Posts

Book Review 8: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Image
Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games   Genres: Dystopian, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Survival Story, Action, American Literature Reading Level: Young Adult  Setting: Panem (Fictionalized future society of North America) Published: 2008 Page Count: 436 (Paperback) Content Warnings: Child Death Rating: ★★ ★ ★⭑ (4.5 out of 5) Am I reviewing Suzanne Collins' classic young adult dystopian novel The Hunger Games in the year 2025? Yes. Why? Because it feels so deeply relevant to the world we are living in today. You could perhaps be forgiven if your memories of this book are largely about a teenage love triangle set against the backdrop of a corrupt society (as most young adult dystopians of the era were). This was the aspect of the book that most readers chose to focus on at the time, especially its younger audience, and of course, the filmmakers played up this angle of the story in the film adaptations, making it one of the main selling points of the franchise. But after re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book Review 7: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Image
Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife Genres: Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Time Travel, SciFi-Romance, Drama, Magical Realism, American Literature Reading Level: Adult  Setting: 1968-2008, Chicago, Illinois (USA) and South Haven, Michigan (USA)  Published: 2003 Page Count: 536 (Paperback) Content Warnings: Drug Use, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Suicide, Pedophilia Rating: ★★ ★ ★⭑ (4.25 out of 5) This is going to be a difficult novel to review, mainly because I don't support or condone a lot of what is happening in the plot (which comprises the majority of the story), but it is so well written. The problematic aspects of the story are ultimately the most interesting parts to analyze, to try and figure out exactly what Niffenegger is getting at. The novel follows the love story, from beginning to bitter end, of Henry and Clare DeTamble. Their romance is no ordinary story, though. Henry is what the novel will come to know as a Chrono Displaced Person, or in laym...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book Review 6: The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

Image
Sarah Cypher: The Skin and Its Girl Genres: Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Domestic Fiction, Drama, Magical Realism, LGBTQIA+ Literature, American Literature, Lebanese Literature Reading Level: Adult  Setting: 2000s Oakland and Palo Alto, California (USA), Portland, Oregon (USA), Nablus, Palestine (West Bank)  Published: 2024 Page Count: 330 (Paperback) Content Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, Attempted Suicide  Rating: ★★★⭑ (3.5 out of 5) First and foremost, Sarah Cypher’s The Skin and Its Girl is written in a bold and experimental second-person narration. It is from the perspective of Betty Rummani, as she talks directly to her late great aunt Nuha and recounts the events of the story by looking backwards. I enjoy the creative take that Cypher took with the narration style, though it is difficult to adjust to at first, as most readers are used to traditional first- and third-person narrations in fiction. The stylistic narration choice does (sort of) make sen...
Post a Comment
Read more