Scan barcode
demahccio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
chelsfoust's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series, but I wish there had been one more book and that it ended happily. This didn't have a bad ending, just a somewhat sad ending. In my head I have given it the best ending where everyone lives happily ever after...
chelsfoust's review against another edition
5.0
The ending of this book hurts my heart. I feel so much injustice for Gregor, that poor boy loses so much. I thought that this book was brilliant in its twisting plots and ingenious 'prophecies'. At the end, I just want to cry as Gregor lays down, then wakes up and you just want to hug him and wish him to feel better. Gregor's dad is the perfect addition to Gregor's unhappiness. He helps in the most perfect way even as I ache for things to have ended differently. "One day I promise, it's going to be okay."
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
This installment was a great end to the series. The way Collins considers and details the social and political world she has created made this a series not just for kids, but for adults, too. This is a story about growing up, but it's also a story about power, battle, and compromise, which are topics not always done so interestingly in young adult or children's literature.
Collins never talks down to her audience, but she never talks above them, either. It's amazing how she is able to make war and betrayal so relevant to her twelve year old protagonist, and it's due in large part to the complete and complex world she's created.
And without spoiling anything, I can say that although I'd hoped for another kind of ending, I knew how unrealistic my hopes were and I think Collins finished the book--and the series--perfectly. This really is a great adventure for all readers.
Collins never talks down to her audience, but she never talks above them, either. It's amazing how she is able to make war and betrayal so relevant to her twelve year old protagonist, and it's due in large part to the complete and complex world she's created.
And without spoiling anything, I can say that although I'd hoped for another kind of ending, I knew how unrealistic my hopes were and I think Collins finished the book--and the series--perfectly. This really is a great adventure for all readers.
eila05's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
sereia8's review against another edition
3.0
This is an inventive series that our family has enjoyed. The conflict has ended, but the characters are left hanging a bit, so I won't feel satisfied if this is the final installment of the series.
ellipsiscool's review against another edition
5.0
I highly recommend this series and am so glad I have read it. I believe the message is clear in that nothing is fair in war, that there is always a better way, and strength in intellect is sometimes more important that physical strength. Also to listen to the quiet in the background as they may have the most to say, the bold are not always in the right, and just because blood was spilled for something it does not make it right.
astralasher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This series means so much to me. There aren’t enough words!!!! So sad it’s over but so glad I got to experience this again at a different point in my life.
coffee_and_oxford_commas's review against another edition
5.0
Most of my friends grew up with Harry Potter, but THIS is the series I grew up with. A fantastical, terrifying, underground world with giant rodents and bugs. I purchased Gregor the Overlander at the Scholastic book fair (best day of elementary school) and fell in love immediately. It may seem like your typical story about a boy who’s “the chosen one," but it’s not.
Gregor makes mistakes. He's impulsive and short-tempered. He doesn’t succeed in every challenge, but like most of Collins’s characters, he has great heart. He sympathizes with people and creatures no one else cares about, and though he's just a child, circumstances force him to develop a mature sense of right and wrong. Of course, right and wrong aren't always black and white.
This series is about war and what a terrible thing it is--what terrible things we do to each other to settle our differences. As a child I don’t think I understood the depth Collins created in these stories, and now I see the depictions of our own world. Rescuing a prisoner of war in book 1. Biological warfare in book 3. Genocide in book 4. It's all there, and while the ending is abrupt, it's appropriate for a war-torn hero. Gregor doesn't quite know how to be a kid anymore or how his life will turn out, only that he wants peaceful change in our current, destructive society.
All this being said, I give the fifth and final book five stars because it moved me to tears over these characters. Each one--human, bat, cockroach, rat, mouse, spider--has a distinct personality.
Collins’ writing style is comfortable, and she improves with each book. Honestly, The Hunger Games didn't interest me until I recognized her name from my favorite children’s series.
Be prepared though if your young ones try these books; they are as violent as they are heartbreaking.
Gregor makes mistakes. He's impulsive and short-tempered. He doesn’t succeed in every challenge, but like most of Collins’s characters, he has great heart. He sympathizes with people and creatures no one else cares about, and though he's just a child, circumstances force him to develop a mature sense of right and wrong. Of course, right and wrong aren't always black and white.
This series is about war and what a terrible thing it is--what terrible things we do to each other to settle our differences. As a child I don’t think I understood the depth Collins created in these stories, and now I see the depictions of our own world. Rescuing a prisoner of war in book 1. Biological warfare in book 3. Genocide in book 4. It's all there, and while the ending is abrupt, it's appropriate for a war-torn hero. Gregor doesn't quite know how to be a kid anymore or how his life will turn out, only that he wants peaceful change in our current, destructive society.
All this being said, I give the fifth and final book five stars because it moved me to tears over these characters. Each one--human, bat, cockroach, rat, mouse, spider--has a distinct personality.
Collins’ writing style is comfortable, and she improves with each book. Honestly, The Hunger Games didn't interest me until I recognized her name from my favorite children’s series.
Be prepared though if your young ones try these books; they are as violent as they are heartbreaking.