The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go."

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 

I read The Hunger Games for the first time over two years ago and I've been meaning to re-read it since. With the brand-new movie and my brand-new copy of the book from the wonderful Amanda's Writings, the timing couldn't have been better.

Honestly, I'm sure everyone that by now has heard of The Hunger Games. (If not, how's life living under that rock?) So instead of going on and on (and on) about how amazing it is, I'm going to bullet point my thoughts to keep this nice and short.

1. Katniss. There are definitely people who dislike her character, but I'm totally behind her. Having a hard life makes you into a different person, but Katniss always held onto what's important, and I completely respect her for that. I loved being in her mind the entire book—if it had been written any other way, it just wouldn't have been the same.

2. Plot. Suzanne Collins took a mind-twisting concept and wrote it out to its fullest potential. The world is so believable, and there's so many concepts she thought to put into it that it truly makes The Hunger Games unique among its YA competitors.

3. The relationships. I'm not just talking the romantic ones, but all the people that Katniss connects with: Peeta, Rue, Gale, Prim, Cinna, Haymitch, Effie. You learned so much about Katniss from the way she interacted with these people, and I loved that every one of them was part of the story.

4. Everything. Okay, this is an insanely broad point, I know, but it's true. There is literally nothing I dislike about this book. The moment I finished a chapter, I wanted to go re-read my favorite parts in it. I'm know I'm going to re-read over and over, and my fingers are already itching to pick it up again. 

If you want my recommendation to read it, you have it. I love this book. So. Much. (I didn't even include my usual "what I didn't like" section.) Go buy it. Go read it. Go fall in love with it.

Read other reviews for The Hunger Games at:

Book Stacks on Deck and Young Adult Fiction Today