Heartlight by T. A. Barron

Heartlight is very hard to describe. Kaitlyn's grandfather, an astrophysicist, has discovers something which makes it possible to travel faster than the speed of light. The process involves a complex formula that transforms your soul into pure condensed light which is subject to your own thoughts. In other words, you just think of where you want to go in the universe. At the same time, Kaitlyn's grandfather discovers that their sun is dying. In order to save it, they must travel to a distant galaxy and study a different sun to learn how to stop it from dying.

The book is very strange with its many twists and turns. There is some underlying religious themes with good versus evil and the natural cycle of life and death. But it comes across in a very strange way. The story transitions are awkward and I had to go back and reread certain passages to try and figure out how the story got from point A to point B. And I know that crystal based intelligence's are very creative and outside the box, I found them too unusual. I couldn't even picture them in my mind. I am not even sure why or how I finished the book. I guess I was curious on how Kaitlyn and her grandfather would make it home. This is T. A. Barron's first novel and it shows. He managed to write other young adult novels, so perhaps I will give him another chance.

Book Rating: 2 stars

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games has been flying off my local library's shelf. I finally managed to get a hold of a copy to read. The story is the first of a trilogy that takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America. The central government is now located in the west with about 12 outlying colonies or districts. Each district is given an assignment to support the central government ranging from farming to manufacturing. Every year each district sends two representatives to participate in the Hunger Games. The games are symbolic of the last great battle and serve as a reminder to the colonies of who is in charge. The tributes are between the ages of 12-18 and are randomly selected in a drawing. The games have a sinister aspect as the games are a type of celebrity death match in which young teens are primped and then told to fight to the death.

In the first book, Katniss and Peeta are selected from the underdog District 11, which has never won the Hunger Games. The contestants are pitted against each other and at other times they must work together. Will Katniss and Peeta survive with their pretend romance attracting viewers and ratings? You'll have to read it to find out.

The book is a young adult story suggested for Grade 7 and up. I would recommend this for much older teens and adults only. The story is very violent. Think of putting the gladiator matches of ancient Rome on reality tv and you'll know how violent it is. And this is kids killing kids and, in some cases, enjoying it. It makes the one death in Lord of the Flies look like the Disney channel.

Having said that, I did read the entire thing and it made me want to read the rest of the series, which has been flying off the shelves of the library too.