The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins // 374 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

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 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.

--

Despite growing up as a teenager during the peak of the Hunger Games franchise, I never read the books, and have only seen the first movie. I’m not quite sure why I avoided this series so much, but I felt like now was an appropriate time to actually explore this popular franchise.

I really enjoyed Katniss’s perspective throughout this book and her overall development. I think she’s complex and interesting to read, and while she comes to some conclusions that I personally question, they felt authentic to her character. Katniss’s rebelliousness also was sprinkled in nicely to set up the latter books of the series, which was a nice sense of consistency. The secondary and side characters were also fun and interesting. Peeta was a nice and refreshing male lead as well, and while there is romantic tension between them, it isn’t the central aspect of their relationship. 

A lot of media tries to make their villains sympathetic with a sad backstory, and I like that Collins didn’t do that. These villains are sympathetic due to the awful world they have to grow up in. I’m rooting for Katniss and Peeta since they’re the central characters, but I’m also rooting for every other tribute as well to somehow find an out, or at least a merciful death. I appreciate that Collins made Katniss reflect those same feelings, showcasing empathy in a powerful way.