A review by berlinbibliophile
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really loved this book as a teenager, and reading it again now just reinforced that opinion. The characters are great, I especially liked the dynamic between Katniss and Haymitch. They don't really like each other, but they understand each other so well, much more so than Katniss and Peeta do. It's just one of the subtle ways Suzanne Collins builds the social stratification of her world into the very fabric of the characters. The worldbuildig is phenomenal in any case, the dystopia of the all-powerful Capitol and the oppressed Districts works incredibly well for the point Collins is making. The storytelling is so suspenseful, and the story being told is important and amazing. I really recommend this book to anyone interested either in YA or in resistance to oppression.

2023 reread: Still a masterclass. There's a reason this one kicked off the YA dystopia trend. Many people copied the aesthetics, but not the actual politics and character dynamics at the heart of the story. Other than that, this time I really noticed how often Peeta makes Katniss laugh, even in the arena. Gale says he only ever sees her smile in the woods, but with Peeta she's smiling and laughing and even having fun, in the Capitol and in the arena. Not all the time, but several times...

2025 reread: After reading Sunrise on the Reaping, this is even more tragic and wonderful.