Review by leweylibrary - The Hunger Games

leweylibrary 's review for:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Gosh this book held up well since the last time I read it in high school 🙌 just as difficult to put down and I had honestly forgotten just how much I like the books. So much of the first one is lost in not being able to hear Katniss' thoughts. <Spoiler>And I'm still salty about the mutts in the end of the movie not being the dead tributes because come on. That's so freaking savage. I'm still very much Team Peeta all these years later too 😂 I get the love for Gale and the comfortability with Gale, and I get the confusion with Peeta because so much of her feelings are wound up in gameplay, but he's the boy with the bread!! He loves her so much, and he'd be good for her once she chills and has time to sort out her feelings. But we all know she doesn't get that so lol

Quotes:

Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... To show the Capitol They don't own me. But I'm more than just a piece in their Games." (142)
It's the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us. (236)
Gale's voice is in my head. His ravings against the capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Rue's death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. There's no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there? (236)

Oh look who's back rereading this series after reading Sunrise on the Reaping 😌💀

Suzanne Collins, I love you. How is this book so good every time I read it. And now with all this new Haymitch backstory fresh in my mind?? Gutting. Even simply him calling her "sweetheart" like he did Louella has me 🥺😭 One big revelation I had was that not only are Haymitch and Katniss so similar but Katniss is like the only living person who sees who is is/has been/could've been and understands how he thinks.

More quotes:

-"I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." (141)
-Because if he dies, I'll never go home. Not really. I'll spend the rest of my life in this arena trying to think my way out. (343)
-I haven't even begun to separate out my feelings about Peeta. It's too complicated. What I did as part of the Games. As opposed to what I did out of anger at the Capitol. Or because of how it would be viewed back in District 12. Or simply because it was the only decent thing to do. Or what I did because I cared about him. (358-59)

And the connections I was making between this and Sunrise:

-Sunrise: Katniss' dad singing, ngl I forgot about her remembering that and saying that the Mockingjay pin is like having a piece of him protecting her
-Sunrise: imagine what it's like as Effie to see Haymitch fall to pieces like that knowing how he used to be
-sunrise: Effie had just always said "big big big day" huh lol
-s: Katniss and Haymitch both don't hate their prep teams
-s: Haymitch saying their holding hands is "just the perfect touch of rebellion"
-s: Katniss has also had a moment when she stood by and did nothing (the Avox girl)
-s: "doubt it, it'll be a pain to replace you at this stage" and this is the stage when they replaced Lou Lou
-s: Haymitch yelling at Katniss who cares, it's all a big show, it's all how you're perceived" because God doesn't he know that
-s: Haymitch calling Katniss sweetheart like Louella
-s: if Peeta told Haymitch he doesn't want them to turn him into a monster, that had to hit him hard. Because they did that to him in how he was portrayed and how he did actually turn out
-s: omg omg Katniss and Haymitch both stared down the person who might kill them, not wanting to give them and the Games the satisfaction
-s: Haymitch being alone as a mentor, having to make calls and decisions by himself that could make it break their chances, Katniss comparing it to her being alone in the arena
-s: they both see the strings attached, but Katniss doesn't know how to play them like Haymitch has learned (the hard way)
-s: k and p deciding Haymitch is too surly to have teamed up with others, he must have outsmarted them 😭
-s: k realizing the hell is must be to be a mentor and how he probably did try in the beginning. Imagine getting k and p and finally feeling that hope again but also knowing that hope is in your hands again too
-s: when k says she'll never leave this arena trying to think her way out and I feel like h probably does the same
-s: when h says "nice job, sweetheart" and k says it doesn't sound sarcastic 😭
-s: how Katniss is the only one who seems to get who Haymitch really is, or was/could've been and how he thinks

Content Warnings