The Hunger Games (Books 2 & 3)

'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins.

10/10

I actually want to invent a new scoring system just so I can tell you how fantastic these books are.

EVERYBODY needs to read them.

Ok, so after devouring the first book in a matter of hours, I did the same with the second. Then the fear set in that if I didn't pace myself I'd read them all, run out and be sad because it's all over. So I managed to make Mockingjay last a good deal longer.

Everything I said for the first one still applies to the rest of the trilogy. It's still that good.

No, actually, it's better.

By the time I finished Mockingjay I was an emotional wreck. I haven't cried so hard over a book since Dumbledore died.

I will say that yes, people die. I won't tell you who, though. The thing is, you can probably guess who, and if you're not very careful you will read who dies from other sources, like Wikipedia or fansites, like I did. However, even though I knew who died it still hit me like a ton of bricks. Collins has a way with expressing a character that is so human, so realistic and relatable that you could be told everything about the last half of the last book and still weep like your heart is breaking when you actually read it.

That being said, don't go looking for spoilers. Just read it. It'll be so much better.

For the record, my heart still aches when I think about it.

So, without spoiling anything...

You already know that Katniss Everdeen, the main character from the first book, survives into the third. Reading the back of the books will tell you that much. So it's pretty obvious that she survives the Hunger Games in the first book. This, however, isn't really a good thing, as it turns out. All that she did in the first book pissed off the big important people that basically control the world and they want to pur her pack in her place. Books 2 and 3 - in the most basic of descriptions - follow Katniss as she defends herself, and everybody else, and fights for their lives.

That's all I can really tell you without spoiling some of the best parts and plotlines. After all, there is a reason the summary on the back of each book is barely a line or two long.

Just trust me when I say if you like teen fantasy/sci-fi, steampunk-ish stories with a ton of action, drama, friendship, love, and scenes that make you feel ill with emotion, give this a go.

Hell, even if you don't, read them anyway!

NOW!