My friends have been raving over The Hunger Games for quite a while now and I decided to see what the fuss was all about. I just finished reading the first book in the trilogy a few days ago and I have to say that it is indeed one of the best books I’ve read which made it absolutely necessary for me to purchase the second and third books immediately.
The Hunger Games is set in the future, where a new society has formed from the remnants of the earth our generation supposedly destroyed. The Capitol is the center of it, and the thirteen districts surrounding it live in starvation and torture while those in the Capitol live excessively. Seventy-five years ago, there was a revolt among the districts, wherein the Capitol still won, and for them to teach the districts a lesson, they orchestrated the annual Hunger Games for the entertainment of the people in the Capitol, wherein two from each district will be pitted against each other, and the last one alive wins. That year, it is Katniss Everdeen who takes her sister’s place as the female representative of District 12, and it is where a whole intriguing plot spins out. The book is typically classified in the young adult genre, but I think it is a bit more fit for people a bit older.
Aside from the suspenseful and intriguing plot, Suzanne is able to build the whole world convincingly and realistically. Each character is developed well, and the story is so gripping that I couldn’t put it down until I finished it even if it means giving up sleep and reading in the dark. What is more chilling more than the deaths narrated in the story is that the themes are so relevant, it is impossible for even the most apathetic reader to not see the similarity between a lot of themes in the story and the realities in our world today.
I would definitely recommend reading The Hunger Games, especially if you would like something that is entertaining and out-of-this-world yet truly relevant and real. It’s a rare feat to be able to write something with that combination.