While I was considering what I would say about this review, I thought, "I'll give it four stars," and I thought of some very good reasons why I deducted that one star. But, shucks, who am I kidding? I don't exactly know where this love of middle grade fiction has come from, but I'm such a sucker for it. Yes, there are things that I can say weren't as great as previous entries into this series. It seems like we spent less time with the main characters in this one. The entire story zooms right by

There's a bit of a formula with the Gregor books.1. Gregor has a dull home life and the beginning has to remind you of this. His family has real-life problems with money, food, and everything else.2. For some stupid reason, Gregor finds himself in the Underland again along with his useless 2-year-old sister.3. Some kind of issue goes down with the humans in the Underland.4. Gregor, the chosen one, must go on a quest in order to resolve the issue. He battles random creatures and his sister must g...

THIS. BOOK. IS. INCREDIBLE.Definitely my favourite so far of the series. I'm still in shock and I can't believe what happened (even though I sort of knew it was heading there).The ending...I am so sad. And mad. But mostly sad. And worried. Honestly, poor Gregor never gets break. He has to struggle just to get by in the real world, and then he's constantly being dragged into the Underland. Everyone is suffering. His poor dad, his sister Lizzie, and his mom. Only Boots is happy and oblivious and s...

Cute series and perfekt to listen to on a sunny day sitting outside a cafe drinking coffee - and that is just what I did :-)

I really enjoyed this 3rd installment of the Underland Chronicles. It might even be my favorite in the series so far. I liked the plot and the major twist in the end and I loved how fast-paced the whole thing was. This managed to break my heart a bit which didn't surprise me at all because, you know, Suzanne Collins. Weirdly(?) Ripread has became my favorite character. I see him as Haymitch Abernathy of this series. :D

the series' themes of war and loss really hit home in this book!

Why is life so hard for poor Gregor?! :(

A quick recap if you haven't been paying attention up until now: this is the third book in a five-book cycle, the first two books were good (but not great), it's by the author of The Hunger Games, and if you haven't read The Hunger Games, you're making remarkably terrible use of your time on this Earth.All caught up? Good.This book is probably my least favorite that Collins has written. That's not to say it's bad, but it's just not as entertaining as her other books have been, for a number of re...

This series was made to be used as a literary tool for helping kids understand war. I’m just convinced of that. They are amazing, I am so stressed for the characters while reading these, apprehensive of what I see looming in their futures, and that’s a pretty big reaction for books created for twelve year olds. Specifically this book deals with reparations, racism, the effects of long-endured wars and hatreds in shaping culture, the dangers of pacificism, and biological warfare.The environment i...

This is by far my favorite in the series, you really get to see how HIGH the stakes are. The action builds up there is so so much character development. I love literally everyone (which can only be said about maybe four other series). The writing is fantastic and very easy for little eleven year old me to read for the first time, and now 5 years later to still be able to love this for what it is. Luxa is a badass.

Might be my favorite book in the series so far. I love the characters. Gregor, Luxa, Boots, Temp, Ripred, and Ares are all great. And I can totally understand why Ripred is Suzanne Collins's favorite character.Since this series is for a younger audience, it's a bit more lighter and funnier than The Hunger Games. But really, it's not that much different. Sad things happen. There's war and hunger and death. And there's creepy stuff too. (Like with what happened to a bat in the previous book or the...

These books are supposed to be aimed at grades 4-6. I am therefore so very glad I have an 11-year old daughter, because otherwise I wouldn't have a good excuse to read this series--except that they're wildly entertaining and read as easily as putting down the tastiest junk food. As it is, we're having a blast tearing through them as part of our summer. She likes me to read first, because I'm a little better at holding back spoilers, but she's right behind me. The only problem: I'm now into book

This is the least favorite in the series for my daughter, but she still liked it. She thought it was a little confusing, and didn't like the end (view spoiler)[the fact that they went on the quest when they didn't really have to (hide spoiler)], and she wished there would've been more explanation where the plague and the cure were concerned.

Have these Underlanders ever, since Mr. Sandwich took them below, had a non-prophecy day? It seems to me that Gregor is always hopping down the air shaft to go fufill some underground prophecy and no one bats an eye (or eyes a bat, ha ha ha), like prophecy-fulfilling is a daily thing, something everyone knows about and engages in from birth. Like breathing and eating. It makes me think that Sandwich and others scheduled every day from now until the series ends with prophecy-doing.Getting Gregor

I've been on the point of swearing off series because they just seem to drag me on and on without giving me the fulfillment of a journey from exposition through a climax to a conclusion that I expect from a book. It was such a relief to be in the hands of an author who knows what they are doing and can create satisfying story that stands on its own two feet even when it is part of a series. I'm getting very attached to Gregor and Co. Each character is distinct and memorable--they feel real becau...

This is a great installment in this series. I don't think it could stand alone very well, but the moving of the overall plot is fantastic, as is the story within this volume. I loved the new characters, and was sad to lose a few of them, but happy that we will get to continue to read about a few more. The action is consistent and engaging, the characters are relatable and well-developed.Warning, though: my skin was crawling through a large portion of this book. With all that Suzanne Collins has

HAMNETTTTTT.I have a bunch of cracks in my heart because of fictional characters, and Hamnet's the cause of, like, a billion of them.

This series just gets better and better! My son and I are well and truly hooked. Perhaps it may seem odd a book about a plague affecting warm-blooded creatures during a real-life pandemic, but since it involved a quest for a cure, there was something oddly comforting about the story. This time round, Gregor and Boots are joined in the Underland by their Mum and, since she falls ill with the plague, Gregor has even greater motivation to find the cure.Once again, the story concludes with the groun...