by Ryan Leahy
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games swept over America even faster than the Twilight craze did. I received recommendations from almost everyone I knew to read this book. It appeared to be full of action, adventure and suspense. The plot and the characters seemed interesting, but when I started reading, I was immediately disappointed.
Many people are familiar with the plot of The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl, supports her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, formerly the U.S. Many years ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and lost. As part of their punishment, every district sends one boy and one girl to an annual event broadcasted to the districts called “The Hunger Games.” Their motto is kill or be killed, and when Katniss’s little sister is picked in the lottery, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. She tries to stay alive while everyone else is trying to kill her.
This book was a complete bore from the time that Katniss is living in the district to her journey to the Capitol of Panem. The author did nothing exciting for the first half of the book, and it was a challenge to get through. While Katniss is traveling on the train with a boy named Peeta, it continued to drag on and on, and nothing happened during that time period. The train ride is the thing that stuck in my mind after I finished reading because it lasted so long. This book reminds me of eating something and having a bitter aftertaste in your mouth from the worst part.
The things that Katniss did made her character not very believable. Not many people would be able to support their family in such a time of crisis and then volunteer in her sister’s place. She just seemed too perfect to be true. She had the ability to stay a hero even during the Hunger Games. It just is not possible that someone like that exists, and it poked holes through the rest of the book.
Katniss was one of my favorite characters, but she was not realistic. On the other hand, I thought Peeta was a very lovable character that acted as bait during the Games. He looked like he would not survive long and was scared of stepping in the arena.
I do not want to give away the ending, but I was not surprised by it based on who Katniss is. It was not the worst ending, but I felt that it could have had a better twist.
I think everyone should read this book to get an opinion about it. Most people would probably disagree with me. It is one of those books that you either love or hate.
