[Book Review] The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games 1) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

I have been browsing a few YA novels lately and there was a lot of positive buzz about the Hunger Games series so I decided to give it a try buying all three books at the same time. Having a strong female protagonist and being a coming-of-age story was governing factors in my choice. I plan to review the rest of the trilogy in the upcoming weeks.

The story is about a teenager, Katniss Everdeen who takes her sisters place in the annual Hunger Games where 24 youths are pitted against each other in a deadly survival spectacle to the entertainment of the Capitol citizens and the intimidation of the districts.

It is a post gasoline world where a remnant of humanity survives in Capitol and the 12 surrounding districts in what used to be North America. The districts are oppressed by the Capitol and they have to confirm their submission every year by sending two of their young ones to the Hunger Games.

Katniss is the kind of protagonist that is easy to love. She is loving and caring even to strangers and she provide for her fatherless family by hunting outside the fences that surround their district. She hunts with a boy that she has started to have feelings for. Her love for her younger sister is what prompt her to take her place in the games.

The games is inspired by reality shows on TV as is the story according to the author. Katniss is accompanied to the games by 12th districts only surviving game winner, and the district's other champion Peeta Mellarc.

I smiled a little as I read about the stylist team that meets them and the public's participation in the games by sponsoring champions they like. The preparations for the games are quite entertaining but it is when we come to the games them self that I could really immense myself. It was a quite thrilling and emotional read I enjoyed a lot. The way they used a 'fake' relationship to please the crowd added a whole new slightly disturbing dimension to the story but it works out in the end.

The only complaint I have is that the world is so interesting that I would like to know more about it and the history leading up to the situation it is now.

The games are a morbid blood and entertainment show reminiscent of a crazy survival show.

The Hunger Games is a dystrophian and haunting tale about a vivid and human hero. I loved the story and I think most adults would like it too.

Reviewer: Ove Jansson

Copy: Bought it myself

Rating: 9/10

Information

Title: The Hunger Games
Series: The Hunger Games book 1
Author: Suzanne Collins
Audiobook: 11h 1omin
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (2008)

Order from: Audible | Amazon US | UK | B&N | sfbok

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

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.