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kfactorreads's review
5.0
Was a great anthology! It really made me think about The Hunger Games series more deeply. Recommend to any serious fan of The Hunger Games and if you like to read into the books!
kathrynth's review
4.0
This book just missed five stars for the following two reasons:
1. The Ned Vizzini essay seemed more about him making a point than it did about the Hunger Games. In fact, there was more than one occasion during his essay that had me questioning how much of the book he'd actually read and remembered, and how much he was assuming. A better editor would never have accepted this essay as it stands.
2. Terri Clark kept referring to Katniss as Kat, something that I found horribly disrespectful to the original work (Katniss, I believe, would never refer to herself as Kat). Again, I feel an editor should have fixed this.
Other than that, a really great read. Like the Hunger Games, it really made me think, which can only ever be good. I especially liked the opening two essays and the one on the mental effects of something like the Hunger Games.
1. The Ned Vizzini essay seemed more about him making a point than it did about the Hunger Games. In fact, there was more than one occasion during his essay that had me questioning how much of the book he'd actually read and remembered, and how much he was assuming. A better editor would never have accepted this essay as it stands.
2. Terri Clark kept referring to Katniss as Kat, something that I found horribly disrespectful to the original work (Katniss, I believe, would never refer to herself as Kat). Again, I feel an editor should have fixed this.
Other than that, a really great read. Like the Hunger Games, it really made me think, which can only ever be good. I especially liked the opening two essays and the one on the mental effects of something like the Hunger Games.
knallen's review
4.0
I enjoyed this so much. It's a collection of essays on the Hunger Games. It should not be read unless you've read the entire series because it is very spoilery. Anyway, several different authors have come together and written essays on the Hunger Games. It addresses everything from the characters to the various themes found in the book. I didn't find anything surprising with in the pages but it was all very interesting to read about some of the themes and characterization ideas in a more in depth sort of way.
britcorm's review
3.0
I’ve come to the conclusion that The Hunger Games book series is my “comfort” series. If I don’t know what to read, or if what I have been reading hasn’t been bringing me much joy, I turn to The Hunger Games.
I’ve had very strong and changing opinions of the book series over the years. My favourite of the 3 changes every couple of years, and I realize or learn something new every time I pick them up.
This book of essays was great to compliment that constant learning that I do every time I pick the series back up. This book of essays is obviously only really geared for fans of the books and films. However, they also do a good job of just discussing science, politics, trauma, and war in an accessible way. The authors just do it through the lens of The Hunger Games.
I’ve had very strong and changing opinions of the book series over the years. My favourite of the 3 changes every couple of years, and I realize or learn something new every time I pick them up.
This book of essays was great to compliment that constant learning that I do every time I pick the series back up. This book of essays is obviously only really geared for fans of the books and films. However, they also do a good job of just discussing science, politics, trauma, and war in an accessible way. The authors just do it through the lens of The Hunger Games.
mandalynreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a normal kind of book that I would read. It was giving to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
Overall it was a very good read. It kept me interested and wanting more. Most of the essays i would recommend to other people who are fans of the hunger games, and actually I have already recommended one of them to someone. It was humorous, thought provoking, and interesting. I have never thought about THG in many of these ways before.
If you are looking for a novel, this is not the book for you. This is a bunch of YA authors who have come together to write their literary opinions of THG.
Overall it was a very good read. It kept me interested and wanting more. Most of the essays i would recommend to other people who are fans of the hunger games, and actually I have already recommended one of them to someone. It was humorous, thought provoking, and interesting. I have never thought about THG in many of these ways before.
If you are looking for a novel, this is not the book for you. This is a bunch of YA authors who have come together to write their literary opinions of THG.
graciegrace1178's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
the essays in the last half!!!!!!!!
jennab113's review
4.0
Really I'd give it a 3.5. A couple of the essays didn't hold my attention, but most of them were interesting and thought provoking. The essay The Politics of Mockingjay should have been more about the politics of Mockingjay and less about the politics of George W. Bush and how super smart and special the author of that essay is.
vicky216n's review
2.0
A collection of essays written by many of our favorite authors about one of our favorite series of all times. Sounds great, right?
Well, for me it wasn't. I expected more of this book.
The Girl Who Was on Fire lacks some sort of order. Each essay is written about any random subject based on the books which results in many essays talking about the same things over & over. And although they might be true, after a while it becomes trite.
I expected more in-depth thoughts, but some of the essays are based on facts anybody could have come up with. Yes, it had its nice bits & I would recommend it if you are a hardcore Hunger Games fan who just ended the series & were looking for more about Katniss. But overall, it doesn't give much insight about the series.
bstaats's review
3.0
Like most YA readers, I'm a huge fan of The Hunger Games. HUGE. I can't get enough of it, so I thought this would be the perfect book for me.
This is essentially an anthology of essays by different authors who explore various facets of the Hunger Games in greater detail.
It's an interesting read for those who appreciate a more academic approach to literature, but may not be as interesting to those who are simply fans of fiction and literature solely for amusement.
Some of the essays do offer interesting new ideas, and some of them felt like I was proofreading a classmate's university paper. This academic approach can often to lead to what I see as overanalyzing a piece of art, which detracted from my enjoyment of reading these papers.
The authors do cover a wide array of topics including scientific advancements, neuroscience, politics, sociology, and the list goes on. Because of this there are going to be some topics which are less interesting to the reader than others.
Overall, it was an interesting read but not one I would particularly recommend outside of a situation where purely academic research and thinking is appreciated.
This is essentially an anthology of essays by different authors who explore various facets of the Hunger Games in greater detail.
It's an interesting read for those who appreciate a more academic approach to literature, but may not be as interesting to those who are simply fans of fiction and literature solely for amusement.
Some of the essays do offer interesting new ideas, and some of them felt like I was proofreading a classmate's university paper. This academic approach can often to lead to what I see as overanalyzing a piece of art, which detracted from my enjoyment of reading these papers.
The authors do cover a wide array of topics including scientific advancements, neuroscience, politics, sociology, and the list goes on. Because of this there are going to be some topics which are less interesting to the reader than others.
Overall, it was an interesting read but not one I would particularly recommend outside of a situation where purely academic research and thinking is appreciated.
amyjoy's review
3.0
Some of the essays in this were more interesting than others, though most of them have a fascinating take on the different themes of the Hunger Games trilogoy. I had the same problem finishing this book as I do with most short story collections: without a unifying theme or plot pulling me forward in the narrative, I have a difficult time finding the impetus to get to the end. Each essay stands on its own, and it was only the desire to be able to legitimately add this to my "read" list that forced me to finish it.