Rescue in the Pacific by Tony Farrington

229 pages

"In June 1994 a dangerous 'bomb' storm caught dozens of cruising sailors by surprise as they voyaged north from New Zealand. This is the true story of how nine yachts struggled to survive the hurricane-like conditions. Boats were battered by fierce winds and capsized by seas towering well over 50 feet high. Masts collapsed, rudders broke, and sailors lost steering control when they needed it most. This book details the story of the heroic men and women on the yachts, in the planes, on the ships, and on land who took part in this sea drama--find out what really happened and what it was like out there. This is both a shock course in survival for bluewater voyagers and a riveting human drama for sailors and non sailors alike." -Back Cover

Every now and then the topic of going on a cruise comes up with friends or family and I always say that going on a cruise is something that I have no desire to do. I remind them that every movie I've ever seen with a ship (Titanic, Under Siege, The Perfect Storm, the list goes on) ends badly. Now, I realize that no one would watch a movie about a ship if nothing suspenseful or bad happened, but still, it's a constant reminder that really bad things can happen on a ship on the ocean. This book is yet another reminder of that.

People who have the desire to take a small yacht out onto the vast ocean and try to conquer mother nature in that way are a different breed of people. They are people with adventurous hearts and probably extra doses of courage. I am not a water lover in any way and I like to keep my firm firmly planted on dry ground. I did go out on a boat when we were in Seattle this summer and I was nervous for a large part of the trip. I really should have learned how to swim.

This book tries to convey the fact that no one had any idea how big this storm was going to turn out to be. Many of the people on the yachts thought they could weather it out or avoid it by sailing a certain way and then found themselves caught in the middle. When you read that a 60-foot yacht was battling waves that were well over 50-feet tall and a sea that would toss their boats around, sometimes capsizing them multiple times, it's frightening. I watched YouTube videos of comparable storms. It was scary to say the least. The ocean is a powerful thing.

A lot of the boating terminology went over my head. When the people would radio in and report their boat's status to Kerikeri Radio, I'd sort of skim over that. What I took away from this book is the fact that there are many brave men and women who risk their lives to help other people who are in trouble on the ocean. The pilots stayed out in fierce winds and flew dangerously low to give the people hope and a connection with others. The couple who ran Kerikeri Radio stayed up for long hours and kept in constant contact with all of the ships so that they could help rescuers know their situations. The men on the shipping vessels answered the call for help and then risked their lives to get men and women off the yachts. The men and women--husbands and wives, friends, family--on the yachts seemed to do their very best to stay safe and keep calm. They seemed to care about everyone else and be realistic in how dire their circumstances were so that the rescue crews could help those in the most need first. Many of them had their whole lives invested in those boats and yet most of them didn't take unnecessary risks to salvage them when they were rescued. It's really amazing that there weren't more lives lost in this storm.

There are a lot of people and boats to keep track of in this book. The beginning gives a summary of each boat and its crew and I had to flip back to this a couple of times to remind myself of who people were. It was well written and gives some additional information at the end of the book that was interesting.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

308 pages

"Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he's holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific--the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer's motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they've been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can't even fathom--and there's the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever." -Dust Jacket

One of the things I'm learning about James Dashner books is that you will spend the majority of the book not knowing what's going on. The ride will be crazy, but sometimes crazy is good. James Dashner's mind must be one messed up place. :) The conclusion of the The Maze Runner series still puzzles me. That series was like the literary equivalent of Lost. This book is like the literary equivalent of Inception, and just like Inception this book probably takes a few reads to understand. (I was on my 4th or 5th viewing of Inception before I felt like I had a good grasp of what was happening and what level the characters were in.)

I did like the subtle commentary on people living in virtual worlds. The characters in this book hook themselves up to Coffins which let them experience all physical aspects of the virtual world without actually getting hurt or killed. It's an idea we've seen in other movies/books and it doesn't seem too far-fetched. I think virtual living instead of really living is a huge problem. It's so easy to check out of reality with smart phones and other electronics. About three-fourths of the way through this book I got a little bored though. There was just too much weird stuff going on for me. I think The Death Cure kept coming to mind and I kept hoping that the author would explain things at the end in a clearer way than that book did. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist at the end but it also left even more questions that will prompt a re-read before the next book comes out next fall. I'm getting a little tired of trilogies! The twist was good enough though to bring me back for The Rule of Thoughts in 2014. There was no language in this book which was nice, but there were some violent parts so I'd say it's a PG-13 book.

Brotherband Chronicles: The Invaders by John Flanagan

429 pages

"As champions of the Brotherband competition, Hal and the rest of the Herons were given one simple assignment: safeguard the Skandians' most sacred artifact, the Andomal.

They failed.

To redeem themselves, the Herons must track down the thief Zavac and his pirate crew and recover the Andomal. But that means traversing stormy seas, surviving a bitter winter, and battling a group of deadly bandits willing to protect their prize at all costs." -Dust Jacket

I still haven't met a John Flanagan book I haven't liked. I think Brotherband Chronicles has a greater sense of camaraderie than Ranger's Apprentice does. That doesn't make it better, just different, which is a great thing in a new series. Ranger's Apprentice had that too, but it was centered around the King's Rangers, who tend to work alone. Halt, Will and Horace would have adventures together but they weren't together all the time. The Herons are together all the time and it creates some fun interactions between them, especially when they get tired of being together. I like how smart Hal is. I like how cranky Thorn is but how much he cares about the boys, Hal in particular, and how he finds a renewed sense of purpose being with them. 

This book is pretty much non-stop adventure. Zavac is a much more despicable character than the villains of RA. He has no regard for human life which is evident in his brutality in this book. Can't wait until October!

{SPOILER ALERT}

Hal & his crew take shelter in Shelter Bay to escape the weather. They've pushed hard for several days through turbulent seas to put enough distance between them and their home they're running from. Eventually the crew gets restless and starts arguing and fighting among themselves. Thorn tells Hal that he needs to put a stop to it and give them something to do. The boys are bored. Hal puts Thorn in charge of training. Thorn runs them through exercises and battle drills. He tells them that he was the Maktig for three years in a row so that they will take his training seriously. Hal & Ingvar start working on a huge crossbow (Mangler) to mount to the bow of the Heron.

Meanwhile, Zavac and his pirates attack a small trading ship from Limmat and learn that the town has a hidden emerald mine. He attacks the city, killing many of the townspeople in a cunning plan. He uses a captured Skandian trade ship to trick the townspeople, making the ship look like it's running from Raven, when instead Raven is using it to get the boom lowered in the harbor and attack the town. They've also enlisted another pirate ship, Viper, to help in the attack. Lydia is a Limmatan who has been out in the woods hunting and comes back to find her town being attacked. She is dressed like a boy. The pirates see her, a chase ensues, and she gets away in a small skiff, but she's lost an oar so she's set adrift in the ocean. She is found by the Heron and tells Hal what's happened in the town. 

Erak sends Svengal out in Wolfwind to try to find Hal and help him get back the Andomal. The first time Hal sees Wolfwind he makes a run for it though because he's afraid they're there to take him back to Hallasholm. Hal, Lydia and Stig go back to Limmat to check things out. Lydia leads them through the marshes where they meet up with Barat, a guy who's cocky and in love with Lydia, and they form an alliance with him and about 40 other townspeople who have escaped. They leave Barat and his men in the marshland and return to Shelter Bay where Wolfwind is lying in wait. Svengal tells Hal that he's there to help him, not take him back. 

Hal starts formulating a plan to attack Zavac that involves three parts: Barat and his men will attack from one side, Svengal and the Wolfwind crew from the other, and the Heron will attack the watchtowers with Mangler. There are some tense preparations that have to be made, one of which is Hal and Jesper floating in on a log to place an oil bag on a gate. They are almost lost at sea. Hal's plan goes smoothly until Ingvar (the only one who can load Mangler) is shot with an arrow during their assault on the watchtowers. Edvin (crew cook & healer) tends to Ingvar's wound. It makes Hal realize that his decisions have life or death consequences and Hal begins to question his abilities. Thorn reminds him that that's what it means to be a skirl. Ulf and Wulf take over loading Mangler and the assault continues. Lydia proves indispensable because she is deadly with her throwing darts. She takes out many of the pirates' best archers. 

The assault on the pirates is successful, the town is retaken, but Zavac sneaks away. Zavac burns Viper and Stingray (the captured Skandian ship), killing any of its crew on board. Raven starts to head out to see while the Heron and Wolfwind make a run to cut it off before leaving the harbor. Wolfwind gets to Raven first, is rammed by Raven, and starts taking on water. Heron narrowly escapes being rammed by the pirates and then Hal has to decide whether to follow the pirates or help Svengal. If he chooses to follow Zavac, Wolfwind will go under and its crew will drown. He chooses to save Svengal. The townspeople throw a huge party, Barat--trying to make a play to become the new mayor of the town--gives a rousing speech in which he declares that he will marry Lydia. Hal and his crew leave to chase the Raven and Lydia asks to join them. She does not want to marry Barat and she wants vengeance. The pirates killed her grandfather in the attack on Limmat. Svengal is forced to stay in Limmat until Wolfwind is repaired. It's suffered serious damage so it will take at least several weeks.  

Brotherband Chronicles: The Outcasts by John Flanagan

434 pages

"Hal never knew his father. A Skandian warrior, he died in battle when Hal was a young boy, but his reputation lives on long after death.

Hal, unlike his esteemed father, is an outcast. In a country that values physical strength over intellect, Hal's ingenuity, and the fact that his mother was an Araleun slave, only serves to set him apart from the other boys his age.

The one thing he has in common with his peers? Brotherband training. Forced to compete in tests of endurance and strength and to learn the skills needed to become a Skandian warrior, Hal discovers that he's not the only outcast in this land of seafaring marauders. And that his battle for acceptance has just begun." -Dust Jacket

John Flanagan is one of my favorite authors. He writes fantastic adventures and even better...he publishes a book every six months! You don't have to wait a year for the next book in his series. Love that. There were at least three typos in this book which is probably a result of the condensed publishing schedule. I'd say three small typos is an okay trade for six months less wait though. I was a bit hesitant to start this new series because I loved Ranger's Apprentice and its characters so much, and didn't want to be disappointed, but there was no need to worry. RA was about the Araleuns and Brotherband Chronicles is about the Skandians so there are some crossover characters. Admittedly, the Skandians stole the show a lot of times in Ranger's Apprentice. I think chronologically this takes place after some of the RA books but not after all of them, because Erak mentions in this book how Halt and some of the Araleuns helped them defeat the Temujai warriors a few years back and that was book 4 of RA. Anyhoo, Thorn and Hal are a bit like Halt and Will from RA but different enough to hold their own in this new series and not warrant too many comparisons. I think Flanagan's brilliance is his ability to write cranky, yet soft-hearted, older men who mentor the main characters of the story. I liked that Flanagan started the story with two flashbacks that give the reader a glimpse not only at Hal's father, but also at Thorn. Thorn's former life is revealed in bits and pieces throughout the story, with the most important revelation coming from the Oberjarl Erak during a conversation with Hal in his eclectic treasure room.

Hal's brotherband (the Herons) is made up of other outcasts: Stig, Hal's best friend and a guy that has spent his life in his father's cowardly shadow, Stefan, an expert at mimicking voices, Ingvar, a huge, almost blind kid with tons of heart, Ulf and Wulf, two identical twins who just won't shut it and insist on arguing over everything, Edvin, and Jesper, a skilled thief. Hal's crew is two men smaller than the other brotherbands which is a disadvantage in the competitions, yet inspires the Herons to be creative and use their unusual skill sets. (Loved the tug-of-war and the assault/defense scenes.)

The majority of this first book is spent in brotherband training. The three brotherbands are the Herons, the Sharks and the Wolves. Tursgud, a cocky kid whose father is the Maktig (the greatest warrior) that year, is skirl of the Sharks and basically a bully. He's not even really liked by his own brotherband and everything he does is self-centered. Rollond is the skirl of the Wolves and he's a decent guy, but he tends to go along with the crowd until a pivotal moment when he stands up for Hal and his crew.

The Magyaran pirates, led by Zavac, are introduced in this book and are the big game-changers at the end of the story, taking Hal's crew from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

I can't wait to read the next book...but just in case I do, I have to put a few notes here so I can remember. I've learned that's better with a series than having to re-read the book!



{SPOILERS IF YOU KEEP READING}


-Erak cut off Thorn's hand years earlier to save his life, but it ruined his life because it took away all of his pride and ability to sail in a crew. Erak confiscated his treasure in an effort to help his friend and prevent him from spending all of his treasure on alcohol.
-Thorn and Hal's father (Mikkel) were best friends and Thorn had promised him before he died that he would take care of Hal. Losing his hand made him feel like he couldn't keep that promise.
-Hal's mother (Karina) helped Thorn out of his drunken stupor by giving him responsibilities around her eating house and mentoring Hal.
-Thorn was the Maktig for three years in a row, a feat unheard of and not accomplished before or since. Erak tells Hal this in his treasury after Thorn gives Hal his father's sword. Erak makes Hal promise not to tell Thorn that he knows but it eventually comes out. As a way of apologizing, Hal makes two prosthetic hands/hooks for Thorn. They bring the light back into Thorn's eyes and almost make him a new man, a reflection of his former self.
-The Skandians greatest treasure is the Andomal, which is guarded day and night by the best warriors. When Hal and his brotherband win the championship they are given the honor of guarding it for a night. Hal sets up the watch schedule but then ducks out to check on his ship (the Heron) to make sure that it's protected from the storm. While he's away the Andomal is stolen by Zavac. Hal and his crew must admit what's happened to Erak. Erak takes away their championship, demands that they turn in their weapons, confiscates the Heron, disbands them, wipes them off all records and awards the championship to Tursgud and the Wolves. Really though, he's done all this knowing that the Herons' only chance for redemption and a life in Hallasholm is to sneak away on the Heron and try to get back the Andomal. Hal and his crew do just that, with Thorn coming along and financing the adventure.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

216 pages

"A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chose a virtual stranger--and a possible murderer--to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead...but that won't stop him from playing one last game!" -Back Cover

{SPOILERS}

I read this book (which won the Newberry Medal) probably in junior high but couldn't remember much of it so I thought it was time to read it again. It's a good little mystery. Sixteen people are brought together and invited to live in Sunset Towers, an apartment building in the shadows of Westing House. After seeing smoke coming from the chimney of the house, which has supposedly been vacant for years, the teenagers of Sunset Towers become curious and stage a late-night run to the house. Turtle Wexler is dared to go in the house and offered money for each minute she stays there. What she discovers is Sam Westing's dead body lying in his bed. Shortly after, the sixteen are invited to a reading of Westing's will and invited to play a game with the winner inheriting Westing's vast fortune.

The sixteen people are paired off and given clues that will help reveal the murderer's identity. They become suspicious of one another and somewhat paranoid. Then someone starts setting off bombs around the Towers. (Which, once the identity of the bomber is discovered, was the only part of the story I didn't think was explained very well. It didn't really make sense why that person would plant bombs.) The puzzle part of the story was fun--the reader could play along and try to figure it out, too. Any reader will probably be able to figure out that Sam Westing might not actually be dead and he's also not vindictive. Each of the sixteen people's lives are changed for the better as a result of playing The Westing Game.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

766 pages

"IT HAPPENED FAST.

THIRTY-TWO MINUTES

FOR ONE WORLD TO DIE,

ANOTHER TO BE BORN.

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret US government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear - of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he's done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from a doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey - spanning miles and decades - toward the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun." -Dust Jacket

This is a hard book to review because I feel like I will be justifying its biggest flaw. First, let me say that it is difficult for me to stop reading a book once I've started it. I'll do it if I find something offensive, for instance A Million Little Pieces by James Frey with its language that started on page 1 and which turned out to be made up anyway, but most of the time I become invested in the story and want to see it through to its conclusion. I think that's why I read so many young adult/kids' books - they're safe and good. You don't have to worry so much about coming across crap. This book's crap? Language. But it doesn't start until around the 100th page. By then you're (I'm) sucked in. The author enjoys using the "F" word. I hate that word anyway, but what I really hate is when that word is used in a way that doesn't even make sense. For me, the "F" word is the go-to word for someone too dumb to come up with something smarter. But this author is plenty smart - and so are his characters - which is why it's so frustrating. I had to read with a pen in hand so I could cross out the bad words.

So huge justification aside, this story was really good and smartly written. I'd recommend it without reservation if it didn't have language. (I can recommend my copy without reservation because all the swear words are crossed out.) One of the things that I like about stepping out of the YA/Kids genre is that you get books that don't always end happily ever after. This book has characters that you really care about and things don't always end well for them. They have to make difficult and brave choices and the author isn't afraid to write things that will make you sad.

This story starts in the near future with a military disaster that results in the end of the world as people know it. Then in the middle it flashes forward 100 years in the future to a colony that is fighting for its survival. There are also writings "discovered" that flash forward even farther than that. There are a lot of characters but the author does a good job blending them all together in a coherent way. Amy is the constant character throughout. I don't want to give too much away because there are some great twists and turns in this book but her fate and destiny are tied to all of the characters.

This book ends with more than one cliff-hanger. I closed the cover thinking "Noooo! That can't be the end!" It's not. I googled the book and found out that this is going to be a trilogy. The darned trilogy! Why does every book seem to have to be a trilogy?! As much as I was hoping for more at the end of this story I kind of liked how it ended and wish that would really be the end. Some books should let the reader imagine what happens next. But there is a book 2, supposedly slated to come out in September of this year and titled The Twelve. The second book will go back in time 100 years to right after the disaster in Colorado and give you a different point of view of those events. That should be interesting.

Dear Mr. Cronin,
Please, please lose the language. I really want to recommend this to my friends and put it on my favorites list. I also don't want my kids to see me writing in books!

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

360 pages

"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety...until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated--and with it, order--and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim...and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder--does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?" -Book Jacket

*SMALL SPOILER ALERT*
The second book in The Maze Runner  series is equally as good as the first and if you are a fan of Lost  you will love this series. So far, after two books, there are more questions than answers. You don't know who to trust/believe. You don't know what's real, and you still don't know who or what WICKED really is, although Teresa keeps reminding Thomas that "WICKED is good."

Thomas and his friends have been intentionally infected with the Flare and are separated from Teresa within the first few pages. They find out that they are one of two groups of "test subjects" to survive the Maze, the other group consisting of all girls and one boy, the Teresa counter-part. In addition, they find themselves with new tattoos indicating what their roles are to be in this second set of tests. Thomas's role is to be killed by the other group. Minho's is to be the leader and I really like his character.

The Scorch is a crazy place and the Cranks are frightening (think your worst nightmares frightening). You could absolutely visualize them, unlike the Grievers in the first book. Thomas and his gang meet up with some new people (in the early stages of the Flare) in the Scorch and it sets a love triangle in motion for Thomas. Together they try to help each other meet their deadline of making it to the safe haven. Again, the ending leaves you hanging, but Thomas finally becomes proactive instead of reactive. I can't wait for the last book. Oh wait...I'll have to, because it doesn't come out until October!

The Broker by John Grisham, 306 pages

"In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive - there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?" -Book Jacket

As far as Grisham books go, this wasn't my favorite, but it was decent - worth the $1 I paid for it at the used bookstore. I found it to be a little anti-climatic at the end. There were some suspenseful moments but no real run-for-your-life ones. Joel Backman is probably a pretty good representation of political power brokers: slimy yet personable. You like him and you despise him.

I enjoyed Grisham's author's note at the end and would recommend this if you need something to read on an airplane or a road trip, or just need a break from deep stuff like Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Who knew seagulls could be so philosophical?

The Sigma Protocol by Robert Ludlum, 535 pages

"American investment banker Ben Hartman arrives in Zurich for a ski holiday, the first time he's been back to Switzerland since his twin brother died there in a tragic accident four years earlier. But his arrival triggers something far more sinister than his brother's fate. When Ben chances upon Jimmy Cavanaugh, an old college friend, Cavanaugh promptly pulls out a gun and tries to kill him. In a matter of minutes, several innocent bystanders are dead - as well as Cavanaugh - and Ben has barely managed to survive. Plunged into an unspeakable nightmare, Hartman suddenly finds himself on the run.

Depart of Justice field agent Anna Navarro is being stalked around the world by a relentless killer, managing to survive the killer's attacks only by a combination of luck, skill, and her own quick wits. These attacks are somehow related to her current assignment: investigating the sudden - and seemingly unrelated - deaths of a number of very old men throughout the world. The only things that connects them is a file in the CIA archives, over a half-century old, marked with the same puzzling code word: Sigma. But some or something is always seemingly one step ahead of her, the survivors are rapidly dwindling, and her own life is in ever-increasing danger.

Brought together by accident, Ben and Anna soon realize that their only hope for survival lies with each other. Together they race to uncover the diabolical secrets long hidden behind the code word Sigma, secrets that threaten everything they think they know about themselves, everything they believed true about their friends and families, and everything they were ever taught about history itself. For behind Sigma lies a vast deception that is finally coming to fruition, and the fate and future of the world is in their hands." -Jacket

I like Ludlum books because there are always so many characters and interwoven story lines and I'm amazed at how he kept track of them all. But Ludlum books are fairly predictable. There's always a guy. There's always a girl. They always wind up together after a lot of action and suspense. Sigma was a little far-fetched for me once its purpose was revealed towards the end of the book. I read somewhere that this was one of Robert Ludlum's last manuscripts and was possibly finished by someone else after his death. If so, maybe he or she is the one who took it for a crazy science-fiction spin. Still, this book lives up to everything you would expect from Robert Ludlum - tons of action, suspense and intrigue. It's just not quite in the same realm as my favorites of his: the Bourne books.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 391 pages

"Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Pellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying." -Cover

Oh. My. Goodness. This sequel to The Hunger Games was possibly even better than the first book which was amazing!! It's a good thing I told myself before I started it that I had to get up after each chapter and do something productive. Even still, I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. (My house is now very clean.)

Suzanne Collins is a gifted storyteller and a master of suspense. She takes you places you never expected to go. The Capitol and president are so twisted and evil. At one point in this book my jaw dropped when I read what was about to happen to Katniss. I did not even see it coming. I love when that happens! Not only do you get tons of action you also get two equally lovable male characters which leads to a great love triangle. I'm still torn as to who Katniss should choose. I'd take them both!

Catching Fire and The Hunger Games are probably my favorite books of the year. They are so much fun - definitely for at least age 13 and up though. My only complaint is that they left me hanging in a major way and I'm dreading the fact that I'll probably have to wait a year for book 3. In the mean time, I'll be reading this over and over again.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 374 pages

"Once I'm on my feet, I realize escape might not be so simple.

Panic begins to set in. I can't stay here.

Flight is essential.

But I can't let my fear show.

Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun..." - Back Cover

I've erased the last five sentences I've written about what I thought of this book and will just say this: I loved it! The idea behind it is so clever and intriguing.

Why do I have to wait until September for the sequel??