Mockingjay (Book Three, Hunger Games Trilogy)

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT

The 75th Hunger Games have ended, with a bang. The tributes, all part of a plot to destroy the forcefield that surrounds the stadium, have rescued Katniss and Peeta from the games. Their accomplice: District Thirteen. As Katniss is transported to the mysterious lost district, she learns the whole truth. District Thirteen was never actually destroyed. During the first rebellion, District Thirteen realized that it was fighting on the wrong side, the losing side. They made a deal with the Capitol. Their deal was to let them leave the war and District 13, the nuclear district, would let the Capitol survive. The Capitol agreed and claimed that they 'destroyed' the region. Now, years later, District 13 has resurfaced, and risen up in rebellion against the Capitol. While they approach the rebel district, Katniss' friend and recent District 13 rebel, Gale, reveals two more shocking secrets. District Twelve, Katniss' home district has been leveled by the Capitol, and Peeta never made it out of the Games Arena. The stage is set for the final battle, the rebels against the Capitol, Katniss against President Snow. In this stunning conclusion to the Hunger Games Trilogy, it's anyone's guess who will make it home alive.

In previous books, I usually hint at people dying. Most of the time it's because they come close to death. In this installment, I'm deadly serious. Our favorite characters are dying right and left. Aside from Cinna, Rue, and Mags, from previous books, all of our favorite characters survive. Not this time! I'll let you in on a little secret though, Buttercup lives. 

Catching Fire (Book Two, Hunger Games Trilogy)

The Hunger Games are back in this stunning sequel. It has been one year since the events of the first book. The Games now loom ominously over the twelve districts once again. However, Katniss and Peeta feel freed as their time in the Hunger Games is over, or so they think. That freedom is shattered as President Snow makes an announcement, that in honor of the 75th anniversary of the first Hunger Games, or "Quarter Quell", only former contestants, who have won of course, will compete in this year's competition. Thrust once again into the Games and the fight of their lives, Katniss and Peeta must change the way they battle, not individually or as a duet, but as a team with other Tributes. Not knowing whom to trust, every second becomes crucial and every encounter brings them closer to death. However, when the very arena becomes a death trap, Katniss, Peeta, and their newfound allies must band together and find a way to defeat the other Tributes, before their 'allies' turn on and kill each other instead.

Catching Fire is my personal favorite in the series. This is the book where we meet, Finnick Odair, the male Tribute from District 4, who with trident, net, and charm is almost unstoppable. He is part of the group that joins forces with Katniss. In contrast to books one and two, the final book in the series, Mockingjay, mainly focuses on the district's second rebellion against the Capitol, not on the Games themselves.

The Hunger Games (Book One, Hunger Games Trilogy)

Seventy four years ago, the thirteen districts of Panem (Post-Apocalyptic America), revolted against the Capitol, objecting against their degenerate and oppressive rule. The rebellion was put down, the thirteenth district was destroyed, the other twelve beaten. The Capitol decided to ensure the remaining district's loyalty by creating The Hunger Games. Every year, a boy and a girl, ages 12 to 18 from each district is chosen, by lottery or volition, to compete in a fight to the death, a competition in which the last person standing is designated the winner. Katniss Everdeen, the oldest daughter in a family of only her sister and mother, lives in district 12, the coal district, the most impoverished district. When the 74th Hunger Games arrives, Katniss's sister, Primrose (Prim), an innocent gentle girl who could never hurt a soul, is chosen as the female 'tribute' from their district. Horrified, Katniss volunteers in her place. Forcibly thrust into a world of orgies, death, slaughter, competition, decadency, betrayal, and love. Katniss is thrown into a competition, and a world, she could hardly ever had imagined. Along her journey, she learns that friends can be enemies and that no one, not even herself, can be trusted.

The Hunger Games is deservedly an international sensation. Filled with suspense and, a bit too much if you ask me, violence. Each part of the book compliments the whole. I understand that the violence is used to show the horror of the event, however, I feel that Suzanne Collins could have tuned it down, just a little bit. I recommend this book, but not for the faint of heart.

The Amber Spyglass (Book Three, His Dark Materials Series)

In the final installment of His Dark Materials, war is brewing, Coultier has gone into hiding and Lyra has disappeared. To find her, Will must join forces with Lyra's former companion, an Armoured Bear named Iorek Byrnison. Meanwhile, Lord Asriel is beginning to deploy his massive army against the Kingdom of Heaven, one that now numbers in the millions. However, in order to defeat The Authority, he must have the Subtle Knife, AEsahaettr, the God destroyer. As Asriel sends two Galvespian spies to find Lyra and Will, dark clouds are brewing, clouds that will force all to hide and take cover, clouds that will take Will and Lyra to the land of the dead, where everything will be righted once and for all.

The Amber Spyglass is an amazing story of life, love and loss. It was a compelling read that forced me to think deeper that I would normally about the plot, and life. In invigorating read it kept my up , burning the midnight oil. The entire story arc, beginning, middle and end is satisfactory and intriguing. The prequel, The Book of Dust, is coming to stores soon. The sequel, Lyra's Oxford, is already on the shelves.

The Subtle Knife (Book Two, His Dark Materials Series)

Just managing to escape Lord Asriel's insane project, with her life, Lyra finds herself stranded in a spectral world in between dimensions. This city is known as Cittagazze, the city of magpies. Also lost in this strange world is Will Parry, searching for his father after fleeing his (our) world. He is a murderer. Lyra joins Will in his search for his father as they travel between worlds in this adventure of a lifetime. But, at the same time, Ms. Coultier is searching for Lyra, for reasons unknown, and will stop at nothing to have her in her iron hard grasp. Meanwhile, Lord Asriel is beginning to amass an army, an army preparing for the greatest war of all time, a war against God. However, Lurking in the deepest, darkest, oldest, strangest reaches of Cittagazze is an item of extraordinary power, a weapon that could only be described as subtle.

The Subtle Knife is full of mystery, history, exploration, and alternate universes. The Subtle Knife is  intriguing, yet subtle, and hints as to who is actually pulling the strings.

Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) (Book One, His Dark Materials Series)

 In an alternate universe, much like ours, humans have their souls, called daemons, on the outside, not inside. One sunny day, 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, along with her daemon Pantalamion, is hiding in the retiring room of her home, Jordan College, awaiting the arrival of her Uncle, Lord Asriel. When Lord Asriel enters and begins to pour the wine, Lyra, who earlier saw the Master of Jordan College pour poison into Asriel's decanter, bursts out of hiding and tells Asriel of the Master's plot. After Asriel leaves the college, Lyra meets a woman, Marisa Coultier. Enchanted by Ms. Coultier, Lyra is sent to live with her by the Master. Before her departure, the Master of Jordan gives Lyra a small golden compass, an Alethiometer, a truth teller, and instructs her not to let Coultier see it. But, when Lyra learns of Coultier's true nature, she flees and is rescued by passing Gyptian boatmen. Hurled into a world that she could never have dreamed of, Lyra must travel to the frozen north to find Asriel while, at the same time, evading the shady General Oblation Board, or Gobblers, and managing to stay alive. But, what will Lyra find when she goes to Asriel in the frozen island of Svalbard?

The Golden Compass is filled with mystery, suspence, action and, of course, armored bears. The Golden Compass is a great read for those who love fantasy, alternate dimensions, and armored bears.