The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

{ 2008 | Scholastic Press | 384 pgs }

I seldom think a book deserves the hype it gets. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, for example, just didn’t live up to the rave reviews I read (in my opinion, that is).

However…

Can I say that I was completely blown away by The Hunger Games? I read it in about 4 hours – thankfully the Bwun went to sleep early so I had a chance to read uninterrupted! The plot was so captivating, the narration perfect, the characters identifiable. Off the top of my head, I’d say The Hunger Games easily ranks among my top 10 favorite books, and I put it about equal on my list with Ender’s Game. Did you hear me? Ender’s Game! I’m serious!

The very basic premise of The Hunger Games is that in a post-everything North America, the ruling government has established complete control over its citizens and asserts that dominance by holding a yearly “Hunger Game” where 24 teenagers fight to the death.

Ok, maybe that doesn’t sound appealing, but I don’t want to give away anything else. I’ll just add that the complexity of the plot and characters is simply unbelievable. I am quite seriously considering buying the sequel (Catching Fire) to take on our road trip.

Of all the reviews I’ve done, I hope this one has inspired you to read a new book!