Synopsis:
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, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, 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 will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Review:
I feel like I'm probably the last person in the world to read The Hunger Games. I have to admit that I just wasn't interested in it by seeing the cover. I know that's shallow, but to me it looked like a “man book”. Not that the cover wasn't a good cover, there was just nothing feminine about it. I'm sure I don't even have to go over the premise with you all. If you haven't read it, then you've probably at least heard all about it. I've seen other book bloggers talk about this book for what seems like ages now, so my interest slowly raised. When I saw everything about the movie opening up this month, I decided that I ought to give it a try – and I'm glad I did.
It was a wonderfully written book filled with lots of descriptions of the time period. I did, however, think that the book had a lot of slow parts – especially toward the beginning. That's the main reason I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5. This dystopian book had a great premise, but I'm not exactly sure why the government was the way that it was. Maybe I will find out more about that in the other books.
The characterization in this book is great. You get to start feeling attached to so many of the characters. Katniss is a courageous girl who makes an awesome heroine. There are two great guys who have the potential to be a love interest. I really came to like Peeta, but I'd really like to see Katniss with Gale. Though, to be honest, my moms' name is Gale so that does weird me out a little bit. Speaking of names, almost all the names in this book are unusual.
This is not a fluffy, easy-reading type of book. These are very emotional times for these characters. The horrors they go through are unimaginable. It definitely makes you grateful for the things that you do have.
This was definitely the first book I read where I consciously knew I did not want to be a part of it's world and it did make me appreciate the world that I live in.
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