Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins can be summed up in one word: stunning.

It was so gripping, from start to finish, that I hardly put it down; I read it at the table last night at dinner, read it in every moment of "free" class time at school, and stayed up as late as I could handle and still function the next morning. And now that I've finished, what did I end up with?

. . . nothing. Because it's the last book in the series, and I'm completely heartbroken.

Mockingjay picks up a few weeks after Catching Fire left off, with that jaw-dropping ending to a jaw-dropping book, even better than the one preceding it. After being rescued by the rebels from District 13 during the Quarter Quell, Katniss has to come to terms with the terrible fact that she no longer has a home, that District 12 has been destroyed, and that she is the face of the war brooding all across Panem. And there's still her feelings for Gale, and Peeta's imprisoning by President Snow.

The book, through and through, is one of the most riveting nail-biters that I've ever read. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time you read it, and even the slowest of readers could--I think--whiz through it in a week, it's that good. You get sucked into the vivid world of Panem so quickly, you'll have read chapters upon chapters without even realizing it.

If there was a list of YA books that everyone needs to read before they die, this book (and it's predecessors, the Hunger Games and Catching Fire) definitely would be in the top ten, right under Harry Potter.

SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

This awesome countdown to Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (the sequel to Hush, Hush) won't fit in my sidebar, so i just thought I'd put it here and share it with you guys!

Amazing, right? Don't forget to check it out at your local bookstore on October 19th! I know, it seems like forever, but I'm sure it'll be worth the wait! And if you haven't read (or heard of) Hush, Hush, I definitely suggest checking it out!

And remember: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins comes out next weekend!

SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Hunger by Michael Grant

It's been three months since everyone over the age of fifteen vanished, and things aren’t doing well. Food is sparse, and more and more mutated animals are appearing every day as more kids start to develop powers. Problems are arising between the moofs and the regular kids, and Sam's having to deal with a few new problems of his own in this second installment of the Gone trilogy.

Now, to be honest, it’s really depressing and horrifying. Gone was similar—but on a modest degree. Hunger goes way up and beyond. I think a big reason for that is that Gone was just setting things up, while Hunger is getting more into the action and suspense. Something I really love is that the book didn’t start slow—it began three months into the FAYZ. That means three months of hundreds of kids trying to survive without any adults, and barely any food. Things started to get messy. Very messy. Kids were eating pets for meat, and were prepared to kill one another for food. It’s pretty a pretty gruesome book, i'm not going to lie, but worth it in its uniqueness.

The book is one that you will tear through--if you can make it through the entire first book, which, at times, is no easy task. I'd recommend it to fans of Unwind by Neil Shusterman and Wings by Aprilynne Pike--and to those of you who don't mind taking the time to push yourself through a series of books (the Gone series are now a series of three; dont forget to check out Lies, the third installment), because you know it's worth it in the end.

Simply Nerdy Book Reviews