The Hunger Games – book one book review

It’s a futuristic with a mix of sci-fi sort of story. At first I thought that I wouldn’t like it but while I read it further, I realized I was wrong.

It kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting more. I finished the whole thing in one sitting.

The story is set in the future North America called Panem where a free spirited girl named Katniss Everdeen lives. Panem is divided into districts (states) where if a district decides to rebel against the government, everything and everyone in it will literally be obliterated, like what happened in District thirteen where a rebellion against the government rose.

In the present Panem, the destruction of District thirteen happened around seventy five years ago (please correct me if I’m wrong). As a reminder to the people that no one goes against the government unpunished, a tradition was born – The Hunger Games.

In the hunger games, each district has to choose two tributes (contestants) in random aged from twelve years old to eighteen must fight in the said game. Though in truth, it is no game. Each tribute must fight for his or her life and only one should be triumphant in the end; which means in order to live, the tribute must kill.

District twelve is where sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives. Everyone in their district mourns for the Hunger games yearly especially when her twelve year old sister, Primrose Everdeen was picked out from the lot. In her desperation and love for her sister, Katniss volunteered to take her place in the Hunger Games and she was certain that she would die in the game arena except that she promised her sister that she would try her very best to live for her.

Along with Katniss’ sister, Peeta Mellark’s name was drawn. Peeta is a boy who came from a family of bakers and unlike Katniss, Peeta is not equipped with survival skills in the wild and no one volunteers to take his place.

In the games, the two develop something more than friendship and decide to look after each other and is forced into an alliance in order to survive. The problem is, there is only one victor in the games and how do you slit someone’s throat when you know that in his death, you will die along with him? How do you kill someone you love so you can live?

I loved the book and like I said, it kept me on the edge of my seat. My eyes were glued to the book and I skipped meals just to finish all of it!

It’s not like the usual stories where you can be sure who lives or dies in the end and I wasn’t even sure if it’ll have a happy ending. The entire time I was afraid that Katniss would kill Peeta. I’m not saying she didn’t or that she did, just read the book and don’t skip anything! Read it word for word. I did.

I was also amazed with how Suzanne Collins described the time that Katniss lived in the wild. With how she slept in trees, cured herself from deadly insect bites, how she hunted for food, etc. The author made a vivid description of everything that was in the book. It took me another place. It was as if I was in the games myself.

I honestly can’t find my favorite part of the story because I loved everything but if I were to choose a part that I didn’t expect, here it is:

The sky is still dark, but I can feel the first signs of dawn approaching. I’m beginning to think we — meaning the person whose death I’m now devising and me — we might actually have gone unnoticed. Then I hear it. Several pairs of feet breaking into a run. The fire starter must have dozed off. They’re on her before she can escape. I know it’s a girl now, I can tell by the pleading, the agonized scream that follows.
Then there’s laughter and congratulations from several voices. Someone cries out, “Twelve down and eleven to go!” which gets a round of appreciative hoots.
So they’re fighting in a pack. I’m not really surprised. Often alliances are formed in the early stages of the Games. The strong band together to hunt down the weak then, when the tension becomes too great, begin to turn on one another. I don’t have to wonder too hard who has made this alliance. It’ll be the remaining Career Tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Two boys and three girls. The ones who lunched together. For a moment, I hear them checking the girl for supplies. I can tell by their comments they’ve found nothing good. I wonder if the victim is Rue but quickly dismiss the thought. She’s much too bright to be building a fire like that. “Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking.” I’m almost certain that’s the brutish boy from District 2. There are murmurs of assent and then, to my horror, I hear the pack heading toward me. They do not know I’m here. How could they? And I’m well concealed in the clump of trees. At least while the sun stays down. Then my black sleeping bag will turn from camouflage to trouble. If they just keep moving, they will pass me and be gone in a minute.
But the Careers stop in the clearing about ten yards from my tree. They have flashlights, torches. I can see an arm here, a boot there, through the breaks in the branches. I turn to stone, not even daring to breathe. Have they spotted me? No,not yet. I can tell from their words their minds are elsewhere.
“Shouldn’t we have heard a cannon by now?”
“I’d say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately.”
“Unless she isn’t dead.”
“She’s dead. I stuck her myself.”
“Then where’s the cannon?”
“Someone should go back. Make sure the job’s done.”
“Yeah, we don’t want to have to track her down twice.”
“I said she’s dead!”
An argument breaks out until one tribute silences the others.
“We’re wasting time! I’ll go finish her and let’s move on!”
I almost fall out of the tree. The voice belongs to Peeta.

-Yes, it’s the part where Peeta forms an alliance with the others who also wants to kill Katniss. He is an enemy.

Eight stars out of ten for Miss Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games who also wrote the children’s book series “Greg the Overlander”. I recommend the book for ages twelve and up.

Catching Fire book review: https://akasha824.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/catching-fire-%e2%80%93-2nd-book-from-the-hunger-games-trilogy-book-review/

P.S. I hope she finishes the third one soon. It comes out August 2010. I can’t wait!

~ by TM on December 11, 2009.