Review of The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Whenever I open a book to see that it's written in first person, I oftentimes feel nervous or roll my eyes. It feels as if the story is written to fulfill some sort of fantasy in the author's mind. At the same time, though, I feel as if the first person (especially the present tense) in this book kept the story moving at such a pace that the reader could really feel the intensity, and get drawn into the action.



Even though I found the main character, Katniss, to be a bit irritating at times, I found the book to be a page turner. There was enough energy and action to keep the story going, and enough description to keep my curiosity sated. It's a shame to enter a "last one standing" sort of contest, and find likable qualities in any of the other contestants. Especially when our main character--our POV--is such a loner. But I really enjoyed learning about the world, and meeting the fringe characters. There are some that I can't wait to see again in books 2 and 3, and others I know that I will miss through the series.



All in all, I would highly recommend this book to my friends and family, as a nice escape from the monotony of day-to-day life. Afterall, isn't that one of the best parts about good fiction? Good fantasy? I'm reminded of The Handmaid's Tale, Farenheit 451, Brave New World or Rite of Passage, books that I read while I was in school. I'm reminded of the film Battle Royale, which was just as much a whirlwind of action and adventure, with interwoven threads of pure, confusing, conflicting yet satisfying emotion as The Hunger Games.



View all my reviews