Reading the Hunger Games

Spoilers avoided but sorry in advance if I accidentally revealed anything.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour."

-Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games

 

 This young adult dystopian fiction book series by Suzanne Collins has been on my to-read list for a long time now, and I started reading it a day after my exams got over. I absolutely loved the series (that’s an understatement) and I think it has a lot to learn from. 

   It's set in Panem, a country formed from the ashes of post-apocalyptic America. There are 13 districts. During a rebel uprising, the Capitol, the ruling power of Panem obliterated the 13th district. To stop further uprisings, the Capitol hosts the annual Hunger Games. In these Games, a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts from the ages of 12- 18 are chosen via lottery to participate. The Capitol throws all 24 of them into an Arena which can be anything from a scorching desert to a barren winter wasteland where they fight to the death on live TV and all citizens of Panem must watch. Kill or get killed is the only rule. Only one can survive.

 

The story revolves around a 16-year-old girl, Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take the place of her 12-year-old sister, Primrose after they select her in the reaping to take part in the 74th Hunger Games. Survival is no big deal for her as she is the one who supports herself, Prim and her mother. In the first book, we learn how she outsmarts the Capitol by her means. Catching Fire (AKA my favourite out of the series) shows how the Capitol wants revenge for her making them look like fools and pick the tributes from past victors in vengeance, making Katniss and Peeta Mellark, her fellow District 12 tribute, go back into the Arena. Mockingjay focuses on how she plans to get rid of the Capitol and their barbaric and sadistic Games for good.

Elizabeth Banks and Jennifer Lawrence as
Effie Trinket and Katniss Everdeen respectively
 in The Hunger Games (2012)

  The book is written from Katniss’s perspective so you know how she feels and what her intentions are. It has a wonderful narration, and it is easy to picture everything vividly in your head. She is courageous, selfless, resourceful and independent and a wonderful role model. She cares deeply about her friends and family. Her weak traits like her impulsiveness, unforgiving nature and extreme stubbornness make her a relatable and unforgettable character. She breaks stereotypes; eg. she can hunt and shoot with a bow and is not dependent on anyone. For that matter, all the characters are unforgettable. Particularly the villain, President Snow. He is a tyrannical ruthless villain who is the root cause of the continuation of the Hunger Games. Despite his flaws, we still learn that he is not above killing innocent children for no reason at all, one of the many comparisons with other famous YA villains like Voldemort; also we get to see a humane side of him in the prequel that released this year, 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' (something that'll make you hate him even more). It’s impossible to get bored reading this book because any time the audience in the Capitol feels things are getting slow, the Gamemakers introduce new threats from anything from a forest fire to lethal animals in the Arena.  

  It’s quite violent and the violence is graphic at times, so I won’t recommend it to squeamish people or anyone under the age of 13, but it depends on their maturity. At first, my mother was concerned it ‘encouraged violence’ but that is the opposite of what Suzanne Collins was trying to imply. There’s a truckload of political and moral messages overall in the series, and it has a lot to learn from.

  All in all, I found it a phenomenal series and I cannot express how amazing this book series is. It blew my socks off with its awesomeness. Actually, I’ll say it’s Marvelous (People who read/saw the series will get my awesome pun) 

 

 My rating: 103/100 with 2 marks deducted because of the ridiculous and unnecessary number of lovable character deaths (That still makes the total 101).

Until next time,

Nike :)