Where you were growing up did people tell you not to judge a book by it's cover? I have to admit that normally when I am choosing books to read, the first things I look at is the cover. I try to steer clear of half naked men or posters from movies. BUT simple cover of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is not to be missed! The trilogy, which also includes Catching Fire and Mockingjay, tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl who is forced into the deadly Hunger Games.
Now, you are probably wondering what the Hunger Games are and how these games drastically change the life of a 16 year old girl. Well, without giving away too much of the story, here is s brief synopsis of the games. The Hunger Games take place once a year in the country of Panem, a country that was formed by the remnants of North America after a war. Split into 12 districts, 2 children are chosen from each district to fight to the death for the nation's entertainment. The victor receives acclaim and wealth, which in the poor districts of Panem can drastically change a person's life. But each game is different so the competitors never know what to expect when entering the arena. Katniss was stunned upon first glancing the arena for her games seconds before they began.
Katniss Everdeen is the strong female lead that most authors can only dream of creating. Strong, independent, and a fierce fighter, Katniss is a role model for the ages. When she is compared to other popular female leads, like Bella Swan from Twilight, Katniss may seem uncaring. But this is entirely untrue. Throughout all three novels Katniss shows her love for both her mother and her sister, Prim with all of her actions. Katniss is also involved in a love triangle throughout the novels. I don't want to give away any spoliers, but this love triangle has you screaming for her to choose a side!
The settings in the novels are realistic to a nuclear war, and make you think about what would happen if the war was an actuality. The arenas created for the games are creative with horrors that would scare anyone to run for their lives.
The characters are both lovable people and people that you loathe. With their own distinct personalities, these characters give you someone to root for throughout the triology. There were times, especially in the concluding novel, Mockingjay, when I found myself crying along with the characters.
The Hunger Games is on the the best novels I have read in a long time, and the trilogy left me begging for more. It shocked me, made me cry. and made me root for characters in a way that I haven't done in a long time. At the end of each novel, I could not wait to start the next one.
The Hunger Games is also soon to be a major motion picture. Hopefully, the movie will be out next summer. It stars Jennifer Lawrence at Katniss. If the movie is anything like the book, this is the must see movie of 2012. It has blockbuster written all over it!
