The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

**lankylil** on Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:53 pm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hunger-Games-ebook/dp/B005EGXTEE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329941700&sr=1-1

9. The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

“A fight to the death - on live TV. The game show where you kill or die, and where the winner's prize is survival. In District 12, where Katniss Everdeen lives, life is harsh and brutal, ruled from afar by the all-powerful leaders of the Capitol. The climax of each year is the savage Hunger Games - where twelve boys and twelve girls from each District face each other in a murderous showdown. When sixteen-year-old Katniss is chosen to represent her district in the Games, everyone thinks it's a death sentence. Only one person can survive the horrors of the arena. But plucky Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature..."

A series of natural disasters destroys North America. Natural resources and food are consequently seriously depleted. A new nation, Panem, is created and ruled by the Capitol (spelt with an O not an A). There were thirteen districts, each responsible for supplying Capitol with its needs (District 11 is agriculture, District 12 coal etc). Whilst the residents of Capitol live rich and decadent lifestyles, people in the districts live a life of poverty ...... every day is a fight for survival, where there is never enough food, where people die young and people are wary of being reported to the state (whose punishments are swift and inhumane). A violent uprising against Capitol culminates in them completely destroying District 13 as punishment. However, the rulers decide that a more lasting reminder of The Capitol's power is needed ...... and the Hunger Games are created.

Every year a lottery is held and a girl and boy from each district is selected to participate in The Hunger Games. Twenty four children between the ages of 12 and 18 are taken to an arena. The arena is a large landscape which can be constructed as a jungle, desert, glacier ...... dependent only on the whim of the Game Makers. The children are deposited in the arena and basically must kill every one of their competitors ..... only one child will be allowed to leave the arena alive. Every move is captured on camera and televised throughout Panem. The games are brutal. Violent. Cruel. Popular viewing in Capitol and compulsory viewing in The Districts.

Katniss has spent years fighting to survive. Living on The Seam (District 12) where there is never enough to eat, she learns to hunt and gather in the woods, with her Father as a mentor. He is killed and she learns to take responsibility for providing both her sister and her withdrawn Mother with food. She forms a bond with Gale and they hunt together. Help each other. Trust each other.

However, due to an unexpected turn at The Reaping (the lottery) Katniss finds herself taken to the arena with the Baker’s son ..... a boy she hardly knows, other than his once generous gift of bread when she was literally starving. The two join twenty two other young people from the other districts and know that only one can win. Only one will be allowed to live.

This book was a great read. Katniss has led a tough life and despite the challenges life throws at her, she fights to provide for her family. I formed an immediate attachment to the 16 year old Katniss. She is a real "tough cookie" with a soft and tender centre. She was trying to survive in a world that crushes the weak, whilst attempting to resolve her conflicted feelings about the people she knew. Katniss is determined to never marry or have children as she cannot bear the thought of them having to endure The Hunger Games.

She finds herself transported from a life where finding food is the first priority to one where her very life is in danger every minute of every day and night. In a place where the more tortuous and prolonged a death is, the happier the Game Makers are, as it ensures them a larger viewing public. Life is no longer as simple as it once was. Alliances are formed and broken. Decisions need to be made about trust, decisions that could cost her life. And she must learn to kill …… or be killed.

A great book that that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The plot runs smoothly, increasing in tempo and making it hard to put down. The characters are well written, well rounded and engaging. The story is a real page turner and I purchased and started reading the sequel as soon as I had finished this!

**Weave** on Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:17 am

Brilliant review hen, I'm so pleased you enjoyed it so much, its a great series. cheerful

**lankylil** on Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:31 pm

Book 2 is proving to be just as good!

**Weave** on Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:15 pm

lankylil wrote:Book 2 is proving to be just as good!

I just started reading 'The Hunger Games' on my kindle cheerful

**lankylil** on Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:06 pm

Catching Fire (Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Catching-Fire-Hunger-Games-ebook/dp/B005EGXTHG/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330810625&sr=1-2

Catching Fire (Hunger Games) By Suzanne Collins

“Katniss survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge. It's payback time, and her chance of survival is even slimmer than ever... After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12, hoping for a peaceful future. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out - and the Capitol has decided that someone must pay. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the other districts on the Capitol's Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless they can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. Then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the next Hunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced into the arena once more... "

Katniss survived the horrific violence of the arena by thwarting the game-makers. She broke the rules and they had no choice but to let her and Peeta live …. crown them victors. However, one simple act of rebellion has made her powerful enemies. The most powerful of which is President Snow. He will not forgive. He will not forget. He will seek revenge.

Every twenty five years there is a Quarter Quell …. An additional Hunger Game. The themes for each Quarter Quell were decided at their inception but Katniss doesn’t believe that this one was …… President Snow has planted this theme in order to reap revenge. This time, all surviving victors from all Hunger Games must enter the arena …. all the Districts most powerful champions must enter …… but only one may survive.

In addition to returning to the origin of her regular, terrifying nightmares Katniss also has to live with the threat from President Snow …. If everyone doesn’t believe that she loves Peeta (a love which apparently invoked her act of rebellion) she knows Snow will kill everyone she loves.

However, Katniss doesn’t know how she feels about Peeta. Both Peeta and Gale have confessed their love for her but she has been so busy with the business of survival, that she hasn’t had time to process her confused feelings for the two of them. She loves them both but the kind of love and to what degree she feels it, evades her. Snow is threatening everyone she loves and she faces a slow, tortuous death in the arena once more ….. how can she even think about love when she is determined never to marry and never to have children under any circumstances (she doesn’t want to see them entered into the draw for the games).

Whilst training and actually in the arena, Katniss must forge alliances with other victors. She must decide who she can trust. However, these alliances are fragile because how can anyone trust when there can be only one victor? One survivor?

This is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Another book that was hard to put down! The characters continue to be rich with detail and depth. I found President Snow particularly creepy with his over-inflated lips, rose scent and breath that always smells of blood. Yuck! The characters are realistic as they aren’t perfect caricatures of people. They have normal feelings and desires. They have normal failings. Gale has a rebellious streak that the reader knows is going to get him into trouble. Peeta is gentle but stubborn. Katniss can be selfish, frightened ….. cowardly even. However, they have one thing in common. An instinct for survival.

Throughout the book, the reader second guesses possible outcomes ….. if only one survivor will be allowed to leave, will it be Peeta or Katniss? Both are determined that the other will survive. You will find yourself paying attention to their allies, trying to decide who they can trust and who they can’t. Dreading the next horror that the jungle will throw at them ….. from mutant mutts to poisonous mists.

I read this book quickly, was loathe to put it down for necessities like going to bed or work ….. and opened the third book in the series as soon I finished this one. A wonderful read!

**lankylil** on Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:51 pm

Mockingjay (Hunger Games) By Suzanne Collins

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mockingjay-Hunger-Games-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005EGXTL2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330810774&sr=1-1

Mockingjay (Hunger Games) By Suzanne Collins

“Can Katniss Everdeen win the final fight against the Capitol? Against all odds, she's survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she is still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no-one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12... Find out what the Mockingjay really stands for in the third book of the nerve-shredding, adrenaline-soaked Hunger Games trilogy, whose first episode triumphed in the arena to win the Red House Children's Book Award 2010!”

This book starts one month after the last one finishes. Katniss is displaced. Her home is obliterated. The few survivors of her district are now refugees somewhere that they believed no longer existed. Their new home is regimented, strict and confining …. Something that her very nature rebels against.

Her head is still reeling with the impact of recent events. Her concussion makes focus difficult. However she hates the regime that now tries to rule her life and ……
Is tortured by the fact that Peeta is now a hostage of the Capitol (spelt correctly, with an O not an A). She knows the horror, the inhuman cruelty that those in power are capable of and Peeta is now in their hands! Katniss is still unclear how deep her feelings are for Peeta, is still confused by his and Gale’s love …… but she is tormented with thoughts of what Peeta must be going through.

The rebel leader, Coin, is as ruthless and determined as Snow to grab and maintain power. Katniss is once more in demand. This time as a figure-head for the rebellion she unwittingly incited with her single act of rebellion, in her first foray into the arena.
Once more Katniss is in an arena …… only this time the arena is the war being fought against the Capitol. Once more she is frightened by the threats against loved ones. Tortured by their pain. Once more she must choose allies from people that she doesn’t trust.

The book builds steadily in tempo until the action becomes non stop and enthralling. Terrifying creatures are once again launched onto the unsuspecting. It seems that the people in power will do anything, no matter how cruel, to keep a grip on the nation that they rule.

The characters we have grown to love are forced to make difficult decisions. Question right from wrong. Does the end justify the means? What is an act of war and what is an act of cruelty? What decides whether mercy is kindness or foolishness?

The decisions drive Gale and Katniss apart. The two men who once claimed to love her, seem to now bear her at best indifference, at worse, hatred. Trust is a fragile, tenuous thing when people keep breaking it.

The violence escalates with the war and characters are lost that may shock and upset readers. However, the fact that not everyone survives made the story more realistic for me. I did guess who Katniss would kill, who would be her last kill. However, this did not spoil the story for me.

This has been a wonderful series to read and I would heartily recommend it.

**Weave** on Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:04 am

Great review cheerful

Inver on Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:39 pm

'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins

Well having heard so much about this book and receiving a copy from a BCF bookie pal, I read it (you know who you are... .) I wasn't sure it was going to be quite my kind of read, but have to say once I got a grip of the plot I was hooked. Well written and a bit of a page turner in the end. The characters were great, plot original, although the thought of if actually becoming reality TV could be a bit worrying! Although I have to say reading it before going to sleep may not be the best plan....am sure I was running around hiding and looking for things in a dream one night!

Like others I was a wee bit disappointed by the way it came to an end....but def need to read the other two in the trilogy. Hope I won't be disappointed.

4/5

Inver on Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:40 pm

'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins

Finally got to grips with this book. Was a bit slow to start with and a bit samey as 'The Hunger Games' but I plodded on with it and glad I finished it. Some interesting new characters and a bit of a twist and unexpected towards the end. I definitely need to read the last in the trilogy to find out the outcome. Need to get a copy first though.

4/5

**Weave** on Wed Oct 17, 2012 5:53 pm

Inver wrote:'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins

Finally got to grips with this book. Was a bit slow to start with and a bit samey as 'The Hunger Games' but I plodded on with it and glad I finished it. Some interesting new characters and a bit of a twist and unexpected towards the end. I definitely need to read the last in the trilogy to find out the outcome. Need to get a copy first though.

4/5

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Re: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Re: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Re: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (Hunger Games) By Suzanne Collins

Re: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

Can I add my posts here

Catching Fire

Re: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins