Review: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

So, I manage to go into this book blind, and wound up slightly disappointed. I was hoping for something about the firstHunger Games.

Instead, I got Haymitch. Who was never my favorite character and it was quite a bit of time to spend with him.

This book is a long explanation of why Haymitch is the way he is, but he wasn’t exactly a fun guy before he turned into a raging alcoholic.

Katniss, while I wouldn’t want to be friends with her, was always somebody I could respect.

Pre-PTSD Haymith was still not somebody I could respect. He tries, you have to give him that.

What this book is also about is small acts of rebellion. Little bits of defiance. The oppressor might hold all the cards, but sometimes you can at least control how you play them.

It’s also pretty gory…there are strong horror elements to this one, not just dystopia. And because we all know how it ends, it definitely falls under grimdark and tragedy.

(Also, no wearing live reptiles, please…)

It’s worth reading to complete the series, but I’m starting to think Collins should consider doing something else… (I’m not saying it’s not good and worthy, but I’m not sure what it adds).

Review: The Tower by David Anaxagoras

This book is meant to be consumed in audio, but I was in a hurry to get through the Nebula packet, so I read it.

Middle grade horror is a tricky thing sometimes. And this book attempts it in hard mode.

This is middle grade cosmic horror. What is existential dread to a child? It’s something children understand better than we think. I was mildly traumatized by the Doctor Who episode Logopolis, which introduced me to the concept of the death of the universe. Of time itself being finite.

Anaxagoras’ idea of what existential dread to a child is simple. Nobody cares. Nobody sees you. Nobody notices you. Of course, there’s also a tentacle monster and other monsters. And people turning into monsters.

All stuff that is honestly scary to a child (and to some adults). It’s probably even better in audio.

Normally I tell adults to read a book first, but adults will react to this differently. I would have loved it at the appropriate age.

So, I’d just say be aware of your child’s tolerance for horror…and for being creeped out. And, of course, monsters.

Because a child’s world is full of them.

I received free copies of these books for award consideration purposes.