The Hunger Games

I love the thought that went into building the world of the Capital and the districts: not just the dystopian aesthetic and the could-easily-be-overdone teen angst it creates, but instead the whole idea of class rebellion and the inevitability of comeuppance. Power corrupts, no matter the person who holds that power…and those without power will never be suppressed for long. 

You have to stick with the whole series to see the full cycle, but this book doesn’t dumb down the “karmic cycle of revenge” like some other YA books do. There are two sides to everything, and while this book… show more.

I grew up in a small rural town where almost everyone fished, hunted, gardened, and enjoyed the simple things in life. Most of what I learned isn’t necessary to live in today’s world, but what if things changed and those able to live off the grid were the ones who survived? I love survival stories, especially about normal people doing extraordinary things to survive and protect those they love.

This book contains many of the themes I enjoy—survival against the odds, navigating complex relationships, and the oppressed rising up against the oppressor. This fast-paced novel begins with a seriously intense… show more.

The world of The Hunger Games is eerily similar to our own, making readers think about “just war” and the spectacle of violence through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl. While Katniss Everdeen is a teenager, I still pick up this book (more than) annually, and each time I revisit it, I come away with new insight into the real world.

Katniss is strong, caring, and resilient in the face of all the challenges of her environment. As an adult, I can learn from her strengths and even from her flaws. She inspires me to watch the world around me… show more.

Who doesn’t love Katniss Everdeen? Faced with an abysmal life in which the primary concern is making sure those she loves are safe and cared for when her little sister is randomly chosen to compete in the barbaric hunger games, she selflessly substitutes herself despite having no clue what she’ll need to do to survive. 

I love Katniss and her journey to become the brave, selfless heroine. She’s a strong female, smart and cunning, yet benevolent to other competitors, at times, to her own detriment simply because “it’s the right thing to do.” Who can argue against that as a… show more.

Katniss Everdeen is the type of hero you want to root for. She’s kind, good, self-reliant, and the type of person who makes the world a better place. And her world needs it—badly. But her world is trying to kill her, and she has to fight.

I love this book. I’ve always been drawn to underdog stories where the underdog has a heart of gold but is put in terrible situations—situations that test them until they almost break. But they don’t. They survive. And they do so on their terms even when everyone else is playing by different rules.

I love the contrast of bleak desperation with gross opulence and excess that Collins creates in The Hunger Games.

The parallels between Panem and Rome turn what could otherwise be seen as a somewhat far-fetched or unlikely story into a reasonably plausible post-apocalyptic future possibility. I enjoyed the building of tension in the lead-up to the beginning of the games, as well as the explosive release and action when Katniss finally enters the arena.

I liked the way Collins creates an enemy in the very terrain of the arena itself so that, when coupled with the threat of the… show more.

Katniss Everdeen volunteers to replace her sister in a life-threatening situation and so puts herself in grave danger.

I think she’s a great heroine and I love her character, the way that a generous act draws her into a nightmare of strife and peril. She’s tough, independent, and refuses to compromise. The awful post-apocalyptic world is vividly drawn, as are the creepy people who manipulate the contestants in the games. The romantic element featuring Peeta is compelling and I felt for both of them.

It’s a very skilful construction and the ending drew me immediately into the next book in… show more.

I love to read children’s books as well as grown-up ones. This book is just as dark, gritty, and challenging as any adult novel and has a fantastically compelling premise. It also has a heroic and endearing protagonist in Katniss Everdeen and a wonderfully bleak backdrop in District 12.

I’m a big fan of sci-fi novels, and Suzanne Collins is such a great world-builder; everything feels plausible and timely, the stakes are dizzyingly high, and she pushes it all to the limit. 

The Hunger Games is a gripping experience that really got under my skin.

The whole idea of the Hunger Games hit me square in the gut, making me think hard about how far we could go for entertainment. Katniss Everdeen, with her gutsy determination and sacrifices, felt like a reflection of strength we do not often see in our current society. Her strength became a source of inspiration that went beyond the pages.

Collins' portrayal of this eerie dystopian world hit too close to the reality we have currently found ourselves in, making me shiver at the thought that our… show more.

I love Katniss Everdeen and the simplicity of her wish. She just wants to save her little sister. Her life has been one of hardship and tragedy, and she will do anything to keep her sister alive.

I love her tenacity and how she grows and survives in the face of overwhelming odds, all while living in a constant state of terror.

This is a brilliant story about growing up and surviving in a harsh world. The world-building is excellent, doled out in small pieces as needed without over-explaining. We enter the world of Panem, District 12, and the Reaping… show more.