Winter | by: Marissa Meyer

*It's probably not a good idea to read this review if you have not read Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress just in case of spoilers.

The end of 2015 was both exciting and sad in the bookish world since Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series reached its conclusion. This action-packed science fiction spin on Sailor Moon and fairytales is easily one of my favorite series of all time; I adored and devoured each book, and I expected this new installation to have a similar effect. So, did Winter meet those high expectations?

HECK YES IT DID. Even though it's over 800 pages, I couldn't put Winter down! The plot reached an all-time enormity and complexity as Cinder and her allies attempt to dethrone the malicious Lunar Queen Levana. Everyone is putting their lives at risk as they sneak onto the Moon and tell Lunar citizens of their plan. It's full of some intense moments - even more intense than the previous books in the series!

And of course, these characters are perfect. The girls are so badass! They all feel so real, and they're so funny as they interact - some are basically polar opposites in some senses, so that always makes things interesting. In my reviews of the previous books of the series, I've fangirled over basically all of the characters as they were followed more closely, and I still love all of them. Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Iko, Kai, Wolf, Thorne... and of course the ships are just so cute in their own unique ways! Where all the characters end up by the final pages could not have been more satisfying.

But even though Winter is the last book in the series, we get to spend time with some characters who weren't as prominent before. Now Princess Winter is on their revolutionary team, and her love interest Jacin takes on a more prominent role as he strives to protect her from both Queen Levana and herself. I love them just as much as the rest of the allies. Winter embodies the idea of Snow White being pure and innocent in both old forms (her connection to animals, her indisputable beauty) and new forms (she isn't white - her skin is actually quite dark - and she refuses to use her Lunar gift because she values the truth over her own health). I love that Marissa Meyer created a character whose flaws enhance her beauty: Winter may be crazy, but she's harmless and sweet, and she may have scars on her face, but not even scars could make such a lovely person less pretty. Even though Winter's mental health is suffering, she makes herself quite useful as a revolutionary. She's not weak.

One ongoing theme in this series is that it's not so much about beauty or lack thereof, it's about how you use what you've got, it's about the heart and its intentions, and Meyer really drives this point home in Winter. Overall, I think this conclusion is basically perfect. Everything is wrapped up quite nicely... It's difficult not to spoil anything, and I feel like I'm not saying much in this review, but honestly, what more can I say? It was fantastic. I had so much fun reading each and every Lunar Chronicles book, so even though Winter wraps things up nicely, I'm a little sad to say goodbye. Someday, I'll have to reread these lovely books.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 | Directed by Francis Lawrence | Screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig

This review will contain spoilers for those who have not seen the previous movies/read the books.

Mockingjay Part 2 set the box office on fire this past weekend. Fans who read Suzanne Collins' books knew exactly how depressing this film could be... Personally, I dreaded watching it because of how the book impacted me: I cried so hard I vomited. Yes, vomited. I just wasn't prepared for all the sadness, and I brought a whole box of tissues to the theater just in case.

Even the overall premise kind of hints that this movie isn't going to be the happiest. Katniss Everdeen has been through hell in back a number of times, all because of President Snow's violent leadership. As the rebel forces gain strength, Katniss knows that the war will not end until Snow is dead. Peeta struggles to recover from his capture as he and the rest of Katniss' squad tries to make it through the Capitol (which has been filled with deadly traps) to reach Snow. All the while, they realize the true costs of war - not just for themselves and the rebels, but for the Capitol as well. Will all the pain and suffering of Panem lead to an era of peace, or will it all be for nothing?

Despite the bleak premise and the gut-wrenching events that occur... I only used one tissue during this film. Some of the heartbreaking things that happen (particularly THE event - those who have read the book know what I'm talking about) were really underplayed. Not on the actors' parts - the screenplay itself doesn't give some moments the right amount of face time to truly impact audiences in an extreme way. Part of me is disappointed that this happened, another part understands in the context of what the film was trying to achieve, and another part is just flat out relieved that I didn't have to go through the whole emotional turmoil that I endured when reading the book again. But that moment when Jennifer Lawrence is screaming at Prim's cat... Oh my God, she did it perfectly. Out of all the film's events, that one struck me the hardest. She's such a great actress.

Mockingjay definitely sends some strong anti-war messages, and I think that's what will resonate with people the most. When it comes to wars and worldly conflict it often seems society picks and chooses who to care about and struggles to sympathize at times. Mockingjay sympathizes with everyone harmed in conflict - rebels, civilians of the Capitol, and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (Katniss, Peeta, Annie... well, most of the characters, to be frank). This story resonates with people because it isn't afraid of showing how broken we can be and because it's relevant in some ways. The again, that goes for all the installments, not just this one, but the conclusion is where the bigger picture is considered the most.

Even though I have mixed feelings about how some events were presented, Mockingjay Part 2 was one hell of a movie regardless. There's a ton of action, a heavy dose of ethics, and feels - all amid a great score by James Newton  Howard and some on-point portrayals. It seems like a lot of people like to hate on Josh Hutcherson's acting, but I honestly enjoyed his portrayal of Peeta. People also seem to dislike Liam Hemsworth's portrayal of Gale, but I think a lot of the issues connecting with Gale in the films comes from a lack of face time. As a fan of Suzanne Collins' books since 2010 I must say I'm happy with how the films turned out overall.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One | Directed by Francis Lawrence | Screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig

*This contains SPOILERS for those who haven't read Mockingjay AND some minor stuff for those who have not seen the movie yet.

 

Katniss Everdeen has already been through the Hunger Games. Twice. But danger for her - and all of Panem - is far from over. A revolution is beginning because of her spark, and now she must accept her role as the face of the rebellion. Violence is taking over. And Peeta, who Katniss has always strived to protect, is still in the hands of the Capitol. Mockingjay Part One, like the other films (and books) of this series is packed with emotional turmoil and action, making it an excellent (though 100% accurate) adaptation.

 

In my review of the book in 2011, I talked about how strongly impacted I was by the book. In fact, I even mentioned having no intention to see the films when they'd come out because I loved them too much to see anything go wrong. But, the first movie's trailer convinced me that everything would work out, and it did. Jennifer Lawrence is a perfect Katniss and Josh Hutcherson makes a great Peeta. But weirdly enough, they've decided to split this movie into two parts as they did with the Harry Potter and Twilight series. I wasn't thrilled about this decision: How could they possibly make a 300-something paged book into two effective movies? After all, even though they improvised well with Breaking Dawn, that 700-something paged book could have been one single film.

 

The thing to remember is that the films show more than what's going on in Katniss' head, the books do not. It demonstrates the difference between what works for a book and what works for a movie. That being said, it definitely works here. In fact, some of the parts I thought would be less-effective on screen were cut down and the ones that would work best on screen were amplified. I was surprised, however, that they cut out certain things like the mystery behind District 13, but in the grand scheme I can see why it was necessary for time constraints and to really get the ball rolling right away.

 

I definitely think they split Mockingjay in two in just the right spot... If I was a person who hasn't read the books and just watched the movies, I'd be SO PISSED about such a cliffhanger, but as someone who has read the book, I'm primarily just worried about Part Two. I'm not worried that they'll mess it up or anything; I'm worried about the general content overall. My emotional reaction to the last half of this book was off the charts (perhaps the strongest reaction I've ever had to any book, along with Yann Martel's Life of Pi coming in second), and there have been plenty of times where my initial response doubles when I see a film adaptation because the actors in my head as I read weren't as effective as the ones on screen. Jennifer Lawrence does an amazing job at conveying raw emotion... And I know what's coming next... I don't think I'm going to handle it very well. Even in Part One, I became sad remembering the fate of a certain character.

 

I suppose in some ways this can hardly even be considered a review because I'm hardly reviewing anything... And really, there's not much to critique. Everything was done well, from the acting, to the script, to the special effects and everything in between. The only two things these movies haven't done as effectively as the books is really make me love Gale, be able to picture him with Katniss, and make me adore Finnick as much as I did when reading Mockingjay... They probably could have squeezed in a few more moments with Katniss and Finnick; those two characters could really relate to each other in the first half of Mockingjay and were able to struggle together. So, not perfect (because absolute perfection is impossible in the world of book-to-film adaptations), but it's still one hell of a good movie. There won't be much disappointment.

The Dark and Hollow Places | by: Carrie Ryan

The Dark and Hollow Places is the final book of Carrie Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy, and I have been in love with the first two books for quite a while now; they were so fantastic in several different aspects and focused on a different character each time.

 

In this installation, the story continues through Annah's eyes. Annah has spent majority of her life in the Dark City with Elias, both fighting to survive in a horrific post-apocalyptic world crawling with Unconsecrated ever since they were children. But Elias has been gone for a long time - for years - and just as Annah thinks she may have to move on forever, she encounters a man named Catcher. He knows where Elias has been; he even knows her sister, who has constantly haunted her thoughts.

 

Her life has consisted of so many struggles, between the Unconsecrated, her aching regrets regarding her long-lost sister, and the general sense of ugliness she constantly feels, but now Annah has to face even more of the monsters of both the dead and the living. What will push her - what pushes everyone - to continue fighting?

 

With all its action amid a dreary dystopian setting and emotionally-charged characters and situations, The Dark and Hollow Places explored some really deep concepts and kept me anxious. But all together, I must say it's my least favorite of the trilogy. It's a great book, but I didn't find the perfection that was reminiscent of the first two.

 

One of the things I loved about The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves was Carrie Ryan's writing, but unfortunately, the way this book was written was probably its biggest downfall for me. It was just too repetitive at times. I realize that Annah was dwelling on memories and emotions that have scarred and shaped her life, and I think this is why it was so repetitive - to show how it all dominated her. But, I really felt it was just too much. Because of this, sometimes I doubted Annah's strength even though she kept reminding us how she survived all alone in the Dark City.

 

Even though I wasn't always a fan of the way the author tackled the ebb and flow of Annah's POV, her internal conflicts are a big part of what made this book interesting. This girl has obviously felt a great deal of pain and regret in her life, and I don't think I've ever read anything that dealt with the concept of self-perception like this one does. Annah feels ugly all the time; her self-esteem couldn't possibly be lower due to her scars. Carrie Ryan tackled these issues in what felt like the most realistic way to do so.

The bleakest aspect of this novel, however, was the Recruiters. Their general brutality was difficult for me to read about; they honestly scared me more than the Unconsecrated zombies... Well, I think the zombies were pretty equal by the end of the book. (Seriously. That was a whole lot of action to make up for any lack of Unconsecrated in the rest of the book - SO intense!) There were warm-hearted moments amongst our protagonists as well though. I really enjoyed the focus on sisterhood; Annah and Gabry happened to be in some unique situations considering how their childhood went and how they seemed to swap love interests, and I was so happy to see them push past all of that and still love each other. And of course... CATCHER. I LOVE HIM. He's one of my favorite love interests - that's always a plus! Moments of romance were always relatively brief, but they spoke volumes. It's what they had to hold onto when continuing felt hopeless.

The Dark and Hollow Places also dealt with questions concerning whether the living suffer more or the dead suffer more, how to rebuild, and how to find happiness when living in a world so full of fear. Like I said, there's a high level of emotion in this novel, and I always appreciate that. There were so many things I loved about this book, but I just didn't love it as much as the previous two due to the writing's repetitions. However, I can definitely still say that I loved the trilogy overall - this one just wasn't my favorite.