Summary (from this website for the book):
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
What I Thought:
I must say that even after close to 400 pages, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I do know that it kept my attention - this is a credit to the awesome writing. I also know, though, that it was an unsettling experience because of the actual setting and storyline. Each time I found myself really relating to the stories and characters, the barbaric setting snapped me back to the reality of the book: these children, most of who are already starving, are basically being selected to serve as gladiators or sorts on reality television. Reading the book as an adult, I can appreciate that the world of Panem - the North America of the future - is very likely a sarcastic approach to the authors political opinions. As a young adult reader - the intended audience - I would likely take the book more at face value. Either way, the setting of the book left me uneasy and not wanting to stay long in the world of the characters. Although I would say I'm not a huge fan, I would like to read the second book. I find that, while I'm not a fan of the setting and what happened in the first book, I am interested to see the reactions of the people of District 12 (like Gayle and Prim) after what happened in Book 1.
Rating: 7/10
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