The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Series #1)by Suzanne Collins
391 pages
Scholastic, September 2009
Amazon.com | BN.com
My Review: If you’re delving into this series after having read the Harry Potter 7 book series, allow me to warn you now, Katniss is no Harry and Suzanne Collins is no J.K. Rowling! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, on it’s own, comparing it to no other character defining or author series (of the young adult variety) this book has the potential to be great. Unfortunately, many who read this series will be coming from the Harry Potter era. I’m one of those who inhaled that series, therefore anything that I read after it will automatically be compared and will ultimately fail. But don’t worry! This first installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy has it’s moments of brilliance, surprise, and lessons learned. The triple threat any really good young adult book should have throughout.
Suzanne’s skill in this book are her character descriptions. She leaves very little room for you to fill in the edges on what you’ll have them look like in your head. If you’re anything like me, I appreciate visuals. If I can see the description then we’re off to a good start. She gives a good balance of dialogue to description.
The entire book is written from the point of view of the main character, Katniss, who is outwardly strong and skilled, but inside she is like every adolescent teenager; struggling to find her place in the world. Although the circumstances for this story taking place are pretty drastic in nature, she manages to give every single character such a profound voice and meaning that I’d be surprised if you could not see yourself in that characters shoes, feeling those same emotions and asking those same “growing up” questions?
My only criticism with The Hunger Games is its predictability. It’s obvious where she’s planning to take this story next so I had to keep reminding myself that this trilogy is meant for a much younger mind. It takes me back to the series of young adults books I read growing up and how excited I was and smart I felt whenever I’d be able to anticipate what was coming next in the story. This is a satisfaction that can only be gotten from a well written and properly executed sequence of events.
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 is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.
If you want to learn more about Suzanne Collins please visit her site.
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