Saturday 18 June 2011

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hellooooooo, PeeGale!



That's right, I finally read The Hunger Games. I finally understand what all the hype is about. I was afraid it wouldn't live up to it - but it did! I've avoided it for so long because this kind of story is not usually my thing. Y'know, the whole dystopian future thing, where the most popular reality TV show is so, so much scarier than Jersey Shore, as the country watches children fight to the death - it just doesn't usually do it for me. Except now I think maybe it does. Or this series does, at least.


What really drew me in was the characters. They're brilliantly established with a surprising amount of depth - especially Gale, who barely gets any face time in the book and yet is such a strong presense. I immediately liked the fierce Katniss, and was so happy to meet a protagonist who could put the "hero" in heroine. Collins' prose is well-paced and easy-to-read, and while a half-starved fighter like Katniss isn't exactly someone I have a lot in common with, I was completely immersed in her, feeling everything she felt. To the point where I'm firmly on the fence between Peeta and Gale. Seriously, those guys - wow, who could pick between them? Team PeeGale all the way!


I have to admit, initially I was a bit suss about reading yet ANOTHER love triangle, and a couple of times I did think, "Really? The only way to survive is to get all romantic?!" But hey, I'm a sucker for romance, so I guess the citizens of the Capitol must be, too. Plus, Collins has crafted such great characters that it's a very interesting triangle, at least. The only thing I don't like is that Katniss can't choose both... or can she? Does polygamy fly in YA? Probably not - maybe I'll have to check out the fanfic to get my way. Until then, I'm launching straight in to Catching Fire. I'm addicted. It's about time, right?


Rating: 4/5


Spoilery Talking Points
  • Rue, ohmygosh, that was hard to read. 
  • A couple of things I still don't quite get are why Peeta teamed up with the Careers to start with (the only thing I could think of was to keep them away from Katniss?!), and also what the hell was going on with those muttations. Were they just made to look like the dead contestants? Or had they actually been transformed into those wolfie creatures? Huh?
  • I wanted more Gale - especially at the end. I felt a bit robbed of his reunion with Katniss, and I wanted to know his reaction to everything that went down in the Games.
  • I felt so bad for Peeta at the end. He's done so much for Katniss and loved her for so long, without her even knowing. Poor guy!
Eye Candy
I can see now why there's been so much controversy over the casting. But I think Jennifer Lawrence will make a great Katniss - the guys, I'm not so sure about. Especially Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Though I guess he must have done something impressive to be cast. Still, he's definitely not my idea of Peeta. In my head, for the moment, the characters look like:

Nina Dobrev (Katniss)

Gregg Sulkin (Gale)

Alex Pettyfer (Peeta)


 

14 comments:

  1. Hiya! I am still trying to decide whether to save all my Hunger Games reviews until after I finish Mockingjay but I'm reading it so slowly to make it last longer. I am completely obsessed with Hunger Games right now and totally agree with your Gale assessment!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad you enjoyed it! They just get better and better :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Definitely not sure about the Peeta actor! But I'm glad you finally read this and liked it too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have to say i'm like you in the fact that i'm not the biggest fan of futuristic kinds of fiction but i think i will have to read this.
    I'm looking forward to seeing Jennifer Lawrence i have a bit of a girl crush on her since i saw x men.
    I must buy this book next time i'm shopping!
    great review :)
    - abbeys bookshelf

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad you enjoyed it! I just finished it myself.

    My thoughts are here, if you don't mind telling me what you think?

    http://theoncominghope.blogspot.com/2011/06/reviewnalysis-suzanne-collin-games.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. I still haven't read this series, though I'm starting to get a lot of peer pressure to do so. :) Thanks for your review!

    ReplyDelete
  7. @Lan - I'm powering through Catching Fire, I'm totally obsessed. Can't wait to read your reviews!

    @Lu - Yay, so far Catching Fire is amazing, even when I'm not reading it I'm thinking about it lol.

    @Jillian - Do you mean Josh Hutcherson? Yeah he definitely doesn't look like Peeta, but I guess Jennifer Lawrence didn't look like Katniss either until movie magic took over. Let's hope he does a good job! I don't find him very swoon-worthy, though, which is a shame.

    @Abbey - How great was she in X-Men?! I've heard she's amazing in Winter's Bone, too, I really want to see that. I think she'll be great as Katniss.

    @Theoncominghope - Thanks for stopping by, I'll definitely check out your review!

    @Amanda - And here I thought I was the only person left who hadn't read it! hehe. But I'd love to hear your thoughts if you read it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome review. I am so glad you are loving this series. Katniss is one of my favourite characters. She is definitely a hero.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Nic! Katniss is amazing. It's a great series, I can't put it down.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really need to give this a read. I have had it sitting on my shelf for about 6 months now but just haven't got round to it. I feel like the band wagon is leaving without me ;)

    http://thebletheringbookworm.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Alex - I was a bit late on the bandwagon myself, but it's definitely still worth getting on! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. At first, I hated the idea of my beloved Gregg being cast as an arrogant character as Gale, but I can kinda see some of the aspects... I can't think of anything against Gregg, he's my angel. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked Gale when the series started. He definitely deteriorated as a character.

      Delete
  13. Hunger Games is my best read of all times. Suzanne Collins blew me away with-As you say, her vivid imagination to reveal events about the distant, yet dark future. It is quite an amazing dystopian world.

    regards,
    rommel of Vacation Rentals in Seattle

    ReplyDelete