The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Many have raved about The Hunger Games, and I can see why. It’s an engaging, if tragic, story about a girl making the best of a hopeless situation.
I won’t give any kind of summary here – you can find many who will do it more justice than I can. Also, I don’t want to spoil you, which would be difficult if I tried to summarize. Suffice to say, that while the love triangle is relatively obvious, I found the political overtones just as intriguing, if not moreso. That’s what I will be looking forward to in the sequel.
Katniss is an interesting character: smart, athletic, resourceful…a survivor. On the other hand, she’s also young, and it’s her emotional growth that’s the basis of her internal struggles. By the end of the book, I had to really think about how old she was…
It’s the external struggle that’s still taking shape when this book ends, and what I’m most interested to see develop in the second book. I’ll admit I haven’t read 1984…but after this book, I think I should, just so I can compare the two. The idea of “big brother” isn’t new, but in Katniss’ world, it seems he’s not quite as all-powerful as he could be.
I recommend this to teens and adults alike, but younger kids may want to tread lightly. The deaths and injuries are graphic, and unlike other authors, Ms. Collins is not afraid to sacrifice a likable character.
I’m definitely picking up the second book!
Robin DeJarnett 