Book Review : The Hunger Games

Book Title : The Hunger Games Trilogy
                  The Hunger Games
                  Catching Fire
                  Mockingjay

Author : Suzanne Collins

Genre : Science Fiction

ISBN : 9718184771695
       9718184774009
       9718184776218

Publisher : Scholastic

Publication : 2008 - 2009 - 2010

Pages : 1163

Binding : Paperback

Plot:

The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unspecified future time in a dystopian post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, in the ruins of North America. The country consists of the wealthy Capitol located in the Rocky Mountains and twelve (formerly thirteen) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced but the twelve districts are in varying states of poverty – the trilogy's narrator and protagonist,Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12, the poorest region of Panem, formerly known as Appalachia, where people regularly die of starvation. As punishment for a past rebellion (called "The Dark Days") against the Capitol wherein twelve of the districts were defeated and the thirteenth supposedly destroyed, one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected by lottery to participate in the "Hunger Games" on an annual basis. The Games are a televised event with the participants, called "tributes", being forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district is then rewarded with food, supplies, and riches. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to serve as a reminder to the Districts of the Capitol's power and lack of remorse.

My Rating : ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:

With the final movie released this year, the hunger games have officially reached an end - but have they? With so many of us fangirling/boying and rooting for EverLark - '"You love me. Real or not real?" "Real."' - it is not an end. 
I guess more number of people would have seen the movie than the ones who would have read the books. Well I have read all three books and I have seen first three movies. And let me tell you, the movies have been made beautifully; but even then, they can never match up to the written matter. For one thing, the story-line changes in some places, some of the characters go missing from the movie, some scenes cut - which almost always, always disappoints a reader. But we are not here to review the movies.
So moving away from the movies and moving on to the books, the first book is as always a capturing novel - a novel that grips you, that makes you want to read more. 1st book in a way is complete in itself - you read it and leave it at that - no need to read all three books. But then again, why would you not want to read a very interesting story - full of all the drama you would want - there is love, there is hate, there is violence, there is tenderness and then there is so much more.

Second book, started off with a bang with another year of hunger games but towards the end it became a bit of drag which continued into the 3rd book in the beginning as well. But second book creates a proper link between the first and the third book - has a momentum to some extent and leaves you wanting more. The plot thickens and greater conspiracies revealed - making a base for the third book.

Third book, provides a fitting end to the series - hearts broken, love kindled; family separated by death and families come together; the bad guy dies (which is a cliche), the good lady turns into a bad guy - things change and things change again - you will see some twists and turns in this one. 

At the end, I was left disappointed, not with the end of the book as such but because of the end of the series - because there was nothing more to read in the series.

Anyways, if you have seen the movies and you liked them any bit, try reading the book - I promise you wont be disappointed.

Happy Reading!