It's taken me a long time to finally sit down and pick up The Hunger Games.
In a way, I'm relieved that it worked out this way because then I
didn't have to wait for the release of the rest of the series.
Cliffhangers are the worst! And I am not a patient person.
First off, I like sci-fi, adventure type of literature. I admit I
haven't read a lot of books or stories in this genre but when I do, I
enjoy it very much. I devoured the first book and it didn't take me more
than two days to finish it.
I love the plot. It was interesting, thrilling and somewhat brutal.
But it was not disgusting or unbearable to read. I thought Collins did a
fantastic job pacing out the events, making sure to explain the
setting and the history of the characters. Katniss Everdeen is my
favorite. She's a survivor, strong, resilient, and clever. Although the
love triangle was somewhat predictable, I liked it a lot. Peeta's and
Katniss' exchanges were fun to read.
As for the second book, Catching Fire, I thought it was also
excellent. I was excited to see what the Quarter Quell was going to
entail and the visit from President Snow was brilliant, because he was
so awful and gross. However, I did feel that the period before the
Quarter Quell announcement kind of dragged, with the love triangle, and
who's mad at whom. Sure it was significant to the plot but I just
really wanted to get the Capitol, meet the other tributes, and arrive
at the arena.
When they do finally get there, the events in the arena were
excellent. It was heart pounding and exciting, and with just the right
amount of mystery. The last sentence of Catching Fire was very good. And I am so glad I did not have to wait for the release of Mockingjay. All I had to do was pick it up from the table.
Moving on to Mockingjay, I was excited to see how the
rebellion was going to turn out, the rebels' plans, and who's in charge.
And of course, I wanted to know what the hell happened to Peeta. I even liked Katniss' character development in this installment. I've
read some people comment on her nervous breakdown, her constant search
for isolation in the very busy, highly organized atmosphere of
district 13, and they weren't all positive comments. But I thought it
was appropriate to her character's development. After all, she was in
the arena twice, she's lost allies, friends, her home, and the
revolution was only beginning.
If I hadn't purposely searched for book reviews and blog entries about Mockingjay,
I think I would have been very surprised by Peeta's and Katniss'
reunion. Still, it was good and it leaves you hopeful that there will be
more exciting things to come. I also really liked the ending. Overall,
finally picking up these books was a great decision.
To be honest, I've been looking for a new series to get into since Harry Potter
ended. By no means am I comparing these two. These are separate
experiences, the characters and settings are different, and Harry Potter
is my childhood. My point is, there are some differences in the kinds
of feelings that get stirred up when one reads an entire series as
opposed to a single novel. There's more to devour in a series, more time
invested; waiting for releases and reading. And if you end up really
enjoying the series then you might get attached to the characters more
than you would with those in a novel.
I wanted to find a series that I could really get into, something interesting, exciting, and different from the novels I've read this year. And I found it. I'm very happy I read The Hunger Games trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely.
More on the characters later. =)
My ratings: The Hunger Games = 4, Catching Fire = 4, Mockingjay = 4
My ratings: The Hunger Games = 4, Catching Fire = 4, Mockingjay = 4
Have you jumped on the bandwagon?
Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy?
Are you excited for the movie(s)?
