The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the prequel to the first four movies in The Hunger Games series. It focuses on the upbringing and backstory of the notorious leader Coriolanus Snow. Coriolanus Snow is President Snow in the later movies and he is known for his cold-blooded spirit and ruthless leadership. Coriolanus is one of the top students at his school and is going to be a mentor at the 10th annual Hunger Games. He is chosen to mentor a girl for District Twelve named Lucy Gray.
Summary: Thomas wakes up realizing he’s in an elevator and with a severe headache. He can’t remember his age, birthday, or even who his parents were. He figures out that he’s been dropped in a maze with a bunch of other teens and no discoverable way to escape. He starts getting memories. Some that will change everything. Dive in as Thomas tries to figures out how to decipher this endless puzzle, discover who put them there, and unravel his true identity.
When Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin, learns Matt Murdock is Daredevil, he uses his political and criminal influence to completely dismantle the life of the Man Without Fear. At his lowest point, Murdock must do battle with a Daredevil imposter, a government super-soldier, and his own paranoia.
Nyxia follows Emmett, a 15-year-old who is selected along with nine other teens from all over the world to go to space to travel to a planet to mine an extremely valuable substance called Nyxia. The company that is sending these teens to space is Bable, and they are offering obscene amounts of money for participants. To Emmett, it is more important that Bable provides the best possible treatment for his mom who has cancer.
SPOILERS AHEAD: This is the 3rd book in the series (The Lunar Chronicles), so spoilers for the 1st, 2nd, and (minor) 3rd books ahead.
*sigh* The Lunar Chronicles was a childhood favorite of mine, and now while I’m rereading it, I definitely see its magic (and faults too). Cress is by far my favorite of the series, but it has its pitfalls.
SPOILERS AHEAD: This is the final book of The Lunar Chronicles. Spoilers for the entire series will be in this review.
Gosh I love a good retelling, but this really wasn’t that. Winter was about 90% grand finale and about 10% actual retelling material that was INCREDIBLY bogged down by the fact that it was about 450 pages too long.
The crew is finally ready (or as ready as you can be) to take down Levana. Yeah. That’s it. That’s the entire summary.
SPOILERS AHEAD: This is the bridge between the 3rd and 4th book in The Lunar Chronicles. However, I read the 4th book before reading this one, so this review will contain spoilers for the entire series.
TW: Dubious Pretty much no consent whatsoever with the “romantic interest” throughout, and burn scars/fire trauma.
I love a good villain origin story as much as the next person, but this just… fell flat. It had so much potential, but ended up being a time-skipping, slightly incoherent mess of vagueness, which is super disappointing to me.
Summary: In a world where an oppressive regime rules, 17-year-old Juliette Ferrars is the main character, gifted with a lethal touch. She wants freedom, safety, and a chance to love, but her power and past stand in the way. In Unravel Me, Juliette joins a rebel group, attempting to take down the government and harness her abilities for good. While facing unexpected obstacles, she discovers the strength within herself, but her ultimate success remains uncertain.
Taking place in a dystopian society, protagonist Kathy takes the role of a carer who helps donors. Purposely vague, author Kazuo Ishiguro unmasks the history, the memories, and the truth about Hailsham - the school Kathy and her friends are raised in. During her time there, we learn a lot about Kathy’s personality and mentality, getting detailed descriptions of her favorite events and amusing stories about her friends.
Summary: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick is a dystopian science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth is devastated by nuclear war, and most of the population has emigrated to other planets. The story follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with "retiring" rogue androids that have escaped to Earth. The novel explores themes of empathy, identity, and the blurred line between humans and artificial beings.
