How I can call myself a book reviewer and not have a review of The Hunger Games on my blog, I don’t know. But here it is and here are my honest thoughts on one of the most popular literature trilogies of the past couple of decades.
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If you don’t know by now, The Hunger Games focuses on the story of Katniss Everdeen, who grew up in a world separated by “districts” and “the Capitol” with “The Capitol” being the place for the rich and powerful and the districts being places for the lesser so.
When Katniss’ sister’s name is called up to take part in the next Hunger Games, she volunteers as a tribute and thus the match is lit for the beginning of an epic story across three books of how one woman changes the entire continent of Panem.
The Hunger Games plot – 4.25/5
By now, I imagine most people know the plot of The Hunger Games and after previously describing the general idea of it above, there’s not a vast much more I can say without potentially spoiling key plot moments.
My view on the plot, though, is that this book sets a very high bar for the series. I know if I’d read this when it initially came out before knowing any details of the sequels, this book would have left me hyped.
The Hunger Games exploded a genre of dystopian novels where some relatively young adults must fight for the amusement of the rich and powerful. The Hunger Games probably still does this best and sets the perfect tone throughout of every action Katniss takes, potentially having huge ramifications politically and culturally.
The Hunger Games characters – 4.25/5
Throughout The Hunger Games, there’s a unique feeling of a potential love triangle going on. However, you soon realise that instead Katniss grew up with one boy and is now involved with another in the Hunger Games themselves and it’s really as simple as that.
At first, the situationship feels forced but as Peeta begins to open up and crack some jokes, you do begin to enjoy their dynamic. This is despite Katniss never really letting her guard down and spending almost the entire book angry at someone or something and on the defensive.
There are some lovable and detestable side characters throughout the story, with some highlights being Cinna and Haymitch as two characters who you’ll remember after finishing the novel for their own very different reasons.
The Hunger Games final rating – 4.25/5
The Hunger Games will eventually go down as a classic – it launched the young adult dystopian genre onto a whole new level and has had many books try to replicate it since. This first book in the trilogy sets up such a tense and brilliant environment for the subsequent books that you can’t help but be excited to see what’s coming next. With excitement and the fact that there are plenty of great characters to grow attached to, I can see why now, even over 17 years later, this book is still talked about as a must-read for anyone interested in the YA genre who’s not yet had a chance to pick it up. It’s not perfect but then I don’t think anyone was suggesting it was, but you can also see why it became a huge hit.
