This book was good though the present tense and first person made it really hard to get into and there were parts near the end that it really rubbed me wrong but that is largely personal preference. While I don’t have a problem with first person the present tense was really hard to get past for me.
Now, I had not seen any previews for the movies or anything and had surprisingly not seen spoilers on Tumblr, so I was completely expecting Katniss’ name to be picked and the whole story up to the reaping I was like blah, blah, blah I know Katniss is the tribute so let’s get on with it and was then pleasantly surprised to see that wasn’t how it went which is really what hooked me and kept me reading.
At this point it may seem like I didn’t like the book but I really did. Unfortunately the bad points stick out for me. I loved the plot and it was interesting, despite losing some possibilities by being first person. The dystopian society Collins has created is well thought out and it shows that she researches the effects of war on children. While the descriptions weren’t what they could have been (this is a huge part of the POV and tense problems for me) you still get a good feel for the world and the terrible situation these people, especially the children, are thrown into. I also must say that these books were a welcome change as fantasy doesn’t have to be rainbows, glitter and unicorns. It’s good to get a book that isn’t a world you would be running around desperately wishing was real and that you lived there and got to experience it. What I liked was that it makes you think, or at least it made me think.
The Hunger Games are the Capitol’s way of reminding everyone they are still at their mercy and subject to those 12-18 years of age being thrown into this revival of the gladiator’s arena. It’s an interesting world that Collins has created and it is much more than a love story, though I feel like many may miss that that’s really the heart of it, which I suppose is partially why the love triangle feels a little forced to me. More on that in the spoiler section.
The ending of the book was very “meh” for me, though. When I was done I wasn’t that interested in going on to the next one until I looked up the synopsis for Catching Fire just to see if that could tell me why it was worth reading. Only then was I interested in reading the next book in the series.
Spoiler alert! The following 2 paragraphs contain spoilers!! You have been warned.
The “new rule” in a no-holds-barred fight really annoyed me. As in I wanted to throw my brand new Kindle Touch across the room and went “oh come on!!” and nearly woke up everyone in the house. It actually bugged me until it was revoked and I was actually happier. I mean sure, that probably makes a huge *bleep* but it felt very "easy" to me until they revoked it. However, when they "reinstated" the new rule because of the double suicide attempt with the poison berries, it didn’t bother me as bad as at first because at that point I could imagine those watching from the comfort of their homes in the Capitol being completely pissed off, whereas I didn’t get that feeling when the “rule” was presented in the first place. Perhaps it was because at this point you get more of a feel for how the people of the Capitol who are watching play a part in the games because the games serve two purposes: to prove the districts are subject to the Capitol’s whims and rules and to serve as entertainment to the wealthy and frivolous residents of the Capitol. So really in the end it made sense but at that very moment it annoyed me.
The love story was a bit off for me, mostly on Katniss’ side of things. As I said earlier the first person viewpoint was annoying, especially when Katniss noticed sincerity in Peeta’s words about them being a couple but then suddenly didn’t understand it. You either notice it or you don’t, which can be the problem with using first person, it limits the story in cases like this. I also felt that at the end I didn’t really care to read anymore about Katniss and Peeta’s "will they won't they" which was when I checked the synopsis for Catching Fire and decided it was worth continuing to read the series because the next one seems to be focused on the fact that a rebellion was brewing and she was the face for it, despite not wanting to be.
As for the movies I’m very excited to see it, though I really feel like it can easily be disastrous, especially with so many fans before the movie that have such strong ideas about what it will all look like. I have a very vivid image in my head about the “girl on fire” as well as many other things. Already Haymitch and Peeta are not as I pictured them but that doesn’t mean anything about whether it will be good or not. While many things bugged me about the book I’m still going to read the rest of the series (I bought the trilogy on Amazon for my kindle) and am very excited to see the movie.
Rating: 3 1/2 Crescent Moons
Labels: Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games