Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire and Mockingjay

by: Suzanne Collins

Source: bought at Wal-Mart

Synopsis: 

Catching Fire-Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Mockingjay-Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Review: 

I could not wait to read these books after I finished "The Huger Games". I read Catching Fire and could not force myself to review it before starting the final book. I was absolutely hooked! Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job with these novels. I couldn't believe the horrible things the people in Panem went through. I loved every minute of these novels and can't wait to see the movies based on them, although I know there is no possibility they are as good as the books!)

Elemental by Emily White

Elemental 

by: Emily White

Source: ARC provided by Spencer Hill Press

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Synopsis: 

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should... but she wants to. For ten years--ever since she was a small child--Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? Is Ella the prophesied Destructor... or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Review:

I didn't really know what to think about this book when I first saw it. I read the synopsis and new that I just had to read it but I wasn't sure how I would like it. Well, I am definitely glad I did! I absolutely loved the novel and can't wait for book two! Emily White had me on the edge of my seat through the entire novel. I never saw the ending coming before it happened and it literally made me gasp from surprise. 

Echoes At Dawn by Kathleen Ann Gallagher

Echoes At Dawn

by Kathleen Ann Gallagher

Source: Paperback provided by Author

Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

Publish Date: August 23, 2011

Synopsis: The strangely intertwined lives of a widowed woman, and a charismatic bachelor come together in order to show that in life, there are no coincidences…only destiny.

Waterfront restaurant chef Madeline Young adores her job. If only her love and family's lives were as successful as her career. With a teenage son, who spends time in the emergency room for alcohol poisoning and a dementia-plagued mother, Madeline doesn't know how much more she could handle. Then her mother enlists the help of her deceased twin sister, Mary, to guide Madeline to find happiness. An early dawn visit from the spirit directs Madeline to volunteer at the local hospitals center for addiction recovery, where she comes alive for the first time in many years under the attention of Nat Griffin.

Nathaniel Griffin, a part-time counselor and contractor, fascinates his clients with his lectures. In keeping with his philosophy of professionalism, Nat prefers to keep his personal life private. When attraction tests his beliefs, Nat must confront his marred past. Is he willing to face his demons or take the easier path and remain isolated?

Can unworldly ghosts save this couple from their own self-destructive behavior? Will they be able to accept change and move forward, or allow secrets to stand in the way.

Review: I should have known this would be an amazing book just by looking at the publisher! Everything I have read published by Decadent has been nothing short of wonderful. This book does not dissappoint! The characters in the book are strong and the books is very well written. I didn't find any thing wrong with any of the wording and the editor even did a spectacular job.The novel is simply compelling and absolutely irresistable. Kathleen did an excellent job with this debut novel and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

 

Ghellow Road by T. H. Waters



Ghellow Road

by T. H. Waters

Source: Paperback provided by author

Publisher: Verefor Publishing Company LLC

Publish Date: October 14, 2010

Synopsis: Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl's journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa's story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. For a brief moment in time, her life is full, as is her heart, and the world is hers to receive without consequence. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world. After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa. The young girl feels as though she is leading a double life, one that no one else could possibly understand. She begins to peer at the world as if looking through a thick, black veil, never certain which pieces are illusion and which are not. Through the kindness and support of the townspeople, She eventually summons the strength to survive. This is a story of tragedy and triumph. This is the story of my life.

Review: T.H. Waters has a way with words that just grabs you and won't let you go. The story she tells in Ghellow Road is wonderful and it makes you want to know what happens next in Theresa's life. The story seems too real to be fiction even though it is marked as a novel. I wonder how much of it is real. Ghellow Road is very heart wrenching and it pulled tears to my eyes more than once. It was hard to watch the main character of the story go through so much heartache. It literally made my heart ache for her.

Reconstructing Charlie by Charmaine Gordon

 

Reconstructing Charlie

by Charmaine Gordon

Source: Paperback provided by author

Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing

Publish Date: Feb. 24, 2011

Synopsis: Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own. Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

Review: From what I have heard about Charmaine Gordon she is a "thrive to survive" author. That moto holds true with Reconstructing Charlie. Charmaine does a wonderful job with her characters in this book and I love that the main character is a 15 year old girl who survives tragedy, then goes on to recreate her life. This book could be inspiring to adolescents who have experienced tragedy and believe that they will never get past it. The story is very well written and the characters are strong. Charmaine makes it very hard to put this book down. Every pages leaves you aching for more.