Hunger Games Book Cover
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure, Dystopian
Publisher: Scholastic
Published on: 2008
Review:
(Contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.)
The story takes place in Panem, a place once known as North America, where the Capitol is surrounded by 12 outlying districts. Every year, each district must send 2 tributes – one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve to eighteen to take part in the Hunger Games where each tribute must fight each other until one only survives. Katniss, who lives her life hunting and supporting her family together with his best friend, volunteers to join the Hunger Games in place of her sister. As she enters the Hunger Games, she will meet new people, she will encounter problems, and she will have to sort out her feelings. If she wants to win in the Hunger Games, she needs to survive. She needs to kill and show her skills in hunting and survival, she needs to hide her emotions and she needs to lie – all these she needs to do in order for her to survive.
Major Characters: (spoilers)
Katniss Everdeen – The protagonist, a sixteen-year-old girl living in District 12, or known as Seam, who supports her family through hunting and trading.
Primrose Everdeen – She is the little sister of Katniss. She picked as a tribute for District 12 but instead, her sister volunteered to replace her.
Gale Hawthorne – The best friend of Katniss. He calls her “Catnip” because when they first met, he misheard her saying catnip. Both of them always hunt together and supports each other including their own family.
Peeta Mellark – The boy who was picked as a tribute coming from District 12 with Katniss.
Haymitch Abernathy – He is a drunkard but the victor of the 50th Hunger Games. He serves as the mentor for Katniss andPeeta.
Awesome – the word that I can only think of about this book. While already assuming and thinking that Katniss will definitely fall for “the boy tribute from District 12″, it betrayed my expectations but in a good way. This book is not your typical sci-fi, romance, adventure type of book where they talk about girl meets boy (or vice versa) -> something happens -> then they fall in love with each other. Instead, the book mainly talks about how our protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, fights for herself and for her survival, how she grows as a person, how she builds her relationship with others, how she gains trust, how she overcomes every problems and obstacles that she encounters, how she starts to care for others, and how she shows who she really is. The story showed in detail how the protagonist grew and mature which made the people, not only the characters but also the readers, love her.
The author’s way in creating the story was really creative and well, beautiful. The author wrote the book in a way where it is really understandable and leaves a large impression on part of the reader. What I like about the manner of writing is that it’s simple - it is not too hard to understand and almost anyone can read it. She used words that are not that really deep nor extravagant but she used words that can be understood by even people who know little about English.
Story: 9/10
(Even though the story gave an impact to me, it still has room for improvement)
Characters: 7/10
(You’ll see why after you read the book. The development of the relationship of the characters was somewhat really fast. There’s not much character development for the other characters except for Katniss and Peeta.)
Writing: 10/10
(Simple and can be understood easily.)
Back Cover Description:
COULD YOU SURVIVE ON YOUR OWN, IN THE WILD, WITH EVERYONE OUT TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T SEE TO LIVE THE MORNING?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps 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 death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regard 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 in 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.
Acclaimed writer SUZANNE COLLINS, author of The New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.
Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023483
— admin
1 comment
Matthew (@thebibliofreak)
February 10, 2012 at 2:38 am (UTC 8) Link to this comment
This is the first time I’ve visited your site – looks great, and I really like the little ‘show’ buttons.
I’ve just finished The Hunger Games and really enjoyed reading your review. I’m not sure it lived up to expectation for me, but then I’m not sure that I’m the target audience. Anyway. my review is here if interested: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins