Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Hunger Games

This was so good! It’s been about 8 years since I first read it and I had forgotten almost everything. I think I definitely prefer Katniss in the book because it really shows that she’s just a young girl and stuff she says/does really demonstrates her age and makes it so much more horrifying than in the movies where there’s an adult playing her (no offense to the movie lovers).

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sunkissed_aidie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I feel like if I had gone into this book completely blind I would've enjoyed it far more but at this point it is practically impossible to avoid anything to do with the Hunger Games series. I did genuinely enjoy it, it surprised me in a lot of parts and in the end it made me want to continue reading the series and to get to watch the movies at some point.

I started reading these books mostly to get to Ballad because I am really interested in that story, but at the same time, I have enjoyed starting this journey and can't wait to continue to see Katniss and Peeta's story unfold.
Recently some YA books/characters have felt annoying to me, like badly written teenagers, but here Collins perfectly captures the experience that Katniss is going through. Her life, her biases and how she has to change both within the games and after them, without her ever realizing how much work all of this would entail, and at times, how much is truly happening to her.

Katniss thought that surviving in the games would be the hardest part, but in the end you learn alongside her that the hardest part will actually be *living after* them. And in the end, I feel like I never once forgot that she was a kid who had terrible things happen to her because her government chose to make an example of their people. Katniss is a kid who was forced to grow up too fast and Collins captures that in an incredible way.

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kbeucler's review against another edition

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5.0

Just like the first time I read this book, I did it basically in one sitting. So happy when a book I loved when I was young still holds up as an adult. In a dystopian future America, the authoritarian Capitol chooses two children from each of 12 districts to fight to death in an arena as retribution for a failed revolution 74 years ago. When her younger sister is chosen, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place, sparking a revolution that will shake the Capitol. I do think I definitely got more out of this book as an adult. Collins has written such a good critique of authoritarianism, class politics, and the media.

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meeileen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

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siglerbooknook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book was every bit as good as I remember it being when I was a teenager, and possibly even more challenging. The premise is so dark and sad, but the characters so loveable it's hard not to enjoy the story.

I love watching the character growth in Peeta and Katniss. I will always cry at that one death. Haymitch is probably my favorite character.

The underlying warnings about a people divided are hard to ignore.

My only real complaint with the book is how stiff Katniss is throughout, even when she knows what's on the line. Maybe it's just because I don't relate to her personality but I found myself rolling my eyes at how obtuse she is at times. However, this definitely doesn't ruin the story for me at all.

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