the Hunger Games
Spoiler ALERT!
So I finished reading 'the Hunger Games'. Collectively I think I really only spent a couple of hours reading it. It would have taken me one afternoon but I got very invested in watching the complete first season of Being Human (US) which I liked very much, but that's another review.
I have to say it was ... OK. It was an easy read, and the plot is very inventive. Unfortunately, some of the plot points became incredibly predictable. The only one that took me by surprise was when the GameKeepers made the announcement that District tributes could team up and win in as a pair. I literally almost stopped reading at this point and threw the book into the trash. I figured since I had already made it that far I might as well finish since there were only 1 or 2 chapters left after that point. I was please when I discovered that the announcement was a rouse, but from that point forward I really didn't like how the book was handled. The Muttations and Cato's death was just stupid. I'd much rather have had them fight it out.
I suppose it's because of the target audience for the book, but many of the deaths in the arena were sort of a cop-out to keep Katniss and Peeta from being full on murderers. I get it it's a love story...blah blah blah... But this is exactly why I'm not interested in reading the other books in the series. The Hunger Games is a very clever concept and touches on many world issues (I'd bet this was sort of accidental), but the story is the same ole' love triangle whole that most female writers fall into. I realize I can't generalize to every female writer, but it does seam to be quite typical especially when considering female writers who target a teenage/young adult audience.
The double suicide was ill conceived. I mean if they Capitol was smart enough to realize the love story was driving the success of this year's hunger games they'd also realize that making the lovers fight to the death would be viewed as an incredibly barbaric thing to do. How could a public urging the love story want to see one lover kill the other? This especially true considered the betting aspect of the games. Who in their right mind would have bet on Peeta winning?! I mean he's hobbled and weak, and the clear star crossed lover of the arena...there's no way anyone would bet he'd kill Katniss. I do admire that Suzanne Collins thought enough to make it seem like the games don't exactly end when it's over, and everything just doesn't turn into Peaches and Cream when the victors return home. I do think there was probably a better ending tot he book though.
By the time I finished the book I realized this love triangle will surely dominate the series, and I just hate that the detail of this cool original/inventive world is going to go to waste and take a backseat to this uninventive/unoriginal love triangle plot.
I'm sure there are some things I've left out, so I'll be sure and -edite- if necessary.
On another note the
Rocky
So I finished reading 'the Hunger Games'. Collectively I think I really only spent a couple of hours reading it. It would have taken me one afternoon but I got very invested in watching the complete first season of Being Human (US) which I liked very much, but that's another review.
I have to say it was ... OK. It was an easy read, and the plot is very inventive. Unfortunately, some of the plot points became incredibly predictable. The only one that took me by surprise was when the GameKeepers made the announcement that District tributes could team up and win in as a pair. I literally almost stopped reading at this point and threw the book into the trash. I figured since I had already made it that far I might as well finish since there were only 1 or 2 chapters left after that point. I was please when I discovered that the announcement was a rouse, but from that point forward I really didn't like how the book was handled. The Muttations and Cato's death was just stupid. I'd much rather have had them fight it out.
I suppose it's because of the target audience for the book, but many of the deaths in the arena were sort of a cop-out to keep Katniss and Peeta from being full on murderers. I get it it's a love story...blah blah blah... But this is exactly why I'm not interested in reading the other books in the series. The Hunger Games is a very clever concept and touches on many world issues (I'd bet this was sort of accidental), but the story is the same ole' love triangle whole that most female writers fall into. I realize I can't generalize to every female writer, but it does seam to be quite typical especially when considering female writers who target a teenage/young adult audience.
The double suicide was ill conceived. I mean if they Capitol was smart enough to realize the love story was driving the success of this year's hunger games they'd also realize that making the lovers fight to the death would be viewed as an incredibly barbaric thing to do. How could a public urging the love story want to see one lover kill the other? This especially true considered the betting aspect of the games. Who in their right mind would have bet on Peeta winning?! I mean he's hobbled and weak, and the clear star crossed lover of the arena...there's no way anyone would bet he'd kill Katniss. I do admire that Suzanne Collins thought enough to make it seem like the games don't exactly end when it's over, and everything just doesn't turn into Peaches and Cream when the victors return home. I do think there was probably a better ending tot he book though.
By the time I finished the book I realized this love triangle will surely dominate the series, and I just hate that the detail of this cool original/inventive world is going to go to waste and take a backseat to this uninventive/unoriginal love triangle plot.
I'm sure there are some things I've left out, so I'll be sure and -edite- if necessary.
On another note the
Rocky