The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen is disgusted by her society. Not necessarily the people, but the way it’s run: everyone is poor, taken advantage of, the favorites are treated special, and the Hunger Games. Every year, one male and one female from the ages of 12 to 18 are forced to compete in a fight to the death. On live TV. What could possibly be more horrific? The people of the Capitol enjoy it. It is accepted as a fact, but for people like Katniss, people that fight just to survive, who are starving, it is the worst possible fate, especially if you’re from District 12. When her sister Prim is picked to basically go to her death, Katniss volunteers to save her. Does Katniss have the heart to kill 23 other teenagers, in self defense or not?
Alright, everyone’s heard of this book. Or the movie. Or something. However, I am still going to keep it spoiler-free. Now, I have read better books, but something about Collins’ style and storytelling drew me in.
(And if you read the next book, Catching Fire, her genius.) This is one of my favorite books, and I still enjoy reading it, just for fun. Why? Well, the whole plot is just interesting, and there’s so many themes. Also, the characters.
(And if you read the next book, Catching Fire, her genius.) This is one of my favorite books, and I still enjoy reading it, just for fun. Why? Well, the whole plot is just interesting, and there’s so many themes. Also, the characters.
The characters: Katniss. I really do like her. When I read the book the second time, it struck me just how sarcastic and funny she was. She’s also one of the characters that even though she thinks she’s selfish, she really isn’t. She’s not very optimistic, either. She’s pretty much angry at life and only finds a little pleasure, but she wants to live. And she’s a survivor. Then you’ve got Peeta, the main love interest. I like him, but he doesn’t have a presence to him, if you know what I mean. Like, Katniss has a presence to her. When you read through her point of view, you feel her personality as a character, she seems real. Peeta doesn’t have that for me. Also, he’s too...good. Now, that is not bad at all, but sometimes doesn’t make for a very interesting character. And those are the ones I like: the interesting ones, the ones that will make you think. And Gale...I guess I like him better than Peeta. I would probably choose Gale, but I think Katniss is better off with Peeta. None of the male characters really stood out for me, and they usually do more than the female characters. Oh, wait, I forgot Haymitch. He did stand out. I don’t know why, I don’t exactly know how, but he does. I can see that happening to someone: reaching fame when they don’t want it, being traumatized in the process, giving up.
As for the plot, I liked it, too. It kept me turning pages, and was an emotional rollercoaster. The ending scene was great (loved it in the movie!) and there was a lot of imagery to back it all up. As much as I don’t like violence, this book was thought-provoking, and I really liked it.
Five stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia
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