Scattering Like Light by S.C Ransom Review!

'Secrets. Courage. Hope. A choice that changes everything.'

The exhilarating conclusion to the Small Blue Thing Trilogy!

Alex and Callums worlds are serparate but yet so close. They are connected by the power of amulets they wear. Alex is a normal girl and Cullum is a Dirge living in a half-life of misery after he drowned in the River Fleet. All they want know is to be able to be together and to hold eachother in someplace else than the top of the Dome in St Pauls Cathedra. Now Alex thinks she has the answer. The key to releasing Callum and the rest of the Dirges from their miserable existence. Does she? It is what Alex wants right? Only if Max hadn't come into her life, shocked by his beauty and with an uncomplicated existence. Alex now has a decision to make. It is a matter of life or death. What other secrets will she discover? As Alex is forced to make decisions that will change her own and others' lives, how will she choose? What will it leave behind? And how will Alex cope when faced with the truth?

This is an exhilarating conclusion to a beautifully written series by S.C Ransom. You are taken on the journey with Alex as she try's to discover the secret of releasing the Dirges and has to make life or death decisions. Scattering Like Light was perfectly paced and plotted with a heart-stopping journey to the climax of this novel. The sense of mystery surrounding Callum's and the Dirges existence is page-turning as you discover more about him and his sister Catherine. As the tension rises in this story you are constantly left in suspense as Alex struggles to make her decisions. What makes the whole trilogy is the understanding that Alex is a normal girl with very true emotions and feelings. In the last few chapters there is a major unexpected twist in the plot that was confusing. I could still grasp the rest of the ending but there was always some part of the understanding missing. By the time Alex and Callum's story had concluded I found myself in tears over the raw emotion in this book. Everything changes throughout this book and adding to the tension is not knowing what Alex will do next. This beautifully written, heart-racing series is given the perfect ending it deserves as it solves the mystery surrounding this book. I adored this ending because it was so perfectly planned and answered one of my biggest questions! A fantastic finale!  Overall, I series I am going to miss reading because of the rarity in finding books with such a raw emotion and mysterious plot. 

Rating 4.5/5

Recommended Age 11+

I've just started Divergent and am loving it! What are you reading over half term?

Sophie

THE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY REVIEW!

I have now finished The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins and can't find the words to describe how amazing it is! It's exhilarating, exciting, gets your heart racing and leaves you in constant suspense! This is my review on the final book in this fantastic series:


Mockingjay starts when Katniss is standing in the remains of her old house, in the Seam. Within 15 minutes of Katniss blowing the force field in the Quarter Quell there were planes in the sky and bombs were raining down on District 12. It was Gale, Katniss' best friend and hunting partner, who saved over 800 residents, including Prim and her mother by leading them to the Meadow. They managed until the hovercraft from District 13 arrived. They know are all residents of District 13, each given a compartment underground. It was a shock saying no one knew District 13 even existed, instead it was all underground. As she walks back to Victors Village and goes into the house belonging to her she finds Buttercup Prim's pet cat. All she can think is how he survived but thousands of people didn't? But then she notices a sent from upstairs and goes to find out what it is. On her dresser she finds a white single rose and knows immediately who it's from-President Snow.


When they get back to District 13 both Katniss and Gale are needed in Command. When Katniss notices the screen she see's Caesar Flickerman and Peeta and is shocked to see that he is still alive and looking healthy!. Peeta was captured by the Capitol when District 13 picked up Katniss in the Quarter Quell. When he calls for a Ceasefire Katniss makes a decision. She decides to agree to become the Mockingjay, the symbol of Rebellion. What everyone has been trying to persuade her to become since she arrived and why the rebels saved her instead of Peeta. She makes Coin agree that if she becomes the Mockingjay her family will get to keep Buttercup, that she will be allowed to go out and hunt with Gale, Peeta, Annie and the other captured victors will be granted immunity, it will be announced in Public and she will KILL SNOW!


As tensions rise and battles commence will the rebels win? Will Katniss and Peeta ever see each other again? Who will be killed in the war? What will happen to Katniss if the rebels lose? Will Katniss kill snow? What twists and turns are too come?


SPOILER ALERT!


The last few chapters kept my heart racing and I couldn't work out what would happen next! When I thought I knew, there was another twist and the whole story changed! I wasn't expecting Prim's death but then I was completely shocked when Katniss saw President Coin's true colors and killed her instead of President Snow(Even though he ended up dying). I was also shocked when Katniss' mother went to District 2 to start up a new hospital instead of going back to District 12 to be with Katniss but I can see the reasons why she couldn't come back.


The thing everyone wants to find out is who Katniss ends up marrying! I did want her to end up with Gale up until the final few chapters and I realized that Peeta truly loves her and would die for her(as we all saw from the first two books) I also realized, like Katniss, that Peeta is the one she needs most. She struggled when Peeta was captured by the Capitol and when he arrived back with his head messed up with Tracker Jacker Venom but while in the arena she didn't seem to miss Gale as much. So, when Peeta returned to District 12 and they made the book full of all the things they should never forget It really touched me. The final few lines left me in tears when Peeta asks Katniss 'You love me, real or not real?' and she answers 'Real' especially because this line was used earlier in the book and helped to build back up Peeta's proper memories.


The Epilogue for me didn't answer enough questions. I would have loved to have found out:
-What happened to Gale?
-Did Katniss' mother ever come back?
-What were her two children called?
-What happened to Finnick and Annie's child?
-Did Plutarch stay as President?
-The main one for me was what happened to Haymitch?


Even though it didn't answer those questions the ending for Katniss and Peeta was perfect! I loved the way Suzanne Collins wrote the epilogue explaining how Katniss said there are no more Hunger Games and the memorials have been built but saying that the questions are only just beginning for them. How her children take the words for the song she sang to Rue for advantage and how they don't know they play on a graveyard. The part I LOVED was the way she ended the whole series with Katniss is explaining how she plays a game in her head on the bad mornings about all the good things she's seen even though it's repetitive after all these years then, Katniss ends on-"But there are worst games to play"  This was an ending that left you wanting more but had a point behind it!


SPOILER OVER!


I would rate this book a 10/10(without the epilogue) because you can't work out what will happen next and when something does happen it changes the story! Also, it kept my heart racing! The battle scenes were so realistic and I could picture every scene in my head. It made me feel every emotion possible from hating Snow to feeling like you know each and every character like there your own best friend/sister/lover! I would recommend this book for ages 12+ because it is violent(as there is a rebellion) and it can be hard to understand at a young age as it tackles grown up topics like war, death and murder. The only part that disappointed me slightly was the epilogue because even though it gave the end for Katniss and 'her lover' I would have loved to find out the ending for the other main characters!!


You have to put this series on the top of your 'MUST BUY!' list! I'm sad to see it all end but what a FANTASTIC series! The ending leaves you wanting more from Katniss' story. I can't wait to see it all come alive on the big screen over the next few years!


Keep Day Dreaming & Read The Hunger Games Trilogy!
Sophie:D

THE HUNGER GAMES CATCHING FIRE REVIEW!!

Another exhilarating book from The Hunger Games series! I really don't know how Suzanne Collins does it!

This book continues a few months after the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are back home and it's the morning of the Victory Tour where they will travel to all the districts including the Capitol. Katniss gets a visit from President Snow who warns her that after her episode with the berries when she was in the arena the districts are on the brink of an uprising. He also warns her that she knows about her kiss with Gale and she will have to prove too a lot of people including himself that her relationship with Peeta is real, or the president will make Gale pay for it! With the warning in her head she heads off on the Victory Tour with Peeta(her fellow victor) Effie(the person that keeps them in charge) and Haymitch(their mentor). When they arrive at their first stop District 11(the district Rue was from)  all goes well until the end of their speeches where them and the district makes a big mistake that leaves a shocking consequence. Katniss and Peeta continue with their tour and when they get too the Capitol Katniss realises  all they have done so far is not enough so at their interview Peeta gets down on one knee and proposes but is this really happily ever after? As they arrive back from the tour things go from bad to worse, with rebellion brewing in the districts and the MockingJay pin Katniss wore in the arena a symbol of rebellion a BIG bombshell is dropped, that nobody see's coming: for the Hunger Games 'Quarter Quell' which is celebrated every 25 years.

This book continues the series with a BANG! Exhilarating, exciting and leaving you in even more suspense than the first part of the trilogy. I would rate this book another BIG 10/10 as you don't see anything coming and you can't put it down. I would again recommend this book for ages 12+ because again it is the Hunger Games so there are deaths and murders(which is a more grown up topic) and it can be hard to understand for the younger readers. I would just like to add that the ending is unbelievable and you need the second book on hand because of the way it leaves you in such, shocking suspense. This book and series is a MUST READ there is only one word to describe it all WOW!!!!