Sophie was actually napping. Like, genuinely asleep. I had ninety glorious minutes stretching ahead of me, a cold cup of coffee I'd reheated twice, and absolutely zero intention of doing laundry. So I curled up on the couch with Gregor and the Marks of Secret, book four in a series I'd been rationing like Halloween candy.
Here's the thing about Suzanne Collins before she became THE Suzanne Collins of Hunger Games fame—she was already doing this. The darkness. The moral complexity. The way she makes you genuinely worried about fictional characters. This series is technically for kids, which is hilarious because I'm a grown woman who gasped out loud when the true fate of the nibblers was revealed.
When Your Kids' Book Hits Different
I picked up the Underland Chronicles because Emma was curious about what "the Hunger Games lady" wrote before. Smart marketing on my part—get the seven-year-old interested so I have an excuse to listen. But honestly? These books aren't really for her. Not yet. The violence here isn't gratuitous, but it's real. War-related atrocities real. The kind of real where you pause and think "wait, this is middle grade fiction?"
Book four takes everything that was simmering in the first three and cranks up the heat. The mice—sorry, nibblers—have been getting pushed around by rats for generations. Standard fantasy oppression stuff, right? Except Collins doesn't let it stay standard. When Gregor and Luxa discover what's actually happening to them, it's... look, I'm not going to spoil it, but my stomach dropped. In my living room. During nap time. Over a children's book about talking animals.
The pacing here is tighter than the previous books. At just over seven hours, it's the perfect length for a week of interrupted listening. I got through it during three nap times, two school pickups, and one very long wait at the pediatrician's office. Survived 47 pauses and still made sense—which is basically my highest compliment.
Paul Boehmer Does the Heavy Lifting
I'll be honest—the research I did before listening didn't give me much on Paul Boehmer's specific performance here. No standout moments people were raving about, no complaints about voices blending together. And after listening? I get it. He's competent in that way where you forget you're listening to a narrator at all. The story just... happens.
That's actually exactly what I need. I don't have the bandwidth for a narrator who demands attention. Boehmer stays out of the way while still differentiating between characters enough that I could follow who was speaking even when Lucas was asking me for the fifteenth snack of the day. Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking.
The production is clean—no weird audio glitches, no sudden volume changes that would wake a sleeping toddler. (If you're a parent, you know this matters more than any Audible review will tell you.)
That Cliffhanger Though
Okay. I need to warn you. This book ends on a cliffhanger that made me actually say "are you KIDDING me" out loud. In my car. In the school pickup line. The mom next to me definitely heard.
It's the penultimate book in the series, so I get it—Collins is setting up the finale. But man. The way she just... stops. Right when everything is crashing down. Right when Gregor's role as warrior and his abilities as a rager are being tested in ways that made my heart hurt.
If you're the type who needs closure, have book five ready to go. Don't make my mistake. I'm now in audiobook purgatory, waiting for my next credit, wondering what happens to characters I care way too much about.
Proto-Katniss in the Dark
You can see the Hunger Games DNA here. The reluctant hero forced into violence. The political machinations happening above the protagonist's head. The way Collins writes kids dealing with adult horrors without making it feel exploitative. Gregor is basically proto-Katniss, except he's eleven and fighting giant rats instead of other teenagers. That same uncomfortable exploration of kids forced into impossible situations shows up in Lord of the Flies, though Golding's version is way bleaker.
But there's something almost more unsettling about the Underland Chronicles. Maybe because Gregor is younger. Maybe because the world feels more claustrophobic—literally underground, literally trapped. The stakes feel different when your hero still believes in happy endings and you can feel that belief eroding chapter by chapter.
My book club would love this. If I ever have time for book club again. (I don't. Sophie's nap schedule is chaos.)
Who's This For (And Who Should Skip)
Perfect for multitasking parents who want something engaging but not so complex you lose the thread when your toddler starts screaming about her sock feeling "wrong." If you loved Hunger Games and want to see where Collins sharpened those instincts, this delivers. Skip it if you need standalone stories—this one ends mid-crisis and will leave you desperate for book five.
Nap Time Well Spent
This is a solid middle-grade fantasy that punches above its weight class. The seven-hour runtime is manageable. The narrator is reliable. The story will make you feel things you weren't expecting to feel.
Just... have the next book ready. Trust me on this one.
Made me gasp at school pickup. Worth it though.
