The Hunger Games Series Has Two Really Great Books (and the third book exists)
Sup! Nate here and today I will be reviewing the Hunger Games series. Yeah, I never read this series until a couple months ago. But I finally got around to it, so let's jump right into the review!
Summary (spoilers afoot!)
The Hunger Games series is a trilogy by Suzanne Collins that is set in a dystopian future. America has been destroyed by war, and Panem is its successor as a nation. The Capitol of Panem rigidly controls its 12 districts ever since they tried to rebel, and as payment, two children are chosen from each district to participate in the annual Hunger Games--a fight to the death that is turned into entertainment. Katniss Everdeen from District 12 volunteers as tribute to protect her sister from having to participate, and a boy named Peeta who she only met once before is chosen with her. The two go to the Capitol and manage to both win the Games with some quick thinking to outwit the Capitol (that's a vast oversimplification, read the book if you want to know more). However, the Capitol doesn't like the rebellious spirit that Katniss and Peeta inspired. To punish them, the Capitol makes Katniss and Peeta participate in the next year's Hunger Games, but Katniss is saved by some of the rebels. Peeta, however, is captured and taken to the Capitol. Before anyone knows it, a full-scale rebellion is happening, which Katniss finds herself becoming a figurehead for. Eventually, the rebels defeat the Capitol (again, vast oversimplification) and the book ends pretty abruptly--Katniss definitely doesn't live happily ever after, though.
Review!
The Hunger Games was a riveting series and kept me intrigued throughout the whole trilogy. I really liked the plot, which is pretty unique and has plenty of twists and turns. I think the plot in the first book is the best, but the second book is also really good. However, the third book deteriorates somewhat (which I will discuss later). The plot of the first book was really creative, and I thought it had a good balance of action and character development. One particular thing I liked was the ample amount of context on Katniss and Peeta's backgrounds. Rather than simply tell the story of their fight in the Hunger Games, it makes them actual three-dimensional characters that you can connect with. The second book has a bit less of this, but since the first book already developed the characters a fair amount, this was fine.
Another thing I enjoyed about The Hunger Games was the general intricacy of the character's minds. This was evident with Katniss in the first book--she used her resources and her intellect very well to stay alive and help Peeta. In the second book as well, the plan by the rebels to save Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games, though it doesn't go perfectly, is extremely well-thought-out and was intriguing to read about as it unfolded. The third book has a bit less of this, but the rebels' plan to infiltrate the Capitol was pretty smart too.
Though the first two books were great, the third book felt like a lacking end to the series. First of all, it lacked any sort of character development, and some of the characters even felt like they un-developed a bit. Second, the plot for most of the book was mediocre at best. It was still fun to read, but it definitely wasn't as engaging as the other books. Finally, the ending was really strange and almost incoherent. It didn't provide any closure to the series, and it left me with a lot of lingering questions.
The Hunger Games series is a very good trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian and action novels. There is some violent imagery in the book, but it isn't too bad and should be readable for anyone in this class. Overall, I would give The Hunger Games series a 9/10, only dragged down by the third book.
Another thing I enjoyed about The Hunger Games was the general intricacy of the character's minds. This was evident with Katniss in the first book--she used her resources and her intellect very well to stay alive and help Peeta. In the second book as well, the plan by the rebels to save Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games, though it doesn't go perfectly, is extremely well-thought-out and was intriguing to read about as it unfolded. The third book has a bit less of this, but the rebels' plan to infiltrate the Capitol was pretty smart too.
Though the first two books were great, the third book felt like a lacking end to the series. First of all, it lacked any sort of character development, and some of the characters even felt like they un-developed a bit. Second, the plot for most of the book was mediocre at best. It was still fun to read, but it definitely wasn't as engaging as the other books. Finally, the ending was really strange and almost incoherent. It didn't provide any closure to the series, and it left me with a lot of lingering questions.
The Hunger Games series is a very good trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian and action novels. There is some violent imagery in the book, but it isn't too bad and should be readable for anyone in this class. Overall, I would give The Hunger Games series a 9/10, only dragged down by the third book.
I completely agree with your view of the Hunger Games books. I also felt like the third book in the series was not as good as the first two. When I began reading the last book, I had higher expectations for it, but it started off kind of boringly. I thought it would get better, but that moment never came for me. I was so lost that I eventually gave up on completing the series.The only thing I don't fully agree with you on is the rating of the series. In my opinion, I think the third book brings the rating down lower than 9, maybe like 7.9/10. Anyway, good job on your post!
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Nate! I've read the Hunger Games books before and watched the movies, and I totally agree with your opinion on this series. It was nice to have a review that looked at the whole series instead of just one of the books. It gives me a better feel of the Hunger Games trilogy and what the key aspects of this series are. I also like how you described the two main characters: Katniss and Peeta. I agree with your assessment of the book. I would also rate it 9/10. Great job on your blog!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I completely agree with you, although I'd argue that even the second book didn't quite live up to my expectations. I think that one of the big issues that causes the series to kind of go downhill is that the author tries really hard (and succeeds for the most part) to make the story feel bigger and more impactful than just Katniss's story. I think this is something you see pretty often in series as they go on, and certainly this trajectory isn't always as disappointing as the Hunger Games'. However, I think that in this case, it makes us start caring less about the individual characters and really makes you feel blindsided by a lot of the plotlines that pop up (the revelation at the end of the second book, where we learn that an entire group of characters is conspiring to plan a revolution, is a good example-- to me, it felt too out-of-the-blue and inconsistent with the plot of the rest of the series to make sense even as a plot twist). Overall, you bring up a lot of good points about how the series declines, while still making a solid case for why the first two books are worthwhile reads! Good job!
ReplyDeleteNice review! I can empathize with you about how the third book really did not stick the landing in the way that I had hoped. I think all of the extreme world building done in that book drags down the actual story, and the random ideas thrown around (like when the rebels bombed human shields) really clutter up what is actually going on. The original story of a girl and boy against the world was really compelling, and I feel like a lot of series just widen the scope of the plot to keep things fresh, but it is at a cost. I liked how you still gave the third book some credit, because it definitely was still fun to read, but for me, it was just coasting on the excellent character development done in the first two.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I totally agree that the third book was quick lackluster compared to the previous ones and appreciate how honest your are about your opinions on the books. I like how you talk about all of the series and how some books were good while others were just mediocre. You were able to back up all of your points and you provided a good description of the plot's of each book in the series. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your views of the first book and that it was amazing but I think you might be giving the second book too much credit. Its plot is nearly identical to that of the first book and although it still brings a lot of new ideas to the table it isn't unique enough from the first book to be as good as you say. But I do agree that the third book was a drag and that it essentially restated everything the previous two had and just put a new coat of paint on it and acted like it was a new and exciting book. I also liked your descriptions of the books. Yay you.
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