Title:
The Hunger Games trilogy
Author:
Suzanne Collins
Publisher:
Scholastic Press
Pages: THG: 374, CF: 391, M: 390
Buy:
Amazon,
Book Depository
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love
I bought
The Hunger Games when it came out (hardcover, cost me nearly HK$150) but I never got round to it until recently, when my friend pestered me about returning
Catching Fire and
Mockingjay, which I had borrowed from him ages ago.
My loss, I guess.
When I read the first few pages of
The Hunger Games, the first thing I thought was that it didn’t live up to its hype. I got bored with Buttercup, didn’t understand Katniss’s mom, and was completely lost when Gale went, “May the odds be
ever in your favour.” I was hopelessly lost and quite bored, really.
It was at the end of the first chapter of
The Hunger Games that I officially fell in love with it. “Primrose Everdeen.” Those were the two words that got me hooked. Katniss’s character truly came out then, the love for her sister that kick started the entire series. Then BAM, the action starts. From then on, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the black and white pages. After that, the story only got more and more complicated, and I couldn’t help but dive into it.
The trilogy served to remind me that I hate, hate, hate love triangles. I loved Peeta Mellark. A lot. His sweet nature just got to me. Even back in the beginning, when Katniss had all those doubts about him, I could never feel the same way as her; Peeta was just way too sweet. I was actually angry with Katniss throughout
Catching Fire for treating Peeta the way she did, which was a first, since I like Katniss a lot, and I could never hate main characters I liked. Although Gale’s handsome, and cool, and would, in any other case, be the one I was rooting for, I couldn’t help but like Peeta over him.
One thing I really loved about the trilogy and Suzanne Collins’s writing, is her characters. As I’ve said, I really loved Peeta. Primrose was such a real, three-dimensional character too. She had pets she loved, a passion for healing, and was just so lovable. As was Rue, the little girl from District 11. Even though she wasn’t there in
Catching Fire and
Mockingjay, she never left my mind. She’s still on my mind now, even. Oh, yes, and President Snow. Loved the roses, loved the blood. He’s one of my favourite characters, actually. I think Cinna and the prep team deserve a mention too, because Cinna was possibly the only one who came anywhere close to Peeta on my Like Scale. And the prep team… they’re like a bunch of puppies, you can’t help but want to pet them.
Suzanne Collins’s writing cuts straight to everything, her points and her story driving straight into my heart. No decorations, no fancy images of fairy lights and daisy petals (dandelions, maybe, but not daisies). That’s what reinforced the fast pacing of the books that left me barely in touch with what was going on, scrambling to catch up, desperate to read on. I didn’t stop until I flipped the last page of
Mockingjay.
All the deaths, all the tragedies, they left me pining for the characters, mourning over the losses, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop my hand from flipping to the next page. The trilogy doesn’t give you time to breathe, time to think. When you reach the last word, Katniss’s emotions will still be there, hammering in your heart.
Loads of dying people and cruel games may not be your cup of tea, but if you haven’t read
The Hunger Games trilogy yet, I’d say, “Go, go, go!” It isn’t the reigning queen of dystopia for nothing. It might just be worth your time.
