Audio Review: Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

 Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

Author: Meg Cabot Website|Twitter
Narrator: Elisabeth Moss IMDB
Published: 31 October 2006 (Listening Library)
Format: MP3 download
Running time: 5 hours, 59 minutes (unabridged)
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Waterstone's|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo
Buy the audio: Amazon

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
High school junior Jenny Greenley is good at solving other people's problems ... so good she's the school newspapers' anonymous advice columnist. Even if solving other people's problems doesn't make her own—like not having a boyfriend—go away, it's still fun. But when nineteen-year-old screen sensation Luke Striker comes to Jen's small town to reserach a role, he creates havor that even levelheaded Jenny isn't sure she can repair... especially when he asks her, and not Jenny's Luke Striker-groupie best friend, to the Clayton High Spring Fling.

Can Jen, who always manages to be there for everybody else, learn to take her own advice, and find true love at last? 

Plot review:
Teen Idol tells the story of Jen who works as an agony aunt for the "Ask Annie" segment of her school paper. Her teachers then entrust her with the knowledge that famous actor Luke Striker will be joining the school as research for his latest film project, and they assign Jen to be his student guide.

I'll be honest, it took me a little while to get into the flow of this one. The story starts out with Jen telling lots of anecdote about her school life as a way to introduce us to her fellow characters and setting the scene. I thought this part of the book went on for far too long and soon I was getting slightly impatient and itching to get to a part where something important happens.

The story really picks up when Luke Striker arrives at the school. Understandably all the girls go crazy for him so it added a lot of interest to the story. Luke as a character didn't play quite a big a role as I was expecting, but he did surprise me by being a really fascinating character. I loved how he saw the best in Jen and tried to help her out, even if it didn't always go as planned!

I really fell in love with the whole idea of the school's Ask Annie project. At the start of each chapter you get a question from someone who's written in to the paper which is then answered by Jen who writes secretly as Annie. I thought it was a great platform for Jen and really helped me as a reader get inside her head. I ended up agreeing with all the advice she gave too! The girl talks sense. I also loved the sarcasm and humour Jen demonstrates as well as her sensitivity. There were other aspects of school life I loved too, like Jen's reluctant involvement in show choir which had me giggling away.

There's lots of romance to get stuck into with Jen developing a crush on Luke. There's also the matter of her best friend Scott who is a really nice guy. Then of course there are the many, many girls who want to try and win Luke's affections, as well as Jen's best friend having relationship drama.

Jen herself goes on a real journey as a character throughout Teen Idol and we see her change and develop in both good ways and not so good ways. I loved seeing her stand up for herself a bit more and take on some of Luke's advice.

Despite it's slow start I did settle into this book and ended up enjoying it, particularly the second half. The ending was really sweet and I liked how all the little bits of the story came together.

Plot rating: 4*

Audio review:
Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy the audiobook experience of this one. The copy I downloaded from the library wasn't the best quality, but obviously that might have just been a problem on my end so I'm not going to judge it on that. It was more the narration that was a bit of an issue for me. It didn't flow very well and there were pauses in odd place sand it sometimes sounded like the narrator was running out of breath.

I did, however, think the narrator had the voice of Jen spot on and it did help bring her character to life. The slightly sarcastic Ask Annie segments at the beginning of each chapter really packed a punch. I just wish that could have carried to the rest of the story.

Audio rating: 2*

What to read next: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Books like this: Hidden Gem by India Lee

Audio Review: Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Author: Meg Cabot Website|Twitter
Narrator: Debra Wiseman IMDB
Published: 27 December 2005 (Listening Library)
Format: MP3 download
Running time: 6 hours, 50 minutes
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Waterstone's|BookDepository
Buy the audio: Amazon|Waterstone's
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Avalon High seems like a typical high school, attended by typical students. There's Lance, the Jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy.
But not everybody at Avalon High is who they appear to be... not even, as new student Ellie is about to discover, herself. What part does she play in the drama that is unfolding? What if the bizarre chain of events and coincidences she has pieced together means — as with the court of King Arthur — tragedy is fast approaching Avalon High.

Worst of all, what if there's nothing she can do about it?

Plot review:
I'll admit that when I started Avalon High I didn't know it was a retelling of the King Arthur legend. I'd downloaded it from my library's e-library based on the fact it was written by Meg Cabot, and I'd enjoyed a previous audiobook by her. Going in blind didn't bother me too much, and I actually quite liked figuring out what was going on, but I think in hindsight I would have liked to have known a little more beforehand.

The first half of this book started out pretty well. I quite liked Ellie as a character and I could sympathise with her as a character. Her parents are academics who have taken a sabbatical, which means Ellie is uprooted from her regular life and planted in a new environment, which involves starting a new school. I liked the fact she was using it as a bit of a fresh start.

The book features excerpts from the poem The Lady of Shallot at the beginning of each chapter. I remember doing that poem at school so it was quite cool to have it slotted into a book like this! It also fitted in with what was happening in Ellie's life as she pieces together who the modern day character represent in the story of King Arthur. It was a really nice way to break up the story/chapters.

The first half of the book was really interesting and I loved learning who all the characters were and the theory that there was something a bit bigger going on. I did like the relationship between Ellie and Will, even if she was a bit giggly and annoying around him sometimes. The second half of the book, however, was where I started to lose interest. The pace slowed down a bit too much and then the plot got a bit overcomplicated. There's one scene where Mr Morton, Ellie's teacher, explains a lot of what's going on and that exposition seemed to go on forever and I just found myself getting a bit bored.

It's an interesting concept for a novel but I'm not sure it was one that completely paid off. There were bits I liked and bits I didn't. Overall I can really appreciate how good Meg Cabot is as a writer and her books have really made me laugh, this one included. And the characters were pretty cool.

Plot rating: 3*

Audio review:
The narration of the book really did draw me in. I thought the narrator was really natural and I really liked Ellie's voice throughout the story. Where it really won me over was the excerpts of the poem which were read out before each character. They were read in such a lyrical, softly spoken way that not only did they stand out from other parts of the text, but they were really enjoyable on their own as well. I loved all the different voices for the characters. The only place it really fell down was when there were long conversations between two characters which happened a lot. I would liked to have got them over more quickly but that's hard with an audiobook. Really enjoyed the listening experience overall though and would definitely recommend the audio!

Audio rating: 4*

What to read next: Teen Idol by Meg Cabot
Books like this: Oh. My. Gods. by Terra Lynn Childs

Audio Review: How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

[Goodreads page]

Author: Meg Cabot Website|Twitter
Narrator: Kate Reinders IMDB
Published: 10 October 2006 (Listening Library)
Format: MP3 download
Running time: 5 hours, 34 minutes (unabridged)
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle|Audio Download|CD
Waterstone's: Paperback|CD|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback|CD

Source: Borrowed from e-library


Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Do you want to be popular?
Stephanie Landry does. That’s why this year, she has a plan to get in with the It Crowd in no time flat. She’s got a secret weapon: an old book called–what else?–How to Be Popular.
What does it take to be popular?
All Steph has to do is follow the instructions in The Book, and soon she’ll be partying with the It Crowd (including school quarterback Mark Finley) instead of sitting on The Hill Saturday nights, stargazing with her nerdy best pal Becca, and even nerdier Jason.
But don’t forget the most important thing about popularity! It’s easy to become popular. What isn’t so easy? Staying that way. 

Plot review:
This was my first experience of reading (or in this case listening to!) Meg Cabot and she's an author I've always wanted to read. I was drawn to this book by the title because it sounded right up my street! The book follows Steph Landry in her conquest to go from social outcast to one of the most popular students in school using a book she discovers that gives hints and tips on how to be popular.

There's so much to love about this story! Firstly I loved Steph and her friends. They're the sort of outsider group at school who look have distanced themselves from the popular kids. Then Steph decides she's on a mission to be popular which causes all kinds of tension. I still found Steph to be a really likable character, because we get to see her before her descent into popularity when she has a great relationship with her best friends Jason and Becca. I also really liked the relationship between her and her grandfather which was a constant throughout the book.

I instantly found this book to be relatable. The opening chapters of the book see Steph counting down to the first day of school, which is when she plans on launching her mission to become popular. I think we've all been the one counting down to the first day back after the summer holidays. I know I used to fuss about how I wore my hair that day or what school bag I was going to use! Of course in this book there's no school uniform so Steph is stressing a lot over what she's going to wear. I just thought it captured that teenage dream of wanting to reinvent yourself perfectly!

The book also dealt with some pretty serious issues. I'd say some of the stuff Steph went through during the course of the book was verging on cyber bullying, and she'd definitely been a victim of some not so nice attention in the past. Her desire to reinvent herself stemmed from an incident with the popular girl Lauren when they were kids, in which Steph spilled a red drink over her. Ever since then, her small town has caught on to the phrase "pulling a Steph Landry" which understandably Steph hates. It was interesting seeing her try and turn that around and show those people who she really was.

There's a lot of potential relationship drama dotted throughout the story, all of which I loved. Steph is hoping to win over popular boy Mark Finley once she's established herself amongst the cool kids, but from the start I was so rooting for Jason who Steph is totally in denial about having feelings for. I just thought the relationship between Jason and Steph was brilliant because, again, it was something so true to life. They're friends but there's so much sexual tension between the two of them! I was practically screaming at my iPod willing the two of them to get together.

I thought it was great how, although the main focus of this book is about Steph becoming popular, there's also some great little subplots in there. From Steph's grandfather's upcoming marriage and Steph's mum disapproving, to Jason potentially liking somebody else, to the talent auction that Steph has helped organise.

Also I adored how the book Steph is reading was incorporated into the story. We get little excerpts at the beginning of chapters which fitted in with the story and really helped mix up the narrative a bit. It helped get that insight into what Steph was reading and thinking as well.

I usually mark a book down if the plot is a bit predictable and I was expecting this book to go that way, but I just found myself rooting for the things I was hoping would happen at the end and enjoying everything too much to worry about it being predictable. It definitely gave me so much more than I was expecting and I'm wondering why on earth I haven't read this author sooner!

Plot rating: 5*

Audio review: 
Firstly, this is a book I'm definitely going to recommend you listen to on audiobook because it was hilarious, and I think a large part of my enjoyment of this book was Kate Reinders' narration. She had the voice of Steph absolutely spot on! I really felt like I was inside her head and the book felt just like she was speaking to me. The book is written in first person so having it read aloud really added something to the story.

What was great about the narration was that Kate Reinders was clearly completely immersed in the character, and when it came to things like Steph laughing during a sentence she'd add in a little laugh herself which made it so much more natural. I really loved her voice for the other characters as well, especially Steph's best friend Becca who's kind of wistful. The voice for that was just spot on.

The only flaw I can really point out is that this book relies on little excerpts from the book Steph is herself reading. Obviously in the physical edition, these excerpts would be in a different font or separated from the rest of the text. In the audio it was sometimes hard to tell straight away that what was being read was an excerpt from Steph's book. I also felt the same way when emails were dotted into the story. That probably would have worked better written down.

But overall I can honestly say that I think my experience of this book would have been a lot different had I not listened to it, and it's not often I really say that. It was the most fun I've had listening to a book in a long time! If you can grab this book on audio then do it - you won't regret it!

Audio rating: 4*
Books like this: Teen Idol by Meg Cabot, Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale

Audio Review: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins

Spoiler warning! This is the 3rd and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy and will contain plenty of spoilers for the first two books. If you haven't read them then look away now! You can read my audio review of The Hunger Games here and Catching Fire here.

 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

[Goodreads page]

Author: Suzanne Collins. Website
Narrator: Carolyn McCormick. IMDB
Published:  1 September 2010 (Scholastic Audio)
Format: Audio download
Running time: 11 hours, 43 minutes
Audible: Audio download
Waterstone's: MP3
Book Depository: CD

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. 

Audio Review:
I've been listening to the whole Hunger Games trilogy on audiobook as a way to re-read the series, and I was so excited to get to Mockingjay, the final installment.

What struck me about listening to this book in particular was how well the narrator managed to get across the fear and turmoil each of the characters was feeling. Both Katniss' inner monologue and the other character voices were spoken with such emotion. This is a book that really packs a punch when it comes to certain emotions and the narration really added to that.

Like the previous books, I found listening to the book made me focus on some of the smaller details that I missed on my initial reads. The books are so fast paced and addictive that it's easy to get carried away and miss things. In the case of Mockingjay, I really appreciated some of the atrocities that took place in a way I didn't the first time round. Listening to it at a much slower pace (McCormick's reading speed is quite gentle) made me even more horrified at what was going on.

I think of all the audiobooks, this is by far my favourite. I didn't really have any niggles or problems with it as I was so absorbed in the story. I'd highly recommend listening to this trilogy and in particular this book. It brings the story to life and makes everything that bit more real. A thrilling end to a gripping trilogy.

Audio Rating: 5/5

Plot Review: 
As this was a re-read, I was already aware of the plot of Mockingjay, but there were plenty of moments I'd either forgotten about or were just as exciting second time round. The book starts out with the reader learning of the destruction of District 12 and discovering more about the mysterious District 13.

What I really like about Mockingjay is that it feels completely different to the previous two books. Whereas they relied on the Hunger Games to provide the action and main plot, this book steps away from the completely and turns to the harsh realities of war in the real world. It makes for a different structure and a more powerful story.

Collins has really succeeded in highlighting the effects of what has been happening in Panem. Every character is showing some sort of scar from the events of the past few months, whether it be physical or mental. I thought the mental distress of several of the characters was handled really well and demonstrated clearly just how horrifying and traumatic war can be.

What I loved about Catching Fire was the imaginative ideas used in the arena, and in Mockingjay all the imagination is channeled into the way of life in 13 and more information about the Capitol. All those ideas of things we see in the arena are even more terrifying in the real world. There were some truly powerful ideas and moments that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

There's a great focus on the characters, their loyalties and their roles in the war. I thought it was really interesting getting a look at these characters we've come to love in such a troubling situations. It really tests them and shows their true colours. Everyone gets their moment to shine, or highlights why they're not as perfect as they seem. I thought it was great how everyone's story gets wrapped up in some way, whether that be good or bad. There were some heartbreaking moments for me as the war starts to take its toll.

It's a phenomenal end to the trilogy but I liked that not everything was made to be happy and perfect. I liked certain elements of the ending and how certain questions were answered but there was still so much to think about once you've finished. It's a book that stays with you for a long time.

Plot Rating: 5/5
Books like this: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Audio Review: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins

Spoiler warning! Catching Fire is the 2nd book in The Hunger Games trilogy and this review will contain spoilers from the first book. You have been warned! If you haven't read The Hunger Games then you can read my review of the audio here and my review of the paperback here. 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

[Goodreads page]

Author: Suzanne Collins. Website
Narrator: Carolyn McCormick. IMDB
Published: 1 September 2009 (Scholastic)
Format: Audio download
Running time: 11 hours, 41 minutes (unabridged)
Audible: Audio download 
Amazon: CD
Waterstone's: Audio download
Book Depository: CD

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Katniss Everdeen survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol -- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped crate.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.
 
Audio Review:
I recently listened to the first book on audio so had to follow it up once Catching Fire became available! Picking up where THG left off, Katniss and Peeta must do a victory tour of the other districts, but it quickly becomes apparent that the mood across Panem has shifted considerably, and Katniss and Peeta find themselves in danger and under the increasing glare of President Snow.

I've read this book before so re-reading it by listening to it really gave me a new perspective. The first huge advantage I had is that where I raced through the paperback, listening to it gave me the chance to really savour every moment. Caroline McCormick reads at a gentle pace, which means you don't miss a thing. Even though parts of the book can be action packed, you really get the full experience by listening to every detail. There were plenty of things I missed first time round that the audio really helped me reflect upon.

As with the first book, I liked the narration for the most part. I liked the range of voices and the emotions the narrator could get across. It still had pauses in a few places, but overall it was enjoyable. I had a few niggles with pronunciation - the word "ugh" came up a lot and was pronounced "ugg" which just sounded wrong to me.

I've got used to hearing Katniss' inner monologue read aloud now. I think in this book, where there's so much focus on her thoughts and fears, it was even more effective at getting across just how scared she was.Within Catching Fire Katniss has a lot of questioning of herself to do and that really worked hearing it read aloud. My heart was racing as I feared for her (even though I know what happens!) and I was completely addicted.

I think purely to make sure you don't miss anything, the audio is definitely work checking out if you haven't already.

Audio Rating: 4.5/5

Plot Review: 
First time around, Catching Fire was my favourite book in the trilogy and getting to listen to the story over again reminded me why. I was worried when I started it the last time that it would maybe become a little repetitive, but I was reminded just how different the book felt.

The first half of this book takes on a more gentle pace. It really focuses on the unease across the country and the fear of not knowing exactly what is happening. The brutality of President Snow's regime is highlighted as we see things get even worse for the people in the districts, and Katniss becomes somewhat of a focus of attention. I really liked the mood and atmosphere that Collins created throughout this first half. Whilst there isn't a lot of action, there's a lot of things happening that pull at the heartstrings and really make you fear for the main characters. And there's always this looming fear that something huge could happen at any moment - then it does.

The characters are just as much of a strong point in this book. I liked that we get to see more of Katniss' relationship with Gale as well as exploring the issues her relationship with Peeta is creating. It's definitely not a love triangle type of situation, because Katniss is the kind of character that, in her situation, thinks with her head. She has to be conscious of what will happen to those around her with every decision she makes, which means sometimes she puts herself last. I think there were some really touching moments, whichever male character you personally prefer.

If you haven't read this book before then I'd hate to spoil the twist so I won't! But what I will say is that there are a lot of new characters to get your teeth into and plenty of action for those who loved those parts of The Hunger Games. Where I feared the book would get repetitive, it absolutely blew me away with the fresh, imaginative ideas.

The climax of this book is what really males it. Everything seems to happen so suddenly that it's impossible to stop. It leaves so much to be explained and explored in the final installment and some of the twists are truly mind blowing. A really powerful, addictive read.

Rating: 5/5
What to listen to next: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Books like this: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Audio Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

[Goodreads page]

Author: Eoin Colfer Website|Twitter
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker IMDB
Published: 15 July 2002 (BBC)
Format: Audio download
Running time: 6 hours approx.
Amazon: Audio CD|Alternative Narrator
Waterstone's: Audio CD|Alternative Narrator

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

Audio review:
I first read this book as a kid and I have only fond memories of this and the other books I read from the series, but I was a little rusty on the book after so long! When I saw my library had the e-book available to download I just had to check it out. Artemis Fowl is a gifted twelve-year-old, highly intelligent and willing to use that intelligence to get what he wants, which in this case is knowledge of the fairy universe.

I was instantly won over by the narration of this story. Nathaniel Parker has a fantastic voice and I was totally drawn in to the story. What impressed me most was the wide range of accents. We have Artemis and his assistant Butler who are Irish, as well as British, American and even Chinese accents which all sounded flawless! This book has a great sense of humour about it and that sarcasm really came through in the narration. Each character's attitude came across perfectly. There wasn't anything I could find fault with in the narration!

Listening to the story really made me feel like I was immersed in the wonderfully imaginative world this book takes place in. We have the human world, from Ireland to China, as well as the deep underground layers of the Earth where the fairy race resides. Each place felt vivid and exciting.

Upon writing this review I saw that another narrator has done the abridged version of this book. This unabridged version seems slightly harder to track down but I'd highly recommend it!

Audio rating: 5/5

Plot Review:
I've recapped the plot above so I'll jump straight in to what I thought of it! What I really enjoyed was the way the story flits between Artemis' point of view and other characters, mainly Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit. Both characters had really great voices and it was great seeing both sides of the story, from the good side and the bad side! It made the drama even more exciting.

The world the book takes place in really draws you in There's something for everyone and it makes fantasy fun. Colfer has created this fantastic way of giving each race of creature different personality traits etc. that shakes it up and makes it feel really unique. I loved all the magic, fairies, centaurs and gnomes contrasting nicely against the human world Artemis himself inhabits.

The humour is one of the strong points of the book. I was laughing throughout and the sarcasm was fantastic. Artemis himself is so intelligent that he comes out with some brilliant snippets, but Holly Short was definitely my favourite character. Her observations on the world were witty as well as getting across information about the story really well.

The only thing that let the book down for me was the pacing. It felt like I was waiting a while for the climax and although I enjoyed what was happening, I was getting impatient for the end! A lot of the action takes place in the same place towards the end of the book and I felt it got a bit stuck. I did really enjoy the ending though and I'll definitely be looking to do a re-read of the rest of the series and read for the first time the books I haven't got round to yet. It's tickled my taste buds for sure!

I loved this book as a kid and I loved it as an adult. A great read for all ages!

Plot rating: 4/5
What to listen to next: Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
Books like this: Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Audio Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

[Goodreads page]

Author: Suzanne Collins. Website
Narrator: Carolyn McCormick. IMDB
Published: 1 October 2008 (Scholastic Audio)
Format: Audio download
Running time: 11 hours, 14 minutes
Audible: Audio download
Waterstone's: CD
Book Depository: CD

Source: Borrowed from e-library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
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.

Audio review:
I'd been wanting to re-read this book for a while and what better way to rekindle your love of a book by listening to it!

The book is narrated by Carolyn McCormick and I really enjoyed her narration. She had a great way with accents, particularly Effie Trinket's Capitol accent, which really added a lot to the characterisation. Her voices throughout were great and I knew instantly who was talking. There were some moments where there were odd pauses or stresses in the wrong places but only occasionally.

The best thing about experiencing The Hunger Games on audio book was the vivid descriptions. Collins' writing is wonderfully descriptive anyway but when read aloud, everything comes to life that bit more! My favourite bits were the descriptions of the Capitol - the food in particular! It was almost like eating it yourself. Hearing District Twelve described gave it that sense of bleakness even more than reading it, too.

One thing it took a little while to get used to was the fact that because the book is written in first person present tense, Katniss' inner monologue sounds a little strange spoken aloud. Present tense isn't something you'd usually speak aloud in real life so it's a bit jarring sometimes to hear someone read like that, but it didn't really put me off at all.

Overall I loved listening to this audio book. The narration was great and it gave the story even more life and depth. If you're looking for an audio book to check out then I'd highly recommend this one, and if you still haven't read The Hunger Games then I reckon the audio is a fab place to start.

Audio rating: 4/5

Plot review:
I'll keep my review of the plot fairly brief because I've already reviewed the hard copy of this book here. The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic America, split into districts where each year, a boy and girl from each district are sent to the Hunger Games, a fight to the death aired live on TV to the nation.

The idea is so horrifying that when trying to explain the plot it sounds like you couldn't possibly enjoy it, but what Collins has done is approached the subjects of war and reality TV in a harsh and brutal way and exposed it to a new audience. The plot is gripping and full of suspense, as you root for the characters who are facing almost certain death.

Katniss makes for a fascinating main character. She's far from your typical girl which I love. Feisty and determined, she knows how to get what she wants and has this amazing determination. The range of characters throughout the book are brilliant and even the horrible ones do well to provoke such strong feelings.

There's twists and turns and so many cliffhangers that it's impossible to put down this book. Just as you reach the end of one chapter something happens that means you can't stop! It's a fast paced, action filled drama based around a brilliant concept. An absolute must read.

Rating: 5/5

What to listen to next: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Books like this: Divergent by Veronica Roth