A review for The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Posted by Jessica

Published Date: October 1st, 2008
Read Date: March 24th, 2011
The Blurb: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The Review: Whoa! I'm at a loss for words, and I'm not sure I can put any coherent words into a review. I can't begin to describe how much I loved this book. Its a genre away from anything I've ever read before, and I wasn't sure about it at first, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up; but so many of my GR buddies recommended it to me, kept telling me I had to read this book, and you know what? I'm glad I did.

This is the first in a trilogy by Suzanne Collins set in post-apocalyptic North America in a country called Panem, that is made of 12 Districts, and each year two 'Tributes' from each Districts one boy and one girl from the ages of 12-18 are sent to the Capitol where they must partake in a grueling battle for survival called The Hunger Games. Each Tribute is trained privately and let loose in the 'Arena' where they must ultimately kill each other until only 1 tribute remains standing and pronounced the winner. We meet Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take part in The Hunger Games instead of her 12 year old sister Prim, who was originally chosen. Along with Katniss is boy tribute Peeta Mellark the bakers son. Both Katniss and Peeta head to the Capitol, where they realise that only one of them can survive.

When I first started reading this book I was so sickened by the idea of all these teenagers killing each other off, just for the entertainment of the residents of the Capitol. Ultimately this comes down to survival. I was on the edge of my seat when reading this book. I'm trying to grow my nails, so it was really hard to try not to bite them whilst reading this, safe to say the inside of my cheek has seen better days.

I loved our two main characters, Katniss with her strenght and will power, and knowledge of how to survive in the wild from hunting in the forest everyday back in District 12. Peeta, the bakers son who doesn't really have any kind of skill, except for camoflague (thanks to icing cakes) and his upper body strength, but ultimately this is a duo who are set on surviving the next ardious weeks of their young lives.

God this review sucks. Anyway, I think that's all I can say about this book. Except that I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and I can't wait to continue with Catching Fire. Read it! :)

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Posted by Donna

Published Date: September 14th, 2008

Finished Date: June 11th, 2011

Source: RAK from Bella at Cheezy Feet Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384 Pages

The Blurb from Goodreads: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The Review: Wow! Why have I not started this series before now? Why? Well, I’ll tell you why…..it’s because I’m stupid! Lol. All I’ve had over the past 6 months is people recommending this series to me and I’ve put it for so long because I honestly thought I wouldn’t like it. Well, I was wrong! I don’t even think wrong covers it. I ended up loving this book and I think it’s one of my favourite read of 2011 so far.

The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl living in North America set in the future. Katniss lives in a hard world, one that is divided by districts, rich and poor. Twelve districts in total are run by the Capital and to keep them in line they created a yearly event in which 2 members from each districts will battle it out to the death, for sport on live TV.  When Katniss’s sister Prim is picked as a tribute, Katniss willingly takes her place in the games. She is teamed up with Peeta, the other member from District 12 and together they must become the last ones standing.

This is something completely new for me. This type of genre is 100% out of the norm but hey, with so many people recommending it, I had to see what all the fuss was about. And let me just say….amazing. Not only did this book keep me gripped to the edge of my seat but I was also quiet scared to continue reading. I’ve never been so frightened in my life not knowing what would happen next to the characters, not knowing how someone would die or who would die next and if our main characters survive the horrid games. Honestly, the idea of the book to start with was a little sickening but Suzanne Collins managed to capture the story and writes the deaths not to gruesome.  Not only does she write well but she managed to create a world that I couldn’t dream of living in, the idea of it scares the hell out of me but she also makes it completely imaginable.

The characters were well developed and strong. I’m so glad we had such a strong female heroine like Katniss. Katniss is probably the strongest character I’ve read about in a long time, she doesn’t sit around and cry, she determined, strong willed and dedicated to the job at hand even though she hates the thought of killing someone else…she knows she has no choice because in this world, its kill or be killed. Peeta is another great character. I can’t help feel a little bad for him because god does he take a beating during the games but I’m glad Katniss was there to nurse him back to health. Even though this book doesn’t centre around their romance, it is still there skimming the surface and I’m intrigued to find out what happens next. Oh and let’s not forget Prim, Cinna, Haymitch and Gale…..I do hope we get to see more them in the next book.

Overall, I’m already hooked into this series and I have another two books to go. So far I love it, I love the world Suzanne Collins has created and I can’t wait to read more.

A special Thank You to Bella who brought this book for me as a gift! 

A review for 7 Kinds of Ordinary Catastrophes by Amber Kizer

Posted by Donna

Expected Published Date: April 5th, 2011
Read Date: March 24th, 2011
The Blurb: Okay, so here's the deal: there are books about volcanoes erupting and meteorites hitting Earth and plane crashes where the survivors have to eat people—those are extraordinary crises. That's not what this book is about. I'm more the ordinary catastrophe type. This second semester of my sophomore year, there are basically 7 KINDS OF ORDINARY CATASTROPHES: high school, boys, heartbreak, family, job, friends, and the future. Well, I guess everyone's life is full of ordinary catastrophes. These are mine. Hi, I'm Gert Garibaldi. Welcome to my crazy life.

The Review:  7 Kinds of Ordinary Catastrophes is written by author Amber Kizer. I've been a massive fan of Amber's work since I read Meridian and 7 Kinds did not disappoint. This story follows Gert, a sixteen year old girl who narrates her day to day problems of her life and.... boy, does she have a few problems. 

To be honest before I started this book, I hadn't even heard of it. I don't know why I've never heard of it because its a MUST read for the summer of 2011. If your looking for something hilarious, quirky & hard to put down....then this is the book for you! Although this isn't usually my genre of books I would read, I still enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud with some of Gert's problems. The author writes the story that makes you think back to your days of a being a sixteen year old. Although, I haven't experienced some of the problems that Gert does, I still found them extremely funny. 

As much as there are funny sides to Gert's story, there are also some serious ones that bring you right back to the story and you really do feel for her situation. I found Gert to be such as fun character, you can't help but love. 
The secondary characters were great too and I loved they sense of humour of them. I also liked how there was several parts dedicated to Gert's rants. I couldn't control myself laughing at the some of them. 

Overall, a fun read. One I really enjoyed. I would totally recommend this for a summer read. Thank you Amber Kizer for giving me the opportunity to review your work.

What is this? 20 questions? No it's actually just 3!

Hey everyone! We have come up with a really fun way for you guys to find out a little more about us -your bloggers. Instead of filling in more details on our 'about us' page, we're going to post a few question and answers. So, each Thursday (starting today) We will ask each other three random questions, we will then post  them for you along with our answers. If there is anything you would like to know about us or even if you want to add a random question in yourself then all you need to do, is leave us a comment in the box below and then the following week, we will answer them for you. 

Jessica's Q & A's 

Q: Describe yourself in three words

A: Weird, caring, perverted.

Q: Post us a photo that shows us your personality at its best and explain why that photo?

A: This is my 23rd birthday celebration. Doesn't really signifying anything, I just really love this pose. I do it all the time. It gets a laugh. So I guess that's the reason I do it. I like to make people laugh, and some consider my funny har har, others just think I'm a total freak who needs to be medicated lol."

Q: If you were frozen for 300 years and awoke on a different planet - what is the first thing you would do?

 A: I'd freak out a little, then I'd probably go hunting for other signs of life preferably of the male species (this is where my perverted side comes into play) 

Donna's Q & A's

Q: How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant with your daughter? 

A: Shocked & Wow!  lol. It was a little unexpected and its a little scary to be honest but I kind of just went through the motions until our first scan. Then I just got excited. Lol I had to wait another 8 weeks to find out the sex. I was so emotional when we found out we were having a girl :) Posted a little photo for you all to see. 

Q:  If you were stuck in a lift with your favorite fictional character who would it be and why?

A:Ha ha,  I wouldn't be stuck in a lift because I HATE THEM. I avoid them at all costs. BUT, if I was stuck somewhere else then I would have to say....erm..... Edward... No....Jace....No...erm.... I know! Justin Enos from Infinite Days because.... well, he's hot! & he's my favourite character at the moment. 

Q: If you were invisible for a day, what would you do and where would you go?

A: This might be a pretty boring answer but, I think I would have to take a peak at some famous people, see what they get up to. Lol 

So, that's it for this week's Q & A's - Come back next week to find out more and please feel free to post a few questions for us to answer.

Update for Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

We recently posted a cover reveal for Alexandra Adornetto's book Hades. As promised, we told you we would get back to you with the blurb and now its been revealed, here you go! :) 

The Blurb: Even the love of her boyfriend, Xavier Woods, and her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep the angel Bethany Church from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly her loved ones as well. Can he be trusted in this wager? And what does Jake have Xavier believing about Beth’s fate that may result in an act of betrayal that will leave Bethany – and readers – wondering if Xav is so good after all?

Release date: August 30th, 2011

Hope you enjoy it guys.

Cover reveal for One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

Great news guy! Jeaniene just tweeted her new cover reveal for Night Huntress Book 6 - One Grave at a Time. Do you want to see it?

*Drumroll please* 

Stepback cover:

What do you all think? Personally, I love it. It matches the other books in the series and I love that Cat's cat is in the photo too :)

There is no blurb at the moment but as soon as it does, of course we will let you know. The expected release date is August 30th, 2011.

A review for Hereafter (Hereafter #1) by Tara Hudson

Posted by Donna

Published Date: June 7th, 2011
Read Date: March 21st, 2011
The Blurb: Can there truly be love after death? Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

The Review: Hereafter is the first book by debut author Tara Hudson, and its everything I could of wanted from a book. A forbidden romance, mystery & excitement. I said this last week with Die for Me by Amy Plum but let me say it again - "this is one of the BEST ghost stories i've ever read" 


Amelia is a ghost, who doesn't remember anything about herself, other than her name and parts of her death. She doesn't know when she died, who she was before or how she ended up in the river that night. She believes her afterlife has no purpose, that's until she saves Joshua, a stunning and handsome boy from drowning in the river after his car accidentally drives over the bridge. 

After saving Joshua, Amelia and him become fast friends and their relationship takes a fast turn. When they decide to try and find out who Amelia really was, they see things are not as they once seemed. They run into a few obstacles along the way, lending Joshua finding out what his destiny is and they realise their relationship is a forbidden one. 

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the story line, the romance, the characters, everything! Mostly I loved Amelia's journey and how we only found out bits about her at a time, keeping me on the edge of my seat through out. As her story unfolds, she goes through emotions that she never thought she would feel again and its really beautiful to read about. Not only does the author write beautifully but you can't help being sucked into their world and hope these two characters stay together. 

Joshua's story is one that completely shocked me. To be honest, I never saw it coming and I think it really fits well within the story. I'm hoping we get to see more of that in the future as it will be interesting to read about. 

And lastly, I'm so glad there wasn't any major cliffhangers at the end. Yes, there is a small one and few unanswered questions but I'm glad that it was nicely finished up and it made me enjoy the story that much more. 
Overall, this is a fantastic start to a new series. One, I am eager to continue reading about. Lets hope the next released date comes around fast. 


Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to reading and reviewing this book. 

Teaser Tuesday (#2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1) Grab your current read

2) Open to a random page

3) Share one (1) OR two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Donna's Teaser Tuesday

Hereafter by Tara Hudson 

"Beautiful. Too beautiful for people not to have noticed you the other night." 

Jessica's Teaser Tuesday

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

  "Oh well, I think. There will be twenty-four of us. Odds are someone else will kill him before I do. Of course the odds, have not been very dependable of late." 

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Leave us a comment in the box below or a link to your blog so we can check it out :)

Hope you enjoyed ours! 

Donna & Jessica x 

100 Followers!!! :D

Book Passion for Life has just hit 100 followers! 

*happy dancing*

Thanks to all of you that are following, and all the followers that followed the followers! We really appreciate it :)

Keep the following coming....if you get stuck just sing that little tune "Following the leader, the leader..." you know the one! 

Anyway, 100!!!! Thanks so much guys :)

Dirty Sexy Alley Scene-Cut scene from the City of Fallen Angels book trailer

Evening everyone!

Do you want to see something EXTREMELY sexy? You do? Excellent!

Some of you may know, that a scene was cut from the City of Fallen Angels book trailer, because they thought it was too 'risqué'. Its been dubbed 'The Dirty Sexy Alley Scene' and features Jace and Clary.

Do you want to watch it? I can't hear you! DO YOU WANT TO WATCH IT? You do?! 

Then all you have to do, is click on the link below called 'Cassandra Clare', and follow the rules on her site.

Cassandra Clare

Once you have found all the letters just unscramble them to make the word and type into the 'Enter Secret Code'  section and have the best 40 seconds of your life.

Best of luck ladies and enjoy. No doubt you will! :)

UK Swap Shop on Goodreads

Hey everyone, 

For some of you that don't know already, I currently co-run a group on Goodreads called UK Swap Shop.

 Basically, anyone who lives in the UK, posts a list of any unwanted books (used or new) and then swaps them with other members of the group.  There are rules to follow, so please check them out. 

We've been doing it for around 3 months now and there are swaps happening daily.  Also at the moment we are  holding a giveaway for April. Want to join? Then click  the link below and follow the rules below. 

Want to win Wither (Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano? Well, pop on over to UK Swap Shop.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Good Luck!

Donna x 

Weekly Update (#2)

Happy Sunday Everyone! 

How was your week? Hope you have all had a fantastic one - we have! 

Over the past few days we have been working so hard on our next giveaway & we're so excited for you guys to see some of the brilliant prizes we've got lined up. 
We hope you like them. 
We will be revealing more details soon.  


We're also on count down for our new blog design. 
Hopefully, it should be with us in about 6 weeks - 
Our fingers are crossed. We can't wait to see how it turns out. 

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Donna's Books 

I haven't brought any books this week nor have I swapped any books,  so I thought it would be good to show you what books that i've got, BUT haven't read. 
 Most of the books are for the Kindle but there's a few in there that I'm reading to review for NetGalley. If you've read any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts - Leave us a comment below :) 

 

In order of appearance of pictures 

Hereafter | Girl Wonder | Glimmerglass | Dreaming Anastasia | Dead Beautiful | Delirium| Starcrossed | Savannah Grey | 
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Jessica's Books


Like Donna, I haven't really bought anymore books or swapped any. So here are some books that I will be starting in the next couple of months. I own all the books and at the moment they are collecting dust (Noooo). I'm almost done with my current read so it won't be long before I dust them off and get started! So many books, so little time. Literally.
Let me know what you guys think. Have you read any of these? Are they good and would you recommend them in the future? Leave us a comment below :)

In order of appearance in pictures
Angel | Unearthly | Firelight | Paranormalcy | The Hunger Games | The Replacement
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Cover Reveals 

Last Breath (The Morganville Vampires #11) 
By Rachel Caine

There isn't a blurb yet for the book as it's not released until November 1st, 2011. Once we get some information - we will update you straight away. 


What do you think of the cover? Personally, I do like it! But I'm eager to see what the UK cover will be like. I always tend to love them more. 


What do you think of the series? I love it, although I feel that Fade Out (Book 7) & Kiss of Death (Book 8) wasn't the best, I still plan on reading the rest of the books. My favourite character's are of course, Clare & Shane. I'm really glad Rachel paired them together  and I think they make a fantastic couple :) 

Enshadowed (Nevermore #2) 
By Kelly Creagh

Release date: January 24th, 2012
What do you all think to the cover for Enshadowed? I love it. I like that they've kept the same models. I like that Varen is further away from Isobel I guess signifying his entrapment into the 'Dream World'. I really like it :)

Blurb: While Varen remains a prisoner in the dream-world, Isobel is haunted by his memory. He appears to her in her dreams and soon, even in her waking life. But is she just imagining it? Isobel knows she must find a way back to Varen. She makes plans to go to Baltimore. There, she confronts the figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster—the same dark man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams, calling himself "Reynolds." 

Isobel succeeds in interrupting the Toaster's ritual and, in doing so, discovers a way to return to the dream-world. Soon, she finds herself swept up in a realm which not only holds remnants of Poe's presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen's innermost self. It is a dark world comprised of fear, terror, and anger. When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. With his mind poisoned by the dream world, he becomes a malevolent force, bent on destroying all—even himself. Now Isobel must face a new adversary, one who also happens to be her greatest love. 

What do you think of the series so far? I'm probably one of the few that really enjoyed the first one. Although Nevermore had its faults like being a little slow in places and the characters being undeveloped and nothing much happening until the end. I still devoured the first one, and it left me wanting to find out what happens to Varen in the 'Dream world' and how Isobel will save him from his fate. So I'm really looking forward to reading this.  -  Jess 

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Book's to look out for in 2011

Jess and I found a couple of books that we thought looked quiet interesting. There not released yet so take a peak, let us know what you think and add them to your to be read lists. 

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamiliton 

Release Date: October 1st, 2011

The Blurb: Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself, but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

When he warns her that the fey will do anything, including murder, to recover the ring, Tiki is unsure whether to believe him or not. To complicate matters, Rieker seems to know something about the unusual birthmark on Tiki’s wrist. But 
when Tiki and her family are threatened the game changes.


So, what are your thoughts? I think it sounds fab. Can't wait for it! 

A Beautiful Drak by Jocelyn Davies

Release Date: September 27th, 2011

The Blurb: Skye never questioned the story of her life. Her Aunt Jo adopted her after the death of her parents when she was just a child, and together they flip through memories the way some people flip through photo albums. 

She never questioned if the stories were true. 

Until the night of her 17th birthday, when the arrival of two strangers intrudes on her cozy life. Polar opposites, like fire and ice, Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair, cold, and aloof. Skye has no idea what they want—only that their presence coincides with the beginning of some shockingly strange events. Events that Skye, if she dares to think it, might be responsible for causing. 

High up in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, Skye finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient battle, one that began untold millennia ago. Torn between unpredictable Asher, whom she loves, and the infuriating Devin, who she can’t stay away from, her fate is murky as a starless night. And as the secrets of her true identity are revealed, Skye realizes that her destiny may reside in the Heavens—or somewhere darker.

Sounds good or what? Don't forget to tell us what you think.

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Jess Art
Now some of you may know and some of may not know but Jessica is pretty good at making fan art (mostly banners and icons) of her favorite actors, actresses. She has yet to make some for her favorite books and its characters. But she will be posting some of her art here and there when its done. If there is a particular banner you would like made for a forum you are a member of, then just leave her a comment below along with your email so that she can send you your art when its done. 


So, watch this space for some upcoming 'Jess art' :)
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Well I think that's it for this weeks updates guys. We hope its come in handy and was useful to you some how. We'll keep posting our reviews as we go.  


We hope you've enjoyed this weeks update. Keep checking up for new posts. Keeeeep blogging :)


Donna & Jessica 
x