The Story of Murder
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins has become one of the most popular young adult books of the century. The basic outline of the story is that this place is divided into 13 districts. Each year, every district sends one of the teenagers from the district to compete in a contest called the hunger games. The goal of the game is to survive, and kill all of the other tributes, or the other teenagers, along the way. With any kind of book like this, it has to be met with controversy, especially when the book is directed towards young adults. Some readers may find a dark plot line like that very concerning, and if you are not looking for an extra level of intensity on your reading, then this book is not for you.
The main character in this book is a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She comes from the 12th district, where many people starve and the area is riddled with crime. She breaks the law on a daily basis and goes outside of the barriers around the district to hunt for food for her family, and to sell at a black market. Without spoiling too much of the beginning, she ends up as tribute for her district, and has to use her skills as a hunter to survive the dreaded 74th hunger games.
I would give this book an A- because it doesn't always stick to the perfect writing that Collins is capable of , but when it really matters, she can really blow the reader away. The story line is a very unique one, but one that I think should have been left alone, or taken in a different direction with the other books in the trilogy. As far as this book alone though, it has been one of the most memorable, and dazzling books I have read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves constant action, can wait and enjoy the buildup of an epic climax, and can respect the violent setting and scenes without being shaken up by them. But, be warned, the other books in the series are, in my opinion, not as exciting as this one, and some readers may enjoy having the story end with this, and pretend that the conspiracy of the entire Hunger Games trilogy never happened. But don't get me wrong, because Suzanne Collins is a fantastic writer, and any books she writes in the future will probably end up on my shelves. This is a truly unique book, and reading it is more like an experience, than simply reading words on a page.
3 comments:
i thought this review could have been written better and it should have given more detail and should have been easier to understand.
I think that your review is fine, I really like the Hunger Games book too. I was wondering what you mean by take the story in a different direction though? Like you don't like how the second and third books ended, or you think that the first book should have been different?
I have the same question as Beth. I agree with you that the other books weren't as strong as the first, but I would have been furious if the story had ended so fast. I felt that the 2nd and 3rd books were sort of... necessary follow-ups, I guess. What you said about the book being an experience is so true! Collins's writing really pulled me in. Good review.
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