Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Hunger Games


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Book Summary

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Thoughts

After seeing so much hype for this book I decided to give it a try. I was expecting to really hate it. It is not my usual type of read. The thought of children fighting to the death really disturbed me. As a mother, I thought this concept was completely wrong. Then I read the first chapter. I was completely hooked! Katniss is a young teen who is very strong and independent. She is a fantastic hunter who provides for her mother and younger sister, Prim. When Prim is chosen for The Hunger Games, Katniss steps forward to take her place. Prim is a delicate girl who would have not stood a chance at survival in the games. Katniss could not imagine life without her little sister so she takes her place. Katniss is whisked away along with Peeta, the baker's son to the Capitol to train and ultimately play the game, which is aired on tv much like our reality tv shows. I admired these kids for their bravery. There is a love triangle that seems to be unresolved at the end of this book but then we know there are two more books where I hope the love triangle will eventually be resolved. I appreciated that Katniss is a strong female lead character. The well-written plot is gripping but is also violent and brutal. One word of warning, make sure you have the time to read it because once the games begin you won't want to put the book down! Suzanne Collins does a great job describing postapocalyptic North America without weighing down the storyline. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series and see where the story goes. I highly recommend this book!

I purchased this book for my Nook and read it for the 2011 Just For Fun Challenge

8 comments:

  1. Like you, I was definitely a hold out with this one. In my mind there was no way the book could live up to all the hype. However, I finally gave in and read it a few weeks ago. Now?...I'm on the third book in trilogy and loving it. I guess that teaches me to dismiss a book, ha!

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  2. Yep, this one is a winner. Wasn't sure I'd like it either and ended up loving all 3 of them. Some hype is deserved and even though the premise is horrifying, somehow it works. Glad you liked it, Beth.

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  3. Glad you enjoyed it. It's not my usual type of book, but I loved it.

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  4. I wasn't sure I was going to like this one either and truthfully I found the beginning kind of slow but once I got sucked in, I was hooked. I have yet to read the other two but I'm looking forward to them.

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  5. I really loved this book too. I just recently reviewed the third book in the series, Mockingjay. I can't wait to see what you think of the others.

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  6. Yours is the first review that made me think maybe I do want to read this. Maybe because all the reason you didn't think you would like it are the same as mine. I may just have to rethink my stand on this series.

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  7. This is not normally my type of read either, so your positive review has me reconsidering it.

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  8. This WAS an awesome book! Seriously, I had this and Catching Fire .. once I started reading on a Saturday, I did almost nothing else until I had them both finished Sunday evening!

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