Hunger Games, The

Suzanne Collins

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called,

Featured Review

@literarymary

Reviewed: 2020-05-13

The best description for this book/series in 10 words or less:

"Girl with savior's complex and trust issues kills to survive."

I have read The Hunger Games series so many times, especially the first installment, that I lost count on how many times I have read it.

Suzanne Collins is a well-seasoned writer as is clearly seen in The Hunger Games. If you have done any research on any of the characters, places, and events in The Hunger Games and/or the rest of the series, you will see how much work was put into writing this book/series. From the name Katniss to her connection to being an archeress to the name Panem, it is rich in subtle references to mythology, nature, and results of political satire. Despite this book being more than a decade old, it continues to stay relevant in so many aspects of life and with current events.

Sure it seems like it duplicates pieces from the mythological story Theseus and the Minotaur, which Suzanne Collins has mentioned influenced this series in several interviews. But, it is clearly its own story. This book clearly pulls at your heartstrings and makes you think because no one truly wants to see your child or younger sibling be thrown into an arena and be forced to watch them most likely die or just come back with trauma.

Its widespread popularity has given many young women confidence that they can do anything they put their minds to as seen by the character Katniss. The depth of Katniss' character is extremely subtle and requires at least three reads to truly see her growth. Katniss may come off as this extremely brutal and selfish person. Think about it. How would you feel and react if you or your younger sibling were given a death sentence and completely stripped of who you are? I bet you would react the same way. Yes, she is calculating but behind all that, Katniss truly is being selfless. Pay attention to how she thinks through her actions and others.

I hear a lot of people gripe about the star-crossed lover romance portion. I believe it is over-the-top and is somewhat nauseating but is essential for Katniss' growth. The romance piece did add depth to it but in a lot of subtle ways.

Katniss' growth seems pretty stunted for the most part unless you look really deep into her characterization. It actually took me about 3 read-throughs of this installment of it to see the subtle growth she goes through, which is why I heavily wrote about Katniss' characterization in my senior.

I don't want to give too much away, but if you're interested in seeing a deep dive into Katniss' characterization feel free to reach out and I'll send you my senior thesis I wrote on this female warrior.

Refer to my blog for a different view of this review:

https://axarr.blogspot.com/2020/06/review-wednesday-hunger-games-by.html

Reviews

@bibliophilebrit

Reviewed: 2021-07-13

This is a re-read that was assigned for my class this term. The class will be finishing it next week. I love The Hunger Games. I adore the Katniss/Peeta relationship from the first book.

@jotaikodragon

Reviewed: 2021-04-14

Second reading of this book. Just as good as the first.

@1stcactus

Reviewed: 2021-04-10

Takes place in Panem, which is N America in the future. All districts have to send a child to fight in the Hunger Games, a brutal fight to the death with only one survivor. Surprisingly good.

@mella87

Reviewed: 2021-03-06

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did, but it was a quick, easy read. Was definitely a page turner. I read this after watching the movie and I’m impressed by how much the movie followed the book. Very well done.

@hawkeye1316

Reviewed: 2021-02-05

Collins creates a brutal world where the children of the poor are thrown into a life and death game for the entertainment of the rich. A great beginning to an interesting trilogy. I'm very excited to read the rest of it.

@kirbyb

Reviewed: 2021-02-04

4.33

@jennyuen

Reviewed: 2020-11-07

This is my favorite YA series since Harry Potter. It's well-written, compelling, and doesn't shy away from tackling tough issues like slavery, oppression, and human trafficking. I know that there's been some criticism that the plot is similar to Battle Royale, but I don't think that takes away from the fact that this is a good book. Originality is great, but it doesn't always equal a good story. Collins manages to strike a good balance between the external and internal action, showing how the events change Katniss without slowing down or getting bogged down with internal dialogue.

@nystel

Reviewed: 2020-08-17

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games

Ms. Nystel has read this book!

@dfvarnell

Reviewed: 2020-07-13

7/10

@nickscully

Reviewed: 2020-06-29

The language isn't elaborate, but this just leads to build the suspense and anxiety, and even more importantly, belief in the very elaborate world Collins has built and the rules of this post-apocalyptic world. I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I hadn't already known the general storyline and the actors who portray the characters in the movie, but it was still a great read that I couldn't put down and I'm very glad I finally read it for myself.

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