Skip to main content

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I was lucky enough to win a copy of The Hunger Games in Cheryl Rainfield's giveaway not long ago. Thanks, Cheryl! I'd heard so much positive feedback on this one, that I went in with fairly high expectations. Fortunately, I was uninformed as to any particulars, so the entire premise was a surprise. All I knew was that it was dystopian. And that I liked the cover.

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12--the furthest flung of the twelve districts of Panem--in what's left of North America. Every year the Capitol (the governing city of Panem) puts on the Hunger Games. The Games are a brutal reminder of the districts' failed rebellion. Each district is forced to offer up two of their youth as a tribute. Chosen by lottery, the 24 tributes are then forced to engage in a free-for-all battle to the death on live television. The victor wins fame, glory, and food and supplies for his or her district. This bloodbath is considered the height of entertainment in the Capitol. So far, so horrifying.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss is the sole provider for her family. With a mother barely able to go through the motions after her father died, and a younger sister who looks to her for everything, Katniss's days are consumed by hunting, trading, and bartering for their lives. Her one friend, a young man named Gale, leads a similar life and the two work as a team, eking out the bare essentials of existence for themselves and their families. Until the 74th Hunger Games roll around and Katniss's little sister is chosen for the tribute. Without a second thought, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place. And just like that, the games are on. What I loved about this book was the grim world of Panem. Katniss's unenviable life goes from bleak to awful in the blink of an eye and the horror is never cut with cream. In fact, the creep factor only escalates with time and the whole thing ratchets up to a terrifying ending that I, for one, did not anticipate. Brava, Ms. Collins! Katniss herself grew on me until, by the end, I cared very much what happened to her and no longer blamed her so much for being quite so cold. Her situation is not (and never has been) conducive to warmth.

On a side note, this book reminded me quite a bit of Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Both have heroines with Kat names. Katniss and Katsa. Both girls are forced to kill to stay alive. Both are manipulated and lied to on a regular basis and, unsurprisingly, have difficulty sorting out their emotions and figuring out who to trust. Both of them find the possibility of eventual happiness an unlikely prospect at best. Both books built up to rather killer endings and, most frustratingly of all, both are the first books in a trilogy. I'm seriously going to have to go find myself a series entirely in print to help pass the time. I am always waiting for sequels...

Labels:

Comments

  1. Jen Robinson9:53 AM

    I'm glad that you liked it. If this book doesn't win some awards, I'll be very disappointed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brie11:47 AM

    I'm still waiting for mine to show up in the mail.

    DA is having a Book Club discussion about Hunger Games today. I thought I'd let you know in case you didn't.

    http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/10/15/hunger-games-book-club-discussion/#more-6998

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angiegirl4:28 PM

    It certainly seems set to, Jen.

    I saw that, Brie. Very cool. Hope your copy arrives soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janssen8:54 AM

    This was just a terrific, terrific book. I'm glad you liked it too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Angiegirl1:41 AM

    Yep. The ending particularly really stuck with me. Loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sophia (FV)10:18 AM

    Nice review! I am really looking forward to reading this series.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like

Darkest Mercy Cover Art

I know you've likely seen this cover already, but it's frankly too pretty not to post. Also, it's Donia. And I love Donia. This is the cover for Darkest Mercy --the fifth and final book in Melissa Marr 's Wicked Lovely series. And just for fun, I thought I'd post all five covers side by side here now, both to show the arc of truly lovely cover art for a series, and to try to determine which one is my favorite. First of all-- so pretty . This series has just had consistently gorgeous covers and I love seeing that, especially for a series I've followed and enjoyed (I should say that has inspired the full range of human emotions in me--which can only be a good thing--even when I'm railing against some bit of nonsense Keenan got himself up to). Second, as far as my favorite goes, it's definitely down to either the cover of Ink Exchange or the one for  Darkest Mercy . I love them both. But I think, I think , I'm gonna have to go with Ink Exchange . Bec
12 comments
Read more

Bibliocrack Review | The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 Hi. Hey. Hello there. It's been a . . . well, you know what it's been. We're all still living this together. So I will simply skip to the fact that I couldn't not review this book here. Because reading it was something special. I knew nothing about Ali Hazelwood 's debut novel except that it involved women in STEM and that the cover made me smile. I decided to set it aside for myself as a reward. Work has been . . . punishing . . . for the last year, and I have been so exhausted every hour of every day. And so I determined to buy The Love Hypothesis  on release day knowing nothing about it. But when I went to the bookstore to get my copy, none were available. In fact, none were available anywhere for love nor money, in store or online. At first I was moderately disappointed. Then I told myself maybe it's not that great after all and I didn't necessarily need to feel this preemptive sense of loss. But it kept gnawing at me. The loss. And so I paused work an
4 comments
Read more

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

I can't quit Jennifer Echols . Not that I really try that hard, but I read her new ones and often feel as though I'm still searching for that one in possession of that certain something that will make me feel the way  Going Too Far did. Like I couldn't put it it down. And definitely like I didn't hate either of the main characters after the fact. Well, I found it with Such a Rush . I read this 300+ pager in a single night, which clears up the question of whether or not I couldn't put it down. And I finished it definitely not hating either of the main characters. I didn't finish it loving them both unreservedly, though. I loved Leah with my whole heart from page one and that never changed. My feelings regarding one of the Hall brothers remain complicated. More to come on this in a bit. On a side note, I'm delighted that Such a Rush is Ms. Echols' hardcover debut. It's a meticulously designed book, a pleasure to hold in my hands as I stayed up way
22 comments
Read more