The Hunger Games – by Suzanne Collins

I read the Hunger Games a few years ago and loved them! But with all the (deserved) movie hype I re-visited the series, here’s my view:

In Panem, the Capitol does not look kindly upon even the thought of rebellion. To remind the 12 Districts under its rule of this, each year 24 youths between the ages of 12 and 18 are taken as tributes to compete for their lives in the Hunger Games. The tributes are trained, rated, and paraded in front of the enthusiastic crowds of the Capitol who gather to cheer for their favourite to live and the others to be killed – because only one tribute leaves the arena alive.

This year, Primrose Everdeen is the chosen female tribute for District 12, until her older sister Katniss volunteers to take her place. Katniss and Peeta Mellark, the District’s male tribute, travel to the Capitol to fight for their lives in every sense of the word. Their relationship both in and out of the arena may be their only hope for survival. And above all else, Katniss Everdeen is a survivor.

This thrilling book is fast paced and tautly written, immediately drawing the reader in. Katniss is not your average heroine, but rather a distinct character: prickly and tough with moments of vulnerability made all the more poignant by the effort she puts into hiding them. The obligatory love triangle is present but is secondary to the narrative, which instead focuses on the tributes and the Games. Not your average book by any measure, The Hunger Games surpasses its designation as YA Fantasy and becomes a topical examination of our society’s potential for corruption and redemption, and the ability of a few individuals to change the Game in which they find themselves.

C’mon, hands up, who else loves the Hunger Games?

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