Scan barcode
snippie99's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5
I forgot how much I loved this book, the romance and the action come together so well and I’m glad I chose to reread and will continue to reread in the future.
I forgot how much I loved this book, the romance and the action come together so well and I’m glad I chose to reread and will continue to reread in the future.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook performed by Carolyn McCormick
In a future dystopian world, in what used to be the United States, the people are starving, and are used by the Capital as pawns in an annual competition: The Hunger Games. All children from age 12 through 18 have their names entered in a drawing to pick the two tributes – one boy, one girl – who will represent each of the twelve districts in the country of Panem; the twenty-four contestants will fight to the death on live TV. When 12-year-old Prim’s name is selected, her 16-year-old sister Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place.
I had heard much about this book, with many friends recommending it to me, but dystopian novels are not high on my list of must-reads and I put it off. I haven’t seen the movie(s) either.
Collins writes well, and does a good job of setting up this dystopian society, explaining how it works and the challenges faced by the residents. I was drawn into the story and invested in Katniss as the heroine from the beginning. I liked how Collins set up the televised aspect of the games, and perhaps readers will recognize how much of “reality” TV is manipulated and created by the producers.
What I really liked was the strong female heroine. Katniss is resilient, intelligent, resourceful, physically and mentally strong. She is a survivor, having learned from her father how to hunt and gather plants in the wild to help supplement the family’s diet. Since her father died, she’s been the primary source of food for her mother and younger sister. This gives her an edge over other contestants who have not had to struggle for every day survival.
Collins doesn’t make it easy for Katniss, putting her in danger from the natural world (lack of water, poisonous plants, deadly wasps), the Gamemakers who invent ways to force the contestants together, and the other tributes intent on eliminating the competition. I appreciated the untenable position she’s placed in and applauded her efforts to maintain some sense of humanity when forced to “kill or be killed.”
Collins also adds a love interest in her fellow District 12 tribute: Peeta, the baker’s son who as a young boy saved her from starvation by throwing her a burnt loaf of bread. While I appreciate that this adds to the drama and appeal for the intended YA audience, it did nothing for me. I felt as if Collins was doing just what the Gamemakers were doing – manipulating events to boost ratings.
What really annoyed me … and lost a star … was the cliff-hanger ending. Don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly fine with ambiguous endings that let the reader wonder and surmise what will happen next (e.g. “After all, tomorrow is another day.” From Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind). But Collins (or the publisher) chose to add “End of Book One,” an obvious set-up for readers to purchase Book Two to find out what happens. I’m certainly in no hurry to continue … though I may read the next one if I have a challenge for a dystopian novel.
Carolyn McCormick does a great job performing the audio version. She has great pacing and was able to make the various characters easily identifiable. I particularly loved how she voiced Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy.
In a future dystopian world, in what used to be the United States, the people are starving, and are used by the Capital as pawns in an annual competition: The Hunger Games. All children from age 12 through 18 have their names entered in a drawing to pick the two tributes – one boy, one girl – who will represent each of the twelve districts in the country of Panem; the twenty-four contestants will fight to the death on live TV. When 12-year-old Prim’s name is selected, her 16-year-old sister Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place.
I had heard much about this book, with many friends recommending it to me, but dystopian novels are not high on my list of must-reads and I put it off. I haven’t seen the movie(s) either.
Collins writes well, and does a good job of setting up this dystopian society, explaining how it works and the challenges faced by the residents. I was drawn into the story and invested in Katniss as the heroine from the beginning. I liked how Collins set up the televised aspect of the games, and perhaps readers will recognize how much of “reality” TV is manipulated and created by the producers.
What I really liked was the strong female heroine. Katniss is resilient, intelligent, resourceful, physically and mentally strong. She is a survivor, having learned from her father how to hunt and gather plants in the wild to help supplement the family’s diet. Since her father died, she’s been the primary source of food for her mother and younger sister. This gives her an edge over other contestants who have not had to struggle for every day survival.
Collins doesn’t make it easy for Katniss, putting her in danger from the natural world (lack of water, poisonous plants, deadly wasps), the Gamemakers who invent ways to force the contestants together, and the other tributes intent on eliminating the competition. I appreciated the untenable position she’s placed in and applauded her efforts to maintain some sense of humanity when forced to “kill or be killed.”
Collins also adds a love interest in her fellow District 12 tribute: Peeta, the baker’s son who as a young boy saved her from starvation by throwing her a burnt loaf of bread. While I appreciate that this adds to the drama and appeal for the intended YA audience, it did nothing for me. I felt as if Collins was doing just what the Gamemakers were doing – manipulating events to boost ratings.
What really annoyed me … and lost a star … was the cliff-hanger ending. Don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly fine with ambiguous endings that let the reader wonder and surmise what will happen next (e.g. “After all, tomorrow is another day.” From Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind). But Collins (or the publisher) chose to add “End of Book One,” an obvious set-up for readers to purchase Book Two to find out what happens. I’m certainly in no hurry to continue … though I may read the next one if I have a challenge for a dystopian novel.
Carolyn McCormick does a great job performing the audio version. She has great pacing and was able to make the various characters easily identifiable. I particularly loved how she voiced Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy.
holt_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
thehatfam's review against another edition
4.0
I hate this book. Then why did I give it 5 stars? Because I loved it really. I just didn't know that it was the first book in a series and leaves you hanging more than any other book does. It was really good though. It was kind of like the shadow children series and uglies in that the government takes over everything. Only it was more...savage...i think is the word I'm looking for. People said it's like Lord of the Flies, but I've ever read that one. It's good but it's also a kind of rough book sometimes because of what happens.
suprminny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
parvaneh's review against another edition
5.0
THG just delivers.
i honestly don't know how to properly review this. i originally gave it like a 4.5 stars but to be honest,, this iconic piece does 5 stars. it's just epic and the blueprint (and that even though i read it more than ten years after it's release).
i mean it does give out everything you could ask for of a YA dystopian, so i think it's only fair to rate it accordingly (i'm rather picky with 5 stars..)
__
some of my critic points are more geared towards elements of the second & especially the third book (romance, some things about katniss..).
i honestly don't know how to properly review this. i originally gave it like a 4.5 stars but to be honest,, this iconic piece does 5 stars. it's just epic and the blueprint (and that even though i read it more than ten years after it's release).
i mean it does give out everything you could ask for of a YA dystopian, so i think it's only fair to rate it accordingly (i'm rather picky with 5 stars..)
__
some of my critic points are more geared towards elements of the second & especially the third book (romance, some things about katniss..).
readingbyem_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
josefinedal's review against another edition
4.5
So nostalgic, I’ve always loved the movies, but never read the books, so I thought it was time now.
This book was a banger, wow only thing I didn’t like was the fast ending, but wow.
I tried watching the movie after reading this and had to turn it of half way through. This book is so good and I don’t understand why they changed to many things…
This book was a banger, wow only thing I didn’t like was the fast ending, but wow.
I tried watching the movie after reading this and had to turn it of half way through. This book is so good and I don’t understand why they changed to many things…
becamoores1's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading it at all. I would never change a thing.