The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jan 12, 2011 Mafi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, favorites, adaptado-tv-movie

Gostei bastante deste 1º volume, a premissa é muito boa e simpatizo com a Katniss. ;) Curiosa para ver o filme.

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Feb 19, 2011 Valerie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2011

Ehhh. After all the praise, I was expecting more. I thought the premise was sort of interesting, but after finishing, I went, "That's it?" I normally love dystopian/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic lit, so I was hoping that this would be right up my alley, but it wasn't. The characters were totally one-dimensional - I couldn't care about anyone at all, and the pasted-on romance didn't convince me at all. Honestly, I expected more emotion, but the writing was so flat and uninspired that I wasn't moved at ...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, post-apocalyptic-dystopian

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

I have waited until I finished the series to write my review of the Hunger Games. From early on in 2009, the Hunger Games was everywhere. I managed to stay in the dark on the content of the story, which I think was the best way to experience it. The only thing I really knew is that there was a kick-ass young girl as the heroine. I'm always a sucker for these types of stories so that was more than enough to go to the top of my TBR list.
Since it was so big, I also waited un *** Possible Spoilers***

I have waited until I finished the series to write my review of the Hunger Games. From early on in 2009, the Hunger Games was everywhere. I managed to stay in the dark on the content of the story, which I think was the best way to experience it. The only thing I really knew is that there was a kick-ass young girl as the heroine. I'm always a sucker for these types of stories so that was more than enough to go to the top of my TBR list.
Since it was so big, I also waited until after the release of Mockingjay to start reading. I have found with my love of series, that it becomes increasingly difficult to hang on for a incomplete series, because by the time the next book comes out I want a refresher, and frequently end up re-reading.
I started The Hunger Games on a vacation, which was an excellent place to read it, because it was so engrossing from the moment I started. If I had started it during a normal day, I'm not sure much "living" I would have done besides eating and cat naps! :)
Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl. She and her family reside in the twelve district in what remains of North America. The "Capitol" is the governing force that basically forces all districts into submission by holding a lottery of sorts gladiator battle to the death between the district's children as a way to keep them in line. Even more dispicably, they televise the event.
That is enough to know that this story packs a wallop. Children forced into killing other children, served up as faux entertainment and used as a tool for a dominating power. Katniss, though only 16 has been exercising the role of parent in her household. Her mother is unstable following her father's death in a mining accident. On Reaping Day, which is the day that the children are picked for "The Hunger Games"; Katniss' sister Prim is chosen as the female child for district 12. Katniss immediatly volunteers to take her younger sister's place.
What follows is an epic journey with Katniss in the Hunger Games. I won't say much except that the story was heartbreaking, tragic and extremely resonating. Stand out moments are with Rue and Katniss' moments with Peeta, the other contestant from her district. I will continue the review with the next book... ...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Nairabell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended-by-friends, 4-star, read-in-2011, teen-ya-dystopian, read-in-2012

In a future where North America has been destroyed and replaced with a country called Panem, a yearly event called the Hunger Games takes place. A teenage pair of 'tributes', one male and one female, are selected from each of Panem's 12 disticts and placed in an arena with a single rule - kill or be killed. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the Games, she believes it is a death sentence. Only one competitor from District 12 has ever won, but there has never b In a future where North America has been destroyed and replaced with a country called Panem, a yearly event called the Hunger Games takes place. A teenage pair of 'tributes', one male and one female, are selected from each of Panem's 12 disticts and placed in an arena with a single rule - kill or be killed. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the Games, she believes it is a death sentence. Only one competitor from District 12 has ever won, but there has never been a competitor who has had to fight for their survival like Katniss has in the past.

I'd heard good things about this trilogy so picked up the first book out of a love of distopian novels. Initially, I was pretty disappointed as the book is slow to start and the plot is pretty derivative. Although the author interview at the end of the book claims the idea came from channel surfing between the news and reality TV this is incredibly similar to Battle Royale. I also prefer the kind of distopian novels that start out with a world that doesn't seem that bad, whereas here Panem seems pretty awful from the start.

However, as the Games begin (no pun intended) the plot picks up pace and we soon get to see Katniss in a new light. At the beginning of the book she is pretty irritating to read, whereas I liked Peeta (the male District 12 tribute) from the start. Katniss grows up a lot as she takes part in the Games, but by the end of the book it's clear she still has a lot of growing up to do. I also liked a lot of the supporting characters, especially Katniss's stylist Cinna.

I did like how the spectacle of the Hunger Games was handled, and it is one of the things that stood out from the book. While the Games were invented to remind Panem's citizens that the Capitol reigns supreme after a failed revolution, it has become a media circus. Given the current media attention given to reality TV it isn't too far-fetched to believe a show like this would garner that level of attention, if not more. The way in which the tributes are treated before the Games begin reminded me a little of beauty pagents - costumes, grand entrances, talent testing and interviews.

The way the book ended means that this part of Katniss's story is complete, but still leaves it open for the other two books in the trilogy. I really liked the ending, and it definitely made me look back on the book in a different light.

All in all this was a good read, and I'm looking forward to Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Cover: 7/10

Overall: 42/50 ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Caroline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-series

What a fabulous book. I'm not a huge YA book fan, but this was just great. I love learning this new world, The plot is well done and the characters are engaging. I immediately started the second book, even though I had no idea where the plot would take them. ...more

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