Gregor the Overlander

Gregor the Overlander (the Underland Chronicles book 1)
by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Sci-fi/epic/maybe some other stuff

Other Novels in Series:
Gregor and the Prophesy of Bane
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods
Gregor and the Marks of Secret
Gregor and the Code of Claw

Rating: Recommended, definitely. At least try the first one.

What I Liked:
-Boots. Bootsbootsbootsbootsboots. She's this tiny little girl, and when I first read the series my own little sister was the exact same age, so I feel 100% completely justified to say that she was wonderfully realistic and totally loveable. And she adds such a lovely angle to the story. I love how Gregor takes such good care of her, and how she couldn't be more oblivious to the danger surrounding her. They're adorable and so human. And that's also an element you rarely see in books like these-- really young characters who act their age and are actually majorly important and wonderful characters in their own right.
-the setting. I enjoyed the little details that were put into it.
-Ripred. If he wasn't a giant talking rat, I'd think he was related to Haymitch Abernathy.
-the twisty-turny-prophesy-y endings.
-Temp. Who knew you could fall in love with a person sized talking cockroach, right? Actually, I liked a lot of the roaches. They were an interesting species.

What I Did Not Like:
-at times this book is very oppressive. It isn't ever familiar or comfortable-- the entire setting is alien. While I really liked this, at times it did get hard to read. I know at least one person who tried to read it but couldn't get through the first book. (said person is a huge Hunger games fan, FYI)
-the themed names. It seems like a small quip (and, in fact, it is) but I found it annoying. On the other hand, my sister loved it. 
-Luxa. Another small quip. I did not find her character appealing or likeable, and all romance surrounding her felt contrived. I found her boring and a bit undeveloped. Still, I appreciate her role and I think it was what was necessary for the story.
-the end of the series. (Sorry.) It seemed... like it didn't quite follow. Actually I felt this way about the whole last book, it was like it took a completely different path from the others.
-there did seem to be a tiny bit of a personal touch missing-- I grew very, very fond of many of the characters, but there were so many little pieces of backstory that I wanted to know but never learned. I was so curious about their lives, but most of the time I didn't get anything.

Comparison to the Hunger Games:
-I felt this was a necessary addition to this review, as it seems to me that Gregor is often treated as the unloved stepsister to the Hunger Games. Even with the huge popularity of THG, I have yet to come across any fans of Gregor, or even anyone who actually knows what it is.
-Gregor is in many ways very, very dark. There is, of course, the literal darkness of the setting, the Underland, but there's also just such a dark plot. Still, most of the time it doesn't come off as dark and dangerous as THG, probably because of the differing premises and differing writing styles. Still, there are so many small lines throughout that remind you that this is not a happy book, even more than the obviously unhappy plot.
-as I probably just said, the writing style differs a lot between the two books. THG is first person. Gregor is limited third person. Even beyond that, the way the characters and settings are portrayed reads very differently. at least to me.

Personal Thoughts:
-this is a good book for a long car trip... there's an audio version with a reader I really like.
-there will never, ever be a movie for this book. Although can you imagine one done in the style of the Secret of Kells? that would be awesome. Still, way too much darkness. You'd spend an hour in the movie theatre looking at a black screen.
-this book does have a very special place in my heart.
-Twitchtip is my favorite ever.