BOOK REVIEW: Hunger Games Series

The Hunger Games Series (by Suzanne Collins): .

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

My review: Loved it! I won't summarize it since most people know the basic storyline. There is violence (obviously) but I don't remember it being graphic or descriptive. A lot of people are killed though. I don't remember any other questionable content like language or adult themes

BOOK REVIEW: The Matt Cruse

The Matt Cruze Series (by Kenneth Oppel): 

Airborn

Skybreaker

Starclimber

My review: I really enjoyed this series as well. It is young adult, fantasy and a lot of fun. There was some violence and suspense but I don't remember any notable graphic content, language, or adult themes.

Here is the Amazon description. Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

BOOK REVIEW: The Giver Series

The Giver Series (by Lois Lowry):

The Giver

Messenger

Gathering Blue

Son

My review: Great Series! Great Message and it will make you think. I just really enjoyed it. Each of the books are a pretty fast read as well. I would totally recommend this to anyone. I can't think of any bad content at all. 

I don't want to give away the details but the series starts by following a boy, Jonas, that lives in a community where everything is perfectly orderly and controlled and all your decisions are made for you including what your life's work will be. Everything seems perfect until it all changes, at least for Jonas.

BOOK REVIEW: The Maze Runner Series

The Maze Runner Series (by James Dashner)

The Maze Runner

The Scorch Trials

The Death Cure

The Kill Order (Prequel)

My review: Seriously loved this series (I haven't read the prequel yet). It sucks you in and keeps you hooked. There is action, mystery, suspense, etc. There is a fair amount of fighting and violence some of which is fairly detailed. There isn't any language or adult themes. 

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

BOOK REVIEW: The Divergent Series

The Divergent Series (by Veronica Roth)

Divergent

Insurgent

Allegiant (due to release Oct 22, 2013)

My review: Great series (so far). It has kind of the feel of Hunger Games but a totally different storyline. It is based in a dystopian world with factions based on 5 different virtues. It is well written and a lot of fun, suspense, mystery. It's just awesome. It is really intense. There is some violence, fighting, and war. Some of it is fairly descriptive. I don't remember if there is any language in it. There isn't any explicit adult themes but there is romance (kissing and gunk like that). 

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

7

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

BOOK REVIEW: Fablehaven

Fablehaven (by Brandon Mull)

Fablehaven

Rise of the Evening Star

Grip of the Shadow Plague

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Keys to the Demon Prison

My review: I read this series with Brayden and totally enjoyed it. There is some scary stuff and some violence but nothing I wouldn't have let Brayden be exposed to. I it similar in intensity to the Harry Potter series. The books are really well written, very imaginative, and just a lot of fun. I thought they were great! The story is compelling and doesn't have any gapping holes in the ploy that I remember. I would totally recommend this series to anyone. No language, adult themes, just a little violence but it is not detailed and quite minimal overall.

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among the greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. But when the rules get broken, powerful forces are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and maybe even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most...