Review: The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Category: Young Adult
Page Count: 374
Release Date: October 2008
Source: Library
Quick Rating: 5/5

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.

I’ll be the first to admit that I kind of avoided The Hunger Games like the plague when I first started really getting in to YA, and now I’m probably one of the last to read it. I really, really regret only picking it up now.

Katniss is a wonderful girl, with so much thrust upon her at a young age, that you can’t help but empathize with her. Her determination to never appear weak is admirable, and her strength is incomparable. I love super strong female leads, and Katniss does not disappoint at one single point - even when she lets her hard outer shell crack just a bit.  *Mini-spoiler!* The scene with Rue made me extremely teary-eyed.

I’m not going to go on and on about how wonderful this book is, because there are hundreds of reviews already out there saying the exact same thing. Hundreds of thousands of people already know how entirely awesome this series is, and I’m totally jealous I missed out on all the real Mockingjay hype earlier this summer.

Basically, I’m just really glad I have all three checked out from my library, because I just devoured the last half of The Hunger Games in one sitting, and I’m itching for more.

(As of right now, I’m totally Team Peeta, but I just feel like I haven’t seen enough of Gale yet to be absolutely firm. We’ll see how my feelings develop!)

The Final Word: If you’re one of the crazy people out there who still have not given The Hunger Games a shot need to run out right now and get them. You will not be disappointed.

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Tea: Something strong and simple to represent Katniss - plain green tea would be my choice.