BOOK REVIEW: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1), by Suzanne Collins

Released: September 1, 2010 (Scholastic)
Series: The Hunger Games (Book #1)
Author Links: WEB / TWITTER / GOODREADS / FACEBOOK
Source: Purchased

Challenge: 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge
Buy Now From: Amazon

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.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Thoughts

I buy a lot of books based on the level of excitement from readers. You know those books – the bestsellers, the ones receiving high ratings, or flying off the shelves! I can’t even remember what propelled me to buy The Hunger Games, but I’m pretty sure it was for one of the previously mentioned reasons. Actually, I only had the first book of the series on my shelf for the longest time until one day I posted on Twitter that I was going to read it. My tweet was replied to by someone telling me if I’m going to read the first one I better have the next two on hand. Which I didn’t — so I put it off.

The thing that made me finally pick up the books and read them (again, this is now well after I bought the last 2 books in the series) was going to see Breaking Dawn in the theater and seeing The Hunger Games movie trailer. I came home realizing that I really had no idea what the book was about and the trailer made it look so.darn.good!

Naturally, I would put off reading it for months after seeing that trailer, but once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. And my Twitter replier was right: if you’re going to read the first book, have the other two on hand!

The Hunger Games is kind of bizarre when you think about it. It’s about these annual games, put on by the Capital, where two people between the ages of 12 & 17 are chosen to participate in a fight-to-the-death, Survivor type of game for the sole reason to be entertainment for the bored people who live in the Capital.

Knowing that this is what the book was about, I was certain that I wouldn’t like it, but Collins’s writing style is fantastic. She has a way of drawing in her readers with just enough gore, just enough action, and a great story. In fact, you might not even notice how bizarre it all is until you finish reading the series.

I loved the characters, though I have to admit that Katniss isn’t the most likable of characters. She seemed very brash and unsure of what she wanted, except when it came to Prim. I adored Prim. And Gale. I’ll admit that I’m really not on the Peeta bandwagon, no matter how sincere he sounds.

I know that this book is set up for the series (obviously, since it’s 2012 and the last book of the series was published in 2010. Apparently, I was living under a rock.), but I’m happy that there’s an actual ending to what happened in this installment and that it’s not one event being dragged out over three books.

If you enjoy dystopian books, mixed with a lot of un-put-down-able action, then this book is for you. The Hunger Games is a sure winner.