Thoughts on Thursday - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
My Thoughts
I love this book. No, really I LOVE this book and I have to restrain myself while writing this review because if I don’t all you are going to be reading is declarations of my love for The Hunger Games and really who wants to read six paragraphs of that? I can’t even think of any good negatives to list to even things out because really I can’t find any substantial bad thing to say about this book and the only part that sticks out would be a spoiler and honestly it’s not a big deal and I completely understand it and it doesn’t bother me.
What you have to admire about this book is the characters. Character-driven stories tend to be the ones that win me over especially when they have so many wonderful different characters that just shine on their own. From the very beginning you see that Katniss Everdeen is a strong, independent girl forced to grow up too fast due to unavoidable circumstances and then you see her strength shine greater when she sacrifices herself for her little sister by taking her place in The Hunger Games. It really touched my heart when I see this girl, a skilled hunter who has no qualms against killing and skinning a rabbit, almost pass out when her little twelve your sister has basically been given a death sentence and without any hesitation rushes to take her place. It’s her spirit and her heart that wants me to see her win especially when the odds are so against her.
And then we have Peeta Mellark, a baker’s son, who as a little boy did something so simple but heroic I just wanted to know more about him, about what he was like now in the present, and why there so many fangirls out there in the blogger world on Team Peeta and now I know why. He’s not only kind and clever, but has his own strength. A couple months ago I read a review at Tiger’s All-Consuming Books saying that he was a beta-hero and that’s really what he is. He’s not the in-your-face, ready to take on the world hero, while brandishing a sword but he is every bit as capable as the hero who tends to take centre stage. Peeta is charming, he’s subtle and isn’t shy about his feelings nor does he make me gag with sentimentality.
And then there are the side characters who aren’t just there to fill up space but are fleshed out gems that also carry this story along which made it so hard to read at times in a dystopian novel because they are all in such a horrible place and you really don’t want to see anything horrible happen to them but anything can and does.
If you haven’t given this book a read yet you should because I’ve certainly waited too long to pick it up and desperately want the sequel. The Hunger Games is a book filled with spirit and strength, and so much suspense and twists it barely gives you a chance to breathe.
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Kim from Twisted Fates Cafe will be guest posting next week for Manga Monday. She's an awesome reviewer with an eclectic taste that allows her to love many different types of genres. I can't wait to see what she selects to feature next week and you lot should be just as excited ^_^.