The Hunger Games

    Recently, I’ve been on a book reading binge and I have to say for the first time in my life I’m enjoying reading. I’ve read books in the past, but thanks to my ADHD I couldn’t focus and I’ve somehow overcame that mental lapse now. I started off reading the seventh book of the Harry Potter series, after watching all six movies, then quickly wanting to move on to something new. Well, I decided to ruffle through my book-loving cousin D’s collection (which is also located in the room I stay in) and found a book entitled The Hunger Games. Before deciding to read the book, like everything else, I researched it on the internet before investing time in it. The only thing I was leery about was the fact that the book was rated for Young Adults and the main star was a teenage girl; therefore a chick book. But, the book had some impressive reviews and I decided to give it a shot.
    Enough rambling, let’s get to the books. The Hunger Games was originally written with the idea of a trilogy in mind. The first two books have been released with the third one about five months away. I’ll be covering books, The Hunger Games and the sequel Catching Fire. As I usually do, I’ll just be going over the general premise of the story without any spoilers.
    The Hunger Games immediately starts out covering the back-story and how everything in the present has come to be. Basically, the story is held in the future after North America has ceased to be and now has been split into twelve districts. Although it’s held in the future, it has a primal mix to the culture and how everyone lives, thanks to the evil Capital and President. Every year a sporting event is held by the Capital called the Hunger Games. The basic rundown of the game: every member, of each of the twelve districts between the age of twelve and seventeen, must enter their name into a deadly drawling. One male and one female from each district are then selected to enter a fight-to-the-death survival game. The government has set this game in-place to remind the people of the districts of a failed uprising that took place seventy-something years ago. It’s their way of controlling the people and demonstrating its power; by killing their children.
    Like I previously mentioned, the main character is a chick and some of the story and text favors to the female kind, romance and such. But guys (the 3 of you that read), don’t let that scare you away, the story is written for both genres. The story has a balanced work of action/suspense and lovey-crap.The book, from the very first chapter, is full of twists and turns in the plot that keep you reading. The character development is strong and you’ll feel like you know and care for each of the main stars in their own way.
    The book is roughly 360 pages but because the author, Suzanne Collins, sets every chapter to end on a cliff hanger, it keeps you reading. I’m not a fast reader by any means, but I was able to clear the first 130 or so pages very quickly. The middle of book is a bit text heavy because it describes a lot of the arena and action going on with very little dialog to back it up. In some points of the story, you might be able to guess what happens next, but probably won’t be able to guess how it comes about. Although, this certainly isn’t the first story to offer a survival apocalyptic-setting and even at times a bit far-fetched, it has its nice unique spin on the genre and definitely above average. The book is highly entertaining and you’ll want to pick up the next book right away to see what happens next.
    Speaking of the next book, let’s roll right on. Catching Fire is the middle installment of the Hunger Games trilogy and was released (Sept. 2009) almost exactly a year later from the first book. Like almost every trilogy series, the middle installment is always the slower-paced, more informative, more boring, portion of the story. Star War’s and Back to the Future might be the only exception to that rule. Anyways, the book literally picks up right where the first left off. I really have to lay off the details here because I wouldn’t want to ruin anything. Basically, the story takes a turn to the larger-than-life/bigger-picture setting. Hopefully that makes sense. The book starts out good, describing life after the first book but drags a bit in the middle. The story covers large gaps in time and focuses a bit too much on the romance portion of the story. It’s all necessary for plot and character development, but like I said, it’s the nature of the second installment so therefore it’s a bit boring. But alas, the last hundred pages or so really picks up and delivers the same intensity of the first book. The last couple chapters set up for a rather big cliff hanger leading into the third book. You’ll want to pick up the third book immediately, but sadly, you’ll have to wait till August 2010.
      Overall, both books are very solid and highly entertaining. The series are rated Young Adult (teen books) but it’s really written for everyone and that shouldn’t scare away the older readers that are up for a good adventure. Go Read.

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ylpzlrq
Fish Bowl Rating: (Out of 5)