Tag Archives: Young-adult fiction

Audiobook Review: Jinx

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Cover of "Jinx"

Image via Amazon

Rating: 2 out of 5

If you’ve been reading Book Club Babe, you already know that I’m a devoted Meg Cabot fan. I may have a whole shelf of her work, but this was the first time that I bought one of her books in audio.

I’m still waiting for Awaken, Cabot’s sequel to Underworld, which will be released this July. So I decided to check out Jinx (2007), one of her few stand-alone novels. Unfortunately, it was aptly named, but it was one big ball of bad luck.

Jinx is titled after the protagonist Jean Honeychurch’s nickname. Terrible things seem to keep happening to this 16-year-old, so she runs away from her home in rural Iowa to live with her aunt, uncle, and three cousins in New York City.

One of those cousins, Tory, immediately becomes Jean’s rival when Jean catches the eye of her crush, Zack. But what happens when this competition between cousins takes a paranormal turn for the worse?

I could go into more detail, and honestly, I wouldn’t spoil much. What’s the point of keeping part of the plot a secret for the whole first third of the novel, if you already know about it from reading the summary? Talk about anti-climactic!

I also already knew that Cabot has a tendency to be melodramatic, but I figured what should I expect when she’s writing about teenagers? Well, even young adult fiction has to have standards.

I kept getting horrible vibes a la Fifty Shades of Grey: whether it’s E.L. James droning on about her “inner goddess” or Meg Cabot harping about “the knot in my stomach,” authors need to tone down the obnoxious metaphors!

You know why the green light is such a powerful symbol in The Great Gatsby? Because Fitzgerald doesn’t talk about it every five sentences! I understand that Jean is a nervous outcast, but I wanted to drive into oncoming traffic every time she described her stomach knot. I get it, you’re scared! Stop wasting my time with over-used clichés and move on!

I empathized most with Zack, who seemed completely fed up with all this petty cat-fighting. Although cat-fighting might be inaccurate, since Jean is the typical girl oblivious that her love is actually not unrequited after all. Yawn.

Maybe I’m just too old for high school drama. It’s easy to tell a fictional character to snap out of it and get some confidence, but I know that it’s easier said than done in real life. I wish that I could go back and tell my 16-year-old self to stop worrying what the “popular” kids think about you, because those bullies weren’t worth the brain space anyway.

I’m just going to chalk Jinx up to being an older novel that’s not representative of Cabot’s level of work. I’m also skeptical of trying audio versions of her books in the future, since I may be more accepting of teenage immaturity in print. Hopefully, Awaken will redeem my previously high opinion of this queen of teen fiction! Fingers crossed!

Book Review: Every Day

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Image via Goodreads

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I would say Happy Super Bowl Sunday, but most in my neck of the woods aren’t happy since the San Francisco 49ers lost the big game. I was in tears myself, but not over the score. I just finished David Levithan’s novel Every Day, which got me pretty emotional towards the end. I know that many of you have read this book already and want to hear my thoughts, so let’s jump right in!

If you aren’t familiar with this story, my summary’s going to sound very strange. The narrator is a disembodied spirit who calls himself A and wakes up every day in a different 16-year-old’s body. I say “himself” due to hetero-normative biases, but technically A has no gender. Levithan does his best to fight society’s definition of normalcy, by placing A in a variety of bodies: male, female, straight, gay, transgender, obese, gorgeous, introverted, hostile. There were even a couple heart-wrenching chapters in which A found himself in people suffering from addiction and depression.

Because of this body-hopping, A has observed a vast amount of life in a short amount of time, dealing with countless combinations of sibling rivalries, financial situations, and school cliques. But it isn’t until he falls in love with Rhiannon after possessing her boyfriend Justin when he realizes just how much he’s missing. Not only can he never meet her friends and family, he often has to face waking up hours away from her, or with too many obligations to the person he’s inhabiting in order to see her.

This book could be narrowed down to a simple boy(?)-meets-girl plot, which Levithan writes extremely well, navigating the roller-coaster of teenage love. However, it’s A’s unique struggle that allows us to feel grateful for things we take for granted, like the security of knowing that someone is there for you and the hope of growing together. Luckily, the author places limitations on A’s travels, given that he’d be treading in ethically murky water if he could become people of any age. A also never seems to have to deal with being inside the truly dangerous and psychotic, thank goodness.

I’m not trivializing the difficulty of trying to find love in A’s world. Life is hard at 16 or 61, but I sometimes thought of how much easier it seemed when you didn’t have to worry about finding work or paying rent. The love between A and Rhiannon is as stable as it could be in such circumstances, with so many innocently sweet moments. It’s interesting that with such a weird premise, you can still catch yourself walking down memory lane. That’s the beauty of the story–it doesn’t matter who you are, we’re all bound by human experiences.

However, I did appreciate the realism amidst the fantasy. A would suffer from the naive thinking that love conquers all, but Rhiannon struggled to remain open-minded when meeting a new person every day. Yes, it’s what (or who) is on the inside that really matters, but the outside isn’t irrelevant. Physical attraction and sexual orientation do play important roles, and I’m glad that Levithan depicted Rhiannon as a tolerant yet grounded individual with a life outside her relationship, and not as some infatuated princess willing to drop everything for a boy.

All in all, Every Day is a beautiful novel with some wonderful insights on life and love. As much as I would have liked to see some perspectives included (teenage pregnancy? special needs? bullying?), I understand that it’s less about chronicling different points-of-view and more about discovering who you are and what you want when you have no frame of reference. Quite a feat for a writer!

This is one book that gets people talking, so share your views in the comments! And whether you’re already a fan of Levithan or are inspired to check out his other work, read my review of The Lover’s Dictionary while you’re at it!

Book Review: Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

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Image via Goodreads

Rating: 4 out of 5

I feel like it’s the end of an era, because I finally finished the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I reviewed the penultimate novel, The Atlantis Complex, last year, and I’m pleased to say that the finale was much better.

If you haven’t heard of Artemis Fowl, let me bring you up to speed. Artemis is a boy genius with unsurpassed intellect, upscale taste in designer suits and classical music, and an obsession with increasing his already massive family fortune. His penchant for illicit scheming makes him many enemies, but he’s always shadowed by his best friend/bodyguard Butler.

The book series covers his life from ages 12-15, starting when he kidnaps an elf military officer named Holly Short to gain access to fairy gold to the present novel in which he puts aside his greed to save humanity. After seven books, Artemis and Holly are close comrades, and together with centaur techie Foaly and conniving dwarf Mulch Diggums, they must once again band together to stop the series’ pixie villain Opal Koboi.

It’s interesting to see an author’s writing style evolve over the course of a saga, and at times I felt Colfer inserted too much politics in regards to climate change or animal species preservation. The Atlantis Complex did not feel true to the series when Artemis became an obnoxious schizophrenic. Reading that novel, I was worried that Colfer had lost his magic.

But it came back full force in The Last Guardian. As Opal used time travel to thwart the LEP, I too felt like my younger self, literally laughing out loud at the many jokes that made the series so fun when I was in middle school. Being entertained by Mulch’s flatulence might seem juvenile, but with Artemis and friends battling an army of possessed crickets and ducks, how could you not chuckle?

Harry Potter fans will most likely draw similarities between the two supernatural stories, especially at the end of The Last Guardian. Artemis must make a sacrifice like Harry, but I won’t give away the details. I’ll just say that you walk away with that sad, yet satisfied feeling of fulfillment.

I only wish there could have been more romance between Artemis and Holly! Is that weird? I know that love blossoming between a teenage human boy and a three-foot-tall, 80-year-old elf would be far-fetched, but readers of the series know just how close they’ve become over the years. And in my opinion, nothing Artemis does can be considered normal or average, so I wouldn’t expect his love life to be either.

Lack of love story aside, reading Artemis Fowl has been a wonderful ride, and I would recommend the tale to anybody. Don’t wait until the movie comes out, because after eight years of conflicts, ranging from financial disputes between Disney and the Weinstein Company to the creative decision between CGI and live-action, the project has been shelved as of last year. The odds of seeing Artemis on-screen soon are slim, but at least you have time to catch up reading!

Should books be given ratings like movies?

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Oh my! That’s certainly one way to put it!

I’ve been knee-deep in the moving process again, this time to live closer to work and escape my hour-long commute. Sadly, I’ve realized that my books take up the majority of my packing boxes, so since I’ve run out of room on my bookcase anyway, I decided to purge part of my collection to make the moving process easier.

Which is how I found myself donating over 70 books to my local library. Most of them were Japanese manga series which I knew I wouldn’t read again, but I also sacrificed some young adult fiction as well. When I carried in all my bags, one distinct thing that I pointed out to the librarians was that the manga I brought in was “rated PG-13.”

I told them that because I knew the graphic novels had themes of sexuality. Two series by author Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina and A.I. Love You, are full of innuendos and gratuitous panty shots (for which is the author’s claim to fame). They’re hilarious stories about geeky guys trying to find love, but more often than not, falling into embarrassing situations.

Interestingly, manga do come with ratings: Everyone or All Ages (E or A), Youth, 10+ (Y), Teens, 13+ (T), Older Teens, 16+ (OT), and Mature, 18+ (M). The particularly mature manga, such as yaoi and yuri, which are genres of homosexual erotica, also frequently remain plastic-wrapped in bookstores to prevent minors from perusing their pages.

But what about every other book written? We have a vague idea of which audience is most suitable for a story, but no defined standards as seen in manga, film, and video games? I wonder…why is that?

You already know that I’m not a fan of artistic censorship, which I blogged about in my post about whether YA fiction was too “adult.” The Huffington Post also discussed this issue in May, comparing the differences between books and movies.

One point HuffPo made was that according to the Hays Code of 1930, movies are catered to the masses rather than niche audiences, so stricter guidelines need to be in place. Pretty patronizing to treat moviegoers like ignoramuses, but also disheartening that books are not considered popular enough for people to care about their psychological effects.

I have mixed feelings on giving books ratings. On one hand, it’s just another way for society to subjectively decide what is morally appropriate for children. Ratings often do not take educational value into consideration.

Using movies as examples, Schindler’s List and Saw are both rated “R,” but the former is one of the greatest adaptations of the Holocaust, a historical event which cannot be accurately depicted without graphic violence, and the latter is yet another ‘gore porn’ horror flick. Same rating, vastly different values of artistic merit. Ratings would tar every book with the same brush, and I would hate for Lord of the Flies or Invisible Man to be lumped in with the likes of Fifty Shades of Grey just because of some mature themes.

On the other hand, perhaps book ratings would save many stories from being banned outright. Place them into a separate section in libraries so that helicopter parents can’t dictate what classifies as forbidden. However, the question remains of who has the right to make these distinctions–not to mention the time and money it would take to implement and enforce ratings.

Weighing the arguments, I feel that ratings for all media are arbitrary and although I can see their intent, parents ultimately decide what is appropriate for their children. If we relinquish too much creative control, then we also give up individual freedoms. I’m not saying that it would snowball into an Orwellian state, but it’s vital not to lose personal autonomy.

I could ramble on about this topic all night, but I’d much rather hear what you all think! Are book ratings a good idea? Why or why not?

The Reading Phases of My Life (So Far)

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I’m half-way done with The Last Guardian, the finale of Artemis Fowl, and I’ve been reflecting on my experience with the series as a whole. I started reading Eoin Colfer’s best-selling saga since the first novel was published in 2001. I was about 12-years-old at the time, so eight books later, the Artemis Fowl series has spanned half my life.

Thus, Artemis Fowl has meant almost as much to me as Harry Potter, in terms of how many years I’ve spent reading the books. And what’s funny to me, is that young-adult fantasy has not always been a favorite genre of mine. In fact, I find it interesting to see how my reading habits have evolved over time, so I thought that I would share them in a quasi-timeline, if you will…

Early Childhood (ages 5-8)

When I was a kid, I loved educational stories. I remember two of my favorites were The Magic School Bus and Kratt’s Creatures. Many of my classmates attributed my love for learning to my mother, who’s a 3rd-grade teacher, and although she contributed so much to my intellectual development, I was also very self-motivated. To this day, much of what I can recall about the human body or the ocean, I learned from Mrs. Frizzle. And that’s not a bad thing at all!

Middle Childhood (ages 9-11)

During this time, I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. I’m a huge animal lover, so I gravitated toward stories about them. I enjoyed Island of the Blue Dolphins, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Toward middle school, I had an obsession with wolves, and Jack London became one of my favorite authors after I read The Call of the Wild and White Fang. I no longer want to be a vet, since I’d rather play with pets than treat their ailments; it’s similar to how I now avoid reading sob-fests like Marley and Me–why is it that I’ll mourn a human character’s death for a day, but when the dog goes, it’s a full-blown depression?

Young Adult (ages 12-17)

Originally, I scoffed at the idea of reading Harry Potter. A book about a school for wizards? Balderdash! I was knee-deep in tales about Alaskan sled-dogs. But after the persistent nagging of a good friend, I became just as hooked as everybody else. It was one of those, “Where have you been all my life?!” moments, and it unlocked the gate to some great literature. I fell in love with His Dark Materials, The Lord of the Rings, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lost Years of Merlin, the Bartimaeus trilogy, The Young Wizards series, and–of course, Artemis Fowl. After experiencing fantasy like that, the real world never looked the same again.

The College Years (ages 18-22)

I know that I haven’t addressed required reading for the very fact that it was required. Every high school student was forced to read A Tale of Two Cities, so even though I loved it, the chances of me picking it up myself were slim. However, my tastes matured in college, and I sought out classics because I wanted to. Wuthering Heights, The Age of Innocence, and 1984 were all examples of me reading for reading’s sake. It’s no wonder that some of my favorite novels ever were read during a time when I could truly appreciate them.

That’s not to say all my reading was sophisticated. I had always passed by the romance section in the bookstore, but it wasn’t until a good friend of mine from UC Santa Cruz recommended some, that I actually got the guts to dive in. Because of my friend, I became a big fan of Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Nerd series. Now I balance out the literary with the lusty by swapping between classics and romances. I like switching it up!

The Future

Now I’d say that my reading comfort zone consists of classics, fantasy, sci-fi, chick-lit, romance, historical fiction, and memoir. There’s some genres I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, such as horror or spiritual, but my blog has made me more open to recommendations. I’ve realized how much fun audio-books can be, and once I can no longer fit anything on my bookshelves, I’ll have to invest in a tablet. I like jumping on bandwagons, as well as discovering hidden gems. Many book blogs have a niche, but I’m not the type to limit what I read. Life’s too short! Who knows what books we’ll obsess over and where our reading will take us!

Vote for My Last 5 Books of the Year!

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Tonight I’m going to finish the final two chapters of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and I’m anticipating a very positive review because it’s been an excellent read so far. That means if you’ve been paying attention, I’m down to my last five books of the year! I read 20 books in 2011, and my goal this year was to read 25 (with The Hobbit as a bonus re-read before the movie release in December, if I can squeeze it in!).

I always love including my followers, so I’d like you to pick five books from my to-read list below, and the novels that receive the most votes will make up the rest of my 2012 reading! I’ll even label them by genre to make your decision-making a bit easier…

Romance/Chick-Lit

  • Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber (sequel to Truly, Madly)
  • A Lot Like Love by Julie James (another novel in her FBI series)
  • Gilded Age by Claire McMillan

Literary/Historical Fiction

  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Young Adult Fiction

  • Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer (final book in the series!)

Memoir

  • My Week with Marilyn by Colin Clark

Classics

  • The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

So that’s eight books total, but you can only choose five! No additions, please, as I have already purchased all these books (or were given as birthday gifts) , and cannot afford to go broke on more! Hopefully, I’ll get around to your favorites eventually!

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Image via Wikipedia

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I’m finally back from Tokyo! I had such a great time with my little brother and one of my very best friends–we visited temples, played in arcades, tried traditional dishes, drank with the locals, and so much more! It was so fun exploring the cities and meeting people, but I am glad to be home with my family.

Even though I’m still suffering from jet lag and a slight cold, I couldn’t leave you guys hanging any longer! Between the super-long flights and all the time spent commuting on the trains, I was able to finish three books during my vacation. I even found an English bookstore in Gotanda, Japan, and bought two more for 800 yen (about $10).

The first novel I read was The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which was published by MTV in 1999. Chbosky is also known for writing the screenplay for “Rent” and the TV show “Jericho.” I’ll admit that the only reason why I picked up this book was because I was intrigued by the film adaptation starring Emma Watson, but I’m glad I saw what all the fuss was about.

Perks is written in the forms of letters by a high school freshman who goes by the alias Charlie. He writes these letters to a person he doesn’t know, but was told by a friend that he/she was a good listener. The lack of physical descriptions of Charlie and many other characters creates a relatable atmosphere.

Taking place in Pittsburgh in the early ’90s, Charlie befriends two step-siblings: Patrick, who has a secret romance with the high school quarterback, and Sam, who instantly becomes Charlie’s love interest. As high school seniors, the siblings show Charlie the world of drugs and rock & roll, all while he struggles with much deeper issues.

I won’t reveal the reason behind Charlie’s introversion, but I found his character simultaneously interesting and annoying. His juvenile writing style and general naivete make him seem much more than simply shy, to the point of mentally challenged. However, he’s also extremely clever, voraciously reading classic novels given to him by his endearing English teacher Bill. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Charlie was an autistic savant.

Regardless, I appreciate the author’s decision to leave the question of Charlie’s condition open-ended. I’ll only say that his constant choppy sentences and simple vocabulary became tiring and grating at times. But at least the book shows the reader why it’s difficult for Charlie to make and keep friends, and I applaud Sam and Patrick for showing such compassion.

My only other major complaint is that Chbosky, in an attempt to address teen social issues, piles on so much melodrama that you can’t help but roll your eyes sometimes. I mean, in the first 50 pages, you witness depression, suicide, domestic violence, drug abuse, and homophobia.

I’m not saying that one person can’t experience all these horrific things, but I felt that Chbosky was laying it on a bit thick. It was as if he was just checking them off a list rather than truly addressing their impact. And from what I hear, he suffered from the same problem in “Rent.”

All in all, I imagine that the movie will definitely be indie, and since stories with so much “reality” in them aren’t really my cup of tea (I like my happy endings, thank you very much), I’ll just have to watch it with an open mind. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like Charlie and friends better on the big screen.

Book Review: Underworld

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Rating: 4 out of 5

Ok, guys, I have a confession to make: I cheated. Cheated on I, Claudius, that is. I’m usually not someone who juggles multiple books at a time, but I fully support book-sluttiness (it’s the best kind!). It’s not that I, Claudius is not a good book, because I have every intention on finishing it. But I’m sure you all have that author who when he/she publishes something new, you drop whatever you’re doing to read it.

That’s how I am with Meg Cabot, queen of teen fiction. After a quick calculation, I’ve found that I have read almost half of her entire bibliography, which currently clocks in at over 70 books! I don’t think I’ve ever read 34 novels of any other authors–I mean, I have a whole shelf dedicated to Cabot!

Why do I love her so much? Cabot’s like cotton candy to me: She’s not a writer of heavy substance, but she’s light and sweet, and her words just melt in your mouth. I can’t ignore cotton candy when the Fresno Fair rolls around every October, and I can’t help but cheat on books when a new Cabot novel is released.

Underworld is Cabot’s second work in her Abandon trilogy. (You can find my review of Abandon here). The book starts off with Pierce Oliviera waking up from a nightmare, only to find herself in the Underworld with death deity John Hayden. In this modern adaptation of the Persephone and Hades myth, Pierce must save her cousin Alex from the Furies, who can inhabit the living earth by possessing weak-willed people–such as Pierce’s own grandmother, who as a Fury, has been secretly trying to kill her ever since she was a young child.

Along the way, Pierce learns about John’s dark past and meets his crew-mates who assist him in sorting the dead and battling the Furies. She also struggles with her own teenage hormones, dealing with the temptation of cohabiting with her boyfriend, who just so happens to be Lord of the Underworld.

I absolutely love this ancient Greek myth, and this version balances new and old pretty well. Pierce and John have great sexual chemistry, and the story-line was intriguing and suspenseful enough for me to finish this book in three days. True to form, Cabot produces another sugary read, and fans of light-hearted romantic reads will enjoy this sequel.

I also appreciate Cabot for addressing sex in a way that is not condescending to teens, and is also smart and safe. One of the first things Pierce asked was whether she could get pregnant by a death god–oh, how I wish Bella Swan could have been that thoughtful before she got knocked up with a vampire baby! Cabot is highly aware of the faults of other young adult bestsellers, like Twilight, and ensures that her readers are aware of the consequences of their decisions.

However, Cabot is not without faults. People who need heartier reads might find Underworld formulaic and cheesy at times. Also, although Cabot takes a more liberal stance when it comes to sexuality, I found the descriptions of her gay characters stereotypical. I knew that the cemetery sexton Mr. Smith was homosexual without him having to wear pink all the time! I’m sure the gay male community would appreciate representations in media that don’t have to do with pastel colors, flamboyant speech patterns, or cliche occupations like interior designers or hairdressers.

Other than that, I would recommend Cabot’s Abandon trilogy, and I’m looking forward to the last sequel Awaken next year. And I promise to return to I, Claudius–no more cheating!

So are you monogamous or polygamous when it comes to reading? What books are your cotton candy? Send me your comments!

A Dystopian Timeline

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I ran across this awesome infographic on Goodreads and wanted to share it with you. It shows the various trends and popularity in dystopian literature from the Great Depression to today. While I personally feel that romance has weakened the power of the genre, I will support any book like The Hunger Games that can get people interested in classics like 1984 or Brave New World. In fact, if a student of mine is a fan of Katniss and Peeta, I immediately steer her in the direction of Bernard and Lenina.

Teachers should use young adult fiction as an opportunity to broaden teens’ reading habits. Love Twilight? Read Wuthering Heights. Obsessed with Percy Jackson? Try Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. I admit that I can be a literary elitist at times, and these teaching moments will not only encourage kids to keep reading, it will get them to read better books, in my opinion. You shouldn’t talk about Harry Potter on the SAT essay, but why not discuss witchcraft in Macbeth?

Anyway, what are your thoughts of this dystopian uprising? How do you think the genre will change in the decades to come? Let me know!

Image via Goodreads

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games (film)

Image via Wikipedia

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Yes, I’m a bit shocked myself to be writing that high of a rating, but I was pleasantly surprised with this adaptation. After waiting in a relatively long line for a 10:30 a.m. showing, my dad and I watched the much-anticipated “The Hunger Games.” Clocking in at almost 2.5 hours, it certainly didn’t feel that long, since I was enthralled every second.

The cast did brilliantly, not overdoing their acting, but not behaving like robots either. Sure, Jennifer Lawrence has been criticized for her feminine curves, and while I was concerned when learning of the cast that their looks wouldn’t be realistic, I understand that it’s unethical to actually starve actors for their roles. Plus, don’t people realize she’s been nominated for an Oscar for “Winter’s Bone?” She does a great job as Katniss, and just because she’s got boobs and a butt doesn’t mean she’s too sexy for the role. So, I’d like to tell The New York Times to politely shut their face.

As for the setting, Panem looked fantastic. I loved the contrast between the ultra-modern Capitol and the rural districts. Those who haven’t read the books might find the flamboyant Capitol citizens a bit cheesy in their crazy outfits and makeup, but I’d also like to tell them to politely shut their faces. The movie was not made for you.

While the first scenes were great, from the heartbreaking Reaping to the tributes’ training, we all waited in suspense for the Games to begin. I found it very meta that we were just as excited as the Capitol to watch these kids kill each other. We are part of the problem, and Suzanne Collins is making an excellent point that our society is disturbingly obsessed with violence. Our reality TV culture has made us the least common denominator, and that need for voyeurism made me uncomfortable.

That being said, I still feel that the actual gore was diluted down too much, especially with Cato’s death. I kept thinking to myself as I read the scene, How are they going to show a boy get reduced to a skinless, meaty pulp? Well, they didn’t, of course. Should they have? I can understand that the producers did not want to lose most of their demographic with an “R” rating, but I feel pretty jipped as an adult. If I made the decisions, there would be two DVD versions–the theatrical version and an adult-only one that maintains the book’s level of brutality.

Overall, I was very pleased with the film, and I recommend it to any fan of the series. Perhaps if the filmmakers keep this up, I won’t be as upset watching “Mockingjay” as I was reading it. Well, one can hope, right? And as President Snow said, “Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear.”