Review: The Hunger Games


Title:
The Hunger Games

Author:
Suzanne Collins

Date Published:
September 14th 2008 by Scholastic Press

Amazon Link and ISBN:
ISBN 0439023483 (ISBN13: 9780439023481)

Goodreads Page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games

Point of View and tense:
First person present tense

Genre:
Science Fiction

Subject matter / Setting:
The setting is in the distant future. There are twelve districts which are basically cities built for slave labor. They are all monitored and controlled by a single, large capitol city. Each district has a particular job. For example district twelve is the mining district. Each year the capitol requires that two young adults fight in an arena. This is a show of power to the districts as well as a form of entertainment.

Themes:
Survival, Young Love, Violence, Governmental Power

Intended audience:
Seems to border Young Adult and Adult. The violence might be too much for some younger readers but the young romance tends to favor young readers. The romance is not overbearing at all though.

Author’s style:
Collins primarily writes action and emotion. There is only a hint of political and metaphorical writing.

Pacing:
The pacing was excellent. I never once felt like I didn’t want to use up my spare time reading this book. I never once was bored or tempted to skip a section.

How did the book affect me?
It really put me into the prospective of a person who is being forced to do deeds that are highly undesirable; survival and murder. I felt as if I could really relate to the main character and her struggles as well as her victories.

Evaluation:
The book was great for me. I was planning on giving it an easy five stars, with the warning that it is all action and no think, until the last page. When I hit the last page it lost a star. It lost a star because the story didn’t end. I have no problem with a book that gives you a hook at the end so you will want to buy the second book, but the story needs to have some sort of conclusion as well. I left the book feeling like the last page was an advertisement for book two rather than the ending of a book. Don’t get me wrong; the ending didn’t ruin the book for me, but it did upset me. I’ll be reading book two as well, but I hear it’s ending is even worse.

If you enjoy action books and you don’t mind some violence please go read THE HUNGER GAMES. You won’t regret it.