The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

by Suzanne Collins

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

The Hunger Games is such a happy re-read for me.

I mean, come on.  This book has everything.  A realistically devised dystopian future.  Interesting characters with hidden depths!  There's so much at stake and the balance of action and romance is just A++ good.  I love this trilogy.  The Hunger Games was the dystopia that pushed YA dystopia into the spotlight, and there's a prequel coming!  What's not to love?

This marks my fifth time reading this book.  I am the type of reader who may remember the format, but will often forget details as I read.  I feel like every time I re-read a beloved book like this, I discover something new.  And believe me, I get how the hype train may have messed this one up for some people.  I'm lucky enough to say I read it early on, before the hype got too bad, and long before the movie.  It was a surprise to me when I was barely in the community.

Lets start with the plot.  The Hunger Games has a gripping plot for a couple reasons.  First, there is a ticking clock for most of the book.  Second, the lives of the characters are on the line all the time.  The action is well-written enough that every bow strung feels real to the reader, but there aren't enough technical details to hamper the story.  You fall in love with some characters (Rue) and you fall into hate with others (Clove) in the blink of an eye.  Suzanne Collins knows how to pull her readers' heartstrings.

And while I want to say "the plot is what makes this so good!" ... it's not just the plot.  It's everything.  The characters absolutely make you fall for them in a way that only a few books do really well.  Katniss comes off as harsh and cold at the beginning, but her confusion about the way people act and their intentions makes her vulnerable, and her fear makes her real.  There aren't a lot of moments where Katniss feels like a teen, but they are there.  Peeta is sweet, Gale is dark and mysterious.  Rue and Prim, if no others, will take your heart.  I've always been entranced by Foxface, myself.  And Haymitch!  And Effie!  I haven't don't much research into the prequel, but I really want it to be about Haymitch.  So much.

UGH.

I just love this book so much.  Every time I re-read it, it's a treat.  The pacing is so on point and it pulls me into the world effortlessly.  I would never want to be pulled into the arena, but I'm absolutely captivated by it.  If you haven't read it, read it.  And if you haven't read it in awhile, read it again.  Totally worth it.

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Original Review: 1/26/15 - Five Stars

I read this book for the first time when the craze was only just beginning. The book had been out and about in the world for a couple years, but I daresay it only really caught on with the release of Mockingjay. Not to say it wasn't popular... it just wasn't a worldwide phenomenon. But I digress. I chose specifically to read this book again after the release of the movie because I spent far too many of the Harry Potter movies griping over every little missing piece that I forgot to enjoy the movie in and of itself. But to be honest, I think that the filmmakers did an excellent job and even if the story had been fresh in my mind, I believe I would have enjoyed it nonetheless. But I've already done that comparison, and this is about the book, not the film.

I enjoyed the book just as much the second time through as I did the first. I had to force myself not to devour it with the same hunger (no pun intended) as I did the first time, because it caught me just as much as it did the first time. As a writer, you know you've written a truly remarkable book when the reader cannot put it down during the re-read. I also noticed a lot of details I didn't the first time through, and found myself either grumbling at the Captiol or laughing at a snide little comment often.

As with the first time I read it, I had difficulty being in Katniss' head. I know a lot of people liked this, so this is just a personal nitpick for me. I just don't like her particularly in the books. She's moody and cynical and ambivalent and cold. Naturally, it is her situation (in life generally and the present) that has made her that way. But that doesn't mean I have to like her. Maybe I'm not supposed to. After seeing the film, however, I felt less aggravated with her. The film, obviously being in third person, gave a good distance for me, reminding me what Katniss says verses what she thinks. Like all of us, she is entitled to an onslaught of negative thoughts... but it's what she chooses to express that defines her to the public eye. The distance made her feel more real to me while reading this through the second time, and I was definitely less aggravated.

As for the love triangle... no movie, no re-read can make me change my opinion. Knowing how the books end still made me a little smug as I was reading, knowing that I correctly called the relationship. "Calling" things is one of the most fun parts of reading a series for me - the guessing and drawing possible conclusions (not just about relationships, but the entire book) and then finding out whether or not you were correct... that's part of the fun of reading any book, and there are lots of ways to be involved in The Hunger Games.

So worth the first read? Absolutely. Worth a re-read? Definitely. Would I read it yet again? Without a doubt. I recommend this to anyone who reads. Except possibly those who prefer romantic dramas, and only that. I feel like this book is genuinely filled with things that will appeal to a wide variety of readers, both of age and interest. Brava, Suzanne Collins!