenty of things open so that you are left wondering — you want to keep reading about these characters. I Can See the Ending also provides enough information to keep you entertained. I loved this!

In A Heartbeat by Alice Pung
This was probably one of my favourite stories in the anthology. It’s written in second person and is written like a letter from a pregnant teenage girl named Kim to her unborn child. It’s a very empowering story because in a way, Kim’s story parallels with her mother’s story — Kim’s father has left them and since then, her mother has raised Kim on her own. In A Heartbeat illustrates that you don’t need a man in your life to succeed, and that there are women out there who are strong, resilient and inspiring, and they’re single mothers too. Kim learns that the baby’s father Luis (and his parents) don’t want to be in the child’s life because it might harm his career. And then Kim comes to the realisation that she really doesn’t need him anyway.

“We’d been through this already. All the bloody adults counselling me, asking me if this is what I really wanted, did I understand the responsibilities of having a child, yadda yadda yadda. Of course I did, which was why I was so depressed and miserable.”

In A Heartbeat also illustrates how courageous and brave Kim is, and how much her mother loves her and supports her (despite how disappointed she is in Kim for the unplanned pregnancy). Kim is constantly being told what she can and can’t do and yet she’s strong enough to know that she can make her own decisions, despite the fact that the odds are stacked together. We also realise that if someone lets you down or isn’t there for you, then maybe it’s better that you let them leave rather than forcing them to stay.

I felt like there was only one flaw in the story, and that was the interwoven switch between past and present. Kim often tells stories about the past and the transition between past and present was a bit clunky. I often found myself a little confused because the constant switch between tense, along with the piece being written in second person, made the story a little jarring at times. But overall, I really really loved this piece and thought it was brilliant.

First Casualty by Michael Pryor
This is a suspenseful short story about a holiday trip (in space) that goes horribly wrong. It’s an interesting concept and I didn’t mind it. It may not have been my favourite story of the anthology, but I found it quite enjoyable to read.

“There’s nothing like being tagged ‘adequate’ to get your day off to a good start.”

The writing is great – engaging, entertaining and at times witty. The characters are fun to read and the story is quite plot-driven. There’s a lot happening in the story and it keeps the reader interested. In the middle of the story, I did feel like the pace dropped off a little bit (and it felt a little dry at times), but it picked up again towards the end.

Sundays by Melissa Keil
Melissa’s story is about a group of teenagers at a party that stretches over one long night. The main character, Gabrielle, seems to be clinging to her best friends because her home life isn’t that great at the moment. Her two friends Cameron and Claire have been dating for years — since primary school. But at the party, Claire tells them that they’ve broken up, and then Cam is seen kissing someone else. But Claire is happy, and she’s ready to move on. Although, it appears Gabrielle and their other friends aren’t quite ready yet.

“No, no, no. This wasn’t part of our plan. For four years it’s been Claire and Cameron, ever since they hooked up at Tommy’s fourteenth birthday party. Yeah, so maybe we are a wee bit invested. But, man, with the rest of our shitty, messy lives? Claire and Cam are the closest thing any of us have to a gravitational centre.”

This has quite the unique premise because it’s not the usual characters or storyline — it’s an interesting take on teenage relations. It speaks about relationships that perhaps still exist not because it’s right, but because it’s always been that way. Sundays will resonate with teenagers because it allows them to let go of the past and let go of what they’re desperately clutching to and embracing. It’s important to note that not everything is set in stone. This was written really well, with hilarious characters and plenty of wit and humour.

Missing Persons by Ellie Marney
This is about a young girl — Rachel — who moves from the country to Melbourne with her family. Missing Persons spans a number of weeks, allowing us to read about Rachel experiencing the first few weeks of school and making friends. It’s like a coming of age story and a story about a teenager trying to fit in to her new and unknown surroundings.

“The upsides of going home are that first, I get to go home. Second, I get to ride the tram. The city looks different out the tram window; more contained, almost manageable.”

I thought this was a sweet short story, touching on something that I think a lot of teenagers experience: adapting to new surroundings and learning to make new friends. I felt like there should’ve been more development with her relationship with her parents and her brother. Besides that, I think Ellie did a fantastic job with the pacing of the story and the friendship between Rachel and Mycroft.

Oona Underground by Lili Wilkinson
Amazing. One of my favourite stories of the anthology. It’s about two young friends who venture underground to find a witch who can answer any burning questions they may have about their lives. It’s a little magical and a little real and together, Lili has moulded an amazing short story that is lyrical, poetic but also wildly entertaining and unique.

“Do you ever wonder if you’re already dead?” he asks. “And you just haven’t realised?”

Out of all the stories in this anthology, Oona Underground is the story that says the most, but also leaves the most out of it at the same time. It keeps the reader guessing — it keeps them engaged and interested and enraptured. This story is an exploration of love and hope and destiny, but it is also a little paranormal and magical. Loved it!

The Feeling From Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer
This short story is about Lucy and Cameron, two young teenagers (with a complicated history) who both happen to be on the same bus ride from Canberra to Melbourne one night. They haven’t seen each other in years, not since Lucy and Cameron were at the same high school and they kissed each other at a party. And then Cameron became popular, and Lucy was bullied by Cameron’s friends.

“If they’re the bricks, then she’s the cement.”

The story takes place over one long bus ride between the two cities, where plenty of drama happens and many things force the two of them to acknowledge the other. We experience both Lucy and Cameron’s perspective and we come to understand how they feel about each other and about how things unfolded the last time they were together. That Feeling From Over Here touches on the hurdles of high school and how bullying can resonate with someone years later and how someone who doesn’t mean to can actually play a large part in the bullying.

I think there is one small flaw in the story, and that is the text messages that Lucy is sending her friends. Lucy messages her friends quite a few times in the story, but they don’t reply. The messages were a good way for the author to know how Lucy was feeling (at first, she sends her friends an SOS text when she realises that Cameron is on the same bus as her), but I think Gabrielle could’ve easily woven Lucy’s feelings into the prose of the story. I felt like the texts really weren’t necessary and probably could’ve been cut from the entire thing.

Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory by Danielle Binks
This was one of my unexpected highlights of the book — a touching story about siblings and their strong bond. Bowie is a fourteen-year-old girl who idolises her older brother King, and she’s quite sad that he’s about to leave their home town Orianna and travel the world. She follows him one night when he goes out to hang out with his friends. It’s actually his last night in the town, and she wants to be a part of it. He lets her come along with him and his friends as they go to to the Mount Solemn Observatory.

“I stay crouched by my window, where I’ve been since hearing King leave — the familiar sound of his feet hitting the floor, a creak on the staircase and the little bang of the back door…Off on some adventure on his last night in Orianna. And before I’ve even fully decided, I’m already pulling on jeans and a T-shirt, reaching for a pair of thongs.”

Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory is a fantastic short story and a really great snippet of a much longer piece. I felt like I wanted to know more about King — I would love to read a longer piece about his travels overseas and his adventures abroad. I think it would make a great YA novel.

Danielle’s short story captures that sibling relationship perfectly. On the one hand, your younger sibling can be quite the embarrassment when you’re around your friends. But on the other hand, you’re glad to have the company and there’s a closeness there that you relish in. The pacing was on point and the characters were so full of life and three dimensional. I loved reading about all of them!

Competition Entry #349 by Jaclyn Moriarty
What a quirky, hilarious, scrumptious short story! I’d read a lot of people’s reactions to this anthology before I picked it up, and a lot of people were stating that Jaclyn’s story was one of their favourites. And I’m so glad it is the story that ends the book, because it’s probably the most fun. What a way to conclude the anthology!

“A voice spoke up. A soft, low voice. The sort of voice that makes feathers slide up and down your spine, and fireflies zing around your stomach.”

In this story, a young girl enters a competition to win a time-travel package at the Time Travel Agency. Her answer, which is supposed to be twenty-five words or less, is actually about forty pages. As it turns out, she’s already been to the Time Travel Agency for school, and she feels like she needs to redo her experience.

Earlier that morning, she’d been there and instead of going back in time to the early 1900s like most of the kids in her class, she went back a few weeks to the time that she’d kissed Noah in her bedroom and then he’d left her house and never called her again. She wanted to know what she did wrong and why he had been pretending to ignore her since their kiss. It’s sweet, but this is also a truly hilarious story.

Jaclyn Moriarty is a wonderful writer, with poetic prose and lyrical writing and she somehow manages to mould together the most beautiful of sentences to make the perfect story. Reading her writing is always such a joy.

Begin End Begin: A #LOVEOZYA Anthology
Danielle Binks
May 2017
HarperCollins Publishers

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed wiped out his parents and most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company.

He has stayed alive for two winters—hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage.

But Finn’s isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley—an asylum seeker—and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister, Kas. Rose is desperate, sick, and needs Finn’s help. Kas is still missing somewhere out in the bush.

And Ramage wants the girls back—at any cost.

The Road to Winter feels like a crossover between young adult fiction and adult fiction. It’s got the apocalyptic setting and the teen romance of the usual dystopian YA thriller, but it has the intrigue, uniqueness, and plot development of an adult novel. All ages will love this book.

Mark Smith doesn’t shy away from dark topics. When Finn helps a young girl, Rose, who was being held captive, it becomes quite clear what her captives were doing to her. It also becomes clear how important it is that Finn saves her sister Kas from that same fate.

I really loved this novel. It may have been a slow burner, and it may have taken a bit for me to warm to Finn, but in the end I grew to love the setting and the premise and I think Mark did a fantastic job of drawing the reader in. Nothing frustrates me more than an end-of-the-world novel where everything seems to work out for the protagonist/s. In The Road to Winter, not everything works out for our main characters, which makes everything seem more realistic. It makes the dangers and the antagonists seem more realistic and in turn, it made me more invested in the story.

“Something that kept me in touch with my old life. It’s dangerous, not because of anything in the water but because of what’s on the land – who might arrive in town while I’m caught up enjoying myself. But it’s a risk that’s worth taking to stay sane.”
-FINN

Mark has done a great job of establishing the secluded Australian setting. At times it feels quite claustrophobic, and this does wonders for engaging the reader. Angowrie is the small coastal town that Finn grew up in. His parents are dead and it’s just him and his dog. Even when he ventures out to try and find Kas, there’s an eerie, haunting atmosphere that envelops the novel and really draws the reader in.

Unfortunately, there were a couple of (very little!) things that I disliked about the novel. Initially, Finn just seems to be hanging around. He surfs during the day, hunts his own food and hangs out with his dog. This seems a little too good to be true. If the world really had been wiped out by a virus, wouldn’t you be motivated to find allies? To find more food? Surely rabbits aren’t always going to be around for you to capture and eat. And even when Kas and Rose come into the story, there are a few times where everything seems a little too relaxed.

Another element of the story that I found a little underdeveloped was the budding relationship between Kas and Finn. They go swimming together and their relationship suddenly blossoms with a kiss. It wasn’t built up too much prior to this so I found myself quite confused.

Despite these two things, I did really love this novel and I really want to see where Mark takes the story. I recommend this to young readers who are looking for the next dystopian/apocalyptic read for their shelves.

I received a copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Road to Winter
Mark Smith
June 2016
Text Publishers

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Dry is crime fiction set in the small country town of Kiewarra. Luke Hadler, a struggling farmer, has turned a gun on his wife and child, and then himself. It appears that the years of punishing drought had finally tipped Luke over the edge, causing him to murder his wife and child and leave one sole survivor: his baby daughter. Federal police investigator Aaron Falk, 36, returns home to Kiewarra for the funerals after twenty years away. After Luke’s parents plead with him to look into the case, Falk decides to stay on and investigates the deaths, just in case Luke’s family were actually murdered.

Jane Harper has done a wonderful job of illustrating a closed in environment – a small town where everyone knows everyone and secrets don’t stay hidden for long. Kiewarra is suffering a drought, causing all the farmers to struggle and tensions to rise. Jane Harper has written the dry Australian outback very well, drawing in the reader with this vast open setting. At times, the reader feels claustrophobic, their world getting smaller and smaller with each accusation or twist in the plot. We can feel the tension building between the characters and we start to suspect everyone who comes into the book.

The Dry is written beautifully. It’s a slow build, with sly comments and throwaway sentences that could just as easily be clues to the mystery, and the reader isn’t sure what to take note of and what to cast aside. It becomes a guessing game, suspecting everyone in the town. In a crime novel, it can be frustrating when the clues are too obvious but the detective can’t see it. But in The Dry, Falk is smarter than the reader. He joins the dots faster than we could and his character helps propel the story forward and keep the reader interested.

“When Aaron Falk was eleven, he’d seen Mal Deacon turn his own flock into a staggering, bleeding mess using shearing clippers and a brutal hand. Aaron had felt an ache swell in his chest as he, Luke and Elli had watched one sheep after another brawled to the ground of the Deacons’ shed with a sharp twist and sliced too close to the skin.”

I thought the ending to this book would be a massive twist. But the reasons why Luke Hadler’s family died really couldn’t have been guessed, so I felt a little cheated. I like to read thrillers like this and then get to the end and think ‘oh I can’t believe I didn’t guess that’. But you really can’t guess the ending to this book. There’s no twist or turn or surprise. Just an explanation.

One of my only criticisms of the book was that I did feel like the characters were a little too light. Falk felt like a cardboard cut-out to me, with so much information left out about him that I felt like I didn’t really know him well and in turn, I didn’t really care about him as much as I would’ve like to. I cared more for the mystery than the characters in the story, and I felt like I should’ve cared about both of those elements.

But, for any readers who love crime fiction and thrillers, this mystery will envelop you and keep you intrigued until the very last page. The writing is beautiful and the characters are realistic and the setting is brilliant. A fantastic premise for a crime fiction debut, and very well executed by Jane Harper.

The Dry
Jane Harper
May 2016
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Lucy’s Book by Natalie Jane Prior and Cheryl Orsini

Lucy’s Book is an adorable picture book that captures that special connection between a child and their favourite book, as well as celebrating the way that sharing stories can bring people together.

This story takes place at first in a library. Lucy’s mum takes her to the library every Saturday and there’s one special book that Lucy borrows over and over again. She shares that book between friends – at school, dance class, in the neighbourhood – and she even takes it on holidays with her.

She adores reading the story again and again, and is devastated when she goes to the library one Saturday and the book is gone. It’s been borrowed so many times that it was worn out and had to be discarded.

Lucy’s Book is my love song to libraries and the printed word. It’s about the special relationship between a little girl, her friends, and her very favourite library book, the one she borrows over and over again. On another level, iIt’s also a story about the life of a library book.
-Natalie Jane Prior on Lucy’s Book

Natalie Jane Prior is one of Australia’s favourite writers for children, and Cheryl Orsini is a beautiful illustrator. She’s illustrated countless books, and her drawings in Lucy’s Book are divine. There is bright colours and lots of commotion. The drawings are vibrant and beautiful. The words weave with the illustrations seamlessly, providing a fun reading experience for both children and adults.

Lucy’s Book illustrates the love between a child and their favourite read, and it shows how sharing a favourite book can bring people together and bring a sense of community among friends. Children will love this book, as will parents, teachers, librarians and avid readers (no matter their age!). It’s a special story and not one that I’ve seen before.

Thank you to Hachette Publishers for sending me a review copy of this title.

Lucy’s Book
Natalie Jane Prior and Cheryl Orsini
March 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

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