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thelibraryofjordan 's review for:
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a way to fulfill a year goal of reading outside of my preferred genre, rereading a series that I remember enjoying felt like the best way start that goal. I read The Hunger Games for the first time when I was in middle school, so coming back to the novels with an adult perspective was an interesting reading experience.
The story from start to finish was engaging and descriptive; I felt as if I was in the arena alongside Katniss. Even though I’ve read the book before and seen the movie adaptation, there were multiple scenes that were impactful, as if it were the first time reading them.A chill still runs through me when Effie selects Prim’s name out of that glass bowl when the odds were actually in her favor. Katniss volunteering as tribute will always be a moment that resonates with the eldest sibling, especially the eldest daughter. Katniss had to grow up faster due to her father’s death and her mother’s inability to cope with that loss. Leaving Prim in the hands of her mother had to be difficult but she couldn’t allow her younger to be sent into the arena.
While reading, I couldn’t help but get irritated at the way Katniss would behave and I had to keep reminding myself that she was fifteen-years-old. Regardless of her bravery and selflessness to volunteer in place of her sister, Katniss was still a child herself. The way that Katniss’ voice and personality were written made her to be unlikable and irritating throughout. I couldn’t help but get frustrated with her when she would diminish herself and utilize weaponized incompetence to explain why she couldn’t do well in the interview training sessions with Haymitch or why she couldn’t go along with Peeta’s star crossed lovers admission. Survival should have been her number one motivator; sometimes you have to appease people you dislike to survive. Katniss hates the Capitol, rightfully so, but her need to survive to return to her family should’ve overpowered that hatred.
While I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, I felt as though the narrators voice wasn’t convincing enough to be a fifteen-year-old, especially since Katniss was the main perspective and voice.
The story from start to finish was engaging and descriptive; I felt as if I was in the arena alongside Katniss. Even though I’ve read the book before and seen the movie adaptation, there were multiple scenes that were impactful, as if it were the first time reading them.
While reading, I couldn’t help but get irritated at the way Katniss would behave and I had to keep reminding myself that she was fifteen-years-old. Regardless of her bravery and selflessness to volunteer in place of her sister, Katniss was still a child herself. The way that Katniss’ voice and personality were written made her to be unlikable and irritating throughout. I couldn’t help but get frustrated with her when she would diminish herself and utilize weaponized incompetence to explain why she couldn’t do well in the interview training sessions with Haymitch or why she couldn’t go along with Peeta’s star crossed lovers admission. Survival should have been her number one motivator; sometimes you have to appease people you dislike to survive. Katniss hates the Capitol, rightfully so, but her need to survive to return to her family should’ve overpowered that hatred.
While I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, I felt as though the narrators voice wasn’t convincing enough to be a fifteen-year-old, especially since Katniss was the main perspective and voice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder