Book Review: The Hunger Games

Teens and pre-teens are currently reading The Hunger Games trilogy with so much gusto. Oops! Do I still fall under that category? Haha chause! THG craze has been circling around like wildfire before I've got to discover it.(You know me, I’m kinda always out-to-date! Darn! Sign of aging it is!) Not until it's movie was released on the 3rd quarter of March this year.  After a week or so, so much fuzz about it has been going thru the social networking community. Some say it's almost like the Japanese movie, Battle Royale. With that I've decided to read the book first few month's ago; basically to save my ass from not being able to understand the entire movie haha chause!

Disclaimer: I'll try to be very, very careful not to spoil anything for anyone but if you haven't read the book please don't hate on me. So help me God! :p

"May the odds be ever in your favor"

  



Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication Date: September 14, 2008
Language: English
Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy (Book 1)
Genre(s): Adventure / Dystopian / Science Fiction / Action

The Hunger Games was set during the post-dystopian world of 'Panem' which is divided into 12 districts. Panem was governed by devious tyranny, a supremacy of the modernized capital city named 'Capitol.' Citizens of the Capitol lived in luxury. All served in a silver platter. On the other hand, people in the districts lived their lives in great misery and distress. To make districts repent for the rebellion against the Capitol, in which, destroyed the 13th District decades ago, an annual reaping insists one girl and one boy (per district) between 12-18 years of age to participate on the Hunger Games. A lottery to fight-to-death as only one tribute can survive and be hailed as the so-called victor.

The story was narrated in the voice of the main protagonist-Katniss Everdeen. A 16-year old hunter and the sole breadwinner of their family who volunteered to be District 12's female tribute to take her sister's (Primrose) place after being reaped. So there's where the story starts to unfold...

REVIEW

   
The story is pretty unique in it's own ways. Where in the world were you could watch publicly, children fight for their lives-a quite literal translation of survival of the fittest, Reality TV show style! Every page was so riveting with all the action and suspense it offers. It is actually a great critique, politically and economically. The world that Collins created was like a real-world scenario with an exemptional twist where all positive aspects turned to nothing while the negative ones (greed, inequality, poverty and the likes) prevail and were distended  beyond normalcy.

The Hunger Games was the first book series I've completed and is my favorite so far. It caters to different types of audiences, though it might not be for all because of the violence it depicts. I was so fascinated and hooked to it that I finished the entire trilogy in a month. I even dreamed I was tribute haha what a barbaric dream. Reading this will probably make you see the world and yourself differently. *touching three middle fingers to my lips and holding up* :)

"You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope."

-Katniss (The Hunger Games)