Hey, guys!!
I am super tired from my younger brother's graduation, but I did promise a new review by today. So, I am so on it . . . and there will be more to come. Like I said in the last post: I have outlines for half a dozen reviews but busy week and no time to write them. But I shall make time.
So, it's almost tomorrow and I'm exhausted, so I figured why not write a review for one of my favorite series? And by series, I refer to the books as well as the movies. And of course I am talking about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
If there are any of you who watch TV or regularly visit the local bookstore or library and haven't heard of this worldwide phenomenon by now, shame on you. And if you are aware of the series and haven't read the books or at least seen the movies, double shame.
The Hunger Games is set in the future North America. Instead of today's fifty United States of America, the country of Panem consists of thirteen Districts and the Capitol. That is, until the Rebellion, when the Districts started an uprising against the oppression of the Capitol. By the end of the war, District Thirteen was no more and the rest of the Districts were forced to surrender to the Capitol and sign a peace treaty.
As part of this treaty, the Hunger Games were invented. As part of these games, each of the twelve remaining Districts must reap one male and one female tribute between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in a televised fight to the death in an arena known as the Hunger Games.
Each tribute is transported to the Capitol for interviews and survival training and to be paraded before the trendy, fashion-crazy people of the Capitol. For the record, citizens of the Capitol live a life of luxury and excess while those in the Districts struggle with starvation every day. That is why it's called the Hunger Games; the winner gets a house in the Victor's Village, more money than they know what to do with, and gifts of food and oil are showered upon the smiling faces of the citizens from the victor's District for a whole year.
Some Districts have a better chance of winning the Games than others. Districts One and Two, for example, are considered the Careers, since the children are generally well-fed and are trained in combat and survival until they are eighteen and volunteer as tributes. District Twelve, on the other hand, is an outlying District with people who battle starvation every day.
This includes sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who supports her mother and younger sister, Prim, by hunting illegally in the woods bordering her District ever since her father died. Katniss knows that the Capitol is corrupt and that she shouldn't run her mouth unless she's in the woods with Gale, the only person she truly trusts.
But then, at the Reaping for the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games, Prim's name is selected as female tribute and Katniss can do nothing to stop it except volunteer herself as tribute in Prim's place.
Things look like they can't get much worse until Peeta Mellark is chosen as the male tribute. Although Katniss has never spoken with Peeta before, she owes him a debt that she can never repay if she is expected to kill him in the arena.
Although Katniss is an experienced archer and knows how to live off the land, what chance does she stand against the Careers and the other tributes? What if she encounters Peeta in the arena? Would she ever be able to kill him?
Many of you probably already know, but otherwise, read the book and find out. Seriously, tell your friends to go spoiler alert if you're considering reading the book or haven't seen the movie yet.
When I first read the series, I could not put it down for anything. Although Collins's writing style is a little peculiar, the story is enthralling and exciting. I recommend it for anybody who is into survival stories or series that include corrupt governments and misleading media.
As for the movie, it's pretty good. I absolutely love the film adaptation of Catching Fire. Awesome.
Well, for an exhausting night, this was actually a pretty substantial review. I thought that The Hunger Games would be a good choice. But that's enough for tonight. Time for bed.
Check in tomorrow or this weekend for a new review . . . I really am trying guys. Hopefully this won't happen again once school starts. Oh, and for the record, I am almost halfway through The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and then I have two more library books to go. Plus the other five reviews I have already outlined. :)
Anyway, comment if you enjoyed this review or if you're itching for a review for a specific book. Also, check out my blog regularly for new posts.
Happy reading!!
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