Book Blog #142: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
# of Pages: 374 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, the shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh 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 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: Original Review written January 13, 2014
 Rating: 5 stars

There's not much to say here; it's one of the most popular books of the present.

Second Review: 5 stars (November 23-25, 2014)

I decided to reread the whole Hunger Games series after realizing how much content I had forgotten when I watched Mockingjay Part 1.

It's not as perfect as I remembered it to be, probably the result of the movie (which planted a completely different interpretation of the story in my head) and time (which often is the reason for change, for better or fore worse). I can see why people would dislike it, especially after it became more mainstream (mostly when the movies start coming out and a different type of fan base formed). There's something about books/movies that people only praise that make some people - including me sometimes - want to find something to criticize. Also, it's always disappointment when a reader expects something really, really good only for the book not to meet his or her expectations.  

There's a lot of coincidental situations. While Katniss is a strong protagonist, I question her abilities in the games (is that a spoiler? I say not); is she as amazing as the reader is led to think she is? Or are outside forces that happen to act at the right time what make her seem so incredible?

I was surprised on how my image of Katniss changed since I watched the movies. Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss seems to have more emotional restraint (which I prefer) while the book Katniss is one to "throw herself on her bed sobbing" (this is almost a quote from the book...). 

Some scenes and dialogue lacked detail and left a lot to the reader's imagination. Reading this again after seeing the movie helped me understand how some vaguely described situations could be interpreted, but without the visual reference, I may have been more irritated with this book. 

I was still able to enjoy the book, although not in the same way I did the first time. I still highly recommend it!