Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Source: Purchased
Genre: Dystopian
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
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Caution: May contain spoilers

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.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

You know those books where you stay up late in an attempt to finish them only to look at the clock and see that it’s 4 AM and you can’t keep reading even though you feel like you need to finish it because you have to get up early the next day and then you fall asleep and start dreaming that you’re in the book and it makes you so anxious that you can barely sleep?

This was that book for me.

Writing a review for The Hunger Games at this point is almost difficult. I’d say that at least 75% of YA book bloggers (I’m trying to be reasonable in my estimate since I know some have chosen to not read it for whatever reason) have already read and reviewed this one themselves. So instead of going all in depth with the story, I’m going to talk about other aspects.

First off, I will have to stress how amazed I was at it. I went into the book expecting one thing but getting something else entirely. I misinterpreted what some of the story was going to be like. Yeah, I understood the premise, I just had a different idea of how the Hunger Games would be handled. I expected it to be like a gladiator arena. It was definitely not like that and the details of the scene of the game were much more interesting. I could literally picture the area, it was a compilation of several places I’ve been (mostly backyards of people I know and a video game arena, oddly enough) all meshed up into one bizarre world.

The background of the way the society is, and the way Katniss must live every day was overwhelming. When there’s something like that, something completely inhumane and wrong and unjust about a life someone is forced into living, it makes me irritable and frustrated. I wanted nothing more than to fix it all, but you can’t. You just can’t. Which is what’s so great about the book. This inner conflict to keep up appearances for the sake of your own life. It is intense.

source here

Katniss and Peeta. Wow. It’s funny, going into it I knew something was going to happen with them. I also knew that there was going to be a “love triangle” between her and Gale as well. And, unlike some people, I can see how there’s a possibility of her and Gale, because I do romanticize the whole “we grew up together” relationships. Then when everything starts to come out with Peeta before and during the games, your mind begins to switch and you start to fall for him. And you want Katniss to fall for him. It’s just brilliant, the romance.

In the end, you’re just BEGGING to read more. You want to know what happens next so badly that it makes you squeal. The Hunger Games is tremendous. It’s one of those books that can stand the test of time. It’s one of those books that epitomizes the dystopian genre. And it’s one of those books that I can’t wait to read the sequel to as soon as possible. Suzanne Collins has created an amazing tale. Now we’ll see how amazing it is on the big screen.

My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM