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

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love — she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Written by the author of the wildly successful Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited is a sweet story about a young girl who has always had crushes but never boyfriends. Her closest relationships have always been with her sister and her two mums, but now there are two boys in her life who appear to be interested in her. This is new territory for her.

The Upside of Unrequited explores love, loss, family, friendship and growing up. It’s a coming of age story for someone who already appears to have everything in order. Because whilst Molly is strong, smart and beautiful, she’s at times insecure and worried and she lacks confidence.

Not all readers are going to relate to Molly in the same way. Some readers may not be as interested in the romantic side of the book as others, but there are a lot of other elements to this book that are really important for readers. Yes, a huge part of the novel may be about Molly trying to get a boyfriend (which in itself is a little bit frustrating because it tries to highlight that a girl can only have self-worth if she finds herself a boyfriend). But it also symbolises how hard it can be for a teenager if he/she feels like everyone else has accomplished something and you’re the one falling apart. Molly feels like everyone else has finished the race and yet she’s still at the starting line.

This book is also about growing up, and at times, growing apart. Once Molly’s sister Cassie gets a girlfriend, Molly starts to feel like she’s being cast aside. Like she’s not as important to Cassie anymore. She doesn’t quite realise that as you get older, you’re going to have to share the people in your life once they start forming relationships. The Upside of Unrequited teaches us that growing up can be tiring and overwhelming, and that not everything is always going to be easy.

“And now Cassie’s being mysterious, and it’s really fucking weird. Normally, when she hooks up with someone, she’s bursting with the details. She’s a kiss-and-teller. Maybe that’s awful, but it’s just a part of the hookup process for her. She told me once that a kiss isn’t a kiss until she tells me about it. Me, specifically.”

I personally liked Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda better, but this is still an enjoyable read. It’s also a quick read, for those of you looking for something relatively short and fast-paced. This book also teaches readers that sometimes the guy you least expect is the one who is the most suited to you. Sometimes being friends first helps you build that foundation that can lead to a relationship. Sometimes being friends first means you will be dating the person that you have the most things in common with. And for those of you who are also fans of Becky’s first novel, you should know that Simon DOES make a small cameo in this book!

If I had to point out anything about the book that I didn’t like, it would be the dialogue between Molly’s mums, Patty and Nadine. Yes, it was hilarious, witty, funny and wonderful, but it felt young. Their mums often sounded like teenagers themselves and so sometimes I felt like Becky didn’t fully capture their age in their dialogue.

“Dude, no,” Nadine tells him. “Banana’s gone. You’re SOL.”

“Hey,” pipes Nadine, “don’t let her bring that Schulmeister kid. They’re still broken up, right? Because I do not need my doorstep darkened by that little shitwiper on my wedding day. Nope to the nope.”

Despite this, I did love how present Nadine and Patty were in the novel. In a lot of young adult novels, parents are either dead, missing, or have run away and abandoned their children. It was nice to read a young adult novel where the parents had such a strong presence in Molly’s life.

One other aspect of the book that I didn’t necessarily agree with was this idea that you need to have a boyfriend to be happy, or that you need to have a boyfriend to be like everyone else. It made Molly appear quite self-absorbed at times, which I didn’t like. I would’ve liked it better if Molly realised that she can be happy alone or happy in a relationship and that she didn’t need one or the other to truly be herself.

I recommend this book to young adult lovers. It’s quite cute and sweet, and so if you’re not a regular young adult reader this may not be the book for you. However, if you’re looking for a quick read with a great romance and a great family dynamic, then this is a book you should pick up when you next go to the bookstore.

The Upside of Unrequited
Becky Albertalli
April 2017
Penguin Teen Australia

Troubadour by Isolde Martyn

Forced to flee the English court after the lecherous King John attacks her, Adela, the queen’s hairbraider, finds employment in the entourage of Lady Alys. Alys is on her way to marry the Lord of Mirascon, a fiefdom in southern France. However, the south is under threat from Pope Innocent III’s military crusade against the heretics.

After trying in vain to rally his fellow lords against invasion, Richart, Vicomte de Mirascon, makes an alliance with King John. A political marriage to the Lady Alys – the king’s discarded mistress – will allow Richart to safeguard his people from a merciless land grab and cruel slaughter.

When the bridal party is ambushed, Adela is mistaken for her dead mistress by the people of Mirascon. Adela knows she must tell Richart that she is not his betrothed, but as she is dragged deeper into the deception, she is also powerfully drawn to the beleaguered man trying to protect his people and his culture. As the savage army marches south, can Richart and Adela overcome a web of deceit and treachery and evade the bonfires of the crusaders, or will their land of troubadours and tolerance be destroyed forever?

At first, this novel is a case of mistaken identity. Adela is mistaken for the dead Lady Alys and finds herself engaged to the one man she’s been hoping to unite with since she met him at the English court: Richart. She’s happy she’s with him, but she desperately wants to tell him the truth. And then quite early on in the novel, Richart finds out for himself. The two are separated. And then it becomes a novel about survival and uncovering betrayal.

Adela is a strong, resilient character, capable of surviving even in the most dire of times. Isolde Martyn has crafted a fantastic protagonist for this book, drawing us in with her plight and her dimensional construct.

“After she had scrubbed the first of Lady Alys’ underskirts, she sat back and drew her hand across her perspiring brow. Her presence had disturbed the stream’s tiny dwellers but now a damselfly clad in iridescent armour returned, then a trio of water skaters came skimming back, anxious to reclaim their manor.”

Troubadour is a lengthy book with plenty of action and plot and underpinned by truly wonderful characters that I loved reading about. I was enthralled throughout the book, eagerly turning each page to keep reading and thoroughly enjoying every chapter. The book is filled with historical information and an engaging cast of characters. This novel has betrayal, love, trickery, and gutsy courage – everything you could want in a historical fiction novel.

Adela and Richart are star characters, as are Maud and the hilarious Derwent. Right from the beginning, you’re backing Adela. You want her to succeed and flourish and you want her to survive. She’s young and naive, but she’s also strong and intelligent and compassionate.

“Adela received him courteously, but she would have preferred to swim a filthy moat rather than describe the massacre again.”

There were a few times in the book that were heavy with historical information and I felt like it was hard to grasp. A lot of the book is based on actual events and so a lot of explaining and information dumping was needed in order for the reader to get the historical significance of what was happening. I did, at times, feel like Isolde could’ve woven the historical information into the book a little more seamlessly so that it wasn’t as confusing and heavy for the reader to understand.

What I loved most about this book is that it’s a standalone, unlike a lot of other epic fantasy books where there are a minimum of six books in the series and it’s a huge investment to keep going. This novel had perfect pacing and was the perfect length to keep me entertained, and the conclusion to the novel was satisfying and engaging. I loved that this was just one novel and not a long-winded series that you had to read to find out the fate of the characters.

I recommend this to fantasy lovers and those of you who love Game of Thrones, but I also recommend this to readers who are perhaps looking to dabble in a bit of fantasy and don’t want to commit to something too heavy. This is a really enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend Isolde Martyn.

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

Troubadour
Isolde Martyn
March 2017
Harlequin Publishers

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak explores friendship, family and the importance of managing expectations at a young age. The novel is hilarious, but also heartfelt. It’s a romance about two teens recovering from heartbreak and discovering themselves on an accidental first date.

Zak is forced to go to the quiz bowl semi-finals because he failed his last assignment but his teacher will waive it if he attends. Ana Watson is at the quiz bowl semi-finals as well, but for different reasons. She’s there for the extra credit that will help her get into a fancy college. But then her little brother Clayton secretly ditches the semi-finals to go to Washingcon sci-fi convention. Ana and Zak team up to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, princesses, Trekkies and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon.

“But I’m Ana Watson. I didn’t spend four years on the debate team to lose an argument. I have a thousand reasons why going to school in Seattle is the best course of action. Besides, when it comes down to it, this is my life, my education, my decision.”

This book does have a playful element, and the banter between Ana and Zak is enjoyable. Additionally, this does touch on some troubling themes that may plague teenagers. Ana is under an immense amount of pressure from her parents to do well at school – Zak is potentially ruining that by tagging along to the quiz bowl semi-finals.

Ana’s parents are always disappointed in her because when her sister was her age, she fell pregnant and ran off with her boyfriend. Her parents have taken their disappointment out on her and Ana has never felt like a normal teenager.

But I see Ana over there in line, looking confused and a little out of sorts. That must be kind of weird for her. She’s usually so on top of things.”

I loved all the pop culture references in the book, and it really illustrates how two vastly different people can actually work together despite their differences. Ana and Zak actually help each other overcome their problems and face their futures. They’re sassy, witty and confident and they light up the book and keep the reader interested.

“Zak’s easier to follow than the plot of a vampire novel, but I don’t catch up with him. I’m the last person he needs to be with right now.”

I did find my attention waning towards the end of the book – the storyline felt a little repetitive to me. Ana’s little brother disappears. Ana and Zak almost find him. They’d find trouble and would be stuck trying to get out of that. Then they’d almost find him, but lose him. And so on.

This is really the lower end of the young adult spectrum, perfect for that 12-14 age group that are easing their way from children’s fiction to books with underlying themes and life lessons. This book would also be perfect for those who love comic books and conventions similar to Washingcon. You’ll adore the setting and all the reference will keep you entertained.

REVIEW & AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Beastly Lights by Theresa Jane

Beastly Lights is a young adult romance novel about a young girl, Freya Coleman, who is gambled away by her brother to a famous musician, Liam Henderson. Freya is in need of money, and Liam is in need of a live-in maid. It seems like the perfect deal except Liam is a notorious drunk and a womaniser and Freya is a defiant, stubborn struggling artist. They’re so different, and so they (unsurprisingly) clash.

I ended up loving this book, but the first 50 pages were a bit of a struggle. Freya seemed to have too much internal dialogue, and complained a little too much. There was a fair bit of info dumping in the opening chapters, and Freya seemed like she carried no backbone whatsoever. Her brother drunkenly gambles her away and she doesn’t’ really try very hard to stop him.

“He won me in a bet,” I explained, crossing my arms angrily over my chest.
“He won a person? That can’t be right,” she frowned, turning back to me with a steaming cup of coffee. “What’s your name again?”
“Freya,” I mumbled.
“And where is Liam?” she asked, walking back out into the living room, me following obediently behind her.

Despite these initial flaws, the story does improve. I started to really like Freya and I started to enjoy the quirks and banter between her and Liam. He seems like the kind of person who has always gotten what he wanted, except when she walked into his life and everything changed. Liam starts to care for her, and he sweeps her up into the fame that accompanies his job.

I enjoyed the characterisation and the dialogue in the book. I think Theresa captured their dynamic really well and the writing was effortless. The development of the story at times was slow, but still enjoyable.

There did feel like there was a fair bit of repetition in the plot that could’ve perhaps been condensed. Liam made an awful lot of mistakes, and then Freya just forgave him. And then he made another mistake. But Freya forgave him. And so on. After a while, it seemed a bit unrealistic and it made Freya look weak. I would’ve liked her to be just as defiant in the relationship as she seemed to be outside of the relationship.

Despite all the time we had spent together, I still felt as if he was keeping his distance with me. I was frustrated, not only at him but myself. I couldn’t believe how much his distance was affecting me. I tried to convince myself that it didn’t, but deep down I knew it did.

One of the strongest elements of the book are the secondary characters, in particular Liam’s publicist and her family, and Liam’s best friends and bandmates. Theresa has woven them into the story quite often and they provide comic relief and help drive the plot forward. Even Frey’s father and brother, despite being terrible people at some points in the novel, are intriguing characters and they really add depth to the book.

If you’re a lover of romance fiction and enjoy a good story with fantastic characters, then I’d definitely recommend Beastly Lights. It’s very Beauty and the Beast, which is awfully timely at the moment. There’s a lot of drama to keep you reading, and plenty of humour to make you laugh.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy of Beastly Lights on Amazon HERE

Beastly Lights
Theresa Jane
April 5th, 2017
Inkitt Publishers

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. Congratulations on the publication of Beastly Lights. How did you find the writing process?
It consumed my life. Especially at the start, when I couldn’t seem to get my thoughts down fast enough. Then as it got more complicated the process slowed down dramatically. It got to the point where I wasn’t writing for months and then I would come back and have to reread the whole thing just to figure out a direction.

When I began I had a rough idea of where I wanted to get it was just a matter of getting from where the characters were to where they needed to be. I’m a night owl so I spent a lot of nights up till all hours writing and editing. Then regretting it the next day when I needed to go to university or work. I would write things on the train, in lectures and on notepads at work. And when I wasn’t writing, I was thinking about it.

2. Beastly Lights was originally fan fiction. How long were you writing fan fiction and how did your writing develop over that time?
I started writing fan fiction when I was waiting for the third instalment of The Selection to come out. I was reading other stories on the site and kept thinking, I could write better than this, so I did. I was 19 and I had no idea what I was doing with my life (still don’t) and so I spent my time writing.

I’ve never considered myself a writer and usually I have no idea what I’m doing. I just open up a word document or a notebook and hope for the best. Most of the time, I think my writing is the worst thing to ever be committed to paper but I keep writing anyway. In regard to my writing development, I couldn’t with all confidence say I am any better now than I was then, but I have gotten better at writing even when I don’t want to.

3. This book made me happy, sad, hopeful, frustrated and made me laugh a lot. What do you want readers to take away from the story?
When I first planned this story out it was a play on the fairytale “Beauty and the Beast”. Originally, it was called The Beauty is the Beast and what I wanted to focus on was how the bright lights of fame often twisted beauty into something monstrous. It got a little messier than I had anticipated but mostly, I wanted people to see that to find yourself you first have to be brave enough to lose yourself.

4. In the book, Liam needs to learn to understand his past so that it doesn’t hinder his future with Freya. He also had a tendency to be quite possessive and difficult. Was it hard writing Liam’s character?
It was very hard because I didn’t want to push people too far to the point of loathing him. I knew when I was writing him that people weren’t going to like him at first and whenever people would comment about it I would always tell them to just keep reading because there was something in him worth waiting for. It was hard when people said they didn’t like him because I knew his story and I knew what he was thinking but they didn’t get to see that until Freya did.

5. At times, Freya felt scared to say how she really felt. How important was it to you that she stood up for herself and expressed her feelings?
Very important, when I was writing her a big problem for me was that maybe I wasn’t making her strong enough. I wanted to convey the uncertainty of her situation and how it can throw us off centre. Especially because in her life she was already uncertain of who she was and it was only magnified under the scrutiny of Liam’s life.

It’s easy to lose ourselves. It’s also easy to judge her and ask why she wasn’t stronger but we see it all the time. We will endure a lot for love. Whether its love for your family, your friends or the one person you think you want to spend the rest of your life with. I wanted her to be strong but I didn’t want her to be inauthentic.

6. You’re a young writer. What advice would you give to people who want to take the plunge and write their own novel?
Be prepared to lose sleep. Your ideas are going to hit you at the most inopportune times and you need to write them down. Otherwise, you’ll end up like I did, three weeks down the track trying to remember that random thought I had at four in the morning that was the best thought I’d ever had in my life. Of course it probably wasn’t, but that’s not what I was telling myself when I was trying to come up with something new.

My only other piece of advice would be to never stop writing. Even when you think it’s rubbish. It’s better to write it and delete it later than to never write at all. You’ll be no worse off for writing it.
Oh, and read. Always be reading.

7. What are you currently reading?
Hard question, what I’m reading generally depends on my mood but, on my bedside table right now is “The Circle,” by Dave Eggers.

8. How do you find the editing process? What tips would you give to other people editing their own work?
I know this is probably going to sound awful but I hated it. Every time I reread my work I wanted to delete it. I tried to motivate myself by telling myself that it was the best part, that this is where the real writing happens but I wasn’t very persuasive. The most frustrating part was, even when I had read a chapter seventeen times over, it still was perfect.
I’d say the only advice I have is don’t do it at 3am in the morning. You will not be successful in making it better than the first draft. And your future self will not thank you for it.

9. How did you find writing alternate POV? Did you find it easy jumping between Freya and Liam? Was it seamless?
I’m always afraid when I jump from one POV to another that they won’t sound any different and people will get confused. It was especially hard with Liam because he’s a guy and I am most definitely not a guy and I can’t even begin to imagine what goes on inside a guy’s head . So, his point of view is probably my best summation of what I believe happens in a guy’s head, but who knows.

10. What else are you working on right now?
Currently, I’ve got a few works in progress but nothing I’m especially sold on. Which is probably my way of saying that I had no idea I was ever going to get published and never thought anybody would ask me what I was doing next.

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