I read The Hunger Games Trilogy very recently for many reasons, one of which was that I absolutely adored the first film. Another was that I'd waited for too long to know what happens in the second and the final reason is that I love a romantic, action packed, tragic, dystopian, post-apocolytic, violent, thriller - which are definitely words I would use to describe these books. It is more professionally considered to be a young adults science fiction trilogy, but my description is definitely better!
I am well aware that I'm very late to jump onto Suzanne Collin's - 'The Hunger Games' bandwagon but I couldn't help myself. They are fantastic. I'm going to go through book by book with a little synopsis - not revealing too much, and the reasons I loved it. Hopefully, it will urge you go and give them a read before the second film comes out in November!
The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games is told from the perspective of Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12, of the authoritarian/totalitarian country of Panem. Every year, each of the 12 districts in Panem are forced to offer two tributes to fight to the death in an arena as a reminder that the Capitol has control over them and that they will not be able to overthrow them. So, Katniss volunteers for her sister at the reaping and Peeta is picked. And the book is about their time in the hunger games and Peeta's crush on Katniss, which for a long time, the reader is unsure of. In the middle of the Hunger Games there is a rule change - two victors if from the same district can win. Peeta and Katniss are these victors, but the rule change is then revoked, and one of them must become the victor. Katniss decides that she cannot kill Peeta and takes out some Nightlock (poisonous berries) for both her and Peeta to take, a defiance towards the capitol would be if they both died and they did not have a victor - but they are interrupted in this suicide bid and finally allowed to be crowned a pair of victors, much to President Snows dismay.
I preferred reading the book to watching the film as there are so many little touches to it that make it better, it is much more vivid and little things like the change in the film of how she got the mockingjay pin (the book version is better), or Peeta's father visiting Katniss in her last views. The pace of the story is expressed much more clearly in the book, as it is so tense and even when I had watched the film, I found it unpredictable.
This book has lots to offer because it addresses so many things, poverty, totalitarianism/dictatorship, teenage love and anguish, and loss are just some of these issues. Overall, it is a fantastic book - which made me eager to read the next two!
Catching Fire.
Catching fire is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, it takes place nine months after the conclusion of The Hunger Games. Katniss learns that her defiance in the previous novel has caused rebellion in the districts and President Snow visits her to threaten her family and friends if she does not help to calm the rebellion by proving her love for Peeta to him, and the population of Panem. Katniss and Peeta go on the victory tour of all the districts and the capitol and plans a public wedding to Peeta. While Katniss follows what President Snow has told her to do, she accidentally fuels the fire, so to speak, and fuels the rebellion; with her mockingjay pin as the symbol. Snow announces the Quarter Quell - held every 25 years, for the 75th Annual Hunger games in which Katniss and Peeta are forced into competing a second time with other victors of the past 75 years. The manage to form an alliance with some others and escape the games, Katniss is rescued by rebel forces and the book ends with a big twist which could not be predicted so I won't spoil it!
This book again follows suit to the hunger games with its fast paced narrative and intensity. The book is filled with suspense and as there is no film to watch before hand, absolutely everything is unpredictable (unless you accidentally read the blurb of the third book before you began this, like me). It has a number of twists and turns and it might be a bit weird to say, but the savagery in this book is brilliant, it has very vivid, violent imagery. I think in this book as well you form a bond to the newer characters which follows through to the final book in the trilogy.
Mockingjay.
Mockingjay is centred around the districts rebellion against the Capitol and the reign of President Snow. There is a big revelation about District 13 actually surviving the 'dark day's' by living underground. District 13 is lead by a President Alma Coin (yes, a woman!). Katniss agress to become the 'Mockingjay', the symbol of the rebellion in order to create a wave of rebellion in all districts, but of course she only does so conditionally. Throughout the novel, there are a lot of emotional ups and downs particularly between Peeta and Katniss, as Peeta has been under a very specific form of torture during his capture by the Capitol. In the next part of the novel, Katniss and a team called Squad 451 - Gale, Peeta, Finnick, a camera crew and a few other soldiers, led by Boggs enter the Capitol on a mission to kill President Snow - and win the rebellion. The mission does not go to plan and unfortunately many of the squad are lost, due to the Capitols 'pods' full of traps similar to those in the Hunger Games. Towards the end of the novel there are numerous twists and turns, things that you couldn't predict (so I definitely do not want to spoil it!). However, a brief outline: President Snow is captured and set to be executed by none other than Katniss, but it does not go to plan. Katniss's mother takes a job in another district as all of the districts can now work as they please. The love story is something I am not revealing - you will have to read it yourself!
I think this had a perfect end to the trilogy, others have disagreed and said that they would have preferred it to end differently, but I think it was perfect as it was not expected. I especially enjoyed the venture into the Capitol and following Squad 451 because it was so unpredictable, and I was not prepared to become so attached to characters like Pollux, a member of the camera crew. Overall it was a fantastic end to the trilogy and I am so excited for the final two films to be made and released!
I hope you enjoyed this book review, I've not done one before so tell me what you think in the comments below, it will be very very helpful!
I plan to do a few other book reviews in the next few weeks so look out for those too!
Muchos Love
Ysabelle
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