Published: 5th January 2009Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 464
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 464
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge, TBR Pile Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, Read and Review Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK
Buy this book: Amazon UK
Synopsis [Amazon UK]
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
The cover...
The cover does highlight the main elements with the blood, the arrow and the mockingjay. I also like that the title looks almost dirty and has two silhouettes of a boy and a girl, referring to the two tributes, in the spaces of letters.
How did I find out about this book?
How did I find out about this book?
I have heard about this series a lot since it came out but I had never actually bothered to read it until it was all Katersoneseven on Youtube could talk about and I decided to give it a try. I have already read this book before but decided to re-read it and read the others before the movie is released.
What is this book about?
What is this book about?
A girl named Katniss lives in District 12, the furthest and poorest district from the high class Capitol. She has to illegally hunt to put food on the table for her family and worryingly await the yearly Hunger Games. A 'game' that puts 24 people against each other to only have one victor. When Katniss volunteers as tribute to replace her 12 year old sister, her life is turned into a television show where she has to keep herself alive as well as unknowingly consider her love life and potential future/death.
My opinion...
I absolutely adored this book. It was well thought out and everything was planned for, even down to the tiny details. The world of Panem is clearly visible in my mind and I couldn't wait to see how the film portrayed this.
I liked the way the book was written, in first person from Katniss herself. However, it appears as though she is talking to the audience of the book from some sort of diary especially when she tells the characters in the book only half the story but the rest is there in detail for the reader. This could potentially be giving the game away about what is about to happen.
It would have been great to have a bit more detail on Gale so that I could have firmly decided who my choice of romantic interest for Katniss could be as throughout the book the admiration for Peeta just grew stronger as there wasn't enough reference to Gale. Which, in my opinion, it should have for Katniss too as in a situation like that it seems that it would change people and their perceptions of others. Yet, Katniss's affections would always relate back to the audience watching the Hunger Games and the sponsors it would potentially enlighten. It would have been better if she was a bit more attached to Peeta in a romantic way other than only for his safety. Although she still seems to be a bit naiive in this area, especially considering she is only 16.
The format of the book was great! However, I especially loved the way in which the actual games were portrayed to the reader. I couldn't wait to see what happens next and loved how anything could happen! Although The Hunger Games was about fighting to the death, the author still managed to capture the hearts of the audience through the amazing characters and the way in which they chose to fight for survival. Although children fighting children is not ideal, it was told in a way that wasn't as violent as it could have been, and added the special touches of humour and romance to pull us away from the hurt and fear.
I can't help but recommend this book to anyone who wants a new and exciting read! I've already recommended it to a lot of my family and friends!
If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
My opinion...
I absolutely adored this book. It was well thought out and everything was planned for, even down to the tiny details. The world of Panem is clearly visible in my mind and I couldn't wait to see how the film portrayed this.
I liked the way the book was written, in first person from Katniss herself. However, it appears as though she is talking to the audience of the book from some sort of diary especially when she tells the characters in the book only half the story but the rest is there in detail for the reader. This could potentially be giving the game away about what is about to happen.
It would have been great to have a bit more detail on Gale so that I could have firmly decided who my choice of romantic interest for Katniss could be as throughout the book the admiration for Peeta just grew stronger as there wasn't enough reference to Gale. Which, in my opinion, it should have for Katniss too as in a situation like that it seems that it would change people and their perceptions of others. Yet, Katniss's affections would always relate back to the audience watching the Hunger Games and the sponsors it would potentially enlighten. It would have been better if she was a bit more attached to Peeta in a romantic way other than only for his safety. Although she still seems to be a bit naiive in this area, especially considering she is only 16.
The format of the book was great! However, I especially loved the way in which the actual games were portrayed to the reader. I couldn't wait to see what happens next and loved how anything could happen! Although The Hunger Games was about fighting to the death, the author still managed to capture the hearts of the audience through the amazing characters and the way in which they chose to fight for survival. Although children fighting children is not ideal, it was told in a way that wasn't as violent as it could have been, and added the special touches of humour and romance to pull us away from the hurt and fear.
I can't help but recommend this book to anyone who wants a new and exciting read! I've already recommended it to a lot of my family and friends!
If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
This book is part of a series with book two titled Catching Fire! The movie version of this book was released today, March 23rd. I have heard that an older book titled Battle Royale has the same theory as The Hunger Games yet has much more gore, so I'll definitely be checking that out!
