Book Review
Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Rating: *****
Review: So this is a classic from my childhood, I remember reading the books to death when I first got them and I have watched the movies numerous times. This year I am planning to re-read a lot of my favourite childhood series and this has to be on the list. I honestly forgot how dark the opening couple of chapters are but they really set the tone for the series, so we are introduced to Katniss Everdeen, her sister Primrose “Prim”, her mother and her best friend Gale. We learn early on the Katniss’ father died in a mine explosion in District 12, their home and after that her mother withdrew into herself leaving her to feed herself and her sister or risk being sent to a community home and along with Gale, who also has many siblings to feed they form a fast friendship. We learn that because of an uprising that led to the destruction of District 13, every year one boy and one girl from each district between the ages of 12 and 18 must be offered as tribute to compete in a battle royale known as the Hunger Games. This year at 16 Katniss has her name in the running 36 times while Gale at 18 has his name in there 42 times, this is because of the handouts they take from the government in order to survive, so the odds aren’t in their favour while Prim only has her name in there once. However, Prim’s name is drawn at the Reaping and Katniss volunteers to take her place, the male tribute chosen is Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son who helped Katniss when she was in her darkest time but she doubts he remembers it. While the opening chapter were slightly different from the movie I will go more in depth in my Book vs Movie post.
The pair are taken from their district to the Capitol and they travel with Effie Trinket and Haymitch, the only living victor from their district who also happens to have a big drinking problem. Katniss is in awe of the luxury that is everywhere in the Capitol but she also refuses to get close to Peeta, seeing him as a threat in the games especially when he proves himself to Haymitch to be just as capable as she is. Each tribute is assigned a team of stylists and Cinna’s is the one who volunteered to take district 12, he makes sure during the opening ceremony of the games, she and Peeta stand out so that they might attract more sponsors who will help them stay alive during the games. Their first few nights in the Capitol are heartbreaking as Katniss feels desperately lonely but finds some comfort in Peeta but she is constantly aware of the fact they will have to eventually kill each other. Before their training begins Katniss recognises a red-headed Avox. An avox in the Capitol is a traitor who has had their tongue cut out and while Peeta covers for her saying it’s mistaken identity, Katniss does know this girl and was there to witness her capture and the death of her friend while she sat by and did nothing.
When their training begins, it is a group event meaning all the tributes are training together but Haymitch warns them to keep their best skills secret, for Peeta it’s his strength and for Katniss it is her shooting skill as they will demonstrate them in the private assessments. Haymitch has also ordered them to present a united front even though Katniss knows this is pointless as that will change the minute they step into the arena. Katniss seems to dislike Peeta but I think it is because she can’t read him and he seems to read her very easily which makes her uneasy but she does as Haymitch tells her for now. Both stay clear of the Careers which are tributes that have been specially trained and then volunteered for the games and 9 times out of 10, Careers win the games. It is around this time that Rue becomes Katniss’ shadow and she doesn’t really mind since she is the youngest tribute and also reminds her a lot of Prim.
By the time their private assessments come around, Katniss is the last to be assessed and when she enters the room she tries to present her skills but she isn’t used to the bow and misses her shot. By the time she makes a great shot no one is paying attention to her and she loses it, shooting an arrow at the gamemakers which definitely gets their attention and it is one of my favourite scenes from the movie. Afterwards, Katniss realises the error she has made and waits for someone to come for her but when no one does she finally emerges to get her score which will be televised to the nation. Much to her surprise she gets the highest score of 11 while Peeta gets an 8, also a surprise is little Rue’s impressive 7. After this Peeta asks to be training separately from Katniss and while she feels a little betrayed she knows it is for the best as she doesn’t want to form attachments to anyone she might have to kill but unknown to her, she already has.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, it is time for the televised interviews and this time she is second to last but she is nervous. Cinna becomes her rock her telling her that despite everything Effie and Haymitch have told her, she can do it. He tells her to look only at him and answer the questions as if he was asking them and she performs very well but than anyone including herself thought. Knowing what I know about this series, it seems like the events of the final book are already in mention even at this early point as Haymitch, Effie and Cinna manipulate Katniss in the position they want her in. When it’s Peeta’s turn to be interviewed, he does something that no one was expecting least of all Katniss. He confesses his love for her. Katniss is enraged thinking he made her look weak but Cinna and Haymitch make her see that he actually made her desirable, which will get her more sponsors and she responded by injuring him.
Later that night, she can’t sleep so heads to the roof and Peeta is already there, she tries to be comforting but in the end they end up arguing again and before long they are being collected to be taken to the arena. In the time before the games begin Katniss only has Cinna for company and he does provide a great comfort to her by holding her hand in complete silence while they wait for the call. When I first read this, I saw and still see Cinna as a great love interest for Katniss, but life goes on. When it’s finally time for the games to begin Katniss remembers Haymitch warning to avoid the Cornucopia, run and try and find water but when she spots a bow she is determined to get it. However, she is momentarily distracted by Peeta and her chance is lost but she does manage to get a pack but is wrestling with a boy when a girl from District 2 kills him and makes Katniss her next target. Katniss flees into the woods and for the next few hours she puts as much distance as she can between her and the other tributes. Shortly the cannon sounds 11 times signalling that 11 tributes have died, nearly half but she won’t know who they are until later in the night when their faces will be projected for the other tributes to see.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the games have truly begun and despite all the experience she had back home, it means nothing to Katniss now. She learns that Peeta and Rue have survived the first night and she is relieved but when she finds out that Peeta has teamed up with the Career pack she transitioned into anger and even talks about killing him herself but she also questions whether or not this is another plan that he had laid out before the games began. She has finally managed to find a water source meaning she is no longer suffering from dehydration but things are only going to get more difficult for her and that begins when she wakes up to a wall of fire. While Katniss manages to survive the wall of fire and subsequent fireballs, she is left with burned hands and a severed burned leg which forces her into the trees where the Career pack and Peeta find her but climbing is one of Katniss’ skills and she easily keeps the pack on the ground. However, it is Peeta who suggests that they just wait until morning as she can’t stay in the trees forever, which is true but Katniss has a guardian angel watching over her. Little Rue has been following Katniss and sticks close even pointing out a tracker jacker nest nearby which she could drop on the Careers. She tries that night using the anthem for covers but doesn’t manage to cut through the branch in time forcing her to wait until dawn. Returning the kindness Rue showed her, she watches the little girl leap to safety as she drops the deadly bomb on the Careers below, she uses this to escape but after being stung the venom is affecting her causing her hallucinate but Peeta comes back and saves her life.
What seems like hours to Katniss turned out to be days and 2 Careers died from the venom and another two will see out unconscious reducing their number to 10 including herself, Peeta, Rue and the Careers. After this Katniss takes Rue on as an ally and together they manage to patch each other up and find some small comfort, when Katniss comes up with a plan. Both know the Careers stick close to the lake because they have access to all the supplies they need, so Katniss suggests that they change that, this means they are going to force the Careers into the woods and separate making them easier targets to pick off. However, at this stage in the game I was waiting for something to go wrong and I hated knowing exactly what it is. When Rue dies everything Katniss had held onto, all the hope and joy dies with it, replaced with cold, hard fury and the determination to win at no matter the cost, she’s even willing to die in avenging the little girl. However, they remain six get an announcement that 2 tributes can win this year as long as they come from the same district and as Katniss knows that Peeta is still alive, she immediately goes looking for him, showing that somewhere deep down she still cares about him. When she eventually finds him she is astonished to learn he used one of his talents to keep himself hidden but barely alive. Cato, one of the Careers has really injured him and infection slowly leads to blood poisoning and it seems sure that Peeta is going to down, when the announcement for the feast is made. While many don’t need food, they all need something, for Katniss it is medicine for Peeta and they will find it where the games began, at the Cornucopia. Haymitch does help sending some sleeping medicine to knock Peeta out so she can get the medicine without him trying to follow and the line between Katniss’ pretending and her real emotions is blurring as the games are drawing to a close.
With the number of remaining tributes falling both Katniss and Peeta know the end is coming. When Cato manages to kill Thresh from District 11, only three remain and Peeta unknowingly kills Foxface, from District 5 with nightlock leaving on them and Cato. The following night the arena changes around them forcing them back to the Cornucopia for the final confrontation but nothing goes to plan. When Cato comes barrelling out of the forest unarmed, Katniss knows something is up and then the mutts arrive. The final showdown and the aftermath of it was devasting but by far the most heartbreaking moment for me is when Peeta learns of Katniss’ act throughout the games and her inability to tell him how much of it was actually real and what was pretend. The moment when Katniss learns about Peeta’s prosthetic leg is also heartbreaking and something that should have really been in the movie. For anyone that hasn’t read this series or like me hasn’t read it in years, go pick it up right now. I am definitely hyped for the prequel following President Snow coming out soon as I always wanted to know more about him and his background.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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