hunger games...

Here's another review - I'm on a reading roll!

The Hunger Games

My score: 4 / 5 stars.

After reading the hilarious and talented Abby Gabs review for this series, I knew I had to give it a go.  I'm not usually a Sci-Fi kind of gal, but Abby got me interested, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

It's pretty heavy reading, but so well written - I really felt drawn into the world of Panem.  Set in the future, where Panem is made up of 12 districts ruled by the Capitol, we are introduced to a world of social hierachy, where death is viewed as entertainment.  Katniss Everdeen and her mother and sister live in District 12, the poorest of the districts whose main trade is in coal.  Her father was killed in a mine explosion four years ago, and Katniss is left to fend for her family - risking her life daily to hunt in the woods outside the Seam (the poorest part of the district) and trading her catches to keep her family alive.

The reaping is a game designed by the Capitol to remind the people of Panem that they still have absolute power.  Each year two children - a boy and a girl - are chosen from each district to compete in a hyped up and televised game - the Hunger Games.  In this game, these 24 children (aged 12-18) are forced to fight to the death.  Actual death.

This book is moving and unfair.  We fall in love with Katniss and even her district and we loathe the Capitol and what they stand for.  The children are thrust into awful and unimaginable situations, and the one who is left standing at the end becomes a celebrity.

It is in some ways sickening, and I wondered why I was reading this, but I couldn't stop.  I read the book quickly and thoroughly and couldn't wait for more.  It is a trilogy, but like I said, it's heavy reading and quite emotional so I decided to read something else in between to break it up a bit.  Even if you aren't into Sci Fi - give Hunger Games a read...  You won't regret it!


*Originally from www.kendylsplace.com