Review: The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins
publisher: Scholastic
date published: October 1, 2008
format: hardcover
pages: 374
source: borrowed from a friend
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book initially. I was worried that the book would be all hype and no substance. However, my friend vouched for the book, loaned the whole series to me, and even bet me a cupcake that I would love it. Well, I now owe her a cupcake, because I loved this book!

The thing that I found to be most appealing was Katniss's survival skills. I was especially intrigued by the herb lore she utilized to feed her family and, later, to treat injuries. When I discovered that District 12 is located in the Appalachias, things made so much sense and I was even more attentive to details (I grew up in eastern Tennessee and some herb lore is still used by my family, plus my cousins and I were taught to recognize plants such as ginseng at an early age). From the very first chapter you just know that Katniss is going to be a force to be reckoned with, and boy, does she deliver! While she isn't an imposing figure, she is agile, clever, and skilled, making her a tough opponent for the other Tributes. She also does not easily accept her forced role. Though she is pitted against 23 other teenagers, she feels compassion for them and anger for the what the Capitol has put them all through.

Many of the ordeals Katniss finds herself going through are terrible to the point that you find yourself wondering how anyone could possibly survive them with their sanity intact. As she works her way through these trials, you really get the sense that Katniss is the strongest contestant as far as constitution goes. She doesn't have to rely upon anyone to survive. This is what a heroine should be!

The other characters, while not explored in great detail, really manage to impart their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, as well. The Careers are well-established as the ones to worry about as they take on the roll of cold-blooded killers. They are downright animalistic and are fairly frightening characters. They may not be monstrous in the physical sense, but their bloodthirstiness is an alarming thing.

Finally, the arena the Games take place in is nothing less than brutal. While it first appears as a forest one might find in a state or national park, it proves to be a deadly environment. Between the prowling Careers, the boobytraps set by the Gamemakers, poisonous plants, and dangerous predators, Katniss is constantly kept on her toes. As each page is turned you wonder what is going to happen next, making for just the right amount of tension and foreboding.

I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I want to find out what else is in store for Katniss and Peeta, as well as what the Capitol's reaction is going to be to the events in The Hunger Games. I could barely put this book down. Thus, I give The Hunger Games 5 hoots.