Introduction
The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, was published on September 14th, 2008, by Scholastic publishing company. I adore this science-fiction, dystopian action-adventure series. When I was younger, I began slowly working through popular series. I started with Harry Potter, moved on to Twilight, and eventually found my way to The Hunger Games. Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing this series up to the release of the new Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie. I cannot explain how excited I am for this movie (I just finished the book), and for these reviews in general.
I am also excited because I’m trying something new with this new set of reviews. I realized (thanks to a few of my wonderful friends) that the only spoiler-free areas of the posts were the Introduction and Plot sections, both of which were included on the Instagram posts. To make the reviews more accessible, I’ve added a section! I have divided my thoughts into two parts, those that don’t contain spoilers and those that do. This is so those who may be interested in the book I review can get a feel for it without having to read the book before the review. I hope you guys enjoy the change!
Plot
When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen offers to take her sister’s place in the Hunger Games, it will take all of her survival skills to make it out of the Capital alive. Twenty-four will enter, one will leave.
Spoiler Free Thoughts
I like that you can get a feel for Katniss’ personality from the first page. The writing is very stoic and blunt, characteristic in its cynical view of the world. That isn’t to say that there is no humor though, Katniss is tough, but she does have a sarcastic sense of humor that comes through when her guard is down. I do like that she’s a dynamic character. There are select people she opens up to and is willing to be more vulnerable with, but she’s also impulsive and temperamental, which can make her dangerous to herself and others. It makes sense for people to be afraid of her skill and drive that defines her even when it isn’t her main focus.
Peeta is far more open and honest, and I love having this shown through Katniss’ point of view because of how suspicious she is, rightfully so. The games aren’t just played in the arena, which is shown throughout the entire book, and Peeta shows immediately that he knows how to play. Given the nature of the Hunger Games, where only one survives, Katniss has every right to call Peeta’s intentions into question, and Collins keeps that dynamic going for the entire book, adding an always present layer of tension between the two of them. I love the differences between Katniss’ and Peeta’s personalities and how that drives their actions within the games.
The entire tribute dynamic is interesting because everyone falls within this spectrum of offensive and defensive strategies within the games. Everyone has their own agenda and characters to play, some better than others. The Hunger Games are ultimately a very small part of the actual book, and the real game is one's ultimate survival in Panem under the thumb of the Capital and President Snow. The game can be difficult for anyone to win, but especially for those for whom the game is rigged against.
Moving onto the side characters, my favorites are Haymich and Cinna for their relationships with Katniss. Haymich is a complete jerk to her, but that isn’t to say his mentoring isn’t effective. Cinna is the other side of that same coin, being brutally honest with her but in a far gentler way. Neither of them baby her, but both of them keep her alive in ways that she can’t manage to do for herself. They are exactly what she needs. I like that it keeps up with the continuity of her character in that she doesn’t need to be vulnerable with them, but she gets more support than she’s ever had through them in exactly the right way.
One more thing I enjoy about this book is the pacing. The main conflict happens quickly, and not too long after, we move into the games. While there are slow moments, the constant strategizing happening within Katniss’ clever mind keeps the story flowing.
Given the character development, pacing, and thematic influence present throughout the book, I rank this one an 8.5/10. It was a strong first installment to the series, but there are more exciting works to come.
Thoughts
Katniss spent her entire life watching the Hunger Games, seeing how people survive. Between games, she kept herself and her family from starving by illegally hunting and gathering in the woods. This gives her a crucial - if slight - edge in the games because she not only has basic survival skills, but she’s also clever and calculated by nature. Peeta kept her alive before the arena, but within it, her defensive strategy took her through the end. It’s fitting for her character because she’s small and not skilled with any weapon that isn’t a bow, it wouldn’t have been realistic for her to win with an offensive strategy. She’s driven, and her will to survive comes not only from her remarkable self-preservation instinct, but from her promises to help and protect her family and those she cares about. There is a major shift in her character, and it comes after Rue dies. Rue, who she saw as a stand-in for Prim. Before that, I couldn’t quite see the urge for rebellion in her that I saw in Gale, but following Rue’s death, there was a fire lit within her. In those moments, she wanted to tear the Capital down, and I could see the revolutionary in her. It makes me wonder what would happen if she acted on it like Gale wanted to, and I love that about this book: the possibility it presents for the future installments.
Peeta is a perfect complement to Katniss. He is perfect at playing the game in the Capital, and he’s definitely not bad at it within the arena - it was smart of him to pretend to team up with the careers, and I like that it helped to sow more seeds of doubt. The entire time, Peeta’s motivations seem mysterious. Arguably, Peeta’s most iconic moment in this book is his “She came here with me” moment during his interview with Caesar Flickerman. This is a moment that shows he is trying to keep Katniss alive. Katniss takes his gesture the wrong way, but Haymich was entirely correct in his assessment that Peeta had done for her what her attitude had failed to achieve: he gained public sympathy and support for her. It’s also interesting that Peeta doesn’t want to sacrifice his innocence for the Capital’s games, while Katniss realizes that she is in a kill or be killed scenario, and she does not want to be killed. As the book continues on, it becomes more and more clear - even through Katniss’ clouded lens - that Peeta loves her, and I do think that she loves him too. The way they leave things at the end of the book - Peeta angry with Katniss, and her knowing she’ll miss him - makes me miss what could have been, but I like that it leaves space for them to grow in future installments.
The signs of district discontent are evident everywhere. Through Gale in the beginning, the graffiti throughout the Capital, and even just the conversations between citizens within the districts and tributes within the Capital. It shows signs of a possible future rebellion, which would be very fitting given that the games are meant to be a punishment for the first rebellion that created Panem.
Haymich comes off initially as a drunk jerk, and he is both of those things, but he and Katniss are very similar in their personalities. Both are abrasive with strong survival instincts. They are okay being alone, and they are so scared of losing those they care about most that they choose to push everyone else away. Cinna, as mentioned above, is the other side of the same coin. He cares deeply about people, as do they, but he is not afraid of showing people that he cares, he is much more honest than Katniss and Haymich. He is strong and passionate, caring and kind, and he lets all of that shine through his art and his minimal interactions with Katniss. That is something Collins does so well in this book, she gives so much development to every single side character, and that makes for compelling stories.
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