The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games #1

Summary:

Winning means fame and fortune, losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun...

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 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Plot:

This is probably one of the most hyped-about dystopian YA fiction of our time. It’s not extremely original, young teens battling the tyrannical rule of an unfair government, but the concept of the Games are pretty unique. I enjoyed reading the book, now that I’m pretty familiar with the movie and comparing the two. I think the film-makers did a pretty decent job, although there are some things in the book I forgot about until I read it again now. What I would’ve liked are more plot twists, or just moments that make me sit up and pay attention. Maybe it was less exciting for me because I know the story, but I feel that a truly excellent book would’ve captured my attention even after I know the story. The best part of this book is probably the way it subtly exposes things for how they truly are, the plastic surgery and make-up, or the reality TV-show of kids dying, none of these are concepts that are completely foreign to us. All in all this is a very good book for its genre, definitely one of the better ones, and I do enjoy reading it.

Characters:

Katniss is the perfect hero. She’s strong, skilled, kind-hearted, but not soft and extremely brave. Yet she’s imperfect and has her moments of weakness and confusion. I think she’s very relatable, and older sister, trying to keep her family together at all costs, yet still just a girl herself, confused about love, friendship etc. If it weren’t for her this would’ve just been another story, but she makes this book worthwhile. The only other character we really get to know is Peeta, her fellow tribute. He is very likable, humble and just a nice guy, without being annoyingly good. The other tributes are all very interesting, and Katniss’ family (including Gale) are nice to read about, but I feel like they’re all a bit understated.

Who should read this:

13+, the violence is not described very graphically, but the subject matter is obviously not meant for very young kids. I didn’t notice any language, and except for Haymitch’s drinking there is very little other content that could be objectionable to some people. If you like dystopian novels, or just YA fiction in general, this is one you probably should’ve read already. If you like romantic, light, fluffy type books this might not be the one for you...

My rating:

I really do like this book, but it doesn’t have a big enough impact on me to be added to my favourites shelf. 4/5.

Quote:

‘Stupid people are dangerous.’