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lenorayoder's Reviews (154)
funny
hopeful
I read some of this online back in the day but never finished, so it was nice to finally see the story's conclusion. I enjoyed the read but don't have much to say.
Jack and Bitty are cute as ever. The couples and friendships are all still heart-warming. Love the humor. I think the plot of this one isn't as interesting as Book 1, and especially the ending felt a little rushed and cliche. I still prefer Ukazu's old art style so I don't love how the characters look in this book. Still recommend, still worth the read.
Sad to say this is my least favorite Hunger Games book. That's hardly terrible, since I fucking love 3/4 of the other books and Suzanne Collins is a great author, but my hopes were so high that I was a little disappointed.
Part of what I love about the original Hunger Games trilogy is how subtle and layered it was, especially for YA. The messages and themes are clear, but it feels like you notice something new each time you read. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes still had that to a lesser degree, but Sunrise on the Reaping isn't subtle at all, and I think it's worse for it.
Unfortunately, I absolutely think this was a purposeful choice, and I understand it. This book was clearly a response to current events in the United States, including current literacy rates. People have been missing the message of the Hunger Games books for years - just look at how a lot of teens (and adults, but Collins is mostly speaking to teens so that's who we'll focus on) responded to Snow's character in Songbirds and Snakes. Probably at least half of the Everlark edits on TikTok are set to billionaire Taylor Swift's songs. When people ask for more Hunger Games media, they literally want to see more hunger games. You know, the horrific spectacle that the capitol gets excited to watch every year.
So yeah, this book is clearly less subtle as a response, and is also clearly a response to current events. I mean, Collins literally mentions the danger of deepfakes . But more than that, in an era of fake news, politicians who blatantly and obviously lie only for their constituents to blindly believe them, increasing corporate greed, and the majority of Americans being poorer than ever, this book is about the dangers of propaganda, the tools a state uses to suppress people, and the importance of continuing to resist over and over again, even if you don't immediately see results. You have to keep trying, you have to keep resisting. One day you will succeed, but that day will never come if you don't keep fighting for it.
I loved all of the new characters, and I wish we got to see more of them instead of having to retread ground. That retreading and seeing characters we've seen before made me feel less connected to this story - I felt most engaged when spending time with new characters and learning more about District 12.
Absolutely recommend you read this one. One day I will read Collins' other series because this one is so fantastic, but I need to prepare myself in case it takes over my life the way The Hunger Games has.
dark
emotional
I really liked this at first, but as we left her childhood the nonlinear style of the book felt more and more like a hindrance. It also felt like there was very little self-reflection or -analysis. Blair will often just tell the story of something shocking or strange and then move on without examining (or even mentioning) how it affected her. If the memoir was linear or more detailed, we might be able to infer those affects ourselves, but it's not. There are so few dates or other specifics mentioned that even if I wanted to I couldn’t put these stories in order. I understand the choice, it relates to how her memory works now with her MS, but in a memoir context is pretty important. If it’s not provided by the order of the stories, it should be mentioned within them.
Some of the essays are well-written, interesting, and provide unique insight. Some are random and confusing.
Again, the lack of analysis and reflection was frustrating for me. For example, there is a LOT going on with her relationship with her parents. But a lot of stories about her parents and Blair's relationship with them are vague, and important events and context feel excluded. I doubt she’s even really examined those relationships herself, let alone written about it for us. The denial is just really weird for a memoir.
mysterious
reflective
Diverse cast of characters:
No
So good. Interesting characters, vividly descriptive writing, and so much suspense. I love a gothic but even if I didn’t this would get 5 stars. Definitely recommend and will be keeping an eye out for a copy to own.
A few things haven’t aged well but luckily they’re a small part of the narrative.
A few things haven’t aged well but luckily they’re a small part of the narrative.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Racism, Cultural appropriation
I really liked this book, but it also left me feeling unsatisfied.
I loved the main character, but wish we got to sit a little more with the rest. I never feel like I really got to know anyone but Silas. That's maybe just the hazard of having a POV character who doesn’t enjoy or understand socializing, but even considering that I think Daphne should have had more dimension given the connection I'm supposed to believe Silas has with her. I found myself not really believing their love story, and I think part of that was Daphne feeling as vague as everyone else in Silas' life (except maybe his brother).
I also found the pacing a little odd. I've come to the conclusion that I think this book should have been a trilogy. There's enough world and plot here for three books. Because we just get one the pacing feels weird, a lot of the characters don't have enough dimension or impact, and we don't get as immersed in the world as we could be. There are several points in this book where Silas does something that we're told is unprecedented or a big deal, but because we haven't had time to get used to the status quo, Silas upending it doesn't have as much impact as it should. We should experience what this world is like, not be told what it's like.
Okay, quick fire: Solid ending. Loved everything with the rabbit metaphor/imagery. Unlike Daphne, I did believe in the connection between Silas and the groundskeeper, so I'm sad he didn't appear more or show up at the end of the book at all. Loved that dude. Some fun world-building that I wish I got more of. Will definitely be picking up another book of White's.
I loved the main character, but wish we got to sit a little more with the rest. I never feel like I really got to know anyone but Silas. That's maybe just the hazard of having a POV character who doesn’t enjoy or understand socializing, but even considering that I think Daphne should have had more dimension given the connection I'm supposed to believe Silas has with her. I found myself not really believing their love story, and I think part of that was Daphne feeling as vague as everyone else in Silas' life (except maybe his brother).
I also found the pacing a little odd. I've come to the conclusion that I think this book should have been a trilogy. There's enough world and plot here for three books. Because we just get one the pacing feels weird, a lot of the characters don't have enough dimension or impact, and we don't get as immersed in the world as we could be. There are several points in this book where Silas does something that we're told is unprecedented or a big deal, but because we haven't had time to get used to the status quo, Silas upending it doesn't have as much impact as it should. We should experience what this world is like, not be told what it's like.
Okay, quick fire: Solid ending. Loved everything with the rabbit metaphor/imagery. Unlike Daphne, I did believe in the connection between Silas and the groundskeeper, so I'm sad he didn't appear more or show up at the end of the book at all. Loved that dude. Some fun world-building that I wish I got more of. Will definitely be picking up another book of White's.
things i didn’t like from the first book were amplified, and the plot wasn’t compelling enough to make up for it this time. i liked carrie’s story and that all the siblings react differently to their trauma, but everything else is a bit of a mess. so much is frustrating about this book that i can’t stand to list it all right now
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Like the idea, love a gothic, don’t love the execution. The story is told from a future Cathy’s perspective in a way that doesn’t let us marinate in the siblings’ situation. There are both fantastical and realistic elements at play, but because neither are leaned into enough I felt trapped in an unsatisfying middle ground.
Theincest is interesting in concept but the weakness of both Cathy and Chris’ character writing makes the whole development of their relationship from platonic to romantic feel almost boring. The way Cathy is written in general when it comes to anything sexual or romantic is very frustrating.
I won’t get into it more, but overall it just feels like the book doesn’t delve deep enough into the characters and their changing selves and relationships. Very cool premise, I’m compelled to read more of the series and want to know what happens. I just think it could be so much better.
The
I won’t get into it more, but overall it just feels like the book doesn’t delve deep enough into the characters and their changing selves and relationships. Very cool premise, I’m compelled to read more of the series and want to know what happens. I just think it could be so much better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder
A book with a lot of promise that fell a little flat for me. I liked the setup of the book, and also really enjoyed the ending. The middle's a little muddy. Even the author seems to lose interest in the main plot of the scavenger hunt, and the only interesting B-plot (Georgia's) is, by nature, barely doing anything in the middle of the book.
I think the big problem with this book is its side characters and plots, although Chloe's character isn't fabulously written either. Other than Georgia, they all feel very token. Everything we know about them is surface-level and/or vague, and everyone who isn't a straight up villain has some sort of queer identity by the end of the book. That wouldn't be a problem, except that even Chloe's other close friends feel like token characters. We know as much about Ash as we do the student body president, even though one is Chloe's close friend and the other is just a classmate she's friendly with. Ash's only significant dialogue is when they're talking about their queer identity, and that feels more like a pattern in this book than an isolated incident. That's a problem.
My other big problem is Shara herself. Chloe and Shara have the bones of a really interesting dynamic and relationship , but the book only alludes to or tells us about the most interesting parts of it, instead of letting us see for ourselves. They barely interact. We get all this build up of Shara as a villain , and then it turns out she's never even done anything mean . The closest she gets is turning on her dad , and that's more heroic than villainous . Like the Chloe herself says, the potential villain side of Shara is more interesting than her being nice and innocent . Unfortunately, McQuiston teases and then refuses to deliver on exploring a relationship between two people who are kind of mean but work romantically anyway , and I think that's a shame.
reflective
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
What a lovely little book! I think there's room here for more, but I still really liked it as is. Love the toad. Even with such a short space Miles manages to be such a real, tragic character. Summer itself feels like a character and really lends a certain something to the magical feel of the story. Wish I'd read this when I was a kid!
funny
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read this online back in the day and decided to reread and help my library's stats at the same time. So nostalgic! I laughed, I kicked my feet!
I'm perhaps one of the few who prefers the old style, so I really enjoyed rereading the first part of this book. I love all the hockey terminology interludes, and they're a big reason I understood anything that was happening when I first watched Letterkenny lol. I still got a rush of endorphins at that first kiss between Bitty and Jack . Ah!
On reread the plotting is a little lacking, but I still really enjoyed this read and have Book 2 on hold. 4 stars!