The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Grade:   D
Not recommended.  Check out Lauren DeStefano's Chemical garden Trilogy instead.

Hi, my name is Shelley and I did not like The Hunger Games.

Okay my pretties, flame away!  I have my big girl undies on and can take it.   

Seriously, if someone would please explain what I'm missing here I would be ever so grateful.

Do I need to summarize the book?  I'm assuming that if you read this blog you know what the series is about.

This has been done before.  1984, Lord of the Flies, Star Wars, Twilight just to name a few books.  The movie The Truman Show also comes to mind.  Hugely derivative of another little book called Battle Royale.  And movie with the same title.  In short story form, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.  If you take parts from all of these mentions, you have The Hunger Games.  

***SPOILER ALERT***
 
The setting is a futuristic North America called Panem.  That spells me nap backwards.  Coincidence I think not.

Katniss is supposed to be the strong character that teen girls can look up to.  Katniss was completely unlikable to me mainly because she was so wishy washy.  She could have been great had she been properly developed.  She takes her sister's place in the battle but then only kills one opponent?!  And only out of pity!  Give me a break.  I want a ruthless chick who would do anything to survive and make life better for her family.  Not a girl who lets everyone else do the dirty work for her.  She's a wimp just like Bella Swan.  I think it's fair to call her a Mary Sue.  

As for Peeta and Gale and the supposed love triangle, it's completely unbelievable.  Also been done before.  Hello Twilight Saga.

The suspense...what suspense?  I kept reading because I was wondering when it was going to get good.  Not because it was a gripping page turner. 

The writing is bad.  Really bad.  Not that I'd ever expect Suzanne Collins to admit that she wrote the series to cash in on the Twilight craze.  In the world of lousy YA lit, I much prefer Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga.  At least that was entertaining.

Will I read the remaining two in the series, probably.  Only to prove that I have the series ending figured out.  No I didn't cheat and read spoilers.  It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what happens.  In fact Suzanne Collins gives the ending away pretty early on in the book.

Flame away guys.