Book Reviews! The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Non-Spoilery Review Up Here, Spoilers Under The Cut!
I read the first 150 pages of The Hunger Games while substituting at the middle school library in the beginning of October and I was obsessed. It took me until last week to get copies of the trilogy, and I read them in a mad fury, trying not to read at work because breaking down weeping in front of your students is probably frowned upon.
I don't read a lot of YA books, but I really, really enjoyed these. I particularly loved that the protagonist, Katniss, wasn't perfect. She's stubborn, selfish, obstinate, never listens to anyone - and yet she's still likable. She is fiercely dedicated to the people she cares about, particularly her sister, she does what she sets out to do, no matter the obstacles, and despite alluding to the fact that she doesn't, she cares about people.
The secondary characters are all incredibly memorable and likable, particularly Finnick Odair, Haymitch Abernathy, Effie Trinket, Octavia, Flavius, Venia, Cinna, Rue... (and, as you've noticed, everyone has fantastically fun names) - many of these characters help bring some moments of humor to an incredibly bleak story. And of course Peeta and Gale.
I love that nothing is sugar-coated and things aren't resolved with sunshine and happiness. There is real political stuff going on; it's not just teenage romance and fluff. (Although there IS romance and it's delightful). I'm pretty close to gushing here, but I really, REALLY liked these books.
COULD THEY HAVE KILLED ANY MORE PEOPLE? Well, I guess they could have. Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and Haymitch were all alive at the end, and so.... could have been worse? I was honestly expecting Gale to die; never even crossed my mind that Prim would. It was so heartbreaking; her sister dying, when the catalyst for the entire series was Katniss wanting to protect her. But realistic, I guess, which I enjoy. Prim would have wanted to go help. And if she's anything like her sister, the adults telling her not to wouldn't have made much of a difference.
I LOVE PEETA. So I suppose if I must take sides, Team Peeta. I don't dislike Gale, and I again loved the sad sad realism over him and Katniss growing apart over irreconcilable differences in opinion. I'm glad Haymitch and Effie didn't die, and I'm still sad over Cinna and Finnick. Cinna and the rest of Katniss's prep team were, I think, the examples of the best kind of person you could grow up to be when you grew up in the Capitol. They really cared about her.
I really wanted this review to be coherent but I have delved into raving nonsense. Maybe I'll try again when the cloud of pain has lifted off my brain. If you have read these, and I hope you have if you are reading this, PLEASE tell me, I need people to talk about them with!!
I read the first 150 pages of The Hunger Games while substituting at the middle school library in the beginning of October and I was obsessed. It took me until last week to get copies of the trilogy, and I read them in a mad fury, trying not to read at work because breaking down weeping in front of your students is probably frowned upon.
I don't read a lot of YA books, but I really, really enjoyed these. I particularly loved that the protagonist, Katniss, wasn't perfect. She's stubborn, selfish, obstinate, never listens to anyone - and yet she's still likable. She is fiercely dedicated to the people she cares about, particularly her sister, she does what she sets out to do, no matter the obstacles, and despite alluding to the fact that she doesn't, she cares about people.
The secondary characters are all incredibly memorable and likable, particularly Finnick Odair, Haymitch Abernathy, Effie Trinket, Octavia, Flavius, Venia, Cinna, Rue... (and, as you've noticed, everyone has fantastically fun names) - many of these characters help bring some moments of humor to an incredibly bleak story. And of course Peeta and Gale.
I love that nothing is sugar-coated and things aren't resolved with sunshine and happiness. There is real political stuff going on; it's not just teenage romance and fluff. (Although there IS romance and it's delightful). I'm pretty close to gushing here, but I really, REALLY liked these books.
COULD THEY HAVE KILLED ANY MORE PEOPLE? Well, I guess they could have. Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and Haymitch were all alive at the end, and so.... could have been worse? I was honestly expecting Gale to die; never even crossed my mind that Prim would. It was so heartbreaking; her sister dying, when the catalyst for the entire series was Katniss wanting to protect her. But realistic, I guess, which I enjoy. Prim would have wanted to go help. And if she's anything like her sister, the adults telling her not to wouldn't have made much of a difference.
I LOVE PEETA. So I suppose if I must take sides, Team Peeta. I don't dislike Gale, and I again loved the sad sad realism over him and Katniss growing apart over irreconcilable differences in opinion. I'm glad Haymitch and Effie didn't die, and I'm still sad over Cinna and Finnick. Cinna and the rest of Katniss's prep team were, I think, the examples of the best kind of person you could grow up to be when you grew up in the Capitol. They really cared about her.
I really wanted this review to be coherent but I have delved into raving nonsense. Maybe I'll try again when the cloud of pain has lifted off my brain. If you have read these, and I hope you have if you are reading this, PLEASE tell me, I need people to talk about them with!!