The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

This book is literary crack. I couldn't put it down. The world is at once familiar and incredibly strange. So fascinating. The stakes are unbelievably high! I was captivated instantly and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the fact that the characters feel two-dimensional in many ways. Katniss is an unreliable narrator because she is a survivor, first and foremost. She only notices what she needs to know to survive, so the secondary characters come across as undeveloped in many ways. Also, I was disappointed that the author took the hardest decisions away from Katniss. The only contestants she had to kill were the "bad" contestants. The things we were truly dreading (How would she kill Rue????) never happened. That made it feel like Katniss never had to really push herself to her limits until the end. However, the book demands instant consumption, so these small complaints are barely noticeable. I've recommended this book to countless people. So good.

This is amazing book, you really can't stop reading it once you've started. I started out buying the first one only not expecting much from it, but i ended up going to the bookstore, buying the second and third and reading them non stop. This is amazing!

I heard about this book series and was told if I read the first chapter and put it down, then it wasn't my type of book.

That seemed like a fair proposal.

Well I couldn't put it down. I started the first book on a Saturday morning, and continued reading the 2nd and 3rd books through the nite and into the wee hours of the morning.

It's just that good.

If you understand (not like or hate) American Idol, reality TV shows, then you'll get Hunger Games.

It's the type of book where you HAVE to know what's going to happen to the characters. You really end up caring about them.

I guess they're making a movie of this. My advice is to read these books so that you have the story the right way, then go watch the movie in a few months or whenever it comes out.

If you're wondering if these books are girly, they're not. The girl is totally kickbutt and the guys in the story aren't doe eyed pale faced wannabe vampires. They hunt, they fight, and they survive by any means necessary. People get shot, eaten, attacked, electrocuted, brainwashed, it's intense!

Check out Hunger Games, you won't be disappointed

I didn't realize how much I loved this book until I reread it. I hate rereading books, mostly because I love the experience of reading a book for the first time, and rereading the book sort of takes away all the magic for me. This book is one of the only exceptions.

PROS:
-The world is amazingly developed:
Panem is a continent separated into 12 Districts, and Katniss Everdeen lives in the 12th. Each District is known for its different duties to the continent, and District 12 specializes in mining, and is one of the overlooked Districts. Every year, there is a spectator/gladiator event that involves two "Tributes" from each of the Districts, and they must be children, rallying up 24 kids to participate. The event is called the Hunger Games, a piece of revenge by the Capitol of Panem on an earlier rebellion, where the Tributes fight to the death live on television.
-The setting is a character:
District 12, the Capitol, and the Arena all come alive in the story. The Arena's features differ each year for the Games, and Katniss battles in a very woodsy-type arena. The characters have to accomodate to the forest.

CONS
Katniss:
Katniss's character has always bugged me. I like Katniss Everdeen, but not the way she makes decisions, or the way she acts. Katniss is the real "mother" of her family, and hunts for food though the law doesn't allow it, and takes her sister Prim's place in the Hunger Games. But Katniss is a very rash and instinctual character. She thinks some things through, but she, in my opinion, gets sort of a big head, and takes advantage of all the attention that she earns. That isn't an entirely bad idea, but Katniss should spend her time focusing more on the task at hand rather than manipulating the Capitol and its viewers.

Reader reviewed by darklightkid

Far into the future, the North American continent, after being ravaged by war and famine and who knows what else, has become the nation of Panem. Panem consists of a beautiful, modernistic Capitol somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by 13 districts, each one poorer and more pathetic than the last.

74 years ago, the districts, tired of the Capitol's oppressive ways, led a short-lived rebellion, but the Capitol's forces defeated them quickly and even annihilated District 13 completely. To punish the remaining 12 districts for their actions during these Dark Days, the Capitol set up an annual event called the Hunger Games, where each district is required to send two teenage tributes - a boy and a girl - to be shut into a massive arena and forced to fight to the death for food and other supplies, with the last one standing being declared the winner and winning their home district bragging rights for a year. Oh and did we mention the whole travesty is televised live to all of Panem?

This year, in District 12, the coal-mining district where everyone is either at or below the poverty line, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps up to compete in the Games in the place of her sister Prim, four years younger. Her fellow tribute is Peeta Mellark, son of a baker, who has had a crush on her for years. (Incidentally, Katniss has her own love interest, named Gale Hawthorne, who often joins her on illegal hunting expeditions beyond the fence encircling the town that comprises all of District 12.) Together with their mentor, the eternally drunk Haymitch Abernathy, and their Capitol representative, Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta travel up to the Capitol and enter the Games.

The Games aren't exactly fair, of course. In Districts 1, 2 and 4, the tributes are trained beforehand (Katniss and others call them, derisively, Career Tributes), completely against the rules. The Games planners repeatedly throw in increased dangers, such as deliberate fires and/or tracker jackers (a created species of wasp with hallucinogenic venom and all the ferocity of a pack of rabid pitbulls) just to make more tributes die and thus make the Games more "interesting." And as for Katniss and Peeta, they are especially popular, partly due to the costumes created by their bright young designer, Cinna, and partly because they are pretending to be a couple...which sets them up for, shall we say, special treatment.

This book is one of those that should be on a list of "10 Action Stories You Must Read Before You Die." It is ragingly good and seriously insane. My only problem is the fact that so many guys in the novel have such female-sounding names (Peeta, Gale and Cinna come to mind here).

Can't wait for the movie either...March 23, 2012! The pics of Jen Lawrence as Katniss are amazing, hope the rest of the actors look just as good. And when the heck will they cast Cinna? He's indispensable, but the producers are making no sign of choosing anyone to play him...WHY?!?!?!?

Reader reviewed by Kayleah.

This book O My GoSH!!!! it was absolutely amazing!!! It is a little think but totally worth it!!! Katniss, Peta, Gale, Prim, there all amazing!! I just love the book. If you are into adventerous romance, amazing books. Read Hungeer Games!!!! just its astonishing and made me freaking happy because it was that amazing!!!!!!!

Reader reviewed by Paisley

Man, oh man. This book leaves me speechless.


Actually i have so much to say about this amazing novel and the rest of the series that i will have to try very hard to sum up its perfection without giving away too much. Even if you are not a fan of young adult novels, or even if you dont like to read at all, i dont see how you could not get completely engrossed in this story. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, is one of the most well developed characters in any book i have ever read. She is so believeable and relateable and when you have finished the book you feel like you actually know this girl and have known her your whole life. Another great thing about this book is that there are so many characters to fall in love with. There are way to many main characters inthis novel to count and each one of them is described so well. Even characters who are only present for a short time are described in such detail that you feel as if you were there to meet them and know them yourself. The way Collins writes is breathtaking and suspenseful and keeps you glued to the book until you have read the last word in the last sentence of the last page. i read the entire series in three days because i could not put them down. My family thought i was crazy. Now, i am obsessive over reading everything i can about the books and the movie that is coming out next year. i cannot explain how much you NEED to read this if you have not.

Reader reviewed by Noah Blakely

In the near future, in a place once known as North America, children between the ages of twelve and eighteen battle each other for public entertainment in an annual fight to the death. Two tributes from each of the twelve districts of Panem are sent, one boy and one girl. They have no choice in the matter, because they must do what the Capitol says.

     This is the world of The Hunger Games, a sci-fi young adult novel by Suzanne Collins, the first installment in a breathtaking trilogy. In a brutal, dystopian era, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen struggles to support her mother and sister in District 12 while the citizens of the Capitol roll around in their riches. The day her sister, Prim, gets her name called in the reaping- the ceremony that decides who will be a tribute in the Hunger Games, a yearly televised fight to the death- is the day her world begins to fall apart. In a split second decision, Katniss offers to go to the Games in place of Prim, an act that most consider a death sentence.

     But, as Katniss soon finds out, her entry into the Games is only the beginning. She is forced to make decisions between survival and life, killing and dying, and the love life she never thought shed have. Slowly, she begins to unearth the dark secrets of the Capitol and its corrupt government, headed by none other than President Snow, the vile, snake-like dictator of Panem. And as it turns out, the Games arent just about winning&

     At first glance, the book cover seems unassuming. A golden bird on a black cover with the title in bold white across the top. It is simple, but it symbolizes the book so much better than a complicated cover would have. Fans of the series know exactly what I mean, but for those that have not read the book, I can say no more, for fear of spoilers. But the cover isnt what draws you into The Hunger Games. It also isnt the synopsis on the inside flap, though that does play a very big part. Instead, what really reels the reader in is the short excerpt on the back showing off Suzanne Collins fast-paced, first-person present-tense style: Once Im on my feet, I realize escape might not be so simple. Panic begins to set in. I cant stay here. Flight is essential. But I cant let my fear show.

     Although there are some controversial themes in the book- I have to admit, children fighting to the death isnt exactly my favorite, either- they only add to this brilliantly crafted novel. There is always something happening to Katniss and the other contenders, and there is always something left for the reader to think about. It is exactly these questions that propel the story along, making it virtually impossible to tear yourself away from its pages. What is going to happen next? How is this going to play out? Even past the thought-provoking issues, The Hunger Games is one of those books you end up getting really emotional over. Since it is such an intimate viewpoint- first-person has that effect- you really get inside Katniss head and experience everything that she experiences, which means that the impact is that much stronger.

     Overall, The Hunger Games was a great read, despite a few sub-plots that got annoying after a while. Suzanne Collins writing style is intense and in your face, and the topic of the book adds to the whole insane mood of it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good read, but beware: One you start, theres no going back&

Reader reviewed by Linda L

*previously posted on my book blog, Most Important Letter*

The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Release date: October 1, 2008
Copy: Paperback, bought

L: This book was one of my favorite dystopian books ever. And its believable. With its kick-ass protagonist Katniss Everdeen and her strange tie to her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark, and her devotion to her sister Prim, I couldnt get enough of this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5 letter blocks

Sexual content: Theres only kissing. What do you think?
Profanity: None. Awesome. *thumbs up*
Violence: Come on, its a book about kids killing each other. Honestly.
Other notables: Mild drinking (blame Haymitch).

Reader reviewed by Brianna

I think everyone should read this book at some point in their life time it has suspence, chase scenes, and some romance. I can't believe how good it was. I garentee that if you like it you will be wanting more of the hunger games. The very best book i had ever saw. I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!