A review by moonandmadness
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I gave this a good go, however despite the interesting themes of political rebellion, inequality, and the police state, I feel the book utilises these ineffectively. Good world building, but ultimately hollow. The most obvious example of empty commentary I see is in its very concept; despite our narrator railing against the Hunger Games as voyeuristic and grotesque, it forms a sizeable part of the entertainment of the book. Theoretically, our narrator could have refused to share with the reader the details of most of the "the Games", sharing only their immediate feelings rather than the facts of it (i.e. who has died and when). I can definitely see this tying into the fact that most of its readers are part of "The Capitol", but I find the tone of the book confused and hypocritical in a way that can't be rationalised through pretending that its construction is genius and so well thought out that it resists criticism. A very quick read though, if you like action novels.
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