The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Jan. 3rd, 2011 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoggedI actually wrote this as a book review for my new community, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
50ayear, but I wanted to share it here because I wanted to share my reactions with those of you who aren't members and probably don't plan to become one.
Written as novels for young adults, this series takes a look at a dystopian universe where 24 children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to compete against and kill each other in a televised program meant to keep the society obedient to the government that runs it (Think: Death Race 2000).
The first book quickly introduces us to this concept and our main character, Katniss Everdeen. I've heard other critics describe her as a modern day Theseus- cold, calculating, and likable. I can certainly see what they're getting at by describing her this way, especially after she's thrust into the Games themselves.
I'm not interested in sugarcoating this series because you can't. It's brutal, breathtaking, horrifying, suspenseful, and intense. Collins creates characters that you fall in love with quickly, but rips them from life the moment you really start rooting for them. One such case is Rue. I won't go into details, but this was probably about the time I knew I was in for an unforgiving, bleak ride in darkness that doesn't really depend on romance to offer any hope.
In Catching Fire, we see the return of the Hunger Games and the start of a rebellion. I don't know why, but it suddenly felt more bearable to read the horrors described given that the tributes ranged in age from 15 to 80. I also liked that Collins expanded on her triangle between Gale/Katniss/Peeta. I hated that Cinna was beaten and killed because he tried to help Katniss.
I do feel this book nearly got eaten by its own suspense, though, as there were times when things felt rushed or details were missed in favor of rushing to the latest scene. Another complaint I have that pretty much extends to all three books is the fact that certain subtexts were over-explained as though the reader wasn't smart enough to figure it out themselves.
In Mockingjay, I found myself in tears. I hated how certain deaths were basically glossed over (Finnick's), but most of all, I hated that Collins offed Prim. Sure, we didn't know much about her, but we knew she was the most important person in the world to Katniss and that made all the difference.
That said...this book easily captured my attention the way the first one did. The action sequences were described in a truly amazing way. And I feel that the epilogue was exactly how an epilogue should be. It gave a glimmer of hope without forgetting exactly where the series started.
50ayear, but I wanted to share it here because I wanted to share my reactions with those of you who aren't members and probably don't plan to become one.Written as novels for young adults, this series takes a look at a dystopian universe where 24 children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to compete against and kill each other in a televised program meant to keep the society obedient to the government that runs it (Think: Death Race 2000).
The first book quickly introduces us to this concept and our main character, Katniss Everdeen. I've heard other critics describe her as a modern day Theseus- cold, calculating, and likable. I can certainly see what they're getting at by describing her this way, especially after she's thrust into the Games themselves.
I'm not interested in sugarcoating this series because you can't. It's brutal, breathtaking, horrifying, suspenseful, and intense. Collins creates characters that you fall in love with quickly, but rips them from life the moment you really start rooting for them. One such case is Rue. I won't go into details, but this was probably about the time I knew I was in for an unforgiving, bleak ride in darkness that doesn't really depend on romance to offer any hope.
In Catching Fire, we see the return of the Hunger Games and the start of a rebellion. I don't know why, but it suddenly felt more bearable to read the horrors described given that the tributes ranged in age from 15 to 80. I also liked that Collins expanded on her triangle between Gale/Katniss/Peeta. I hated that Cinna was beaten and killed because he tried to help Katniss.
I do feel this book nearly got eaten by its own suspense, though, as there were times when things felt rushed or details were missed in favor of rushing to the latest scene. Another complaint I have that pretty much extends to all three books is the fact that certain subtexts were over-explained as though the reader wasn't smart enough to figure it out themselves.
In Mockingjay, I found myself in tears. I hated how certain deaths were basically glossed over (Finnick's), but most of all, I hated that Collins offed Prim. Sure, we didn't know much about her, but we knew she was the most important person in the world to Katniss and that made all the difference.
That said...this book easily captured my attention the way the first one did. The action sequences were described in a truly amazing way. And I feel that the epilogue was exactly how an epilogue should be. It gave a glimmer of hope without forgetting exactly where the series started.
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