Recently made wildly popular again after the release of the movie adaptation of the novel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games” is the beginning of a thrilling dystopian adventure that follows sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, whose life rapidly changes when she volunteers to take her sisters place in the Hunger Games.
Set in a futuristic society and country called Panem, the Hunger Games are held every year as a deadly reminder to the country’s inhabitants that the Capitol, this book’s government, is always in control and will always be the main provider for the people, as long as they comply with their strict, laborious, and demanding regulations. In Panem, there are twelve districts, each with a designated specialty helping to uphold the resources and stability throughout the country.
Held as an annual event, two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen from each district are reaped, or chosen, from a random pool of names to participate in the Hunger Games. The rewards given to the victor of the Hunger Games sound extremely tempting: life-long riches, luxury, fame, and grandiose housing built by the Capitol themselves; but that is only on the occasion of making it out of the arena alive.
Volunteering in place of her younger sister, Prim, Katniss only begins to realize what great danger she is now in, going into the arena with only a small pocket of hope and her skillful talent of archery, which she has nurtured since she was a young girl. Coming from the poorest of Panem’s districts, District Twelve, Katniss is at a major disadvantage; nobody expects a civilian from a district struggling with poverty and hunger to win.
As the games progress, Katniss begins to accept and understand lessons of trust, morality, protecting those you love, and doing whatever it takes to survive in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Alongside her reaped partner and life-long friend, Peeta Mallark, Katniss begins to build alliances and strong bonds that help carry her throughout the games, but especially in this society, every good thing must come to an end, and the Capitol takes careful measures to ensure that. Can Katniss and Peeta make it out alive? Will all of Katniss’ sacrifices be worth it in the end? “The Hunger Games” written by Suzanne Collins is a spectacular read, followed up by two sequels and one prequel with amazing narratives, storytelling, writing style, and craft.
Suzanne Collins has a special way of creating and developing characters, each with special traits and flaws that make the stories behind their writing so much more meaningful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading novels where characters are put in intense life-or-death situations, have to survive in the wilderness, or books that reflect real-world messages about war, corruption of power, and morality.
Out of every book I read last year, this book was definitely one of my favorites. If I could rate it out of five stars, I would give it a 4.8. Some of the scenes in the book can be intense and violent, making it a young adult novel, but it helps emphasize the deadliness of the Hunger Games. All the characters’ complexities mirror real-world problems and situations that are not as realistically talked about in dystopian novels. Essentially, the messages behind this book can be seen in multiple ways, all of which are applicable to real-life problems that the world quietly or silently deals with every day: destruction of power, the effects of war, and the struggles the poor, looked down upon by the lavish lifestyles of the rich, face. A difficult book to put down, “The Hunger Games” is a captivating read, and every chapter will leave you wanting to turn another page.
