"I enjoyed the story enough that I have started the sequel."
There's still time to turn in your own review of The Hunger Games. See this page for more details.
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult
Book Synopsis
The story is set in post-apocalyptic North America where society is structured by regions. There is a Capitol, and 12 other districts, each with a specific function (mining, agriculture, etc). Every year, each of the 12 districts selects by lottery one boy and one girl from 12-18 years old to play in the Hunger Games. The game pits the 24 contestants against each other in some sort of wilderness arena. The last survivor wins. They enter the game with only the clothes on their backs and have to hunt each other while managing to stay alive.Oh, and there are booby-traps. The games are shown on TV and a source of entertainment and betting. Much like so-called “reality TV” it’s not just skill, but winning the audience over that count. People can sponsor gifts to the contestants – food, equipment, medicine. So, not only do the participants have to do well in terms of survival, but they have to be able to win over sponsors.
The story follows Katniss, a girl who provides for her family by hunting and trading on the black market after her father’s death. When her younger sister is selected for the games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. The book follows her through all the pre-game showbiz the Capitol puts on, and then into the game itself.
Shannon's Rating
Shannon's Review
I enjoyed the story enough that I have started the sequel. There was enough content to have it wrap up nicely, but plenty of opening for follow-up without my knowing exactly what the next book would be about. I enjoyed it. The reading was easy but interesting, providing food for thought while maintaining an interesting story. I kept turning the pages, but not compulsively. It is a bit too serious to be what I call “brain candy,” but doesn’t feel heavy, despite the rather morbid premise.
What I liked:
- There’s a lot of psychological play that makes the story interesting to me. There’s what the protagonist wants versus what she thinks she needs to do to win – which means to stay alive.
- The action/combat sequences of the book was not overdone, in my opinion. I never felt like it was so long and drawn out that I lost track of who was doing what, which many books with physical conflict do to me.
- There’s a bit of coming-of-age that goes on romance-wise. While the protagonist grew up in so many ways before the games, this keeps her from looking like an adult character in a kid’s body. It makes her more realistic, and provides subplot. I genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen.
What I didn’t like:
- I felt some of the turns of events (especially near the ends of chapters) were too heavily foreshadowed. I predicted a few too many, which took away a good deal of suspense. Although, in fairness, I didn’t always know how something would happen, just that it would.
- The protagonist (like many in other books) gets obscure messages too clearly. It would have been a bit more believable if she’d messed up one or two. This is especially irksome as she is very good with some messages that are cryptic, but other ones that I felt were more obvious fly by her (those would be the things I predicted).
- Some of the characters felt a tad flat, but they did fulfill their roles nicely. I think some of this may be rectified later in the series.
Disclaimer: May not be appropriate for children due to violence. The notion of teens fighting to the death is, in my opinion, a "mature theme," especially as it ties in to governmental control of the citizenry.
