Normally I don't publish my book review here because I think they're crappy. But I think I did a pretty darn good job articulating why I REALLY LOVED The Hunger Games:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some books have the ability to completely captivate me. I get so engrossed in the world of the book that I really don't notice anything else going on around me. I love books like these.


I read The Hunger Games in one day. I couldn't stop. Katniss was absolutely fascinating. She has such a pragmatic personality. She's cold, and has little room in her life for love and compassion; she's too focused on keeping herself and her family alive. But her determination to live and survive serves to illustrate her passion for life. It's that reverence for life that makes her volunteer as Tribute. Prim is young and not so pragmatic--she hasn't been hardened by life. She would not do well in the Hunger Games. I also think that reverence for life underscores her developing feelings for Peeta. She's so used to fighting for survival that her burgeoning feelings--in probably the worst circumstances possible--come as a surprise to her. Her feelings for Peeta ultimately enable her to stay true to herself and her values and, as Collins deftly demonstrates throughout the novel, this is no easy feat.


Ultimately it was Katniss herself which kept me reading. Her struggle to survive--and to live in the fullest sense of the word--gave The Hunger Games an incredible readability. I didn't want to stop reading, and I couldn't wait to finish it, but at the same time I'm sad I'm done reading it. I can only hope that the other other two books in this trilogy are equally good because I can't wait to return to Panem.


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