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The Hunger Games

(The Hunger Games #1)

Suzanne Collins

4.33 · Rating details · 5,631,646 ratings · 161,489 reviews

First in the ground-breaking HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her younger sister's place in the games, s ...more

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Paperback, Foil Luxe Edition, 448 pages

Published October 3rd 2013 by Scholastic (first published September 14th 2008)

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4.33 ·

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· 5,631,646 ratings · 161,489 reviews

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Mar 15, 2011 Kiki rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-ya, ya, dystopian, awesome-heroine, meh, sentimental-value

I have got to stop poking fun at this series with memes. Someone take them away from me!

Nah, I didn't love this book. I know I'm in the minority, and part of me is glad about that. I mean it when I say this book deserves recognition, and honestly, I'd rather people were reading this and following a heroine as independent as Katniss, rather than a simp like Bella or Bethany. The Hunger Games is high-quality YA, intelligently written, and despite its flaws it's worthy of success.

Here's where I be ...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Saniya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 23, 2015 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was forced into watching Mockingjay: Part II this weekend. To clarify, I watched the second part of the last Hunger Games movie without having read any of the books, without having watched any of the movies.

Needless to say, I was confused as fuck.

So many questions and thoughts ran through my mind as I watched the movie. Why is Peeta so thin? Did that huge-ass bruise really disappear from her neck the next day? Is Katniss supposed to look like she's about to burst into tears at any given moment ...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Dija rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone who hasn't. Seriously, READ IT!

Recommended to Dija by: Everyone who has read it!

Shelves: 2008, buddy-slash-group-read, favorites, wow, childhood-friends-turned-lovers, ya, authors-i-stalk, my-reviews, first-in-series

My "Epic Book Recipe" Checklist for The Hunger Games:

1. A sharp and intelligent heroine with just the right amount of emotion who gives in to absolutely nothing and no one?

2. A sweet and sensitive hero who loves and supports the heroine unconditionally?

3. An original setting with a unique and thrilling plot?

4. A couple of earth-shattering shocks every now and then to keep the readers' mind reeling?

5. Extraordinary side characters from interesting backgrounds who possess the much-needed Voic ...more

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Dec 07, 2010 Nataliya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of GOOD YA dystopias

Shelves: awesome-kickass-heroines, dystopia-postapocalyptic, for-my-future-hypothetical-daughter, i-also-saw-the-film, first-in-a-series

Suzanne Collins has ~~balls~~ ovaries of steel to make us willingly cheer for a teenage girl to kill other children. In a YA book.
Two reasons why this book rocks: (a) It is not Twilight, and (b) I really hate reality shows.

Seriously, how long would it take for reality shows to evolve from "Survivor" to "Hunger Games"?

Yes, this book is full of imperfections. It often requires a strenuous suspension of disbelief. It can cause a painful amount of eye-rolling and shaking fist at the book pages. Its ...more

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May 05, 2010 Jana rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-and-creatures

A lot of things are troubling me about The Hunger Games. A lot of things which I more and more perceive and which are not solely connected with this book but with the metaphor behind the words. People attach themselves to fictional freedom without seeing what really something is and which unfortunately is here to stay because you can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep. You can’t make a shift on a deeper level, if the only thing that attracts you to this book is – a vision of fight, r ...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Cecily rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, scifi-future-speculative-fict, overrated, canada-and-usa, ya

If I were a teenager or recommending this to a teen, I might give it 3*; as an adult, I give it 2*.

PLOT

It's a potentially exciting but gruesome story, but most of the characters were rather flat, much of the plot was predictable (it's not hugely original; in particular, it is VERY similar to the Japanese "Battle Royale"), and there were too many flaws in the plot. I fail to understand its very high ratings.

Post-apocalyptic America (Panem) is divided into a wealthy and technologically advanced Ca ...more

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Sep 20, 2008 Meredith Holley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Meredith by: Stephenie Meyer

Shelves: classic-young-adult, young-adult, utopia-dystopia, girls-rule, reviewed, chosen-girls

For a long time now, I’ve wanted to rewrite my review of The Hunger Games so that I could tell you why I don’t just love this series, but why I also think it’s important. It is beautiful for the unflinching way it shows you, as a reader, your own willingness to disregard people who are different from you - how you are the Capitol audience. But, it is important as a story about girls. I had not initially thought about articulating that point because it seemed so obvious to me, and I am bad at rec ...more

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Feb 09, 2014 Jayson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-american, 300-399-pp, genre-young-adult, genre-science-fiction, genre-dystopian, read-in-2014

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: The literal corruption of youth by reality television. Forced into murder, thievery, treachery, and kissing to stay alive.

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Apr 24, 2018 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it

Recommended to Chelsea by: Irina Humphrey

Shelves: library

Why did I put reading this one off for so many years? I remember this being extremely popular but it seems like I was in a rut with my reading and figured I would pick them up eventually when I was back on track. Months turned into years and I finally saw the movies, which I suppose pushed them even further down my TBR and is a real shame because the movies didn't capture quite everything the book had to offer. (Not that I'm shaming the movies; I enjoyed them but you never can include everything ...more

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Nov 07, 2017 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-series, audiobook, che-103-suggested-reads-fall-2018

“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.”

Every year, Panem (post-apacolyptic North America) hosts a Hunger Games involving one female and one male representative from each of its twelve districts to fight to the death.

All of the Districts of Panem must watch the Games as a form of yearly "entertainment" when in actuality, it's a power play put on by the Capitol (the wealthiest of the districts).

For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.

The Capit ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 ~Poppy~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not. I keep wishing I could think of a way to...to show the Capitol that they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games."

“You have a... remarkable memory."
"I remember everything about you. You're the one who wasn't paying attention.”

So, I really really liked this book!! Of course, I loved Peeta!How can I not? He is pe ...more

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Apr 05, 2008 elissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone (age 12+) who likes dystopic SF, and can handle some violence

Recommended to elissa by: 2008 buzz

Shelves: youngadult, 2008favorites, sciencefiction, survival_stories, 00s_re-readswith_j, my_00s_reads, 10s_re-readswith_l, readwith_jandl

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've said to a few people that if I wasn't married, I'd have to marry this book. :) I read the 400 page ARC in a less-than-24-hour time period (so quickly that it was never even on my "currently reading" shelf), which I've only done before with HP books, and I've just officially put the first book on my 2008 favorites shelf. I feel pretty safe in saying that if this isn't still my favorite book of the year when next January rolls around, that I'll eat a hat. As soon as I finish I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've said to a few people that if I wasn't married, I'd have to marry this book. :) I read the 400 page ARC in a less-than-24-hour time period (so quickly that it was never even on my "currently reading" shelf), which I've only done before with HP books, and I've just officially put the first book on my 2008 favorites shelf. I feel pretty safe in saying that if this isn't still my favorite book of the year when next January rolls around, that I'll eat a hat. As soon as I finished reading it, I turned around and read it a 2nd time, which I've never done before in my life. I loved all of Collins' GREGOR books, and think she's a wonderful writer, but she's ratcheted it up to another level with this one. Even though it's the first in a trilogy, this one definitely stands alone, and I'm not sure how she can keep it up for another 2 books, but I suppose it's possible (think: THE GIVER, although I loved GATHERING BLUE, and liked THE MESSENGER--HUNGER GAMES is much more brutal than THE GIVER, though). It's got some very meaty issues to chew on, not the least of which is reality TV taken to extremes. There's a chaste and unresolved romance (think: TWILIGHT, but I don't think I will make it past the first in that series--HUNGER GAMES has much more action, more of a plot, lots of well-developed secondary characters, as well as extremely likeable main characters. I will miss Katniss until I can read about her again.). What more could you possibly ask for out of a book? It doesn't actually come out until October 2008, but if you can get your hands on an ARC, definitely do! I think that the violence in this will be easier for kids to take, since they probably won't see it quite as clearly as an adult will. None of it is particularly graphic, but it is definitely brutal. This is on the edge of too dark for me, which is my favorite kind of book. There aren't many writers who can push it right to the edge for me without going over (Zusak comes to mind immediately), but Collins is definitely one of them. Another book that I loved, and think of to compare this to is HOUSE OF THE SCORPION, but that fell apart slightly at the end for me. HUNGER GAMES didn't lack anything at all for me. OK, I'll stop gushing. I may have to re-write this review when I get some perspective. (2012: Obviously, I never did rewrite it, and this is my most-"liked" review :)

My 10 1/2 yr old son asked to read this with me, so I read it for the 3rd time with him in Oct 2008. Still my definite favorite book of the year, but all the typos in the finished book were pretty disappointing. Still, it's my choice for just about any award out there, come January, including the JHUNT.

Update May 2009: I am dying because the CATCHING FIRE ARC has just been released, and people are saying it's at least as good at HG. I've had 2 teenaged boys at my library read this on my recommendation, and both of them came back asking me for more books like it (really there isn't anything). One of them has pre-ordered CATCHING FIRE on Amazon (and I worked in a fairly disadvantaged neighborhood in DC at the time, so that was not a usual occurrence).

May-June 2011: I'm reading this for the 4th time, with my younger son, who's finishing up 5th grade. Still as good as ever!! Can't wait for the movie!!

Update 2012: Between them, HG and CATCHING FIRE were the pinnacle of my 20-yr career as a YA librarian! I've seen the movie twice so far, and definitely liked it better the 2nd time, when it didn't have to try to be my favorite book. :) ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Colleen Venable rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction, books-that-made-me-cry

Fantastically Written? Ooooh yeah! Compelling? Yup! Super Quick Read? Most definitely! Original? Um...well *shuffles feet, since I seem to be a rare non-five star-er* not original at all really....

Man, I wish someone on my friends list here has also read Battle Royale and this book! The Hunger Games WAS pretty fantastic, hence the four stars (though I would have given 3 1/2 if the choice was available.) I ate it up, shouting into other rooms and offices that I was going to be shoving the book i Fantastically Written? Ooooh yeah! Compelling? Yup! Super Quick Read? Most definitely! Original? Um...well *shuffles feet, since I seem to be a rare non-five star-er* not original at all really....

Man, I wish someone on my friends list here has also read Battle Royale and this book! The Hunger Games WAS pretty fantastic, hence the four stars (though I would have given 3 1/2 if the choice was available.) I ate it up, shouting into other rooms and offices that I was going to be shoving the book into their hands as soon as I was done, but as it went on desha vu was a little too common for me. I know there are major story types out there, ones that are repeated over and over again. Shakespeare retold 200 different ways. The bible reinterpreted to 2,000,000 varieties of tales....but when it comes to YA dystopia, which is by far my favorite genre of any book, originality is one of my main ways I judge a book. FEED felt utterly original. The world of UGLIES felt new. LITTLE BROTHER was just plain amazing. If it's going to be about "the future" we don't know about, make it original. In my mind dystopia novels survive on "idea" more than "excecution" and while the execution of this was beautiful, the idea was hardly new.

While I have a really good feeling Collins never read, or maybe even heard of, Battle Royale, The Hunger Games was 90% the plot of Battle Royal, minus the guns, the extra blood, the ability to get to know all the other players. In Battle Royal (short explanation of BR plot: 40 students put on island forced to kill each other and winner is set for life and put on TV etc...), the main focus is a love story between two students trapped in the game, two students bonding together with no real urge to kill others...one of whom had a crush on the other forever and it is only revealed during the game. There are so many other similarities, from the ways the gamemakers manipulate, to the ways the media encourages, to one character having a fever and the other taking care of them with soup. There are even "career" battle royal players. In BR you see the emotions before and after someone is killed, their last thoughts, the feeling of the person who killed. It's actually really beautiful the way it is done, and so believable that put in an arena teens WOULD turn into savages. In The Hunger Games, yes the main characters were fantastic, and many of the lesser as well, but Foxface is only Foxface, and the Careers are never more than random 1-dimensional bad guys.

The Hunger Games was very Battle Royale, very The Long Walk (Richard Bachman book), and very much current reality shows. I am not saying it wasn't a GREAT read, I'm just saying it shouldn't shake the publishing earth the way I am pretty sure it is going to. I anticipate this is the next Twilight series people are going to gush over. In a few years we'll all be hosting Hunger Games final book parties. I'll be amongst the attendees I'm sure.

Also in terms of female main characters, Katiniss may surpass Bella in me wanting to shake sense into a character. Talk about a smart girl being utterly clueless!

Yes, it was great, but eh, maybe I'm just bitter because I think BR is the better book of the two and while Hunger Games will get tons of praise and likely a rather deserved award or two, BR will continue to be banned in many libraries. Amazing what subtracting guns can do to a story. Suddenly it doesn't feel as violent, but rather is more reminiscent of stories we heard growing up. The number of swords and arrow deaths in traditional fairytales is nothing to freak out about, but if bullets are flying, it will give "too many ideas" to teens and therefore must be dubbed an adult book.

I'm pretty sure if I hadn't read BR just a few months back this exeedingly long review would have been just as long only instead of a rant it would have just been one long squeeeeeal of delight over how much I loved the book.

Original Comment: Peer pressure, peer pressure, peer pressure. Geez guys! Alright, alright I'll read it!
...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Betsy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Betsy by: Monica Edinger

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Clearly Gregor was merely the prelude. Suzanne Collins, you’ve been holding out on us, missy. As an author we were accustomed to your fun adventures involving a boy, his sister, and a world beneath our world. I think it's fair to say that we weren’t really expecting something like The Hunger Games. At least I wasn’t. But reading it gave me a horribly familiar feeling. There is a certain strain of book that can hypnotize you into believing that you are in another time and place roughly 2.3 second ...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia-utopia, 2011

It seems weird that I never reviewed The Hunger Games . I don't know why I didn't when it was a series that completely took over my life for a short while. But recently I've been thinking about posting something in this review space and after just watching the second film (which I think was amazing and better than the first), now seems like as good a time as any to talk about why I love Katniss and nearly everything about this series.

I gave this book four stars back in 2011 and I'm going to leave that rating as it is because it's an indicator of my thoughts at the time (though they slightly differ now) - thoughts which were influenced by having just finished the fantastic, horrifying, brutal and unforgettable Battle Royale manga series. I don't think it was the best time for myself and Katniss to find one another when I had so much beautiful insanity to compare the book to, but it still managed to have such an effect on me that I instantly told every friend and family member to read it. Coming back to this now after having spent the last couple of years being bombarded with dystopian YA, I appreciate what Collins has achieved a whole lot more.

I appreciate the strength of Katniss as a heroine who commands our attention and holds our love whilst still being what some would consider unlikable; I appreciate the balance of beauty and horror that Collins delivers on every page, treating us constantly to both the darkest despair and rays of hope; and I also - amazingly - appreciate the love triangle. Love triangles seem to have chased me and hunted me down with every YA read I picked up over the last two or three years - my dislike for romance instantly becoming doubled by the introduction of yet another boy with beautiful eyes. But Katniss, Peeta and Gale worked for me. They convinced me, held my interest and made me cry. The love triangle worked because it's outcome wasn't obvious, because we all wondered and hoped and worried. Because, either way, I was always going to be half happy and half sad.

Katniss still remains for me everything that a female protagonist should be. Or a female hero, at least. She fights for the ones she loves, she's brave and doesn't need to be saved. But neither is she a one-dimensional smiling poster-version of a heroine. She falls, she fails, people get hurt because of her and she has to live with that. We love her and yet she's antisocial, awkward and moody. She loves other people with all her heart but she's not much of a team player. In short: she's a complex portrait of a young woman that doesn't fall into any neatly defined boxes or categories. Now, perhaps, authors have since tried to recreate her. But she's still one of the first and best.

I know another review of this book isn't needed. I know you've all probably read it anyway. Or never will. But this isn't really for anyone else; it's a reminder to myself of why this book deserves its hype and why I need to remember to come back to it again and again between the new (and hopefully amazing) YA books I'll be reading in the future. ...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Manny marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: lists-glorious-lists, ya

SOME BOOKS I ALREADY OWN WHICH I PLAN TO FINISH BEFORE BUYING THE HUNGER GAMES

John Lanchester, Mr. Phillips
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
Steven Weinberg, The First Three Minutes
Jean-Jacques Sempé, Le Petit Nicolas
Merritt Ruhlen, The Origin of Language
Pernilla Stalfelt, Le petit livre de caca
Hubert Reeves, L'univers expliqué à mes petits-enfants
Gustave Flaubert, Trois Contes
Dominique Lambert, Un Atome D'Univers
Jean-Pierre Luminet, L'Invention du Big Bang
Francis Collins, The Language of God
~~Ben Ma~~ ...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Lyndsey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-recommend, favorites, reviewed-5-stars, reviewed-2011

Oh no. You've awakened the beast. It's Jackniss!!

Yeah. So maybe Matthew Fox from Lost isn't exactly the person you had in mind when you thought about who they might cast as Katniss in The Hunger Games, but I was inspired to create that after I saw this site called Jackimals. You might want to wait to visit it, though, because it can suck you in like an unexplained time warp flash.

I was also inspired to create the Jackniss after I read a discussion that deeply disturbed me.

Somewhere, possibly on ...more

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Nov 13, 2009 Morgan F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, preston-public-library, dystopian-apocalyptic, 2000s, favorites, adrenaline, its-a-girl, own, re-read

THIS BOOK IS JESUS.

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Jan 13, 2013 Huda Yahya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller_horror_mystery_sci-fi, children_young-adult, adventure-and-or-travel-books, dystopia

يمر الوقت لأعرف وأتأكد أن هذه الثلاثية من أفضل التجارب القرائية التي مررت بها في حياتي
فهي لم تكن أبدا مجرد رواية فانتازيا استغل نجاحها لاصدار جزئين تاليين
وإنما هي قصة ثورة من نوع جديد
فيها الاثارة والمتعة والفانتازيا والابهار والرومانسية

أي التوليفة الكاملة

بل إنني أرى أن الجزء الأول كان الأقل من ناحية أدبية بحتة
فقد شعرت طوال القراءة بأن كولينز تحاول صياغة رواية ولكنها تفشل في بنائها مرة تلو الأخرى
وهذا هو سر منحي هذا الجزء ثلاثة نجوم
وما إن شرعت في قراءة الجزئين التاليين
حتى وجدتني أقول أخيرا فعلتيه
يمر الوقت لأعرف وأتأكد أن هذه الثلاثية من أفضل التجارب القرائية التي مررت بها في حياتي
فهي لم تكن أبدا مجرد رواية فانتازيا استغل نجاحها لاصدار جزئين تاليين
وإنما هي قصة ثورة من نوع جديد
فيها الاثارة والمتعة والفانتازيا والابهار والرومانسية

أي التوليفة الكاملة

بل إنني أرى أن الجزء الأول كان الأقل من ناحية أدبية بحتة
فقد شعرت طوال القراءة بأن كولينز تحاول صياغة رواية ولكنها تفشل في بنائها مرة تلو الأخرى
وهذا هو سر منحي هذا الجزء ثلاثة نجوم
وما إن شرعت في قراءة الجزئين التاليين
حتى وجدتني أقول أخيرا فعلتيها يا سوزان
فمهارتها في بناء وسرد روايتها اتضحت وبرزت أخيرا
لتنتج ما جعلني أعطيها الخمس نجوم كاملة غير منقوصة وأضعها على قائمة مفضلاتي كذلك

الثلاثية كما أصبح يعرف الجميع بعد تحويلها إلى سلسلة الأفلام الشهيرة التي تحمل نفس الاسم
هي ديستوبيا غارقة في الفانتازيا ومعطرة بشخصيات مرسومة بحرفية عالية
وأحداثها لن تبقيك ساكنا لاغراقها الغير طبيعي في الخيال
ولتماسها مع الواقع السياسي في كل زمان ومكان

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

كاتنيس،، الموكنجاي،، الطائر المحاكي،،الفتاة المشتعلة بالنيران،،صاحبة الأسهم النافذة
تلك الشخصية التي أبدعت في رسمها وترميزها سوزان كولينز
هي مفتاح الرواية ومحرك أحداثها الرئيسي
وهي التي بقت في مخيلتي بملامح جينيفر لورانس الشديدة الموهبة
وهي التي تتعايش معها ومع حكاياتها وآلامها وقصص غرامها وشجاعتها طيلة الثلاثية

هناك عشرات الشخصيات التي لا تنسى أبدا
وكل واحدة مرسومة كما قلت بدقة وتفرد ودرامية عالية

كلها تصارع ونصارع معها في عالم مخترع
فيه من العجائب ما يذهلك
ومن القسوة والاذلال ما يثير حفيظة أعتى أعداء الثورة والحرية
فالنظام هنا أعاد العبودية والقهر كأشد ما يكونا
وأعطيا للظلم والاستبداد معان جديدة
فلا مجال للرحمة هنا

إنها وحشية بربرية مزينة بالورود البيضاء النفاذة برائحة الدماء

أنا تمتعت وانتشيت وسعدت بقراءة هذه الثلاثية التجارية الشهيرة
وأرشحها للجميع
فهي أفضل من سلسلة الأفلام بمراحل
...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Nilesh Kashyap rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian

My ‘The Hunger Games’ week
23rd march- movie is released
24th march- I read this review and end up watching excellent trailers, Later I downloaded the excerpt and kind of liked the first chapter
25th march- I am ~~a proud~~ owner of the book. ~~Yay!~~
26th to 27th march- I started reading the book
This is how I thought it would go:
Once I would start reading it, I would just be sucked into it and finish the book remaining awake until early hours of morning, with my bloodshot red eyes.
This is how it went:
I s ...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Buggy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: shelf-10, war, romance, end-of-days, ya

~SO THIS IS WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT~
THE HUNGER GAMES is a fantastic, breathless and somewhat brutal read that once you start you simply can’t put down again. Initially I had no idea what this book was about or what to expect in terms of YA writing, it had just been recommended to me by so many people and had such a buzz surrounding it that I had to find out for myself why. Well let me say I was not disappointed and have now joined the legions of Suzanne Collins fans in awaiting her next insta ~SO THIS IS WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT~
THE HUNGER GAMES is a fantastic, breathless and somewhat brutal read that once you start you simply can’t put down again. Initially I had no idea what this book was about or what to expect in terms of YA writing, it had just been recommended to me by so many people and had such a buzz surrounding it that I had to find out for myself why. Well let me say I was not disappointed and have now joined the legions of Suzanne Collins fans in awaiting her next instalment.

Written along the lines of Stephen King’s The Long Walk or Orwell’s 1984 (I may be aging myself here) this story still feels very original and sucked me in completely with its modern day Survivor-esque retelling. The Hunger Games is the ultimate in reality TV, suspense, scripted realism, romance and survival that you should not miss.

Set in a post apocalyptic future (although we frustratingly never learn the why's, how’s or even when of this future.) This new communist-type America known as Panem has been divided into a Capital and its 12 districts. We follow 16 year old Katniss as she struggles to keep her starving family alive, hunting and gathering with her best friend Gale. Unbeknownst to her these are valuable skills as the annual hunger games are about to begin.

Each year these games require two children from each district who are chosen based on a lottery system for compulsory participation. These televised games are then broadcast throughout Panem (with mandatory viewing) as the 24 contestants fight each other to the death, leaving just one victor at its violent conclusion. It’s kind of like Survivor but instead of being voted off the island you have to kill your competitors. When Katniss’s younger sister is chosen as the female contestant from their district Katniss volunteers to take her place. Then together with Peeta the other lottery winner they travel to the capital and begin preparations for the opening ceremonies and ultimately their death in The Hunger Games.

Oddly this has been written without paragraph breaks and I have to admit the first part of it dragged for me, as Katniss is groomed, clothed, and schooled by her entourage within the capital. However as soon as the games begin, lookout! By this point in the story you have become attached to several key characters and its then that you realize things can’t end well as there will be only one winner. Over a period of about 2 weeks and against overwhelming odds we watch 24 victims dwindle as they struggle to survive. Simultaneously avoiding and hunting each other they form alliances, face hunger and mind numbing thirst, mutant animal attacks, friendship, love and ultimately a distrust of everyone as Big Brother raises the stakes to keep the audience interested.

This is an exciting book that will keep you up late into the night and resonate with you long after you’ve finished. Cheers ...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Tessa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Tessa by: Jameson Marriott

Shelves: dystopian, fiction

I sat down to this book prepared to be captivated in its pages. But I was disappointed. I was always expecting that finally the author would show her genius and knock me off my feet. But it never happened. Yes, it was exciting and entertaining. But it wasn't a truly great book.

I could not stop comparing this to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Like Fahrenheit 451, it was a dystopian novel set in the future, but Fahrenheit 451 had significant symbolism on every page, paragraph, and even half the ...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Jamie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian-utopian

Well this book lived up to a lot of the hype that surrounds it. While the name and cover still do not grab my attention the story, once started, did.

This book is written in first perspective, from the heroine's aspect. Her name is Katniss Everdeen. She starts off in her home, a simple, poor area of the land. She is the provider for her mother and sister with her hunting skills. To protect her younger sister, she is sent to the capitol, along with local boy Peeta, to 'participate' in the annual H Well this book lived up to a lot of the hype that surrounds it. While the name and cover still do not grab my attention the story, once started, did.

This book is written in first perspective, from the heroine's aspect. Her name is Katniss Everdeen. She starts off in her home, a simple, poor area of the land. She is the provider for her mother and sister with her hunting skills. To protect her younger sister, she is sent to the capitol, along with local boy Peeta, to 'participate' in the annual Hunger Games.

These 'games' are fights to the death, aired and shown to the capitol and all 12 districts under its control, in a survival arena of sorts. The book shows, throughout the story, a somewhat futuristic dystopia society. The tributes (Katniss, Peeta and others in the game) are given basic weapons (bows, spears, clubs) and the district where Katniss is from uses herbs and eats basic foods (squirrel, wild turkey, etc) but the capitol has voice command room service, automatic hair dryers, and a camera/screen set that tracks and shows the tributes (no matter where they go) to the viewers. It is an interesting combination.

There is a 'romantic' setting as well. Katniss and Peeta are to appear as a united team to the people. Peeta even admits to liking her during his interview. So a setting for 'star-crossed lovers' is created. However, Katniss has various feelings toward Peeta throughout the book and its very realistic and understandable, especially when there is possibly another guy back home.

Yet while there are time I can relate to her, at the same time several of her thoughts want to make my roll my eyes or drop my head onto a desk. While she is survival smart, she is not people smart. She can't socialize and cannot read people worth a darn. While it is annoying at times, it is also endearing and has created a unique character.

Overall, very good book. 4 1/2 stars is my official opinion, but I will give it 5 since I can't do halves. Its a constant pace of survival, and action with just the right touch of romantic possibilities. I look forward to the next book. ...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Richard Derus rated it did not like it · review of another edition

***UPDATE 15 April 2014*** I've now seen the movie...yes, watched the movie of the book I didn't like...and it made less sense than the book! But it was really pretty to look at.

Pearl Ruled

Rating: 1* of five (p81)

What was I thinking? I don't like books about teens. Well, that's not entirely true...I am not a Serial Killer is about a teen boy who's sure he's the evilest thing ever born, is told from his PoV, and yet that gets darn close to 4 stars. I don't like books about teen girls. Well, that' ...more

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Emma I know this review was posted years ago but reading this honestly confused me? I see next to nothing about what's wrong with the book and see a lot mo ...more
Feb 11, 2019 05:08AM

Richard Derus Emma wrote: "I know this review was posted years ago but reading this honestly confused me? I see next to nothing about what's wrong with the book and ...more
updated Feb 11, 2019 06:11AM

Jun 17, 2008 Maggie Stiefvater rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, recommended

"The Most Dangerous Game" meets Survivor. I loved it: deft characterization wrapped tightly around this lean, brutal plot that absolutely grabbed me and hung on. This was one that I started reading in the morning and snarled at all comers until I had finished it in the evening. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can' ...more

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Jul 03, 2009 karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-faves, dysto-teque, and-so-this-is-grad-school, favorites

allow me to be relevant for a moment: oh my god, this book is outstanding!! it is all good things; battle royale, blood of heroes (one of the best movies ever made - dont argue with me), and all the best elements of this survivalist gary paulsen jag i am on. it kept me up way past my bedtime last night, because i could not stop reading, even though my eyes did not want to be awake. and now we veer, as ever, into the personal. this book is my comeuppance. i suppose it is factually my second comeu allow me to be relevant for a moment: oh my god, this book is outstanding!! it is all good things; battle royale, blood of heroes (one of the best movies ever made - dont argue with me), and all the best elements of this survivalist gary paulsen jag i am on. it kept me up way past my bedtime last night, because i could not stop reading, even though my eyes did not want to be awake. and now we veer, as ever, into the personal. this book is my comeuppance. i suppose it is factually my second comeuppance. i used to be a sneerer at grownups reading harry potter and twilight and all the stuff that is supposed to be for the kiddies, and was disgusted by the infantilizing of our adults tastes. and then i decided to take a teen lit class this summer for my mls degree, so i could have a class with greg before he graduated. i figured it would be easy reading and not too challenging and a nice way to spend my summer; getting A pluses and hanging out with my friend. but of course, after i had read a few books from the syllabus, we realized that we had signed up for the wrong class, and all the teen books i had been reading (and for the most part enjoying) were not for our class. and the books i was actually supposed to be reading were for much much younger readers. and then i was disappointed that i wouldnt be reading all those teen books after all. first comeuppance: regretting mocking teen fiction because now i have to read actual books for babies, which is so much more infantilizing. and now, my second comeuppance, i read this book and its not on either of the reading lists, and i dont even know if i can use it for this 10-book annotated bibliography because it might be for too old of a reading age, but i dont even care. i am now an adult who reads teen fiction. i have to reevaluate everything i thought i stood for. i still wont read harry potter, because i am stubborn, but i might have to sneer a little less at others. and that,i assure you, that is going to hurt.

come to my blog! ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-multi-book-series, 5-favorite-books, 1-fiction, 2-fic-young-adult, 2-fic-fantasy-and-scifi

5 stars to Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. Such a popular series, so many people have read it or watched the movies... do I really need to do a review? But since I've put it in my top 20 favorite books, isn't there an obligation to review it?

YES

Let's make it simple... it may be young adult, and it may be fantasy, but neither of those facts matter when you have a set of richly flawed characters, a plot that is an absolute play on "survival of the fittest" and imagery so vivid it jumps off ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, finished-series, feminist-as-fuck

~~One taught me patience.~~ One taught me pain.

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Jun 27, 2011 Brandi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommended to Brandi by: ♥ Caitlin

Shelves: dark-roast-coffee, too-much-espresso, none-for-me-thanks

First of all, I know you're looking at my rating and wondering what's wrong with me. For one thing, this book's gotten at least 4 stars from everyone else. For another, everyone seems to think that it's the best book of the year.
I won't dispute what everyone else has said about this book, because it's not a complete disaster. It's just that it's one of the worst novels I've ever read.
The story begins great. I love the dystopian setting, even if it is a bit unrealistic. Katniss is a great prota First of all, I know you're looking at my rating and wondering what's wrong with me. For one thing, this book's gotten at least 4 stars from everyone else. For another, everyone seems to think that it's the best book of the year.
I won't dispute what everyone else has said about this book, because it's not a complete disaster. It's just that it's one of the worst novels I've ever read.
The story begins great. I love the dystopian setting, even if it is a bit unrealistic. Katniss is a great protagonist - although, I'm getting tired of reading books where the main characters have just the right skills (say, archery) to persevere right through to the end. It's rather cliche by now. But other than that, the author really sets the scene and develops her characters well.
I have to say that my favorite part (I'm sure it's almost everybody's favorite part) occurs when Katniss shoots her arrow in the judges' direction. It was a great move, even if she didn't think so (which I found surprising - why did she cry over it? She must have known it would score her more points with the judges).
It was during the actual competition that the book hit a rift and sunk into a landslide. No offense, but none of it was appealing to me - the wasps, the romance, the danger. Everything, from Katniss's first spring into the trees to the final scene when the remaining two tributes defy the Games, was unnecessary and revolting. It's not the murders that disappointed me; I went into the story knowing that at least twenty people would die in the book. No, what truly revolted me was that the competition was meant to be entertaining - not just to the vain audiences in the corrupted society, but to us readers, as well. So much of it was written in a way that we would find it appealing... imagine, finding death appealing.
To be fair, I know that the book is supposed to serve as a warning, and in some respects, I think it did. But then I remember everyone recommending this book to me ("It's good, you've got to read it!" "It's so cool!" "You'll love it! It has adventure and suspense!") and it makes me sick.
I am in no way trying to insult the author (who obviously has talent) or the people who love this book (many of whom are my friends), but I can honestly tell you that I would never recommend this book to anyone without regretting it. To me, it's like one of those shows that medieval people used to put on, where a person would be trapped in a cage so that a tiger could kill him in front of a laughing audience. ...more

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About Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little B ...more