My Rating: [rating=5]

 
 
My husband was the one who invited me to watch The Hunger Games film last year. After watching and admiring its storyline, I’ve decided to read the entire trilogy. I started reading an eBook copy last year when we were at the hospital for a week because my son had Kawasaki Disease. It became the distraction I needed at the moment.
 
 
Warning! Spoiler ahead.
 
 

 
 
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins is one of my favorite books of all time. The dystopian setting made me look forward to further character and plot development. In a nutshell, the trilogy is about the people of Panem’s attempt to break free from The Hunger Games (an annual tradition established by the Capitol rulers) which involves forcing teenagers to kill each other inside a controlled arena. Katniss Everdeen, the main character, volunteered to enter the games to spare her sister the brutal reality. Then begins an interesting, epic story.
 
The novel is being compared to “Battle Royale“, a Japanese novel and film, mainly for the disturbing scenes of kids fighting each other to death. Themes of violence and rebellion make the trilogy not suited to be read by youngsters (or tweeners).
 
My favorite character is, of course, Katniss. She mirrors a typical teenager who follows her guts and doesn’t allow other people to trample on her humanity. Both her innocence and cunning ways placed her on a hero’s pedestal. Other characters who captured my heart are Peeta, Cinna, Rue, Finnick, and Beetee.
 
And here we go, the romance part. I’m Team Peeniss (Peeta and Katniss) all the way! LOL. Gale would have been perfect for her but then, Peeta’s way of showing his affection is better.
 
Suzanne Collins has written an engrossing book. Her writing style is simple, without unnecessary words to overwhelm a reader yet nothing was amiss. The best from the three books, for me, is Catching Fire followed by The Hunger Games. The first book sets the mood but the better story (including the Quarter Quell) is in the second. The final book (Mockingjay) is about the fall of Capitol but everything seemed kind of hurried to me.
 

I’m excited for Catching Fire in November. 🙂

 
 

 
 
Memorable Quotes: 
 
“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.”
 
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.”
 
“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.”
 
“Aim higher in case you fall short.”
 
“You love me. Real or not real?”
I tell him, “Real.”
 
“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.”
 
“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.”

 

 

Published: 2013-04-05 10:00:00