This was pretty good but not as much of a crazy 2am page turner as I thought it would be. It’s very brutal and at times quite chilling which isn’t somThis was pretty good but not as much of a crazy 2am page turner as I thought it would be. It’s very brutal and at times quite chilling which isn’t something I’d expect for your standard YA novel, but the writing tone is distinctly YA so you wouldn’t be mistaking it for a dystopian adult read.
Set in a very bleak future where everyone is terrified of the oppressive, ever-watching government and the majority of people struggle just to eke out a tired living, “The Hunger Games” is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen who volunteers to take her sister’s place in the government sponsored Hunger Games. It’s a kind of reality show to the extreme (like “Survivor” say) only the participants are children aged 12-18 and only one survives. They have to kill each other to win which makes it all the more disturbing because they're children. Horrible things happen to them during the games as the Game Makers try to liven things up a little throughout the show. There’s your fair share of blood and gore and gruesome endings but it’s smartly written sucking the reader in as you go deeper into the story.
The novel is told in the first person present from Katniss’ point of view which really made the action move. You feel like you’re running right alongside her or seeing things as she sees them. I’m not a fan of first person POV and even less of present only writing, but Collins did a very good job of not making the novel feel overly one sided and flat. The pacing is well-done starting with the world they live in, then how people are chosen for the dreaded games, preparation for the games, the games themselves and finally the winner. It was interesting that the author chose to tell the story like a reality show in progress which gives it it’s unique feel. Be forewarned that the ending is one where you may want to have the next book on hand if you find yourself enjoying the read at the halfway mark.
What’s missing from the book though is happiness and a fulfilling love story that’s sort of started but you don’t really know if it’s a serious one or not. It’s very action packed and go-go-go but that human connection isn’t there enough which is why it wasn’t a five star book for me. There's something emotionally vacant about Katniss that made it hard to "feel" her character.
This is definitely a different, more original take on a theme that’s been done countless times but it can leave you with an unsettling feeling because of the audience it’s geared to. ...more
I really wanted to love this book like everyone else seems to adore it but I can only give it a 3.5 stars and for the life of me I can't understand whI really wanted to love this book like everyone else seems to adore it but I can only give it a 3.5 stars and for the life of me I can't understand why there's so much hoopla over what seems to be a very average story. This is no second-coming of Harry Potter that's for sure. The writing is ok but far from great, I barely felt the "love story" between Edward and Bella and as for Bella well she’s just plain annoying --very stereotypical of the raging hormone teenager who goes from highs to lows in the blink of an eye.
When Edward claimed he loved her and she loved him I thought that was really out of left field –there was not enough “believability” build up for me anyway. The non-stop "he's so beautiful/they're so beautiful” talk got on my nerves. It seemed to be like filler when the author had nothing else to say. For a 17 year old and a "mature" guy who's seen a lot even though he hasn't done a lot, not even getting into some heavy "fooling around" was soooo unbelievable. I'm not saying they have to be horndogs or anything but what are the odds of him sleeping with her in her bed and he doesn't even try to cop the ol’ feel, or her for that matter :-/ I also didn't like that he was always cold to the touch and described as marble --it was hard for me to really like him the way you should like a hero -- not that I disliked him though, I just didn’t really feel anything for him.
What I did like was the whispering when he spoke to her quietly --very intimate :)
I think that the media has done a fabulous job with publicity/marketing and that's what's certainly helped make this book the massive success that it is, but for me anyway it's just an average read and an ok story ---I'll probably still pick up the other 3 though because I want to know what happens but the whole frenzy over the story in my opinion is overblown. ...more