The Hunger Games by Collins Suzanne

I start reading it on the road. It caught me from the very beginning. It didn't take long until I'm like, Hey, this IS a really good book! Now I understand why it was a big hit!The author created a very clever scenario of a future when "Reality TV" becomes too real. Where people are blood thirsty and find it entertaining. While this is set in the future in a place once call the USA, it's a very real past in World history. Violent blood thirsty entertainment. Think of the Gladiators of Rome... there is also the Inca and Aztec who sacrificed their children. As horrible as it sounds humans are capable of such Barbarism.Another thing that caught me with this book. Role reversal of gender stereotypes. (Wow... that sound very scholarly doesn't it?) But Katniss is ... MoreI start reading it on the road. It caught me from the very beginning. It didn't take long until I'm like, Hey, this IS a really good book! Now I understand why it was a big hit!The author created a very clever scenario of a future when "Reality TV" becomes too real. Where people are blood thirsty and find it entertaining. While this is set in the future in a place once call the USA, it's a very real past in World history. Violent blood thirsty entertainment. Think of the Gladiators of Rome... there is also the Inca and Aztec who sacrificed their children. As horrible as it sounds humans are capable of such Barbarism.Another thing that caught me with this book. Role reversal of gender stereotypes. (Wow... that sound very scholarly doesn't it?) But Katniss is written as what more stereotypically would be the male hero. Peeta is the one needing rescue. Think about what this book would look like if the genders had been reversed. (Thank you Suzanne Collins, Girl Power!) This series has turned into my all time FAVORITE! 💕

I thoroughly enjoy The Hunger Games series. It’s not overly graphic and appropriate for young adults in its content. The underlying messages behind the story are more thought-provoking than one might consider. You’ve got to dig under the surface to see what the real message is. The love-triangle is cute, but as I’ve re-read the book over the years, the story is SO much more than a silly teen love story. It’s a story of suppression and survival and I literally cry every time I finish the books.

I liked the books much betterthan I liked the movies. I actually like most book better than the moviesthey are made into. These books give much more detail than the movies andlet you use your imagination to give the characters their appearance andpersonalities. The books also give more depth to the characters so youcan understand better why they behave the way they do. Now all that said,these books are more "light" than I'm used to reading. They aredefinitely geared towards a younger audience, but they are light entertainmentfor adults.

It's 2019 (at the time of this review) and I just started reading this again. When I was growing up I'd read my favorite series over and over, but now that I'm grown I haven't read a series twice because there is just to many amazing books out there. I don't know what is is about this series that I love so much, and I'm not usually a fan of dystopia. Maybe it's that Katniss is not a perfect Mary Sue, like in many books of this type. She's relatable and for a lot of the series she has PTSD so it's not like she's always the amazing leader. All she wants is for her family to survive, she didn't even want to start a rebellion. It just happened and she was thrust in the middle of it and made the leader. I also normally don't care for love triangles, but with Gale and ... MoreIt's 2019 (at the time of this review) and I just started reading this again. When I was growing up I'd read my favorite series over and over, but now that I'm grown I haven't read a series twice because there is just to many amazing books out there. I don't know what is is about this series that I love so much, and I'm not usually a fan of dystopia. Maybe it's that Katniss is not a perfect Mary Sue, like in many books of this type. She's relatable and for a lot of the series she has PTSD so it's not like she's always the amazing leader. All she wants is for her family to survive, she didn't even want to start a rebellion. It just happened and she was thrust in the middle of it and made the leader. I also normally don't care for love triangles, but with Gale and Peeta you can see how that would happen. On the one hand you have Gale who she grew up with and has grown to love. On the other hand you have Peeta who just went through the Hunger Games together. They were brought together in tragedy and they needed each other to survive. I read all 3 books in one weekend. I watched each movie as it came out. But for the first time (weirdly) I am watching the movies back to back and it's reminded me how much I love the series.

Even being an adult this was a good read

If you've seen the movies then it's definitely worth reading the books. All the chapters are all from the perspective of Katniss so you get a greater understanding of what's going through her head during certain events. The main character is incredibly well written. She is a hero but also has a lot of flaws and makes mistakes which makes her seem more real and relatable. The books also expand upon the world so you can get more of a feel of the hardships each district goes through and it also gives a lot more development on the secondary and background characters as well.I wouldn't recommend it for young children due to the graphic nature of it but definitely would to teenagers and adults alike. It's a great book series for both parents & teens to read together as ... MoreIf you've seen the movies then it's definitely worth reading the books. All the chapters are all from the perspective of Katniss so you get a greater understanding of what's going through her head during certain events. The main character is incredibly well written. She is a hero but also has a lot of flaws and makes mistakes which makes her seem more real and relatable. The books also expand upon the world so you can get more of a feel of the hardships each district goes through and it also gives a lot more development on the secondary and background characters as well.I wouldn't recommend it for young children due to the graphic nature of it but definitely would to teenagers and adults alike. It's a great book series for both parents & teens to read together as it gives plenty of opportunity for talking points such as how to deal with trauma, loss of freedom, whats right and wrong and all the grey areas in between.It's definitely a books series I would enjoy and have no problem with reading again.

Great book!

The Hunger Games was an amazing read and I received it in amazing condition! The book is thrilling but starts a bit slow. My daughter uses this book for year 8 and she cannot stop reading! I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a bit bulky but appart from that, its outstanding!

Great stories. Terrible grammar.

I read the first editions, and I have to ask: were these books not proofed and edited? Not only is her writing style boring, and repetitive; but her overuse of commas, and inability to come up with synonyms for said makes her great stories less effective. Theres, no, need, for, ten, commas, per, sentence.

I would 100% buy this product again

This is great for many reasons. Firstly, the box set and each book in general came in fantastic shape. Secondly, the books in general - MASTERPIECES!! The Hunger Games trilogy is genuinely amazing! I will forever be grateful for my friend that told me to read these books. I highly recommend them all!! Last but not the least, if you like dystopian, slight romance, fake dating, fight til the death and all that jazz, READ THESE!! You will be doing yourself a favour and I can guarantee you won't regret it!

Not Bad, Not Great Overtly Simple, Yet Creative and Suspenseful.

DUNNO HOW THIS REVIEW GOT ATTACHED TO THE CD LISTING - BUT I READ THE BOOK... Anyway, had never heard of this series/author before all the recent movie hype. Nonetheless, I wanted to explore the book(s) first, before seeing the movie. This review is not intended to be a spoiler I will try to generalize, but may give away a bit of the plot through my comments, so be warned. First of all, let me say that this book is not complicated - no overt sexual overtones, explicitly graphic details, extensive literary vocabulary, or complex descriptions/adjectives unfortunately. With that being said, I found this characteristic to be somewhat disappointing. I wasnt expecting Anne Rice or Charles Dickens, but was hoping for more more romance, passion, evil, action more details, ... MoreDUNNO HOW THIS REVIEW GOT ATTACHED TO THE CD LISTING - BUT I READ THE BOOK... Anyway, had never heard of this series/author before all the recent movie hype. Nonetheless, I wanted to explore the book(s) first, before seeing the movie. This review is not intended to be a spoiler I will try to generalize, but may give away a bit of the plot through my comments, so be warned. First of all, let me say that this book is not complicated - no overt sexual overtones, explicitly graphic details, extensive literary vocabulary, or complex descriptions/adjectives unfortunately. With that being said, I found this characteristic to be somewhat disappointing. I wasnt expecting Anne Rice or Charles Dickens, but was hoping for more more romance, passion, evil, action more details, more description, more situational and character development... Even the main character, Katniss, is somewhat drab, dull, and boring never concerned with her appearance, self-conscious/low self-esteem, and a tomboy to boot with no mention of any cognizant sexual libido (I know she is a teenager, but really?). She never mentions any physical attraction to any member of the opposite sex, or development of sexual attraction period. Also, throughout the book, the character development, relationships between characters is often underdeveloped, awkward, and confusing. Most of Katnisss relationships with others exclusively reside in her head, and are underexplored, unresolved, and undefined. Thus, based on the limited dialogue between her and others, I often found myself questioning why her sentiments or actual connections surrounding characters were important, or even valid. In addition, some of Katnisss own thoughts/statements often seemed contradicting to the storyline and her relationships unbelievable e.g., why should she be concerned with Gales opinion of her - a person she loves like a brother? Why does she trust Cinna so much one of Captials own citizens, that she despises/hates? Why, after being told to be herself, did Katniss make a bizarre remark about loving her dress during the interview, and spin? she had never been appreciative of beauty (or her looks for that matter) before So, although reading a book written from a first person viewpoint can be interesting, it is also very limiting the reader knows nothing of the thoughts of others, and therefore has to constantly guess/speculate at the purported relationships. At any rate, the book is somewhat fun, interesting, and had some poignant/altruistic themes, e.g. the underdog, government, life/death, romance, coming of age, friendship, integrity, courage, love, etc. Also, the author had some very suspenseful moments, and creative situations/resolutions to problems, which I thoroughly enjoyed. What I found kind of ironic was the dichotomy of emotions I felt after reading the book. I despised the sadistic methodologies of the Captial, yet intrigued to vicariously experience the events of the games themselves, as any despicable Capital spectator would hehe. Indeed, this is definitely not a challenging book to read, probably geared for middle-school age. Dont expect to be too shocked, scared, or enthralled but do expect some creative situations/resolutions, a tiny bit of romance, some suspense, and some positive underlying themes. Check out Battle Circle by Piers Anthony instead (at least he is provocative).

Truly an incredible story

Reviewed on FicCentral.com:Life isn't easy in District 12 but sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen does what little she can to keep her mother and sister fed and safe including poaching outside the district fence and then adding her name to the Hunger Games lottery multiple times in exchange for food when her meager hunting spoils aren't enough. So when young Primrose Everdeen's name is called out the very first time she's in the drawing Katniss does the only thing she can. She volunteers taking her sister's place in a deadly arena with two tributes from each district. Only one is allowed to return alive.Leaving the only home she's ever known with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark Katniss travels to the glittering colorful Capital so different from her own dreary ... MoreReviewed on FicCentral.com:Life isn't easy in District 12 but sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen does what little she can to keep her mother and sister fed and safe including poaching outside the district fence and then adding her name to the Hunger Games lottery multiple times in exchange for food when her meager hunting spoils aren't enough. So when young Primrose Everdeen's name is called out the very first time she's in the drawing Katniss does the only thing she can. She volunteers taking her sister's place in a deadly arena with two tributes from each district. Only one is allowed to return alive.Leaving the only home she's ever known with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark Katniss travels to the glittering colorful Capital so different from her own dreary district. While those in District 12 toil in the coal mines want for even the most basic necessities like food and shuffle along through days blanketed in gray and despair the Capital shines its citizen decked out in wild fashions feasting on delicacies and gleefully looking forward to a group of teenagers being forced to kill or be killed in an arena filled with unimaginable hazards ó and cameras to broadcast the 'fun.'But she's up against people who've trained their whole lives to win the Games not to mention a few who are far too young to be subjected to this kind of violence. And PeetaÖ they don't really know each other but he gave her food once when she had nothing and he's as much of a friend as anyone can be in a situation where you're supposed to kill everyone else. How is she supposed to survive physically much less emotionally when the only way she can walk out with her life is to kill even him?But...There's an incredible sense of despair throughout the book which while purposely there can really drag a reader down. It's not reason enough to avoid the story but make sure you wait until you're in the mood for angst and drama before picking this one up. But really the only thing I didn't like about the story was Katniss's distance from any positive emotions. She's alternately angry and sad and depressed and resolved but never is she truly happy. Again it is absolutely necessary due to the nature of the story (not to mention the dystopian world in which she lives) but it's a tough emotional read when everything is fear and loss and fighting for survival. Still Katniss fights on in the face of almost certain death so perhaps its that personal strength that I should be respecting instead.The Verdict...Truly an incredible story. Dystopian isn't my usual fare though I dip in every now and then but I've never read anything like this. Veronica Roth has created a world so different from our own yet where inherent human flaws are brightly paralleled in both the Games and the people. The disparities in wealth the shallowness of those living in the capital the exploitation of the underprivileged and the extreme lengths to which those in power will go to remain in control. It's altogether fascinating and frightening with a little love triangle thrown in for good measure. Because post apocalyptic or not teenagers will always find someone to crush on.