The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
Title: The Hunger Games
Series: The Hunger Games, #1
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: Scholastic; 2009
454 pages, paperback
Source: Bought; own physical copy
Description (from Goodreads):
Winning will make you famous.
Losing means certain death.
In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.
When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she see it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature
Losing means certain death.
In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.
When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she see it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature
My Thoughts:
(Second time reading)
(Second time reading)
5 brilliant stars
I read this back in grade five when it first came out. I enjoyed it. I mean it was good. Nothing too amazing, nothing too terrible.
I buddy read this with Mei awhile ago and wow! I loved it. What was wrong with me last time, I don't know because I could barely put the book down this! Yes, obviously I already knew what would happen, but I was seriously enthralled, enraptured. I just need to read more and more. It was bloody brilliant.
Katniss Everdeen lives in District Twelve of Panem. A dystopian city where the Capitol controls the lives of its citizens. Each year the Hunger Games are held. A reality TV show where twenty-four boys and girls (one of each for all of the twelve districts) aged between 12 and 18 are selected to battle to the death. There can only be one winner.
Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the games and is thrust into a world where no one is who they seem, where everyone wants her dead and only the fittest and smartest will live.
But Katniss is a survivor. She isn't go down without a fight.
It takes a certain strong personality to get through something as utterly brutal the Hunger Games and be able to come out the same person.
Katniss is as tough as nail. She's kickass. Strong. Resilient. And not one to cower from fear. I loved her. She been though hell. Her father died in a mining accident. Her mother shut down with grief. She is forced to hunt illegally everyday with her friend, Gale. It's a struggle to survive. But she doesn't dare give up. She's a fighter.
Though Katniss can be a bit of a cow at times, I will say that straight out, she's focused on surviving not the feelings of people. And you know what, isn't that what would happen in real life!? Your not going to allow yourself to worry about feelings of love and whatnot while simultaneously trying to figure out how to survive the next hour without having to murder your fellow tributes in cold blood on live television.
I really cannot say how much I admire Katniss' strength of character. I would not last a minute her position. Collins has done an amazing job constructing a wonderfully realistic and true heroine.
The rest of the charters make a perfect cast. There is every sort of personality and each manage to complement each other as well as Katniss.
Peeta. He's sweet. Kind. Caring. Utterly charming. Yet, I couldn't quite connect to him. We are constantly wondering about his true intentions, but also know that he's totally heads over heels for her. I don't really know what to feel about him.
The plotline and the suspense is what keeps you gripped with this book. There isn't a page were something doesn't happen to keep you on your toes. Getting a little dull? Lets thrown some fireballs in. No? What about mutant dogs? Yes? Yeah, that ought to do it!
I couldn't shut the book for fear of missing out. What would happen next? Who is going to survive...?
I love that throughout The Hunger Games we have parallel stories running. It isn't just a survival story or a dystopian book. There are subgenres of romance (slightly), political intrigue, mystery and so much more.
I cannot believe I didn't really enjoy it that much the first time round. This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. I loved it.
I am eager to reread Catching Fire.
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