The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | Review

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Number of Pages: 374

Published: September 14, 2008

Rating: 10/5!

Synopsis

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. (goodreads)

Quote

“Here your dreams are sweet | and tomorrow brings them true | Here is the place where I love you.” - Katniss

“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” - Peeta

Review

I remember the first time I saw this walking through the books in Wal-Mart, and stopping to pick it up. I skimmed through the plotline, flipped through a few pages, and shook my head. "I don't think I'd like it," I told Mom, set it back down, and walked away, content not to own it. If I really wanted it, I could just get it from the library and see if I liked it.

Not even a few months later, just about everyone I knew including probably my own book characters had to have this book. At my job in the library, I swear I saw this book get checked in and checked out like nobody's business. I got a blog, and just about every blogger I checked out LOVED this book. Finally, I caved. A few weeks ago when I went on my 'book shopping spree' I bought the book. It came as the fourth book I read out of seven.

I never thought I would love it.

I began to read it, skeptical, especially when I read about Katniss trying to drown poor Buttercup (helpless cat lover). But I kept reading—once I start a book, I must finish it. And by the end of the first chapter, I stopped reading, looked around the room, and kept reading until it was dark and I needed to get homework done. The next day at school I'm sure I lost a lot of valuable information because I was ignoring the teachers—guys, I was reading little parts of this book TO my teachers.

I have committed a sin: I have judged a book by its cover, and I have been proven wrong about this book. Now, I'll actually review this wonderful piece of literature that I'm actually going to reread once I finish Beautiful Creatures. Darn it, why won't the paperback of Catching Fire come out?!

The characters were likable, the story riveting, and Katniss's wry attitude toward anything that stands in her way prevented you from putting the book down. I was getting tired of the common perspective: dry humor. But Katniss was different, somehow—dry humor in the face of survival. When she first hears Peeta's name announced, and you had no clue why she was so concerned, she explains it in such a way you've completely forgotten that she was just announced to fight in the Hunger Games. The flashbacks were so beautiful, so smooth that you never thought of them as flashbacks! Or at least I didn't! (;

The description of Panem was 'flawless'—I thought of it as similar to a Native American walking into a [cleaner] New York City. Evil can be beautiful, and the ugly are good at putting on their makeup. This is what I thought of as Panem. But even within those mountains, there are people there who are kind and good, such as Cinna. Katniss and Peeta are already struggling, trying to get used to the idea of being enemies even though they have a private bond no one knows about, and you can feel the tension of it.

Haha. While Katniss was showing the judgeswhatever what she could do, and she fired the arrow at them, I started giggling. Totally owned! I think this was the point I forgave Katniss for trying to drown Buttercup.

Anyway, let the Games begin. The depiction of the landscape, the Tributes, the Careers, and Katniss's instinctual escape were amazing! Oh jeez, I really want to go grab the book and start reading it again now. And she didn't get the bow and arrow, grrr! But she got it later so it's all good. Guys, I seriously thought Rue was gonna stab Katniss in the back. But I WILL NOT SPOIL ANYTHING. No matter how much I want to.

Her defiance, her cunning, her bravery, and her intelligence led you through the story at such a pace you were struggling to keep up with her as she dodged through the fireballs, hid in the tree with the tracker jackers, and watched from the sidelines as she fired into the mines. At that point when she lost her hearing in her left ear, I really felt for her. Hearing is completely essential to me, and to know that one of my new favorite protagonists ever might have lost part of hers, made me ache.

Then the announcement is made—Tributes can get together. I think if I hadn't been sitting in a classroom I might have started cheering. But of course I felt sorry for Peeta. You could tell his feelings were genuine, and that hers weren't. It was fabulous. The grand finale with Cato versus Katniss and Peeta versus the wolf...things was AMAZING! There are too many things I want to say. Then after they win, and are expected to do the unthinkable, Katniss's decision just put the book near the top of my 'favorite books ever' list.

And the end of the book is just—I WANT CATCHING FIRE! NOW!! By the way I liked the mockingjays. (:

So those are all the pros...as for cons? I really think there was only one thing that irritated me...and it was so small I'm really trying to remember what it was. I'm pretty sure it was the fact Katniss was so instinctual with Peeta, pretending she knew exactly what he was going to do or what he was thinking. You can't predict people like that, as Peeta proved, but Katniss just got so upset about it that it sort of upset me too, for different reasons. But that was IT.

See how long this review is? See it?! That's how much I loved this book! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK, DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID - READ IT!

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Reading: Beautiful Creatures

Listening to: ---

Watching: Football again ._.

Quote: Um... xD