Scan barcode
A review by pushingdessy
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
First book of 2025, making good on my resolution to catch up on book series 💅
I was in my last year of high school when this book released, but it wasn't on my radar until a couple of years later, I think. And when the movies came out, I didn't watch them because I have the unfortunate tendency to ignore/look down on the things many people are raving about at the moment they're doing it, and then I thought I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a series about children being sent to kill each other in a futuristic recreation of the Athenian sacrifices to the Minotaur. But by the time the prequel came out, I was a grown-up and finally listening when people started talking again about what a good series this was, which made me want to get serious about reading it. It later devolved into a challenge I'm doing in 2025 of reading as many fantasy/sci-fi series as I can, and so, here we are, with The Hunger Games being my first.
I read this in the span of 2-ish days because I could not put it down. Few books have made me tear up in the first chapter; this is one of them. The writing style is a bit janky in places, but the story more than makes up for it. I love Katniss; I love that she feels like a teenager, but specifically like a traumatized teenager who had to grow up too fast; that while there are two romantic interests, her thoughts could not be further from romance. I loved Madge and Cinna and Rue. I found it impossible to hate Haymitch, and I like that we see Katniss' righteous POV about him, the guy who is supposed to mentor her, but then we also see the moment she gets it. The game was brutal, no doubt about it, but... so is real life. And the point is in the spark.
I was in my last year of high school when this book released, but it wasn't on my radar until a couple of years later, I think. And when the movies came out, I didn't watch them because I have the unfortunate tendency to ignore/look down on the things many people are raving about at the moment they're doing it, and then I thought I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a series about children being sent to kill each other in a futuristic recreation of the Athenian sacrifices to the Minotaur. But by the time the prequel came out, I was a grown-up and finally listening when people started talking again about what a good series this was, which made me want to get serious about reading it. It later devolved into a challenge I'm doing in 2025 of reading as many fantasy/sci-fi series as I can, and so, here we are, with The Hunger Games being my first.
I read this in the span of 2-ish days because I could not put it down. Few books have made me tear up in the first chapter; this is one of them. The writing style is a bit janky in places, but the story more than makes up for it. I love Katniss; I love that she feels like a teenager, but specifically like a traumatized teenager who had to grow up too fast; that while there are two romantic interests, her thoughts could not be further from romance. I loved Madge and Cinna and Rue. I found it impossible to hate Haymitch, and I like that we see Katniss' righteous POV about him, the guy who is supposed to mentor her, but then we also see the moment she gets it. The game was brutal, no doubt about it, but... so is real life. And the point is in the spark.