Has anyone read the hunger games? Is it good and whats it about?

[LindseyRae]

I've been thinking about starting to read the hunger games... 

 

but im a bit skeptical. 

 

tell me im wrong, and why (:

 

[Chip, A Former Ningmaster]

You're wrong. I'm too lazy to tell you why.

 

Ok, so plot wise it's about post-semi-apoctalyptic US, where there is a major power The Capitol, and the oppressed 13 colonies...well, 12, because one of them was utterly destroyed in order to keep the others in line (obvious spoiler alert, it becomes significant in the 2nd and 3rd books). Every year the Capitol has The Hunger Games where two kids (boy and girl) from every colony go to an arena and fight to the death. Main character is sent to fight, drama ensues.

 

It's a brilliant series (in my opinion) because in the third book there is war and while the step-by-step plot is 7/10, the complexity and honesty of the characters relationships and development is 20/10. The ending is not at all "Yay we won the war and now everything is perfect!" and I hate when endings are like that, but that's just me.

[Michael Lee]

This book will keep you on edge wondering what will happen as you get emotionally invested in the characters. If you are very emotional there is atleast one point in the story where you will cry. I almost did. Has great political message.

 

total rating: 10/10. Excellent.

the second book is 9/10

and the third is 9.5/10

[Brett]

I actually just finished reading it for a class. After we finished it, our teacher had us characterize the minor characters from the capitol (the big city in the center of the physical setting) And to be honest we were all able to characterize some of them as not quite evil, and as our teacher hinted MIGHT be important in the next 2 books. I haven't read the other 2 yet so, tell me how that goes =P

[Patrick Puhl]

Read the first one, skip the last 2. 

 

Catching Fire (book 2) is a blatant attempt to cash in on re-writing book 1 with a different twist on the game.

 

Mocking Jay (book 3) was okay but the ending was extremely unsatisfying.

 

Oh, and if you want to read a much better version of the same story (and easily the novel which gave her the idea for Hunger Games), read Battle Royale by Koushun Takami.

[Cavalier]

Yes. Yes. Yes. Just read the first one and make up your own story for the next two.

[Meagan]

I think you should read all three books. I liked all three. I know some people didn't, but I think you should at least read Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

[Livvy Salomon]

It's okay. Nothing to obsess over, but it is good. It's much better while reading it than it is after reading it, where you just feel like, mildly bored. And the last one is really bad. But it won't be a waste of time, necessarily.

[Deanna Luton]

the hunger games changed my life.

'nuff said.

get it. read it. you will not be sorry.

p.s. i absolutely am and always will be in love with peeta mellark♥.

[Melinda]

Loved it. I picked up the first one and literally could  not put the book down until I finished it. That weekend, I went to borders twice for the second and third book.

 

Great writing. Great storyline. Great characters.

 

And I am a very picky reader.

[Bryn]

Meh, relative to some of the other utter crap out there, it was alright (though I have to admit that's not saying much). I wasn't exactly swooning over the writing (in fact, it struck me as weak and rather annoyed me), and the plot felt as if it had already been done far too many times. Also, some of the characters got on my nerves. A lot. Quite frankly, the book left me feeling exquisitely underwhelmed. It shamelessly employed the cliffhanger-at-the-end-of-practically-every-bloody-chapter tactic, which to me smells of weak writing that is not interesting enough to hold someone's attention from chapter to chapter without cheap gimmicks like that. Also, Katniss sorta reminded me of Bella from Twilight, a bit too much to my liking. Here, let me go into that topic further:

Aside from selflessly taking the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she rarely makes a decision of her own, reinforcing tired-out gender roles that have no place in this age, whether in our society or our literature (the latter which is arguably a mirror of the former). When it comes to establishing her as a contender in the Games, she falls prey to the innocent, babbling girl routine who only becomes important in the eyes of the audience when a boy declares his love for her. When the games are over, she drops him like a bad habit (Oh my, I don't recognize that from anywhere at all… *cough*JACOBBLACK*cough*). Also, she's got the "I didn't know every boy loved me" routine down pat. To make her achieve some sort of sainthood in the eyes of the reader, she never actually killed anyone outright in order to survive the game. It's as though she's just accidentally thrown around by circumstance until she inadvertantly kills someone(s), kills someone who is harming a friend, and kills someone out of mercy. And yet people still manage to call this character "strong"!

But hey, you could actually like it. Why not give it a try? If you like it you like it, and if you don't you don't. And since opinion on books, music, art and such are so relative, it's really better for you to try and read it for yourself. Give it a go! 

[Megan Jones]

The first book was really good, and the other two are worth a read. She tied it up a tad too neatly at the end though. I think she should have finished when Katniss made the book. (Ooh... mysterious reference. You'll have to read it to find out what I mean.)

[Stephanie Richardson]

I just finished it today.

I hated the Epilogue. It did wrap up the series (as an epilogue should, I suppose) but just a tad too neatly. It kinda reminded me of the ending of Harry Potter, where the story ends and there's no way another book could be written because they killed the plot line.