Since this is my first ever review, I have decided to review a book that, although it is old(ish) it is also one that I am familiar with, and can give a whole truthful review on."Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone 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 will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is one of my personal favorites for many reasons. First of all, I have to say that the ideas of the book are completely original, and are completely different from those of every other post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel I have read. This makes for an extremely interesting, edge of your seat thrill ride through a universe where, in order to survive, teens, just like me and many other readers of these books, have to fight tooth and nail in order to survive. Before reading this book, I had read the Gregor the Overlander series by the same author, which I enjoyed, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this books on a completely different level than the Gregor books. The Hunger Games kept me hooked, and made me keep on reading until the very end.
There were many fantastic elements of this novel, but some also fell a bit short of what I was expecting from the author for this book. Some of the characters, especially the main character, Katniss Everdeen, were one of the areas where I felt the book was a little bit lackluster. As the novel progressed, I found that she became too perfect for what was necessary in the book, from her appearance (pretty), to her personality (selfless, spunky, kind, passionate), to her skills (healer, archer, knife wielder). The character completely lacked the flaws that are necessary for them to be beilevable. However, all this said, I still liked Katniss in the novel.
Where the novel lacked in (main) characterization, it most definitely made up for it plot. At no point in the novel did the plot become altogether too predictable, as happens with way too many novels, but it instead keeps you gripped right until the last pages. The plot is intricately twisted, but at the same time easy to follow, with the perfect amount of plot twists to keep the reader alert and interested enough to finish the novel in one try. Also, while the main character was a little flat, the wide array of supporting characters made it impossible not to love the novel. From Haymitch, the laughable drunk, to Peeta, the innocent do-gooder, all of them kept the dark matter of the theme bearable, and often made me laugh out loud (much to the chagrin of the teacher whose class I was bored in, I'm sure), and kept the overall mood of the book light and enjoyable. A personal favorite of mine was Cinna, the stylist of District 12, Katniss and Peeta's home. His light, playful personality and down to earth looks (plus the gold eyeliner) made me love the book even more.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to both boys and girls, who will both be interested by the balance of romance and action, over the age of 12. I would definitely shy away from this book if you do not like the idea of children killing children, or if you are uncomfortable with blood, injuries, and all the fantastic stuff that comes along with fighting to the death.
Two thumbs up to this fantastic read!
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