The Hunger Games

*WARNING: THIS WHOLE REVIEW IS SPOILERS*

    The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is one of my favorite book series, and I've been rereading this series recently, because the next prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is coming out soon. (I will definitely write a blogpost on it once I read it) Because so many people here have already read this book, I decided to focus mostly on some of my favorite parts of this book series (specifically the first book).

     The Hunger Games (the first book not the whole trilogy) follows Katniss, when she is sent into the Hunger Games. In these Games, every year, a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts, are selected randomly to fight to the death, for entertainment. The survivor gets fame and to live in the Victor's Village, the nicest part of town. Katniss is from the poorest district in the country, District 12. On the day of the reaping, Prim, Katniss's 12-year-old sister, is selected to go into the Hunger Games. Katniss desperately volunteers to save her sister, who she knows will not survive in these games. The male tribute who is sent with her is Peeta, who gave her bread when she was starving years ago. Once Katniss starts to travel to the Capital, she and Peeta meet their mentor, Haymitch. He, at first, is very drunk, and unwilling to try to mentor them. However, when he sees that Katniss and Peeta are "fighters" after they attack him, he starts training them more. Katniss does very well in multiple tests before the games, but right before the Games, in an interview, Peeta reveals that he has a crush on Katniss. In the arena, Katniss allies with a younger girl named Rue, who is the same age as her sister. After Rue is killed in the arena, Katniss allies with Peeta, after there is a sudden rule change: There can be two victors from each district. To get gifts from sponsors, Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta. Katniss and Peeta make it to the final 2, when the Capital changes the rules again, that there can only be one victor. They almost attempt a double suicide, but at the last minute, the Capital franticly allows them both to be victors, because if they didn't, no victors would reflect badly on them. The book ends with Katniss realizing the danger she is in, as her double suicide and her comforting Rue as she died are acts against the Capitol.

    One of the things that I really liked about this book was the setting. The setting is a really important aspect of dystopias, and I felt like this book does a great job of describing it. Rereading it, I noticed a lot of small details, such as previous victors from the games, that really make the whole setting a lot more realistic.

    Another thing that I really like is Katniss's character. She's able to stay alive in the arena by using her intelligence and skill, but she also knows the entire time, that the Hunger Games are wrong. She only goes into these games to save her sister, unlike some of the other tributes, specifically the "Career" tributes from the wealthier districts who are determined to win. Katniss also protects Rue strongly while they are in the arena, and Rue also cares deeply about Katniss. At Rue's death, Katniss sings her a lullaby, and after her death, decorates her with flowers. Katniss cares about the people close to her, and even through the Games, where she is forced to kill, knows that her real enemy is the Capital, and not the other tributes.

   If you haven't read The Hunger Games, I strongly recommend it, and if you have, I suggest that you read the prequel once it comes out! Thanks for reading my blog!

- Juni