The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Review

My mother put the audiobook of this on my iPod, but I didn't listen to it for a while, until one night when I woke up at about 2 a.m. after a bad dream. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I got my iPod from my bedside table and started listening to The Hunger Games. Eleven hours later, I finished listening. The two parts of the audiobook last about... eleven hours. That should tell you something.

The first time reading (or listening to) this, and maybe even the second time, you will love this. It is action-packed, the world is well thought-out, and the villains have the best motivations ever. They just want to survive!

The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year-old girl living in District 12, the poorest of the 12 Districts surrounding a single shining Capitol. The Capitol, in retribution for a rebellion some seventy years ago, forces the districts to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death in a massive outdoor arena, while cameras catch every moment on live TV. Luckily, Katniss is not chosen. Instead, it is her 12 year-old sister Primrose, and Katniss volunteers to go in her place. The male tribute chosen is Peeta Mellark, who once gave Katniss bread when her family was starving. They are shipped off the Capitol, and the rest I shall not spoil.

While I certainly like this story, there are a few problems. The characterization is a bit weak in my opinion, and the way Katniss thinks and describes things (it's told in first person) just makes me want to tackle a porcupine and then go jump in the Dead Sea. She does good during action scenes, but most of the time, it is extremely obnoxious. Katniss thinks and describes a lot of things as if she's a robot. She also often tends to go off on tangents that really do nothing to advance the plot.

Still, that problem isn't too bad compared to the greatness that is the rest of the story. Some people call it a rip-off of Battle Royale, but I'm afraid I've never read that, so I can't comment.

Many questions are left unanswered in this book, and then answered the sequel, Catching Fire (which is also a very good book). Some of those questions, however, are only answered with more questions. For that, we'll have to wait until the third and final book, Mockingjay, hits stores in August.