I can't believe this...

Thursday, April 12, 2012


...I put the Hunger Games on hold at my library. I owe it to a temporary lapse in judgement, but someday soon Catching Fire and Mockingjay will be in my possession. I'm a hundred something in each queue, but it's only a two and three day wait apparently. I'll be reviewing them here; but be warned, it will not be one of those posts so easily defined by: Omg omg omg omg I luved<3 THG U shuld totally goes and read it bc itz so awezome!!1!1!!!1!1!1!!

I have no idea how this happened. I personally prefer books like Uglies by Scott Westerfield, Matched by Ally Condie and Divergent  by Veronica Roth when it comes to Dystopian and/or Sci-Fi. I'm all for creepy overbearing governments and a choice that could change everything... but I've sampled THG and I'm not so sure about the gazillion super short sentences. Then again, I've been spoiled by the poetic likes of L.M. Montgomery and other classic authors, so to each her own.

Also, I don't really think it's the next Harry Potter. One, because many of the people who hate Harry hypocritically love all the violence in THG. So it cancels out. Two, while this series has an interesting premise, it's not truly a 'different' idea. It is, but it isn't, if you catch my drift. And three, I can already tell this series will not have the exact same 'capture you heart' quality as Harry does. (That, and it isn't a book you want the five year old to grow up with.) In fact, I'm only reading it for three things and three things only: Rue (I fell in love with this character the moment I laid eyes on her movie poster), Katniss' fire dress and Cinna. Two of those aren't even in the two books I managed to barely get my hands on. 

....

For those of you who wonder how I love Star Wars and Artemis Fowl but dislike the violence the the Hunger Games, let me explain. I love action and adventure. Not gore or near-gore. I despise gore. Sci-Fi/Fantasy violence is fine by me, as long as they don't go too far. No straight up blood, no screams you can hear in your head ten years later. No creepy stuff that will make you curl up a month after being exposed to it or make you afraid to go down a slightly dark hallway. Nothing that will make you think that someone typing on the computer in the next room are your siblings--who are secretly hosts to aliens talking in their native tongue--coming to eat you. Or that someone simply moving around is really a serial killer breaking in through the window.

If you got chills with that last paragraph, that was my intent. If not, then I probably went too far with the alien siblings... because I have no idea where that came from myself. You can attribute the serial killer to my and a sibling's overactive imaginations, though. And that wasn't because of gore... it was because we assume too much from simple sounds when half asleep. :P


4 comments :

  1. Exactly the same thing with me. I've read the Hunger Games...I would like to see how the movie turned out...but I really like Star Wars better since it isn't half so violent and is completely awesome! ;)

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  2. XD lol. I was literally JUST about to PM you about this after reading the chatbox archives.

    Agree with you about the gore/disturbingness stuff. After Catching Fire I had to walk home by myself in the dark and I was jumping at each sound XD.

    And you need to read the first book before you read Catching Fire. You'll probably be 20 by the time you get it from the library, so just ask around. A lot of people own at least the first book.

    And I hated the first person present tense too, but it really really works. I only write in first person present now :P.

    The Hunger Games is very actiony, that's why there's so many short sentences.

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  3. @Amaranthine: Actually, I love first person. I do most major works using it. While I find present tense a little awkward, I'm really enjoying the Matched triology and I've read and enjoyed a few other books in that tense. And I've read plenty of 'actiony' books that had nice, full sentences. :P

    @The Musical Dancer: I completely agree! SW FTW! XDDDD

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  4. Coming from a Hunger Games fan - YAY!! YOU DECIDED TO READ THE BOOKS!!

    Here's the thing - there is violence in THG, but I don't think it's really any worse than the violence in any other book or movie. People have just made a huge deal out of it because - let's face it - the premise is a little disturbing. But if you like creepy overbearing governments, you should definitely try The Hunger Games! There's not much to say about the style if you don't like it, of course, but I agree with Amaranthine - I think it's written like that because there's so much intense action.

    And I think it's ridiculous that people are calling it "the next Harry Potter", because seriously? The two series have NOTHING in common. Unless you count the fact that both main characters are of the human species. But even then, they're not even of the same gender! Besides, Harry Potter is legend. There's not much that can even come close to touching the crazy-popularity of the Harry Potter books/movies, and saying something is "the next Harry Potter is just ridiculous...and frankly, kind of presumptuous.

    With that said, I hope you like the trilogy! (And Amaranthine is right - you should definitely read the books in order. The Hunger Games, then Catching Fire, and last of all Mockingjay. Otherwise, it won't make sense.)

    Also - and this is completely random, but I was wondering - why you don't use your Blogger profile to comment on other blogs? Just curious...it seems like it would be easier, after all.

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