Review of Influencer by Adam Cesare

3.5/5 Stars

I saw this advertised on Goodreads and thought a cult like influencer in a high school social media setting was interesting. I was blown away/shocked by how this book developed and ended.

This book does have a lot of trigger warnings. It was originally made as an audiobook and then adapted to a physical book.

Going from TBOSAS having to read snows pov to this crazed, psychotic man made snow look somewhat normal. At least snow had reasoning and logic (even though it wasn't sound). This antagonist has absolutely no rhyme or reasoning for the crimes he is committing in this book.

This book starts off with a gripping prologue/intro. It has dual pov between the main female character and the crazed psycho male character. I did not enjoy being in that man's head. It was gross, and I felt no empathy for him, nor could I try to see his reasoning because there was none.

This book went into a lull after the introduction and did not pick up until the very end. The ending was a good thriller ending.

This book is a quick read with good writing.

Review of The Hallow Hunt by Margie Fuston

3.75/5 Stars

I was excited about this book even though the 1st book's ending was upsetting. I was still looking forward to these characters and seeing where the story went. I am glad this is just a duology because I felt the story was already dragging when the first book had its weird ending.

I still really loved these characters, and I had some new favorites from the 1st book. This book could have ended in the first 200 pages, but then a twist that was unnecessary came out of left field and continued the story.

When it came to the world-building, I needed a map. I did not realize how big this forest was that they were traveling in.

The way things were described in this book was confusing. (kind of a spoiler, so skip the rest of the paragraph) There is a whole subplot of the main character having to wear this thorn choker that, through time, would continue to get smaller and is supposed to eventually kill her. I thought this would constantly be harming her and add a lot of tension to the plot. It was tense for a scene, then it kind of just became a necklace that I would forget she was even wearing until eventually it was talked about again.

I liked the slow-burning relationship of the now enemies-to-lovers. Although lets be honest they were not enemies in this book just upset with each other.

I am happy with this ending. I just think this could have been wrapped up sooner, and some plot points were a bit unnecessary.

NEW HUNGER GAMES BOOK EVERYONE, WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE!

5/5 Stars

I was so excited to get my heart ripped out by Suzanne Collins. I missed the TBOSAS release, so being able to read a Hunger Games book on release day brought back childhood nostalgia.

I knew this was not going to be an enjoyable reading experience, but she did not hold back and I was not prepared what she had written on these tear soaked pages.

This book is up there with Catching Fire and I can not wait to be dragged out of the movie theatres.

Suzanne Collins gave up on subtlety with us. She was shoving the propaganda in our faces. When she has something to say, our favorite characters get thrown through the ringer, and I respect that. These characters had my heart. Seeing how things came to be in Katniss's books was really just a full circle.

THE LORE that was dropped just in the first chapter was crazy. A reread and a rewatch are needed to see all the subtle things that have been sprinkled in that we now have full knowledge of.

The perfect timing of this book coming out where the media is at its highest, and her throwing propaganda and the use of media in our faces was needed. A good wake-up call. It is scary to compare this fictional futuristic world to our current world situation, but sadly, most of the events in her stories are leading in that direction or are already happening.

These books are just one of the best series to come out in my generation. I hope these books start getting taught in schools and become classic literature.