I finally read Hunger Games. I feel like I am one of the last people to jump on the bandwagon, at least around where I live. And I gotta say...what a fabulous bandwagon to get on. The short of the story: Katniss Everdeen lives in a dystopic future where 24 teens are chosen to participate in a fight to the death for food for their District. Katniss, from the poorest district, volunteers to take the place of her sister who was chosen. The other person chosen from her District is Peeta, the baker's son, who is the same age as Katniss.
There is a lot to the story, but I don't want to really get into too much of the plot because I found it pleasant to go into the books with no idea what was going to happen. However, I do have some thoughts on the book.
First of all, it reminded me a whole lot of The Running Man and The Long Walk, both by Stephen King. Reality tv type show, only one winner, forcing people to kill each other...pleasant things! For the most part, Hunger Games is fairly tame. It isn't really about the killings or the games so much as the story of a 16 year old girl.
Secondly, Katniss totally rocks. Like, hardcore. She is very kickass. She is a very strong female, capable of defending herself and others, though not ruthless in her game play. She cares deeply for her sister and does everything she can (whether illegally hunting or taking her place in the games) to protect her sister. Katniss has a drive to survive which cannot be beaten.
Next, I've read some comparisons between Hunger Games and Twilight, to which I call bullshit. Yes, Katniss has a few times where she has to be saved by a guy, but mostly, she protects others and is very proactive in her life. Katniss does not go along with anyone's plans without knowing the reason why and is willing to do what she has to for survive.
Last, there is a bit of a love story involved in the plot, but I think that the way Collins writes it, it feels natural, not forced, and driven by the plot instead of driving the plot. It is also manipulated by Katniss. Again, anything to survive.
Overall, I was very impressed with Hunger Games and am getting ready to start reading Catching Fire. Pretty much the only thing I didn't like was the ending of Hunger Games because it was a bit of a cliffhanger and I wanted more story (hence the necessity to read the sequal asap). I would highly suggest every read it, especially if you like actiony books that are an easy read, but still make you feel something. Also, I would recommend this to all teens, both male and female. It is first person by Katniss, but is still something I think teen boys would be able to enjoy (I may be wrong as I am not, nor was ever, a teen boy).
Also, if you want another opinion (with a bit more about the plot), read Stephen King's review on EW http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20223443,00.html. He sums everything up nicely. I think I liked it a bit more than him due to being closer to the teen girl demographic and not reading enough "literature" to be able to tell if a writing style is lazy.
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