Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Hard to really make a successful prequel, and this book doesn’t change my opinion of that.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0) by Suzanne Collins

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I gave in to my curiosity despite knowing this probably would not be a satisfying read, and it went about as well as I expected it to. A misfire for me. (I was going to round up to three stars, but one thing annoyed me a great deal even beyond what I expected, so rounding down to two.) I really wasn’t going to read this*, but then I read in several reviews that part of it was about how the Hunger Games itself evolved and […]

“There are worse games you could play.”

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins

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I think I’m going to bullet point this one since I am now emotionally exhausted. The rest of the review will be all spoilers. *This is still not a five star book for me, though I am going to bump it up to 4.5 stars. Mainly, I’m still mad about Finnick dying, although the longer time passes, the more I see why she did it. Also, the ending does still seem a little rushed and confused, but then again, it does sort of reflect Katniss’s […]

“You would think that at this moment I would be in utter despair. Here’s what’s strange. The main thing I feel is a sense of relief. That I can give up this game. That the question of whether I can succeed in this venture has been answered, even if that answer is a resounding no. That if desperate times call for desperate measures, I am free to act as desperately as I wish.”

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins

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Firstly I just want to point out something weird, which is that this is my 75th book of the year, and this book follows the 75th annual Hunger Games, and I did not plan that, it’s just a very strange coincidence. (Not sure how this ended up being my 76th CBR review though??) Secondly, I want to talk some more about Katniss and her psychological state, there will be spoilers in the rest of the review so mosey along now if you somehow haven’t read […]

“Here’s some advice. Stay alive.”

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins

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I think what I want to talk about on this my third reading of The Hunger Games is why I think it was a breakout bestseller, and why all the books that tried to copy it and profit off of YA “dystopia” as a genre in its wake got it wrong. Hint: they went for the surface level and completely ignored what actually makes this book great. Another hint: It’s not actually the fact that it’s a dystopia. Anyone can do that and it doesn’t […]

We need some space….and humans to do our dirty work.

Last Pick V01 Last Pick by Jason Walz

Last Pick: V02 Born to Run by Jason Walz

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You know this story. We have read it a hundred times: Aliens take over Earth, steal people for their own needs and eventually, humans decide to fight back. A few will die on both sides, but even more become heroes.  And there is nothing wrong with that. Especially since Last Pick and Last Pick: Born to Run by Jason Walz have a few new pieces of information. This is a science fiction and realism mixed together creation. There is the classic graphic novel format and […]

Doesn’t Stand Out From the Crowd

The Rule of One by Ashley Saunders, Leslie Saunders

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So this novel has been on my Kindle since June – it’s a Kindle Unlimited novel so not sure if it was in an Amazon email or if someone on CBR had recommended it but I think it was one of those, “it’s free, why not?” reactions.  Not that I didn’t find the premise intriguing, but as I realized when I started reading, I obviously hadn’t maybe done enough research.  I have a tendency to read the book descriptions but I don’t go out of […]



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