hey strangers!
I have been a busy little bee and a bad LJ friend. I don't even want to check my profile to see how many people have de-friended me by now. My life has taken a complete turn of events, but I don't want to talk about my life right now. I need to fangirl for a little bit, because I just spent the past two days literally doing nothing but reading The Hunger Games trilogy and was completely unprepared for how much I ended up loving it. I read the whole thing so fast that I may actually have to re-read it because the next thing on my reading list is Fitzgerald's Flappers and Philosophers and I can't even focus on it because my brain is elsewhere. Does that even happen to anyone else? You love a book/series so much that it takes awhile before anything else can hold your attention? Really frusterating.
Anyhow, I'm putting every thing under a cut because I am now of the opinion that everyone should read The Hunger Games. It is sooo much more than just another young adult sci/fi adventure. I have never had such an emotional reaction to anything since Harry Potter, and that's really saying something. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, .
FIRST OF ALL, MY ACTUAL FACE UPON FINISHING THE LAST BOOK:
I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. If someone had recorded me reading this book, people would be using my face for GIF reactions for the next year.
I can not, CAN NOT believe how phenomenal these books are. Obviously, the Twilight comparisons are rampant because people need to compare things in order to make sense of them, but this series blows Twilight out of the water. First of all, it actually has a plot. Second of all, the lead heroine is not a completely useless Mary Sue whose main fault is that she's clumsy. No, Katniss Everdeen is a cleverly hashed out fictional character with depth and bravery and strength and accurate reactions to traumatic situations. That was actually one of the things I was really thankful for in this series, is that Suzanne Collins didn't make Katniss some stoic warrior. She had genuine emotional and mental breakdowns, and was also genuinely confused about her feelings for Gale. Haters to the left, but I really believe she always viewed Gale as a brother/fatherly figure. He even said (and I can't remember where or in which book it was in because everything is jumbling together in my mind), "You only kiss me when you think I'm in pain" or something to that effect. Regardless, I don't even think I need to be writing some epic essay about how Katniss loved Peeta the entire time. It doesn't matter, because he was the better choice for her and she even says so in the very last page. I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THESE TWO RIGHT NOW.
I can, however, talk about all my favorite characters and HOW THEY ALL DIED. EVEN PEETA, BECAUSE BRAINWASHING TOTALLY COUNTS AS KILLING OFF A CHARACTER.
I knew Peeta was going to get brainwashed at some point in the series because I read it on wikipedia or tumblr or somewhere. However, I read that bit of information so long ago that I completely forgot about it until he's in the hospital after the rescue mission in Mockingjay. I had this horrible feeling the whole time they were setting up the Katniss/Peeta reunion because it seemed too good to be true and then I couldn't imagine where Collins would take the story after that point if they rescued Peeta. That was when I realized, Oh God, he is going to be brainwashed. I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW FAR SHE WOULD TAKE THAT. It's like they gutted out his soul and replaced him with some snarky, creepy, unlikeable ...thing...that.. I can't even go there. And not only did she basically kill him, BUT SHE OFFERED NO EASY SOLUTION TO GETTING HIM BACK TO NORMAL. He never GETS back to normal, I think we can safely say. When I think about my reaction to reading that spoiler before reading the novel, I rolled my eyes a little bit because that is kind of a cliche thing to do when you need angst between two end-game lovers. FUN FACT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME: When I watched the entire Fushigi Yugi series in two days because I was 13 and Miyaka/Tamahome were like the greatest thing since Squall/Rinoa, I went through the whole brainwashing with Tamahome. It's irritating beyond compare and it is ALWAYS at a time when you want the two lovers together the most, but with most stories when one lover is brainwashed into hating the other, most of the time it seems like a plot device used to hash out the angst a little longer. In the case of the Hunger Games, it was really well played on Collins' part because it showed how much power the Capitol had and just how much it could take away from you to break you. It also helped Katniss realize a few things about her feelings towards Peeta...which I will get into later.
Okay, CINNA. Can we talk about Cinna? I grew so attached to Cinna, I didn't even realize there would ever be a point where his life would ever be in danger. The moment he died, I knew Collins wasn't fucking around. She means business with this series, guys, and she isn't afraid to kill off all your favorite characters to prove her point about war and peace and human nature and love. In my brain, for one reason or another, Cinna was a not-evil Harry Lloyd. (Imagine my surprise at hearing Lenny Kravitz was cast as Cinna for the movie. I can't even talk about the movie at this point.) I KNEW from the moment we met Cinna that there would be some part of fandom that would ship him with Katniss, but to ship Cinna and Katniss is a huge insult to their relationship. I think he was the only character that rebelled against the Capitol by only hurting himself. Am I wrong?? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But, UGH, that moment when you realize he has transformed her dress into a Mockingjay and he is completely calm about it, because Cinna never cries, and he pours out his emotions into his work because that way he's only hurting himself, THAT MOMENT. When he's putting Kat on the elevator to take her to the Quarter Quell and he gives her a tight smile and you just KNOW he's a goner. However, the way Collins writes his last moments of life is soooooo poignant. I can't even. It is SO in character for him to send Katniss away without a huge display of THIS-IS-OUR-LAST-GOODBYE and only a tight smile to send her back into the games. Later, with the sketchbook of her dressed in her warrior-Mockingjay uniform and his note, I'm still betting on you, I legitimately burst into tears. Big, fat, ugly tears were streaming down my face.
Which brings me to another character I never expected to die: Finnick Odair. Oh my god, TALK ABOUT DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS. CAN WE JUST. He starts off as one thing and completely reveals himself to be the exact opposite and I can't help but feel SO MUCH PRIDE for this stupid series and it's wonderfully written characters. I don't know, maybe it's because I went into this with no expectations and with only comparisons to Twilight flying around in my head that I ended up loving it with all my poor little heart. I don't think that is the case, because the overlying messages in the Hunger Games trump anything Stephenie Meyer would ever imagine in that little brain of hers. WHATEVER. FINNICK ODAIR, YOU TRAGIC HUMAN BEING. I don't know anything about this fandom, so I don't know who people use as Finnick when they make graphics and fanmixes and the like. I am, in part, really thankful for this because I was able to imagine the characters without any previous influence. So my Finnick was like a cross between Michael Fassbender in like three different roles he's played. When we first meet him he is wearing just a speedo, right? Immediately, Stelios from 300 popped into my head and never left. Seeing as how I keep changing the subject from Finnick's actual character, I am obviously not over his death. That moment in the novel when they are running away from the rat muttations and Collins doesn't mention Finnick for quite awhile until Katniss counts off who is still with them after climbing that ladder, and I'm sitting there going, "Wait, where is Finnick? Oh wait, didn't they split into two groups. Yes, that's it. They split into two groups and he's fine and he's making it out alive and he will get to go home and see Annie again." NO. WHY NOT JUST RIP MY HEART RIGHT OUT OF MY CHEST AND HURL IT INTO A FLAMING PIT OF DESPAIR.
Moving onto Prim, who I actually didn't care for at the beginning. She started off as a helpless little lamb that everyone loved and wanted to protect, except me because I was just like, "give me something to work with here, Collins!" Anyway, I love that she blossomed into maturity with a gentle, quiet sort of bravery and that she was the one that helped comfort Katniss on many occasions. I loved, LOVED, LOVED the moment when Katniss realized her little sister Prim had grown into something completely different that didn't need so much protecting. It is just so REAL, that moment when you realize a person has changed and lost a bit of their purity and innocence because of what the world does to you as you get older. I never, NEVER in a million years thought Prim was going to die. Honestly, I reached a point in the series (somewhere halfway into Mockingjay), where I had absolutely no idea what Collins was going to do to Katniss. I had a suspicion that she would get to kill Snow, but after that I didn't know what was going to happen to her. So imagine my utter shock when Prim dies, and from GALE'S BOMB. Maybe I was reading so fast that I skipped some detail that made it seem like the Capitol bombed all those kids, but I knew right after the second bomb exploded that that bomb was Gale's design. I think it further proves the point that Gale was more of a brother to Katniss when he said, "That was the only thing I had going for me. Taking care of your family." Again, I have no knowledge of what is happening in Hunger Games fandom, but I think that even if the Hunger Games hadn't happened, Katniss would never have married or fallen in love with Gale. I can't even really explain why, but it's something I really believe. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked when Prim died.
One of my other favorite characters that I grew really protective over was Johanna. Do we find out what happens to her in the end or is she never mentioned again? I can't even bring myself to re-read those last chapters again so soon. I just can't. Johanna's character is usually one that I can't stand (I can't help side-eyeing those snarky characters that help the main protagonist even though they hate the main protagonist), but because Collins is so good at writing characters (I will just keep repeating this over and over), she quickly became one of my absolute favorites and I am forever thankful that she made it out alive. I don't know when exactly I became so protective of her, but I think it was when she said "They can't hurt me. There is nothing left I love." Something in that statement is so powerful, so brave, and SO POIGNANT I don't even know what to do with myself. What happened to all her loved ones? Why doesn't she have any belongings? I can't believe she forced herself out into the rain after being tortured with water in the Capitol. That PART when she's lying in the hospital bed and Katniss observes that without all her bravado and snarky attitude, Johanna is just a regular girl. My poor little heart, I can't even take it because that is just SO EASY TO RELATE TO. She is so alone and probably so afraid, but the fact that she has nothing to hold onto is what gives her the bravery to move forward. She has nothing to lose but herself because all she has is herself, but the Capitol even took a little bit of that from her. AND BY THE END OF THE NOVEL, SHE IS STILL ALONE. I CANNNNNNNNNNNNNNT.
Which brings me to Peeta.
Here is a boy who loves to paint, and bake, and whose favorite color is orange. He has the ability to captivate a crowd and always think of the right thing to say when nobody else can. Ironic, encouraging, a little funny, but not at anyone's expense. Here is a boy who saw his childhood crush digging through the trash to find any scrap of food to take to her family. He purposely burns a loaf of bread knowing his mother will have to throw it out, gets beaten for it, and throws it to Katniss in the darkness. Asking for no thanks, not even able to make eye contact with her the next day. Here is a boy who goes into the Hunger Games, knowing full well he is going to die, but then resolutely decides he will devote his last days of life protecting the girl he loves even if she is treating him like shit. He spends the last night of his life before the Hunger Games worrying about dying as someone other than himself, not wanting to be a player on the chessboard of the Hunger Games. (Which makes the entire brainwashing situation even MORE HEARTBREAKING, UGH) Here is someone who will love unconditionally, so much so that he would probably have let Katniss marry Gale (if she actually loved him) and even volunteer to bake the cake for her wedding. He is just so selfless and honorable and so perfect for Katniss. I can honestly say that if Peeta had physically died (because his spirit obviously died) I would have cried myself to sleep for weeks.
I just cannot talk about Peeta. I cannot believe Peeta exists, fictional or otherwise. I also cannot stomach that he was tortured and brainwashed. He is just so precious.. I JUST CANT. NOPE, I CANT. Nothing I say will ever really, coherently and accurately express what I feel about Peeta's character so I'm not even going to try. I'm not even going to do that thing that I do where I go "Ommgg I wish I can find MY Peeta", because Peeta could never exist in this world. I just want to keep him in a little bubble of happiness and sunshine where he can paint and bake and braid Katniss's hair and be happy forever. That is all I want.
Before I go, because I can't bring myself to talk about Peeta/Katniss anymore, I will leave you with this:
So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?"
I tell him, "Real."
JUST LET ME DIE.
I will be really astounded if anyone actually read that entire thing.
So folks, the only thing I have left to say about this series is that it is phenomenal and everyone should read it. The underlying message about war is so powerful that I won't even do it the disservice of trying to summarize it in a measly paragraph on livejournal that nobody is probably even reading. I just cannot stress how truly great these books are and how suspenseful the entire trilogy is from beginning to end. It sucks you in and never really lets go of you, even after you finish. It has earned a place on my bookshelf next to His Dark Materials and Harry Potter, and it has earned it's place in my heart forever. Thank you, and good night.
Anyhow, I'm putting every thing under a cut because I am now of the opinion that everyone should read The Hunger Games. It is sooo much more than just another young adult sci/fi adventure. I have never had such an emotional reaction to anything since Harry Potter, and that's really saying something. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, .
FIRST OF ALL, MY ACTUAL FACE UPON FINISHING THE LAST BOOK:
I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. If someone had recorded me reading this book, people would be using my face for GIF reactions for the next year.
I can not, CAN NOT believe how phenomenal these books are. Obviously, the Twilight comparisons are rampant because people need to compare things in order to make sense of them, but this series blows Twilight out of the water. First of all, it actually has a plot. Second of all, the lead heroine is not a completely useless Mary Sue whose main fault is that she's clumsy. No, Katniss Everdeen is a cleverly hashed out fictional character with depth and bravery and strength and accurate reactions to traumatic situations. That was actually one of the things I was really thankful for in this series, is that Suzanne Collins didn't make Katniss some stoic warrior. She had genuine emotional and mental breakdowns, and was also genuinely confused about her feelings for Gale. Haters to the left, but I really believe she always viewed Gale as a brother/fatherly figure. He even said (and I can't remember where or in which book it was in because everything is jumbling together in my mind), "You only kiss me when you think I'm in pain" or something to that effect. Regardless, I don't even think I need to be writing some epic essay about how Katniss loved Peeta the entire time. It doesn't matter, because he was the better choice for her and she even says so in the very last page. I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THESE TWO RIGHT NOW.
I can, however, talk about all my favorite characters and HOW THEY ALL DIED. EVEN PEETA, BECAUSE BRAINWASHING TOTALLY COUNTS AS KILLING OFF A CHARACTER.
I knew Peeta was going to get brainwashed at some point in the series because I read it on wikipedia or tumblr or somewhere. However, I read that bit of information so long ago that I completely forgot about it until he's in the hospital after the rescue mission in Mockingjay. I had this horrible feeling the whole time they were setting up the Katniss/Peeta reunion because it seemed too good to be true and then I couldn't imagine where Collins would take the story after that point if they rescued Peeta. That was when I realized, Oh God, he is going to be brainwashed. I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW FAR SHE WOULD TAKE THAT. It's like they gutted out his soul and replaced him with some snarky, creepy, unlikeable ...thing...that.. I can't even go there. And not only did she basically kill him, BUT SHE OFFERED NO EASY SOLUTION TO GETTING HIM BACK TO NORMAL. He never GETS back to normal, I think we can safely say. When I think about my reaction to reading that spoiler before reading the novel, I rolled my eyes a little bit because that is kind of a cliche thing to do when you need angst between two end-game lovers. FUN FACT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME: When I watched the entire Fushigi Yugi series in two days because I was 13 and Miyaka/Tamahome were like the greatest thing since Squall/Rinoa, I went through the whole brainwashing with Tamahome. It's irritating beyond compare and it is ALWAYS at a time when you want the two lovers together the most, but with most stories when one lover is brainwashed into hating the other, most of the time it seems like a plot device used to hash out the angst a little longer. In the case of the Hunger Games, it was really well played on Collins' part because it showed how much power the Capitol had and just how much it could take away from you to break you. It also helped Katniss realize a few things about her feelings towards Peeta...which I will get into later.
Okay, CINNA. Can we talk about Cinna? I grew so attached to Cinna, I didn't even realize there would ever be a point where his life would ever be in danger. The moment he died, I knew Collins wasn't fucking around. She means business with this series, guys, and she isn't afraid to kill off all your favorite characters to prove her point about war and peace and human nature and love. In my brain, for one reason or another, Cinna was a not-evil Harry Lloyd. (Imagine my surprise at hearing Lenny Kravitz was cast as Cinna for the movie. I can't even talk about the movie at this point.) I KNEW from the moment we met Cinna that there would be some part of fandom that would ship him with Katniss, but to ship Cinna and Katniss is a huge insult to their relationship. I think he was the only character that rebelled against the Capitol by only hurting himself. Am I wrong?? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But, UGH, that moment when you realize he has transformed her dress into a Mockingjay and he is completely calm about it, because Cinna never cries, and he pours out his emotions into his work because that way he's only hurting himself, THAT MOMENT. When he's putting Kat on the elevator to take her to the Quarter Quell and he gives her a tight smile and you just KNOW he's a goner. However, the way Collins writes his last moments of life is soooooo poignant. I can't even. It is SO in character for him to send Katniss away without a huge display of THIS-IS-OUR-LAST-GOODBYE and only a tight smile to send her back into the games. Later, with the sketchbook of her dressed in her warrior-Mockingjay uniform and his note, I'm still betting on you, I legitimately burst into tears. Big, fat, ugly tears were streaming down my face.
Which brings me to another character I never expected to die: Finnick Odair. Oh my god, TALK ABOUT DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS. CAN WE JUST. He starts off as one thing and completely reveals himself to be the exact opposite and I can't help but feel SO MUCH PRIDE for this stupid series and it's wonderfully written characters. I don't know, maybe it's because I went into this with no expectations and with only comparisons to Twilight flying around in my head that I ended up loving it with all my poor little heart. I don't think that is the case, because the overlying messages in the Hunger Games trump anything Stephenie Meyer would ever imagine in that little brain of hers. WHATEVER. FINNICK ODAIR, YOU TRAGIC HUMAN BEING. I don't know anything about this fandom, so I don't know who people use as Finnick when they make graphics and fanmixes and the like. I am, in part, really thankful for this because I was able to imagine the characters without any previous influence. So my Finnick was like a cross between Michael Fassbender in like three different roles he's played. When we first meet him he is wearing just a speedo, right? Immediately, Stelios from 300 popped into my head and never left. Seeing as how I keep changing the subject from Finnick's actual character, I am obviously not over his death. That moment in the novel when they are running away from the rat muttations and Collins doesn't mention Finnick for quite awhile until Katniss counts off who is still with them after climbing that ladder, and I'm sitting there going, "Wait, where is Finnick? Oh wait, didn't they split into two groups. Yes, that's it. They split into two groups and he's fine and he's making it out alive and he will get to go home and see Annie again." NO. WHY NOT JUST RIP MY HEART RIGHT OUT OF MY CHEST AND HURL IT INTO A FLAMING PIT OF DESPAIR.
Moving onto Prim, who I actually didn't care for at the beginning. She started off as a helpless little lamb that everyone loved and wanted to protect, except me because I was just like, "give me something to work with here, Collins!" Anyway, I love that she blossomed into maturity with a gentle, quiet sort of bravery and that she was the one that helped comfort Katniss on many occasions. I loved, LOVED, LOVED the moment when Katniss realized her little sister Prim had grown into something completely different that didn't need so much protecting. It is just so REAL, that moment when you realize a person has changed and lost a bit of their purity and innocence because of what the world does to you as you get older. I never, NEVER in a million years thought Prim was going to die. Honestly, I reached a point in the series (somewhere halfway into Mockingjay), where I had absolutely no idea what Collins was going to do to Katniss. I had a suspicion that she would get to kill Snow, but after that I didn't know what was going to happen to her. So imagine my utter shock when Prim dies, and from GALE'S BOMB. Maybe I was reading so fast that I skipped some detail that made it seem like the Capitol bombed all those kids, but I knew right after the second bomb exploded that that bomb was Gale's design. I think it further proves the point that Gale was more of a brother to Katniss when he said, "That was the only thing I had going for me. Taking care of your family." Again, I have no knowledge of what is happening in Hunger Games fandom, but I think that even if the Hunger Games hadn't happened, Katniss would never have married or fallen in love with Gale. I can't even really explain why, but it's something I really believe. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked when Prim died.
One of my other favorite characters that I grew really protective over was Johanna. Do we find out what happens to her in the end or is she never mentioned again? I can't even bring myself to re-read those last chapters again so soon. I just can't. Johanna's character is usually one that I can't stand (I can't help side-eyeing those snarky characters that help the main protagonist even though they hate the main protagonist), but because Collins is so good at writing characters (I will just keep repeating this over and over), she quickly became one of my absolute favorites and I am forever thankful that she made it out alive. I don't know when exactly I became so protective of her, but I think it was when she said "They can't hurt me. There is nothing left I love." Something in that statement is so powerful, so brave, and SO POIGNANT I don't even know what to do with myself. What happened to all her loved ones? Why doesn't she have any belongings? I can't believe she forced herself out into the rain after being tortured with water in the Capitol. That PART when she's lying in the hospital bed and Katniss observes that without all her bravado and snarky attitude, Johanna is just a regular girl. My poor little heart, I can't even take it because that is just SO EASY TO RELATE TO. She is so alone and probably so afraid, but the fact that she has nothing to hold onto is what gives her the bravery to move forward. She has nothing to lose but herself because all she has is herself, but the Capitol even took a little bit of that from her. AND BY THE END OF THE NOVEL, SHE IS STILL ALONE. I CANNNNNNNNNNNNNNT.
Which brings me to Peeta.
Here is a boy who loves to paint, and bake, and whose favorite color is orange. He has the ability to captivate a crowd and always think of the right thing to say when nobody else can. Ironic, encouraging, a little funny, but not at anyone's expense. Here is a boy who saw his childhood crush digging through the trash to find any scrap of food to take to her family. He purposely burns a loaf of bread knowing his mother will have to throw it out, gets beaten for it, and throws it to Katniss in the darkness. Asking for no thanks, not even able to make eye contact with her the next day. Here is a boy who goes into the Hunger Games, knowing full well he is going to die, but then resolutely decides he will devote his last days of life protecting the girl he loves even if she is treating him like shit. He spends the last night of his life before the Hunger Games worrying about dying as someone other than himself, not wanting to be a player on the chessboard of the Hunger Games. (Which makes the entire brainwashing situation even MORE HEARTBREAKING, UGH) Here is someone who will love unconditionally, so much so that he would probably have let Katniss marry Gale (if she actually loved him) and even volunteer to bake the cake for her wedding. He is just so selfless and honorable and so perfect for Katniss. I can honestly say that if Peeta had physically died (because his spirit obviously died) I would have cried myself to sleep for weeks.
I just cannot talk about Peeta. I cannot believe Peeta exists, fictional or otherwise. I also cannot stomach that he was tortured and brainwashed. He is just so precious.. I JUST CANT. NOPE, I CANT. Nothing I say will ever really, coherently and accurately express what I feel about Peeta's character so I'm not even going to try. I'm not even going to do that thing that I do where I go "Ommgg I wish I can find MY Peeta", because Peeta could never exist in this world. I just want to keep him in a little bubble of happiness and sunshine where he can paint and bake and braid Katniss's hair and be happy forever. That is all I want.
Before I go, because I can't bring myself to talk about Peeta/Katniss anymore, I will leave you with this:
So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?"
I tell him, "Real."
JUST LET ME DIE.
I will be really astounded if anyone actually read that entire thing.
So folks, the only thing I have left to say about this series is that it is phenomenal and everyone should read it. The underlying message about war is so powerful that I won't even do it the disservice of trying to summarize it in a measly paragraph on livejournal that nobody is probably even reading. I just cannot stress how truly great these books are and how suspenseful the entire trilogy is from beginning to end. It sucks you in and never really lets go of you, even after you finish. It has earned a place on my bookshelf next to His Dark Materials and Harry Potter, and it has earned it's place in my heart forever. Thank you, and good night.