Hunger Games

Title: Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Format: Kindle

From Goodreads: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

What I thought: I first read The Hunger Games in September 2010. You can read my original review here.  I decided to re-read it before I go see the movie.
One of my fears in re- reading a book is finding it wasn't as good as I first thought. I'm glad to say I enjoyed this just as much if not more than the first time. The world Suzanne Collins created is believable and terrifying. The characters are beautifully built and you want to invest time in their fate. It sets up perfectly for the second book in the series. Really glad I too the time to re-read this. Now I can't wait to see the movie!

Challenges: Ebook Challenge, Dystopia Challenge

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay finally came into the library for me the other week! Unfortunately I had a few other things that needed to be read first but I finally got to it on the weekend.

I approached with caution as I have heard mixed reviews. Some said it was the best book of the series, others the worse. Some seemed to be disappointed in the end.

Me? I loved it. Equal with Hunger Games, better than Catching Fire. I found Mockingjay meatier.

For me Collins didn't sugar coat things as much as some YA authors. Katniss did find her history of killing hard to accept, she was manipulated by the good guys, just like she was by the Capitol in Hunger Games. Life is more complicated than right or wrong.

The end was a little twee, a little too perfect, but in the end it is YA fiction and for me the ending was still a good way to finish. In the end I have really enjoyed this series and would recommend it to young adults at work who were looking for something to read. In fact, I think my nephew would really enjoy it - must email my sister!

Gregor the Overlander

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Having really enjoyed Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games and Catching Fire (desperately waiting for Mockingjay to come into the library!), I went searching to see if she had written any other stuff and discovered the children's series - The Underland Chronicles.

I quite enjoyed this. It took a bit to get into, but it wasn't long until I was engrossed in the story of Gregor and his quest in the Underland.

Collins' has conjured a marvelous world. I love authors who can take the ordinary - cockroaches, rats and bats - and make them extraordinary. And who can resist a quest!

I'm looking forward to the sequel and discovering what happens next to Gregor, Boots and the rest.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book in the Hunger Games series.

I've been looking forward to this since reading the Hunger Games, which I really enjoyed. Given how long it took me to get Hunger Games from the library, I was surprised at how quickly I got this!

I did enjoy Catching Fire. You kind of knew from the first one that it would have to focus on the beginning of a rebellion -  really it had no where else to go. However, I didn't find it as engaging as Hunger Games. The game itself wasn't as intense and there seemed to be a lot of sitting around. As I read I began to worry about the ending. I was running out of pages and I couldn't see how it would finish off in any satisfactory manner. I was right. I found the ending very abrupt and unsatisfying. It was like Collins had a page quota and had to finish in a hurry. I'm looking forward to Mockingjay though.

Hunger Games

Hunger Games bySuzanne Collins

I'd seen several reviews of this around the traps and so I put it on hold at the library. Took awhile to get it as there is apparently a lot of people waiting to read it! It's so popular it's only a two week loan instead of the normal four weeks. Just as well I'm on holidays and could devote myself to it fully!

Set in the future, the Hunger Games are the Capitol's way of reminding the districts that they are in control and to continue to punish them for the uprisings. Each year at the reaping, the name of two teenagers from each of the twelve districts is pulled out. These 24 people are then placed in an arena where the only rule is kill before being killed. Last one standing wins.

I must admit the whole premise of the book is what interested me to start with. The way the story developed kept you wanting to read. You wanted to know how they survived and the greater impact being forced to kill would have on them. In the end of course, the issues are so much more complicated than any of the participants could have imagined. As for the ending? Well it left me wanting more and when I get home, I will be looking up the sequel and putting it on hold too!