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The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

Suzanne Collins

Start date: June 1, 2014

Finish date: June 30, 2014

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Sep 19, 2011 Megan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers not only for this book but for the series. You have been warned.

This is one of those dystopian book series that I really enjoy, and let me tell you I am pretty picky about that category of books. It is well written and thought provoking. It also has a pretty disturbing plot line, the government each year has the Hunger Games where they take a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts. They put these kids in an arena and make them fight to the death. 24 in and only 1 out. Some of these kids are trained since birth to be killing machines and to participate in these so-called "games." But these games do their job of keeping the people subdued. The games started after a huge war pretty much destroyed the country and are now as a reminder that the government is in power and can't be defeated, or so they think. Yet when you take people's children every year and kill them it is no wonder why they people wanted to revolt. Come on President Snow you really think people are going to sit and watch their children be slaughtered by other children forever?

Reading this book for a second time was much more emotional especially when thinking about the ending of the third book. The first time reading the book it isn't as big of a punch to the gut when Prim's name is called. Yes, there is some emotion but it happens so quickly that you really haven't yet gotten the full emotional attachment to the characters. Really, the only reason Katniss goes to the Hunger Games is to save her sister from going who would most likely be an easy target to pick off. Always throughout the book she mentions that she is doing it for Prim, she has to survive for Prim, she promised Prim she would come back and so on. The only reason the whole revolution started was because of Katniss wanting to save her sister. The whole premise of the book is because she wants to protect her sister! Then the last book comes out and in a heart wrenching moment Prim is killed by the very revolution that Katniss started. Everything that the whole book led up to stemmed from that moment and in the end Katniss couldn't save her anyway. Just knowing that Prim dies makes the initial reaping that much more moving.

I'm going to apologize here, I know this is against popular opinion but I really just don't like Peeta. Now before people start going into a Team Gale and Team Peeta debate, which please don't cause those are annoying, I ultimately by the end don't like either of those characters. Peeta is just annoying to me, and even though I know it's not supposed to come off like this but Peeta just comes off as very fake to me. He reminds me of that kid in high school who was just way to nice, almost like they felt like they had to be that nice. The kid who you just wanted to rip the smile of their face and yell, "Stop trying to be so nice and just tell me what you really think! Get in an argument for once!" If you have no idea what type of person I'm talking about consider yourself lucky. Also if a boy who liked me acted like Peeta does to Katniss I would pretty much tell them to back off. I'm sorry world, I don't hate him, but I just don't like Peeta. Also his brother's are all jerks… who are never mentioned again.

Yet one character that I absolutely love, is Rue. I give Suzanne Collins props, Rue really isn't in the book that long and yet you really come to care for her in that short period. I remember crying so hard during her death the first time I read it and honestly I probably cried just as hard this time. Anyone else have fuzzy vision when reading the song Katniss sings her? Tears, lots of tears. While the whole death scene is extremely sad I would argue that it is also one of the most beautiful scenes in the book, maybe even the series. Even in a world where children are thrown into an arena to essentially die, this arena is not completely void of all human compassion. Katniss forgets about surveil for a few minutes to properly honor Rue by placing flowers around her and sending her off with a symbol of thanks.

While the book focuses on the berries being the initial spark for the rebellion, I think that this is in fact that moment. That is one thing I do like better about the movie, after this scene an uprising starts in District 11. Katniss shows the viewers in this moment that she cares, even in the games she respects the lives of the other tributes even though they are from different districts.
Both of the sparks for revolution really revolve around love and understanding. The berries, while not about the undying love they pretend afterwards, is about Katniss loving Peeta enough to not want to kill him and would rather they both die by their own hands than to kill the other. Love pulls people together strong enough to even start a revolution. Killing 24 children a year while making the districts hate the Capitol wasn't enough to start a rebellion but a girl who refused to kill unless necessary, and who shows her compassion for several other tributes is the one that starts the revolution. In general this says that the power of love is stronger than that of hate.

Overall this is a very well written book. I normally don't read YA books anymore but this is one I'm happy to revisit again and again. The topic was pretty original when it first came out and caused a lot of controversy which is always fun. It also makes people think about their governments and what could happen in the future. It is a page-turner and you get very attached to the characters. I would recommend this series to almost everyone, it really is a good read.
4.75/5

And just because this makes me laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjGk_j... ...more

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May 05, 2012 Steve Lindahl rated it it was amazing

The Hunger Games is the type of novel that pulls a reader in and keeps the pages turning. It also has some depth and thought behind it concerning the fairness of economic systems that funnel all the wealth to select groups at the expense of the majority. At times the writing can be melodramatic and somewhat predictable, but there was enough justification behind those scenes to get through them without losing the emotion. I was always eager to find out what was going to happen to Katniss and pull ...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Katt Hansen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

There is nothing to say that hasn't already been said. This book is compelling, exhausting, addicting...all of that. I could not put it down.

Which is about what others have said. So we'll leave it at that. Just do yourself a favor and go read it if you haven't already. ...more

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Jan 13, 2012 J. Lynn Else rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-female-leads

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not used to reading narrative in the 1st person as they experience everything as you read (versus retelling the story to the reader) or if I’ve read enough futuristic books before, but it took me a few chapters to really get hooked on the book. Yet soon enough I found myself lost in the world and trying to make sense of it all… in a good way! I wanted to peek out that train window and see the capital for the first time as well. Collins hasn't tied her future to a I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not used to reading narrative in the 1st person as they experience everything as you read (versus retelling the story to the reader) or if I’ve read enough futuristic books before, but it took me a few chapters to really get hooked on the book. Yet soon enough I found myself lost in the world and trying to make sense of it all… in a good way! I wanted to peek out that train window and see the capital for the first time as well. Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. I think it’s generally accepted nowadays that eventually we’ll wipe ourselves out with nuclear weapons, so it’s not a stretch for my imagination to get to Panem. While some points in the plot are slightly predictable, the way Collins gets to that point is a surprising journey.

As this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question: Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive but not whether the price was too high. Katniss is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins' skill at characterization that Katniss (commonly being compared to as a “modern-day” if you will Theseus) who is cold, calculating, and somehow still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, whereas Peeta has the grace to be a good loser. As she travels home she realizes her life will be entirely different. There will be no more hunting as everything will be provided for her as the Games winner. Her life will suddenly be one of luxury. So who will she be when she steps off that train back home?

About ¾ through the book, I began to get a little irritated with Katniss and her naivety regarding Peeta’s feelings for her. But after thinking it over, this is a girl who has never watched TV or read books. She does not know love stories or listened to songs about love on the radio. She hunts and trades and provides for her family. So she has no context of these experiences whatsoever especially since her father died when she was young. I can understand then why her feelings become so confused by the end. She has come out of these Games a completely different person. There’s more to life than just hunting and gathering now.

The scariest thing about this book is how entertainment is chosen over humanity. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity, it is all who watch. Who is the most inhuman? Those perfectly painted and dressed up capital residents who live a life of ease? Those who harvest grain, mine coal, and face starvation? Once a year, society’s entertainment is the tributes that compete in the Hunger Games. It’s “Survivor” without the teams. If you want off the “island,” you have to kill or be killed. There are no more choices in their world. It’s chilling but resonates so true.

I read that this will be turned into a movie, which begs the question: doesn’t that go against what this book is speaking out about? True, its not live, its actors, but it kinda seems to contradict the message of “entertainment” this story is making… In the meantime, I cannot WAIT to start the next book. Bravo, Collins, for a fantastic new world that resonates with a modern audience both young and old. ...more

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May 24, 2012 J.W. Ellis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action-strong-lead-women-heroines, to-the-future, teens

Wow, i have to say, i just finished the first book, and i was deeply enthralled, i liked it alot better than i thought. The writing had a good even progressional flow. The characters had good growth and I enjoyed getting to know a few of them.

I did cry (view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Christine Lacasse rated it really liked it

Can't wait for the second one! ...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Luisa rated it it was amazing

AMAZING! I was so skeptical about reading this book, especially because I'm not really a fan of sic-fi or fantasy sort of books, but i absolutely LOVED this book. So well written and kept me reading and engaged through the whole 380 pages. Took me a while because I kept on getting interrupted, but definitely worth reading.

Now for Catching Fire... ...more

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