Book Review | The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games will make you hungry for more.

I first read this book when I was thirteen. My English Grammar teacher put aside a few weeks to go through The Hunger Games alongside our syllabus. A lot of my classmates had already read the book or had some idea of what happens in the story. I was the only one there who was hearing of this peculiar story for the first time.

I sat there, clueless, really only focusing on the fact that Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and Rue were really odd names to give human babies. However, by the end of those few weeks, I was hooked on the brief synopsis my teacher told us. I had to find out more. I scoured the school library for a copy, which surprisingly wasn’t that difficult, and devoured the book in days.

It was the beginning of 2015 so the whole trilogy had already been released. I went through all three books in the span of a few weeks.

Lucky for me too, the movies were already released as well. I got through all of them quickly but had to endure a little suffering while I waited for Mockingjay Part 2 to be screened at the end of the year. Watching it in the cinema, I knew the wait was worth it.

About The Hunger Games

A place once known as North America, it has transformed into what we now know as Panem. Together with twelve broken-down districts lies the heart of Panem, a shining, rich Capitol. The Capitol keeps all the districts together, giving them peace and security in return for what each of the districts can offer them. It’s a cruel scheme, the Capitol benefitting greatly from this deal, while the districts are left to starve.

Every year, a barbaric event, called The Hunger Games, brings the people together. Two tributes from each district, a boy and a girl, are surrendered to the Capitol to fight to the death on live television. It’s the people’s reminder that the Capitol is in charge of them all.

When Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old, volunteers to take her 12-year-old sister’s place in the Games, she regards it as a death sentence. But she promises her sister that she’ll do her best to survive.

The Games change people and soon Katniss finds herself in a dilemma. If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The Hunger Games is the first book in the The Hunger Games trilogy.

The Hunger Games Review

A best-selling novel turned into one of the biggest movies to date, The Hunger Games is a classic. There is no debate that this is one of the best post-apocalyptic dystopian YA novels ever. Even if you’ve never read it or watched the movies, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.

The Hunger Games has an original and unique storyline. I have never read another story with such out-of-this-world, realistic world-building. It really felt as though I was a part of the games with the characters.

Katniss Everdeen is literally a girl on fire. She’s brave, independent and smart. She powers through the challenges the Capitol, the Games and whatever life can throw at her. She may appear cold to many but she clearly has the purest heart. I'm in awe of her and sympathise with the trauma and pain she went through in the Games.

Then the male tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark. We didn’t get much of him but from the little instances he interacts with Katniss, it's obvious he’s a kind, genuine and sensitive person. He can easily work a crowd and is such a charming boy. I felt Katniss's anguish every time this boy was hurt or in trouble.

To be honest, the writing was a little difficult for me to get into at first, but once I got the hang of it by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked.

The book is split into three parts: The Tributes, The Games and The Victor. By the second part, I was wolfing the book down like I hadn't eaten in days.

★★★★☆ (4/5)

I feel like it goes without saying that you should definitely give this book a read, no matter what age you're at. Unless you're under 12, then maybe I wouldn't recommend this one for you. It's an empowering and inspiring story that everyone can learn something from.

About Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins is the author of the best-selling Underland Chronicles series, which started with Gregor the Overlander.

Her groundbreaking young adult novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, were New York Times bestsellers, received wide praise, and were the basis for four popular films. She returned to the world of Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Year of the Jungle, her picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Vietnam, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim. To date, her books have been published in 53 languages around the world.