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Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Kerri Maniscalco

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Photo The Hunger Games Cover Shot (Press)

Back of book blurb: in the ruins of a place once known as North America lies a 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 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: Everyone I run across keeps GUSHING about this book, and by everyone I’m talking about EVERYONE. So I picked up a copy to see what the buzz is about, and I’ve got to say, in the beginning I wasn’t feeling it. Honestly, I didn’t like it at all, but the important thing is, I kept reading.

I didn’t keep reading because of the agents, or publishers, or anyone else that’s talked about the novel. I kept reading because the author sucked me in with the characters, I HAD to find out what happened to Katniss & Peeta next. Would they survive? Would they die? I couldn’t put the damn book down.

I didn’t like Katniss. I didn’t like Panem. The whole idea of it repulsed me, but I kept reading, and pulling for her to win. By the time I hit page thirty I was completely hooked. During the rest of the novel, I felt my heart pounding along with Katniss, felt the love she had for her sister, and the anger she felt towards her mother, her confusion towards Peeta and her desire to survive. The resentment and rebellion they both felt towards a government that could kill innocent kids for the sake of instilling fear against rebel Districts was palpable.

Suzanne Collins created a world, likable or not, that was not only believable, but probably more real than we’d like to admit. The suspense was genuine, as were all the emotions Collins filled the characters with.

The author told a great freaking story. In fact, I’m going to stop writing a little earlier today so I can go to the bookstore and pick up the next book in the series, Catching Fire.

12 thoughts on “Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins”

      1. Done! I’m excited. 🙂

        I’ll let you know what I think, but I made a vow to read the unread books on my shelf before ordering the ones on my Amazon.com wishlist, so it might take me some time.

      2. You sound like me with the great TBR pile! I just ordered ‘Wither’ and ‘The Forest of Hands and Teeth’ so whenever you finish The Hunger Games we can dish!!! Happy reading 🙂

  2. Pingback: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins « Blackbird Books

    1. OOOooh I can’t wait to check out your new review blog, I’ll be clicking on it in a few seconds! I started the first maybe, fifteen pages of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but haven’t picked it back up. (It’s not that it’s bad, I just have somehow lost reading hours.) I’m actually hoping to get to it tonight 🙂 And the same with Wither, but I SO can’t wait to dig into that one! I’ll definitely keep you posted once I finish since we have such similar reading taste 🙂

      1. My reading hours have all but disappeared lately, but I have to get my fix so I know it won’t last long. I’m about halfway through Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I think it’s taking me forever because I’ve already seen the play so I know the basic story. Oh well.

        Definitely keep me updated.

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