Hunger (Riders of the Apocalypse, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Oct 13, 2010 Kristen rated it it was ok

I am confused as to the overall arc of this series. And I am confused by Death telling our main character that she can die or be Famine and then when she doesn't want to be Famine anymore he just lets her out of it and she doesn't die. Maybe I missed something (although it would be hard to do that given how short the book was).

This book was not what I expected. It was a trip through the mind of someone with an eating disorder. Although it wasn't as horrible as I would have expected (especially I am confused as to the overall arc of this series. And I am confused by Death telling our main character that she can die or be Famine and then when she doesn't want to be Famine anymore he just lets her out of it and she doesn't die. Maybe I missed something (although it would be hard to do that given how short the book was).

This book was not what I expected. It was a trip through the mind of someone with an eating disorder. Although it wasn't as horrible as I would have expected (especially after seeing at the end that the author says she suffered from an eating disorder when she was younger) it to be - for a story trying to convey some of the horrors of an eating disorder.

Again, I am lost as to what the overall purpose of the series is. Some series have one story arc without smaller stories which are solved in each installment (think Alyson Noel's immortal series) and some have stories within the stories (think Harry Potter or Percy Jackson). Here, I have no idea what the overall story arc is. And, to boot, the individual story was confusing and inconsistent. I was taken back by Lisa's ability to reject the post as Famine and then simply go back to life as usual. Seems like we really didn't accomplish much.

The writing at times was excellent. The character of Death was really quite amusing. But this was overshadowed by the times where the writing was the opposite of excellent and the plot holes. We don't know what the Rider is supposed to do. Is the series supposed to be about bringing the Apocalypse? It would be a natural conclusion given the title of the series and the fact that, you know, we have the Four Horsemen here. But, I don't get the sense that this is the case. It appears that we are supposed to guess that there simply must always be a Rider. But I don't know. I would like to see where this story arc is going.

It's hard to say much about a book so short. Given my issues, I am a little bummed that I just spent $8 for a book that (i) was almost as short as this review, (ii) really doesn't seem to give me any clue as to where the series is headed, and (iii) really gives me only one character that I like and that character happens to be Death.

I am already half way through with Rage and am sad to say it seems to have the same trend. But, I will reserve final judgment until I am finished. ...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

I was so excited when this book came avail via Netgalley www.netgalley.com , it is one that has been on my list to read and it proved to be worth the wait - from the amazing cover to the inside story. I have always been one who likes to delve into the genre of Edgy Content with topics such as Drugs, Alcohol, Mental Illnesses and Eating Disorders. Hunger is Edgy Content mixed with the Supernatural or in this case the Apocalyptic . Hunger tells us the story of Lisa aka Lisabeth who suffers from a ...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Nairabell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, teen-ya-paranormal, read-in-2011

Lisabeth Lewis has a strange dream where she is visited by Death and appointed as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Famine to be precise. Lisa thinks it's just a stupid dream, after all why would she be Famine? She knows how fat she is and the thin voice is always telling her. But when Lisa realises that it isn't all a dream, she's led on a journey where she discovers places where people go hungry because they have no choice and the horrifying effects of her new power. But will Lisa be Lisabeth Lewis has a strange dream where she is visited by Death and appointed as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Famine to be precise. Lisa thinks it's just a stupid dream, after all why would she be Famine? She knows how fat she is and the thin voice is always telling her. But when Lisa realises that it isn't all a dream, she's led on a journey where she discovers places where people go hungry because they have no choice and the horrifying effects of her new power. But will Lisa be able to accept the truth, overcome her inner demons and harness her powers to help people?

This book has one of the most unique premises I've heard in a long time, in fact the entire series does. This is the first of four books, each dealing with a horseman of the apocalypse and associating it with a teen mental health issue. This book deals with Famine and eating disorders and the next book Rage deals with War and self-harm, with two further books to follow.

This deals with big issues - suicide, anorexia, bulimia - and all are handled in a realistic yet sensitive way. In the author's note at the end of the book, Jackie Morse Kessler talks about her past eating disorder and this makes Lisa's struggle seem more realistic. I've never had an eating disorder, although I have battled with my weight and body image, so I could relate to Lisa in a small way but I still found it slightly disturbing reading an anorexic's point of view.

The book is cleverly written with a carefully crafted plot that manages to show how Lisa is choosing to starve herself, while many people are starving to death because of circumstances outside of their control. Some of the background characters, like Lisa's parents weren't particularly well developed but this is a short book (175 pages) so there isn't really room to do so. My favourite character has to be Death as his snarky gallows humour lifts the book and prevents it from becoming depressing.

Oh, and a portion of the proceeds of the book goes to an eating disorder charity.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to reading Rage, out April 2011.

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

Overall: 49/50 ...more

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Nov 08, 2015 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jenn-s-2015-challenge, 2015

This book was awesome! I spotted it at a booksale and kept coming back to it and finally picked it up. I ended up starting it that night when I got home. It was funny, heartbreaking and just honestly beautiful. I've never read another book like it. ...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Literary Ames rated it really liked it

Shelves: free-read, favourites, 1st-in-series, fantasy, young-adult, read-in-2010, paranormal, mythology, netgalley, arc

We’ve all tried to lose weight at some point in our lives but this is different. Within the first 10 pages I was both appalled and horrified that people suffer so much from these eating disorders. And it’s not described to purposely shock, it is shocking. It’s part of their lives. It is their lives.

On the very first page we witness seventeen year old Lisa’s suicide attempt after fighting with her boyfriend, feeling depressed after her former friend Suzanne tells her she’s anorexic, realising sh ...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Deyara rated it really liked it

Really quick read, couldn't put it down. Really liked it, the descriptions were pretty vivid, particularly disturbing were the famine scenes with the little kids. As always, I love peronifications of death, this one was pretty damn cool. Lovely imagery. ...more

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