Gregor and the Code of Claw: Book 5

By Suzanne Collins

Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep The Prophecy of Time from Gregor. Gregor knows it must say something awful but he never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. Now, with an army of rats approaching, and his mom and sister still in Regalia, Gregor the warrior must gather up his courage to help defend Regalia and get his family home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands, and time is running out. There is a code to be cracked, a mysterious new princess, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars.

This is the last book in the Underland series, and by far the most violent. While being just as unputdownable as the last four books, it still unsettled me a little bit how Ms. Collins ended her series. Sometimes I wonder, especially after reading Mockinjay, if she even likes happy endings. It wasn't nearly as dramatically sad as Mockinjay, but still left you feeling somehow empty. But as usual, I still enjoyed the journey and was sad to let Gregor go. It was a bittersweet feeling.

Gregor and the Marks of Secret

By Suzanne Collins

It's only a few months since Gregor and Boots returned from the Underland, leaving their mother behind to heal from the plague. Though Gregor's family receives frequent updates on her condition, they all know Gregor must return to fulfill his role as the warrior who is key to the Underlanders' survival. Accompanied by his now-talkative little sister Boots, still considered the honorary "princess," Gregor joins forces with another princess--12-year-old Luxa--and Ripred the rat to defend the Underlanders and the vulnerable "Nibblers," or mice, from the rat army.

This is where the Underland series takes a turn for the serious. It's been felt in echoes in the last book, but this is where it begins to show the grown-up aspects of life and war. Gregor, as usual gets thrown into the thick of things, but is more willing to help with his mother still recuperating and realizing that his friends need him. This is where things get a little disturbing as the 'nibblers' get treated with hatred and killed for no apparent reason. War sets in in earnest and Gregor is put to the test as he tries to cope with the rage inside that has been unleashed by being thrown into such a violent world. Great series, but there are war themes and death.

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods

By Suzanne Collins

With Two Prophecies Fulfilled, Gregor is now focused on the Prophecy of Blood, which calls for Gregor and Boots to return to the Underland to help ward off a plague. But this time, his mother refuses to let him go…until Ripred the rat convinces her that Gregor and Boots need to stay for only a brief meeting. Finally, Gregor’s mom relents, provided she is allowed to travel with them.
When they arrive in the subterranean city, the plague is spreading-and it has claimed one of his closest companions. Only then does Gregor start to understand how the illness plays with the fate of all warmblooded creatures, but he still doesn’t know how he can help combat it.

And the plot thickens...That's how this third installment of the Underland series feels. There is a definite change of tone in this book, it gets a little darker and more heavy laden for the 12 year old warrior Gregor. Although, having his mother along is an interesting twist. As per usual, Collins is able to pull your heartstrings at the necessary fighting that accompanies war. When Gregor has to find the cure to save those closest to him, he begins to see that he just might be what everyone already thinks he is: the warrior destined to save them all.

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Book 2)

By Suzanne Collins

Months have passed since Gregor first fell into the strange Underland beneath New York City, and he swears he will never go back. But he is destined to be a key player in another prophecy, this one is about an ominous white rat called The Bane. The Underlanders know there is only one way to lure Gregor back to their world: by kidnapping his little sister, Boots.
Now Gregor’s quest reunites him with his bat, Ares, and the rebellious princess, Luxa. They descend into the dangerous Waterway in search of the Bane, and Gregor knows what is at stake. If he does not fulfill the prophecy, his life, and the Underland, will never be the same.

I am super behind. I read this ages ago and greatly enjoyed it. Gregor is an intriguing character and as alway with Suzanne Collins, extremely well written. Gregor is very unwilling to return to the Underland, which is one reason why it draws you in when he is forced into fufilling the role that the Underlanders have given him. Boots, Gregor's little 2-year-old sister, is hilarious in her naivete and love for the big cockroaches. Ripred is seen more in this novel and the violence portrayed escalates a bit with this second novel. All in all, it is an excellent seires, this being the second of 5 novels. I highly reccommend it for anyone who has read the Hunger Games trillogy and enjoys Collins' style and messages about war.

Mockingjay

By Suzanne Collins

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.

So I got to sneak into my public library and skip over the wait list because I convinced (rather easily) the librarian I could read the book in a day. I knew that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t get a chance to finish the series for a few months at least. So, in a fashion that probably wasn’t the best course of action while in school and with homework to finish, I devoured the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Now, it’s hard to talk about this book without giving things away, but it was a chilling and poetic tragedy to the end of Katniss Everdeen’s story. It was interesting to take stock of how I felt about the book as a whole. Unlike the first two books in the trilogy, this book is not about the Hunger Games. It’s about war. Cold, hard, and horrific war. To be kind, it was disturbing to read. There are tortures, murders, and scenes of outright bloodshed that left me feeling nauseous. But, with all of the terrible things that happen, I can say this: This book is written better than well. I have a profound respect for Suzanne Collins’s skill as a writer. She makes the events real. There isn’t an ending where the bad get their just desserts, and the good live happy warm lives. People are scarred from their experiences, people die that don’t deserve death. Good people are never the same. It felt like an echo of a thing I had never experienced first hand, and it went down like a cold slimy worm that just wiggled in my stomach for days. I can’t say that I can recommend this book to people simply because it was so terrible in it’s depiction of the worst in human nature. But it made me think. I won’t ever have to read them again though, they left that deep an impression on my mind…whether that’s a good or bad thing is yet to be seen.

Gregor the Overlander

By Suzanne Collins

Giant rats, cochroaches, and Bats…oh my! Gregor, an 11 year old kid from New York is sucked down a vent in their apartment building’s laundry room after he tries to grab his little sister Boots from falling herself. Much like Alice in Wonderland who fell down the rabbit hole, Gregor and 2-year-old boots find themselves in a land far from wonderful. In fact, it’s on the brink of war. They meet Queen Luxa, a pale, violet-eyed 12 year old with lots of courage and an arrogant streak. All Gregor wants to do is go home, but when he tries to escape and is attacked by giant Rats, things change. Suddenly the people are all deeming him the ‘warrior’- a person named so in a prophecy written by the founder of the underland. And what’s more…Gregor knows his long-lost father is somewhere down here too, and he can’t just leave without him.

Bwah! I love it when I find a series that is wicked awesome. Gregor the Overlander is completely thrilling. When Gregor falls to the Underland, a place founded hundreds of years ago when America was first colonized, he finds a people at war with the Rats. Rats that are 12 feet tall and bloodthirsty. These people fly around on giant bats, and his sister becomes the princess of the giant cockroaches that nobody likes! Suzanne Collins, author of the fantastic Hunger Games trilogy, writes the adventures of Gregor and Boots in a realistic and never-endingly entertaining way. Awesome first book in this 5-part series.

Catching Fire

By Suzane Collins

Okay, I'm just going to go right into my review for this one, because I can't figure out how to summarize what this book is about without giving things away. This is the second book in The Hunger Games series. IT IS SO GOOD! But also horrible. I was in shock about some of the things Katniss has to go through. I literally couldn't put it down. I read it in about 5 hours, putting it down at 2 AM in the morning, and then stewing for another hour because I just couldn't believe it, and then when I finally did go to sleep I dreamed about it all night. No joke.

This book starts by just sucking you right into the story, and then you enter the black hole that is Panem and District 12 and you're gone for the next few hours. I honest to goodness have never read a book where I had absolutely no idea, not even a suspision about what was going to happen next. I couldn't believe some of the things that happened. Now that I'm writing this review I just keep thinking of things and shake my head and about start crying because I'll have to wait another year until the last book comes out. Everyone should read this series. Wow. Holy Cow. It is so incredible. If you haven't read this series, start. Now. Read The Hunger Games! Then go get Catching Fire! They are fantabulouso! I can't get over it. WOW!!!

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Warning: This book is not a stand-alone. It has a sequel; just in case you don’t want to start another series. (I know you are reading at least one!)

Panem is the country of a place once called North America. There are 12 districts in this country, all controlled by The Capital. Not only are the peoples of the districts starving, and mistreated, but for a rebellion many years ago they are forced to compete in the annual Hunger Games. The Games are an event where one boy and one girl from each of the districts is chosen to go to the Capital and compete in a ‘game’ where the winner is decided after they or someone else has killed everyone competing. When Katniss Evergreen’s 12 year old sister is chosen, she volunteers to take her place, and save her life. Katniss promises her sister that she will do everything she can to win, though she feels that it is a death-sentence. Will Katniss be able to kill to survive? What happens when she defies the games? Find out when you read the chilling story of the Hunger Games.

Holy fire and brimstone. I haven’t been this enthralled with a book in ages. I mean, whoa, who tackles a story like this one? Brutal, compassionate, and full of human errors and strengths, this story packs one heck of a wallop to the emotions of the reader. I was reminded greatly of Lois Lowry’s The Giver while reading this book. Katniss was hard to relate to, as I had never been hungry, or had to hunt to survive. But she is a strong character and worthy of being the main attraction of the book, along with memorable characters like Rue, Cinna, Haymitch, and Peeta. Collins did a masterful job in handling the scenes that I was worried would be gory and make me nauseous. She gets the point across beautifully and didn’t shock me with excessive detail. My mark of a great book is one in which I am terribly conflicted and right there with the characters or against them, wanting them to do one thing or another. It’s like you’re a little kid again watching a show in the theater screaming, “RUN, IT”S BEHIND YOU!!!!!” I loved it and will read it again and again and again……

Fun Info: The sequel to Hunger Games is coming out in September, called Catching Fire.