tellytubby101 | Book Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy (Reply)

Final rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Quick Summary: Hunger Games is a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. It's an alternate universe story set far in the future in the ruined lands of what was once America. From the ashes of war and natural disaster rose the Capitol and thirteen districts. There was a rebellion, and only twelve districts now stand. For the survivors, their punishment for fighting back against the staus quo is something called the 'Hunger Games'. Two children, one boy and girl, are taken from their homes in each district and are pitted against one another in a battle to the death. All for the amusement of the Capitol citizens.

[Individual book titles: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay].

First off, I must say that these books are possibly one of the best first-person, present-tense stories I've ever read. Since I'm reading through the series for what is the sixth or seventh time, I can say that with a assurance. (That, and I've been writing fanfiction for it - it's so engrossing, it draws you in to the world so well). The plot plays with the brilliantly grotesque idea of children, young teenagers at most, being forced to fight each other to stay alive. It's a little darker than what you'd normally stumble across in the Young Adult section, but hot damn, it does not disappoint.

It starts off with the lead female protagonist, Katniss, voluteering to save her younger sister from being taken into the Games. She's a young lass from District 12 - a district that almost never wins. Her choice was something like a suicide mission. The male counterpart being forced into the arena is someone called Peeta - someone who'd saved Katniss' life when she was younger, and there lays the problem. How can she kill someone she feels so indebted to?

Taken away to the Capitol, the pair are polished to shine before their viewers; the citizens of the Capitol just waiting for the blood to start flowing. Didn't I mention it? The Games are shown live on television, so no one misses out on the fun. No one misses the chance to see the deaths and no one misses a chance to see the horrors the Game-makers can throw at these innocent kids.

Suzanne Collins artifully shocks everyone when she makes this action-packed, blood-and-gore story into... a romance? Confused Katniss is at the mercy of Peeta, a boy who declares his undying love for her and she has no idea whether it's just another plot to keep them both alive, or whether it was the truth. She remembers him, the boy who saved her when she was a nobody, and thinks she could believe it.

But then there's Gale, a hunter who helped her hunt for food as they tried to keep their family from the brink of starvation from the district-wide poverty. He was her confidant, he was someone she trusted with all her secrets and her most precious thing - her family. Gale was her best friend, wasn't he? Poor Katniss, who can kill relentlessly with a bow and arrow, but when it comes to boys, she's all topsy-turvy.

It gives the readers something to relate to, admist the terrifying horrors that escape into the arena, the man-made monsters with the goal of terrifying the children, killing them if necessary. There is a beauty in death, and Collins does a fantastic job of drawing that out; how else could it be so riveting? And oh, there is death in this story, which I see as something brave, because as nice as it is for everyone to live, the world isn't like that.

I want to really stress the brilliance of the series. There is a lot of depth to the characters, fleshed out as the plot continues on its path. Some of the characters are like people you know, that's how well she portrays them. The entire trilogy just works. I do admit, there are areas where it feels rushed, but other bits make up for that and carry the slack. I swear my breath and heartbeat raced when I read certain passages.

This is a series where it won't leave you, even once you'd put the final book down.