Category: Book Reviews

by Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic Corporation

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MOCKINGJAY!!!

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.”

            From the back book blurb:

            Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

            It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 really does exist, and now it has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

            The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels’ Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.

            The finale, the third installment in the trilogy, brings us the tie up after Catching Fire’s cliffhanger. I tell you what—I think the theme for this trilogy was “Let’s make John cry, laugh, and fall in love with every single word!”

            This is still a favorite trilogy of mine. The movies are great too and did not disappoint me. But you must read the books whether before or after you’ve seen the films.

            This is my rule.

            The way this urban fantasy thriller—I guess you’d call it that—just yanks you in with all its political upheaval, tyrannical and murderous fiends, defiant rebels, and not to mention the strengthening romance, it is to buy for—or die for, although that’s a bit of an escalation if you ask me.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: MOCKINGJAY.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

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by Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic Corporation

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY CATCHING FIRE!!!

“Remember, girl on fire…I’m still betting on you.”

            From the back book blurb:

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tributes Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale.

Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an ice distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

            Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever.

If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

            The second installation in the Hunger Games trilogy lives up to its predecessor as expected. Carrying on the harrowing brushes with tyranny in all its malevolent actions and words, this futuristic thriller rocked my world.

            I found myself devouring the words, clinging to the pages—sometimes wondering what was around the corner.

            The intensity builds and builds until you feel like you can’t take anymore, but then, somehow you do.

            Just like I did with the first book, I gobbled up this one in a couple days while juggling college classes and work.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: CATCHING FIRE.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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by John Irvin

A commentary by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY ALL THE REASONS WHY!!!

“Someone’s in a hurry,” the brown-eyed girl remarked.”

Book Description:

Do you enjoy Western-style romance? How about a horse rancher?

Hunter is a Montana-bred horse ranch with a shattered heart. Having just fallen out of love, he does not trust anyone. Then Lilah shows up and everything blows up in his face.

He tries to run, but something keeps shoving him back to her, pointing the way for his heart.

Will he finally realise that not everyone is sent to break your heart? Can love sometimes find a way? Are there enough reasons to move on with life and take a new risk?

            There’s a touch of my dream in this story—a dream of owning a ranch. Though in reality, I’m not exactly looking for that—I do want a hundred acres of land though! Living in Montana would be amazing, but I’m probably never moving from Florida—too many friends here who don’t want to move to Montana with me.

            But, this short—I mean, short—sweet romance fiction is set under the Montana sky, starring a heart-broken horse rancher who doesn’t want anything to do with another woman thanks to the last one.

            But Hunter Norwood can’t seem to stop running into Lilah Saffron, a brunette with the prettiest brown eyes he’s ever seen.

            There’s also the fact, she’s a mutual friend of Hunter’s longtime friends Trent and Annie.

            The holidays are filled with her trying to show him, she’s not like the last girl who shattered his heart.

            I think, one of the lessons I was subtly instilling into this short story was: you can’t judge the next person by the actions of the last one. Don’t let someone who didn’t love you keep you from someone who does.

            Either way, I loved writing this Montana romance. I may write another, but actually work that one into a full-length novel.

            I also ask, if you do enjoy it, please leave a great review on its Amazon page so others can enjoy it too!

Click this link to go check it out: ALL THE REASONS WHY.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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by Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic Corporation

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY HUNGER GAMES!!!

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”

            From the front flap:

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

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 is forced to represent her district 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

            I borrowed this book from a roommate back my last year of college—and I read the entire trilogy in less than two weeks, even with classes going on!

            That was how much I ate it up, the story is amazing, fast-paced and intriguing. There were times when I wanted to hug Katniss, comfort her, and other times when I was angry with her, demanding, “What on earth are you thinking?”

            The romance is a triangle—my guy doesn’t win. I was a little disappointed with that, but I’m over it now.

            There were lots of tears shed in these books also.

            Even if you’ve already seen the movies, I believe you can enjoy the books just as well if not more.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: HUNGER GAMES.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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by Baroness Orczy

Published by New American Library

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL!!!

“Know her? Know Lady Blakeney—the most fashionable woman in London—the wife of the richest man in England? Of course, we all know Lady Blakeney.” –Lord Antony

            From the back cover blurb:

           The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels roll over the cobbled streets of Paris bearing new victims to the insatiable Madame la Guillotine…Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written.

            The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties—all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast.

            I’d seen the movie since childhood and loved it, but it wasn’t until about a year or two ago that I finally picked up the novel. It was nothing I expected.

            The first half of the story is similar to the film starring Jane Seymour, but the second half surprised me and took me on several plot twists I did not expect at all.

            At first, I didn’t think I liked the surprise, but when I continued reading, I fell in love with the characters and the plot and was happy for a difference setting that I wasn’t sure which way it would go since it wasn’t related to the movie!

            If you enjoy classics and French history, this short little English translation of the original might be for you.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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by Martha Alderson

Published by Adams Media

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE PLOT WHISPERER!!!

“It takes a lot of energy and a lot of neurosis to write a novel. If you were sensible, you’d do something else.”—Laurence Durrell

            From the back cover blurb:

            When it comes to writing bestsellers, it’s all about the plot. Trouble is, plot is where most writers fall down—but you don’t have to be one of them. With The Plot Whisperer, you’ll learn how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage readers—one scene at a time.

            Celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson has devised a plotting system that’s as innovative as it is easy to implement. With her foolproof blueprint, you’ll learn to devise a successful storyline for any genre. She shows how to:

• Use the power of the Universal Story
• Create plot lines and subplots that work together
• Effectively use a scene tracker for maximum impact
• Insert energetic markers at the right points in your story
• Show character transformation at the book’s climax

The Plot Whisperer is the ultimate guide for you to write page-turners that sell!

            Being an author takes a ton of work—you need an ever-flowing reservoir of imaginative creativity. I read somewhere that there are a billion ideas everywhere, most people don’t even notice, and the great authors catch at least six or seven.

            But the thing is, it takes work molding that simple idea into a full-grown novel—or even more for a whole series of full-grown novels!

            So when someone like Martha Alderson comes along with her 233 pages of wisdom, I and you can be most thankful for the help. Reading this book helped me form a few better strategies for plotting my own works.

            Someone else stated, there are no masters in this field—we are all apprentices, each growing at our own degree and learning at our own pace. Some of us are more advanced as writers, but we should never let that keep us from reaching back and pulling someone else up.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: THE PLOT WHISPERER.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com