Book #5: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Number of pages: 442
I finally decided to give the Hunger Games Trilogy a go. Set in a dystopian (and seemingly post-apocalyptic) future, the main form of entertainment is a violent reality show called "The Hunger Games". This is a game of survival, where the only way to win is not be killed by your rivals.
After the heroine, Katniss Everdeen's sister is picked, Katniss takes her place and she is placed into the arena; you can probably guess how the book will end. Katniss also narrates the story throughout, in the present tense.
Although this book has a slightly younger target audience than many of the books I've read recently, I liked the fact that this was quite an easy read. I liked the first-person narration, and it made it easy to care for the main character, and she goes into great detail about her emotions and how she often seems to be despairing about her situation. At times, this book was quite shocking too, especially a revelation regarding genetically-engineered mutant animals near to the end.
I also liked how Katniss' relationship with other characters was portrayed, and there were a couple of moments that were heartbreaking. Possibly the most shocking thing though was that the Hunger Games did not feel all that unrealistic, and seemed like something that could happen.
The book has a satisfying conclusion that also sets up the second novel, "Catching Fire". I will definitely keep reading.
Next book: The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets (Simon Singh)