Book Review: Hunger Games

Title: Hunger Games (Book 1)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Hardbound, 374 pages
Published October 1st 2008

NOTE: I have already read this book two years, long before it has been made into a film. I finished the first book February of 2011. 

I rarely cry over books, really! But the world of Hunger Games left me crying again and again. Katniss & Peeta – two brave warriors – two different heart-warming histories.

When I first heard about Hunger Games, I was hesitant to read it. I thought these was another one of those YA Reads that wanted to get hold of that Twilight pandemonium. But when I read the outstanding reviews and the fact that it has been a bestseller for a number of months, not just weeks, and then spawned up to three installments, I knew I had to read Hunger Games.

When I started reading Suzanne Collins’ masterpiece, I didn't have any hanky at hand. Too bad, I immediately got watery eyes after learning about poverty, struggles and sacrifices on District 12, especially about Katniss’ & Peeta’s families; the way they had met, the way they have been chosen for the dreaded Hunger Games, the way they had been paired up, they way they had survived.

Katniss is a very strong character – much different from the girl protagonists I previously read. But there is something about Katniss that made her stood out from the rest of heroines. She cares so much for her family, taking the place of Primrose, her sister as a tribute so Prim would be spared from the bloodbath, she strives hard to survive, she steers clear of untrustworthy people, she knows how to keep her emotions in check, she thinks ahead and moves according to plan, even if she has to pretend being in-love – she’s all that, all in one piece..

Peeta, on the other hand, may somewhat be smitten with Katniss,as he does show & play on the arena. In his little way, he helps himself and Katniss survive against their competitors – the Career Tributes. He may not be as strong as Katniss but he did all his best to protect her, even getting a cut in the leg just to make her run away from the enemy.

The ending of the story is a cliffhanger, one that makes you think about what will happen next after the battle at the arena. I'm not recommending this book to everyone though. If you hate violence or dystopia, choose a more subtle book, because Hunger Games is definitely not for the faint-of-heart.

But for those who love this kind of genre, knock yourselves out. This is one of the ultimate must-reads because this book is simply AWESOME!!

My rating for Hunger Games: 5 Bookmarks!

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Just want to share the brief history of Panem and how Hunger Games came to be, taken from the book:

Panem is a country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol.

Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland.

Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins. Taking the kids from the districts, forcing them to kill one another while the others watch — this is the Capitol’s way of reminding district people how totally they are at the mercy of Capitol. How little chance they would stand of surviving another rebellion.