The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Jan 31, 2011 Stacey rated it it was amazing

Not a particularly happy story, but riveting and impossible to put down. Bit of a change for me.

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Jul 15, 2010 Erin Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, sci-fi, favorites, dystopia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So, when first hearing about these books I didn't know if I would be into them or not, so I put off reading them thinking that they weren't my kind of thing. I eventually added them to my to-read list thinking that I would try to read the first book and see if the hype is all its cracked up to be.

It was DEFINITELY all its cracked up to be.

The Hunger Games is probably one of the most intense books I have read this year. I read it in two days and already I am putting the next two on hold at the l So, when first hearing about these books I didn't know if I would be into them or not, so I put off reading them thinking that they weren't my kind of thing. I eventually added them to my to-read list thinking that I would try to read the first book and see if the hype is all its cracked up to be.

It was DEFINITELY all its cracked up to be.

The Hunger Games is probably one of the most intense books I have read this year. I read it in two days and already I am putting the next two on hold at the library. I have honestly never read anything like this. Ever. It is such a controversial read that I don't know whether to praise every part of it or to criticise parts of it. But I don't think I can criticise it at all.

The idea of sending children to a battle to the death is horrific, just to install fear into the public and show that the head honcho's are always going to be in command and no one should rebel against them for fear of what could happen again. It's such a heavy topic but I couldn't stop reading. It all stems down to survival, doing what you have to do for yourself, family and your community. It's a noble thing to do, to have the courage to take someone elses place in such a deadly game and know that you probably aren't going to come out of it alive. So when Katniss did it, I think I realised that she was a person full of love and immeasurable strength.

Katniss and Peeta were two characters who made you feel conflicted also. You could never be sure if Peeta really did love Katniss or was just playing it up for the public, its understandable that Katniss felt confused by it and didn't know what angle to play for herself. I think the love was what kept you reading, to see what would eventuate and when it came down to the final few people just who would be left standing. This book was such a suspenseful ride that I knew if I put it down it would only be to sleep and even so I put off sleep to keep reading this.

Probably the parts I hated the most, but still found fascinating to read about, were how the tributes were presented to the general public. It was exactly like parading around a bunch of prized poodles and seeing exactly how the judges would vote the best in show and best for a competition, and then sending them off to a slaughter house and seeing which one might actually make it out alive. It was horrible but still, impossible to stop reading about and you really felt for the tributes.

The game itself was one I can honestly say a lot of people in this day and age couldn't handle. You needed to be smart, have wit and cunning and learn exactly who your opponents are and what their top skills are. You needed to know your surroundings and learn from the environment you are in and adapt to it because it won't adapt to you. If I had to place bets I would have definitely put my money on the lower districts because of how much they suffer in comparison to the higher districts. It means having to fend for yourself and learn other means and ways of living. The lower districts have these means and ways and excel far beyond others, even if the higher districts do have the advantage of extra training and what not.

The overall feel of this book left me wanting more. I want to know what is in store for Katniss and Peeta and if what they went through together meant something else real came out with them. I yearn for more, I can't wait for the other books to come in at the library! I'd definitely recommend this book for young adults and above, its a definite page turner and a riveting read that honestly leaves me wanting to gush over and over again about how amazing it is. Read it! ...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Vivian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: first-in-series, read-2011

Do I really want to read a book about people who get kids all dolled up just to stick them in a pit to kill each other off and televise it for all to see?? That's all kinds of messed up!! But yes, I read it and yes, I thought it was amazing.

This book sucks you in from the get-go. In the first part of the book, we get the set-up of the 'hunger games', do the character building, all that jazz, and it's done well and suspensefully. When we finally get the whole history and rules of the reaping and ...more

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

Shelves: children-and-ya, fiction-other, ebooks, year-read-2010, kindle, banned-books, year-read-2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Re-read from 14 to 21 April 2012:

Re-read since I'm unlikely to get round to seeing the film at the cinema...

First read from August 30 to September 04, 2010:
I absolutely loved this, and I can't wait to read the sequels as soon as I get my hands on them. Having clearly been living under a rock, I only heard about this series when people started raving about "Mockingjay" on twitter.

I can't really dispute the similarities to "Battle Royale" that other reviewers have mentioned, at least in terms of t Re-read from 14 to 21 April 2012:

Re-read since I'm unlikely to get round to seeing the film at the cinema...

First read from August 30 to September 04, 2010:
I absolutely loved this, and I can't wait to read the sequels as soon as I get my hands on them. Having clearly been living under a rock, I only heard about this series when people started raving about "Mockingjay" on twitter.

I can't really dispute the similarities to "Battle Royale" that other reviewers have mentioned, at least in terms of the general concept of a society making children fight and, to some extent, a resistance to this system, but I enjoyed the characters in this novel: the heroine, Katniss Everdeen *is* heroic, but she is realistically flawed. The story could have been told rather simplistically (evil rich ruling society bad, little poor person good) but the characters and their motivations are more complex, and a lot of the peril the characters are placed in comes from having to deal with people, with Katniss trying to respond to and manipulate the reactions of an audience she cannot see.

And here there are more parallels, as the Hunger Games of the title are something like a combination of violence for entertainment (like a form of Roman gladiatorial combat) combined with the constant live stream of reality television programmes such as Big Brother. Indeed the concerns of contestants on such shows can be seen in Katniss contemplating how what she does will be perceived (how the highlights will be edited to show a story) and in terms of her 'showmance', the (as she sees it) fake romance with fellow District 12 competitor Peeta.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given its subject matter, there is a lot of violence for a young adult title. Despite the gruesome deaths, however, the most disturbing part for a reader of any age must be the eventual 'resurrection' of the defeated (i.e. dead) contestants as part-human, part-wolf "muttations" at the climax of the games. It is especially chilling when Katniss, as she recognises what and more importantly who these creatures are, spots her young ally Rue among them...

A great story, told at a pace that keeps the pages turning and leaves me wanting more. I'm certainly looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

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Incidentally, this was the first book I have read using the Amazon Kindle app on my phone, which meant it was so convenient to just pick up whenever I had a spare moment wherever I was, e.g. on the bus, without having to carry anything extra with me. ...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Rachel rated it liked it

Everybody was talking about this book--like 6 months ago--so I finally read it.
I'm not sure it was worth the hype. Though I am vaguely tempted to try the sequel I expect to be disappointed.

Most of the time I was reading it I felt really uncomfortable with the premise. I don't generally enjoy reading about random acts of violence and powerlessness. Apparently this didn't bother anyone else, but I spent most of the book fearing for the next even which would undeniably be awful. It was.

The only red ...more

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May 08, 2010 Katey rated it it was amazing

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

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Mar 06, 2010 Susan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, science-fiction, dystopia, series, series-completed

Some of the same things that make Westerfeld's "Uglies" series so terrific are at play here. Adolescent female Katniss is a terrific protagonist, wiser and stronger and a better person than she gives herself credit for. Watching Katniss and those close to her deal with the inhuman situation she's forced into is a constant thrill, and the plot raises not only moral dilemmas for Katniss, but ethical issues for us to ponder about governments' ability to protect some people's "rights" at the expense ...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Maisha rated it it was amazing

I thought this book was extremely well-written, and the character development is excellent. The book has me laughing out loud in public, and falling to tears in another second. Finished reading this book and the sequel within a few days, and am impatiently waiting for Mockingjay (the last book in the series).

I would recommend this series. ...more

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Mar 30, 2010 BookFiend rated it really liked it

Mildly entertaining. I will probably read the second and third book. The plot was interesting... but the writing was a little too elementary for me... although, it is a YA book, so this can not be held against it.

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Mar 11, 2010 Stephanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, young-adult, dystopian-fiction

I thought this book had a relatively unique concept, and it was really tough to put down. The story was excellent, albeit a bit dark for my tastes. I definitely plan to read the next two books.

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