Review: The Hunger games - Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: September 14th 2008 by Scholastic Press
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
Rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads: Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? 

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 all 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, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, 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 dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. 

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

What I think: I always have a hard time writing reviews about books I really love. I don't know why but it is much harder to express how amazing something is than to criticize. 

This is one of those books that I've read over and over and still love. Dystopian books are my favorites I love escaping into another world similar to our own. It makes you think about what you have in the here and now and these books sometimes even make you appreciate your own life a little more. 

The main characters are all very loveable; Katniss is the bravest heroin I've ever met in a book. She is honest, fair, kicks ass but is also caring and sweet. Eventhough this book is about children killing other children it is not all about murder and dead. It is about fighting for yourself, your community and friends. But also about the struggle of becoming who you want to be and what you are expected to be. The love and hate between regions and people can also not be forgotten, it is one of the main story lines in this book since it is all about the different districts.

All characters are described in so much detail that, even in the midst of battle the author tweaks in a little description of one of the players. This is where the hate and love comes in mostly; it's hard to see some of your favorite side characters die. The view on how people from different places respect each other and can cooperate even though they know that in the end they will have to kill each other is amazing and oh so very interesting.

This story just drags you in from the beginning it's hard to put the book down after starting. I've heard rumors about the other books being less amazing. Of course I will see this for myself; however I have to say this book was so great that it will be hard for Suzanne Collins to top this one.