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1/30/11

Hunger Games Trilogy Review.


Author - Suzanne Collins.

Series Rating - 5.

I decided to do a review on the entire series instead of each individual book,
due to the fact that I read these books so extremely fast.


The Hunger Games trilogy is one that truly took me by surprise. I got a lot of recommendations for the book but I definitely took my time starting it. When I read the book summaries and reviews, I just didn’t think the plot was all that interesting. First off, I recommend that you do not hesitate when it comes to reading The Hunger Games. It may not seem appealing at first but it’s truly riveting. The way Suzanne Collins’ writes is so beautiful and intense. Every single word she writes is full of emotion. There is never a dull moment regarding this story. There was never, ever one single lapse in the entire series where I felt as if I was losing focus. The story doesn’t drift at all but stays on point in a beautiful show of emotions. It’s heartbreaking and unique. It’s a once in a lifetime reading experience that you must not miss.

In the beginning, I found Katniss Everdeen’s life incredibly difficult. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the concepts that she easily accepted. Katniss’s world was District 12, a place where food was scarce and poverty was all they really knew. If you didn’t live in the Capitol where the Present resided, you most likely rationed food and all others sources. In the districts surrounding the Capitol you obeyed the law or met an early death. There was no rebellion, no second guessing and no sideways glances. You took what you got. Katniss’s dad was killed in a mining accident which led to her mother falling into a deep Depression. Since Katniss had to assume the role as main caregiver for her family she started to hunt in the woods a little outside District 12’s fence. The more she was out and about the more she came across another teenager hunting to provide for his family too. Gale and Katniss became best friends and hunting partners. Gale’s father was also killed in the same mining accident that Katniss’s father was.

I can’t say what I would have done specifically because I’ve obviously never lived through times like that, but I know I would take care of my family, no matter what. I think Katniss’s strength, courage and overall willpower is what transforms her into a character that girls actually look up to. In her situation, I also would have been a lot like Gale. I think I would constantly be talking about how much I hated the Capitol and their powers over everyone. I enjoy my freedom and can never imagine taking it for granted after reading what I did. These books may take place in the future but it sheds a huge light on modern warfare.

If the Capitol wasn’t cruel enough they held an annual event called “The Hunger Games.” The Hunger Games were a way to remind the people of Panem that the Capitol was in rule and would always be. This event was a way to remind the citizens that they had no freedom at all, as if they needed to be reminded. In The Hunger Games, 2 teenagers from each district were chosen to be dropped off in a remote location that the game makers called the arena. In the arena you had to fight against all the other tributes to win. It sounds a little bit like the popular television show “Survivor,” right? Well, you actually have to kill the other tributes in a brutal “fight-to-the-death” sense.

When I read this, I think my jaw literally dropped to the floor. As in, I have to do WHAT?! I couldn’t wrap my mind around those circumstances which drew me in that much more. I couldn’t ever imagine an arranged situation of that nature. It’s barbaric and disturbing. I would surely overthrow someone to escape all of that nonsense. Let us never start acting like animals instead of human beings, okay?

The way that the tributes survived showed their impeccable senses. Katniss made allies with Peeta and a small girl named Rue. Katniss and Peeta ended up winning the Hunger Games by playing up their romance. The romance was non-existent at the time, but when it comes to survival of the fittest, you’d practically hold hands with a goat and confess your undying love. Although, Peeta and Katniss were the perfect match and everyone loved to swoon over them. Toward the end of the games an act of rebellion was showed on both of their parts. Since they refused to kill each other they decided that if the game makers wouldn’t let both of them live, they’d commit suicide by eating poisonous berries. It worked but we soon found out exactly how the Capitol took it and it wasn’t pretty. Since it was Katniss’s idea she got the blame for what went down and she became the face of rebellion against the Capitol. She became the rebel’s “Mockingjay,” the one that would lead them to freedom.

After The Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta returned to District 12 but not for long. They were both given new houses in Victors Village where all of the Hunger Games Victors lived. The two of them were earning more money than they knew what to do with and poverty was a thing of the past. Life seemed a lot easier this is if you were discounting the fact that what they did in the Hunger Games haunted them nonstop. The fact that they were constantly reminded of it didn’t help either, as they set out on different press tours.

When the next games came creeping up on them Katniss and Peeta intended on being guides to new tributes as Haymitch had been to them. In a twist of fate, neither one of them got to train new tributes because the tributes going into the “Quarter Quell,” the 75th games were previous victors. This meant that Katniss and Peeta were thrown back into the games once again, as if they had never ended. Through interviews, personal conversations and time spent fighting for their lives Katniss and Peeta became the voices of the rebellion. The other victors chose a plan of attack though and fatefully left Peeta and Katniss out of the planning. They couldn’t let it slip just yet but by the time it did, chaos broke loose long enough for them to escape the games.

. . . Talk about HUGE twists! I was so stunned but so interested all at the same time.

Katniss, as The “Mockingjay” was constantly used as the face of the rebellion even when she didn’t know there would be rebelling. After escaping The Hunger Games Peeta was held captive by The Capitol. Katniss and the remaining members of District 12 moved to District 13, one they didn’t even know existed anymore.  A lot went on and continued to do so, lives were lost and the Capitol didn’t even blink. Meanwhile, Katniss and her team were planning their actual rebellion over the Capitol. So many lives were lost and I felt my stomach drop with each one. You grow attached to each person and their personality. “Mockingjay” provided the final battle and the final sense of closure. The ending was fantastic and incredibly filled with emotion. I would have liked to see less gore but I don’t think that would have fit the series.


Yes, I wrote a lot but that’s not even touching the surface.
This is an entire series review, so please take that into consideration.

Also, for more graphics check out this site I found of wonderful edits:

Click here, please.

1 comment:

  1. I like that you reviewed all the books in one post.
    I completely agree. This series held so much emotion.
    I have no idea how you did it in one shot! I'm impressed.

    ReplyDelete

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