The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

I liked it better when it was called "Battle Royale" (an older japanese movie) or The Long Walk by Stephen King (1975). Collins seems to have ripped off the idea and gotten away with it, but the writing style is very slow. I am no a fan of this book, and I won't read Book 2.

Considering it's one of the most-reviewed books on here, I will try to keep this short. Still, this is likely one of the few reviews that won't be singing its praises.

I read "The Hunger Games" because I was forced to, essentially. I was resisting it because I had fallen for the hype surrounding "Twilight" a few years ago, and the way I describe it, "'Twilight' and I had a very bad break-up." However, my dad kept bugging me to read it because Katniss is an archer and - what do you know? - so am I. Yes, I did it before Katniss made it cool. Plus, my dad was going to read it, and he normally doesn't read a lot of books. Therefore I felt obligated to read it as well. For the record, I did not go into "The Hunger Games" wanting to hate it. In fact, I was hoping that I would be proved wrong. And, coming out of it, I don't hate it, but all I have is a big 'eh'. Just 'eh'.

I think I would have liked it better if it were written in third person. I really wanted to know what was going on in the Capitol or with the other Tributes, and Katniss wasn't really a fantastic narrator. Her reaction to hearing Prim's name called was extremely anti-climactic (and on that note, I'd like to point out that, as a hunter, I know for a fact that people DIE regularly from falling out of ten-foot tree stands. I did not buy that Katniss was merely winded after that experience). Also, Collins used far too many fragmented sentences. I know, I sound like a Grammar Nazi, but I'm not anti-fragments. There's just a time and a place, and they were sprinkled haphazardly all over the place in Collins work. They lose their impact, then.

Although "Twilight" and I do not get along well now, I can say this: at least it had a decent love-triangle. The most obnoxious love-triangle in history, yes, but at least it did have three points and conflict. The 'love-triangle' in "The Hunger Games" was more like a love-90-degree-angle ... Gale was so inconsequential throughout most of the book and his relationship with Katniss so vague that I did not care. And I didn't care much about Peeta either, for that matter. Like I said, 'eh'. Same for all the other Tributes. It's supposed to be this huge deal that they all die, but besides Rue I never got to know any of them well enough to care at all. There's just so little character-development in this whole book that it left a very small impact on me. The thing that I can compliment Collins on is her action sequences. As I said in my points, it's clear she's a screenwriter. There was some good action stuff. I just wanted it to be BALANCED with characters that I cared about!

So, overall, not the best book I've ever read (but definitely not the worst). I guess there's one other good thing I can hand to the series, though, and this reluctantly: it's getting people to read in an age where reading is no longer cool. And for that, I tip my hat to you, Ms. Collins.

So much for keeping this short.

I think it could have been better. There wasn't much meaning in it. It was pretty good, but not the best book ever. Also, I didn't really like how the author made it into a love story. It made the book just another romance with scary things in it. I think that Katniss should've kept strong instead of falling in love. I mean, it's great that the hero is a girl for once, but of course, she has to fall in love.

Reader reviewed by brooke

THE HUNGER GAMES
The book starts out with a sixteen year old girl Katniss Everdeen, from district 12. She is the main character of the book. Every year, there is a punishment for discrict 13s rebelion.Two tributes from the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen by
lottery from each of the twelve districts to challenge/fight each other to the death in the arena. The event is called the Hunger Games and everyone in the Capitol can watch it on Tv. The winning praise is given food and a simple life for themselves and there families also with presents of food and resources for their district. Katniss voluntered to take her little sister Prim's place after she was drawn in the lottery. A bakers son named Peeta that katniss new through school, is also drawn to fight in the Games. So katniss and Peeta had to go to the Capitol to fight other children in the arena. In a twist of events we find out that Peeta is in love with Katniss and so is Gale a boy that is in the same district that katniss is in and hunted with her. The love triangle pretty much means katniss has got a sittuation. So it makes it more exciting and adds on to the story line and to the Games themselves as Katniss and all the other tributes fight for their lives.

I thought that this was an good book so i rated it a three.The characters didnt really make scence because they were put in just to die, some didnt really have a main part. They were pretty realistic and sympathetic though.The plot was dramatic, and kept me wanting to read on.It was good because there were many surprises, and it was romantic at the same time.

i would suggest this book to people my age because i liked it and i dont really like books at all. it was really interesting and exciting. I might even read the rest of the series.