The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Copyright: 2008 (Scholastic); 374 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-439-02352-8
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Sensuality: Kisses
Genre: Young Adult
From Good Reads.com: 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, 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.
Comments: This book’s been on my radar for awhile. Had I been able to, I would have read it in one day. Before I finished reading it, I ordered the other two books in the trilogy and re-purchased HG (so all three would be in hardback).
I was a little apprehensive when I started reading. I don’t mind 1st person, but I’m not a fan of present tense. But, as I read, I stopped noticing the technique — it wasn’t the distraction I thought it was going to be.
I liked Katniss right away. Her having to shoulder so much responsibility at such a young age, not one to trust others easily, or get too close to them emotionally. I saw and understood how all that colored her thinking.
As for Gale, he didn’t have much page time for me to really get to know him. A reliable friend and an all-round good person is what I came away with after reading the book.
And Peeta. I really must have a thing for guys who suffer in silence while the heroine unwittingly breaking their hearts. I really felt for the poor guy.
However, I’m not a fan of love triangles. I will spoil myself by finding out how it works out, if possible, and decide whether or not to read the series. This morning, I broke down and read some spoil-y, low-rated, reviews of Mockingjay. I learned a lot more about the story than just the resolution of the triangle, and I was on the fence about reading the rest of the series. As soon as I got home from work, I read/skimmed the last chapter of the book because I HAD to read it myself in order to make a final decision.
I WILL be reading the rest of the trilogy.
Start: 1 April 2011
Finished: 6 April 2011
Rating:
Loved It!
