Suzanne Collins

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. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.

The Hunger Games #1

The Hunger Games

Izaac Richards

The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve

The arrow skewers the apple in the pig's mouth and pins it to the wall behind it. Everyone stares at me in disbelief. "Thank you for your consideration," I say.

He holds out his hand into seemingly empty space. There's a sharp zap and he jerks it back. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

Whose idea was the hand holding?" Asks Haymitch. 

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch "Very nice." 

The bird is connected to the ring only by its wing tips. I suddenly recognize it. A mockingjay.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

ned ma Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, we have had exactly two. Only one is still alive. Haymitch Abernathy

Hana 

"Three!" It's too late to change my mind. I lift my hand to my mouth, taking one last look at the world. The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare.

The frantic voice of Claudius Templesmith shouts above them. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you-the tributes of District Twelve!"

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he says. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." There's a small burst of static and then nothing more. I stare at Peeta in disbelief as the truth sinks in.

Ffs the last good one gone he let her go and saved her 😪🥲🥲

"Prim!" The strangled cry comes out of my throat, and my muscles begin to move again.

"Prim!" I don't need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing me a straight path to the stage. I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, 1 push her behind me.

"I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as trib-ute!"

There's some confusion on the stage. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer in decades and the protocol has become rusty. The rule is that once a tribute's name has been pulled from the ball, another eligible boy, if a boy's name has been read, or girl, if a girl's name has been read, can step forward to take his or her place. In some districts, in which winning

The Hunger Games 0

“I’m very hard to catch,” she says in a tremulous voice. “And if they can’t catch me, they can’t kill me. So don’t count me out.”

Can she be anymore obvious? But it’s cute, she’s still questioning whether she “cares” about him a few pages later… 

Zoë Groening 

But I'm held here both by the hovercraft walls and the same force that holds the loved ones of the dying. How often I've seen them, ringed around our kitchen table and I thought, Why don't they leave? Why do they stay to watch?’ And now I know. It's because you have no choice. 

Tuleen Joudeh

"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" I snap at him. 33

Peeta takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoul- ders. I start to take a step back, but then I let him, deciding for a moment to accept both his jacket and his kindness. A friend whould do that right?

"Im sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flamnes more often, he says."They suit you? And then he gives me a smile that seems so genuinely sweer Sure n0 one noticed." thing walls of this ele watch the people on the shoot up into the air. It with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me.

. I look down at our linked fingers as I loosen my grasp, but he regains his grip on me. "No, don't let go of me," he says. The firelight flick- s off his blue eyes. "Please. I might fall out of this thing." 

Cinna has given me a great advantage. No one will forget me. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire.

It didn't occur to me until the next morning that the boy might have burned the bread on purpose. ,

Alyssa Weaver

"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew just like your mother -I was a goner," Peeta 

 “Remember, were madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it." I jerk my head back but end up laughing. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." 

And suddenly, I'm not thinking of Gale but of Peeta and… Peeta! He saved my life!

Greer Andersson

** spoiler alert **
           5 ⭐️
God this is my 3rd time reading this book and it just improves every read. Don’t get me wrong, I love the movies so much but the books, especially this one, are just on another level. 

Suzanne does such an incredible job at keeping your attention, and you can tell how hooked I was given I started and finished it on the same day.

There are so many amazing details that I WISH they kept in the films:
• Peeta losing his leg
• The mutts resembling the fallen tributes (and how beyond disturbing that is)
• District 11 putting all their money together to send Katniss bread in thanks for looking after Rue
• Peeta’s story of how he fell in love with Katniss
• Cato’s death (I think it does such an incredible job at portraying just how heartless and sick the capitol are)

Also on another note (don’t get me wrong, love Josh Hutcherson and his portrayal of Peeta), but I WISH they kept Peeta’s sassy attitude. It literally made Peeta and Katniss scenes more enjoyable than they already were.

Anyways, if you have been living under a rock for the post 15 odd years, do yourself a favour and READ THIS BOOK.

sani

yeah, i definitely should have read it way earlier. 

my friends were so right about loving this series because it's actually so good? i am almost annoyed at myself for not reading it before. Katniss and Peeta have all of my heart, especially Peeta. cannot wait to read the next books.

brooklyn leota

Ellie M.

What a shame I watched the movies before reading the book! I could’ve imagined how Katniss’ story panned out in my own way, but still this was very enjoyable and I wish I could’ve gotten into this as a teenager. I probably would’ve been obssessed with Peeta Mellark. As for the story, Suzanne Collins I just ended up comparing the missing details from the movie and how important it could’ve been if they were included. I can say there were a lot of Easter Eggs in this book, so much detail you can focus on. I truly missed out by not reading this when I was younger.

Monicap

Liked the book, HATED the movie. The book is full of details and character development and twists and history about Katniss and the world, I LOVED the book. then I went to see the movie, and frankly, the movie did not do this book justice. Btw, the second book in the series is okay, but I HATE the third book. It feels like she (Suzanne Collins) built this amazing character and then turned her into a wimp for whatever reason, but I didn't like it. 

P.S. Team Gale FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

kait

i probably would have liked this so much more if i read it when it came out

Chell A

Re-read this book because I'm excited for the upcoming prequel! Suzanne Collins' world-building is phenomenal!

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

"The Hunger Games" de Suzanne Collins es una novela distópica que cautiva desde la primera página. Situada en un futuro sombrío, la historia se desarrolla en un país llamado Panem, donde la élite en el Capitolio gobierna con puño de hierro sobre los doce distritos empobrecidos. La trama se centra en Katniss Everdeen, una valiente joven de un distrito devastado, quien se convierte en la chispa de la rebelión al enfrentarse a los Juegos del Hambre.

La premisa de los Juegos del Hambre, un evento anual donde dos tributos de cada distrito compiten a muerte en un despiadado reality show, establece un tono oscuro y tenso. Collins crea un mundo vibrante pero desgarrador, lleno de desigualdades y opresión, que resuena con temas relevantes en la sociedad contemporánea.

Katniss emerge como una protagonista inolvidable, con su valentía y astucia en medio de la brutalidad de los juegos. Collins teje hábilmente la narrativa con momentos emocionantes, giros impactantes y reflexiones sobre la moralidad y la resistencia. La tensión constante mantiene a los lectores al borde de sus asientos, ansiosos por descubrir el destino de Katniss.

La trilogía de "The Hunger Games" destaca por su exploración de temas profundos, como la desigualdad, la violencia y la resistencia contra la opresión. Collins utiliza la narrativa para cuestionar las injusticias sociales y examinar la naturaleza humana bajo condiciones extremas.

El estilo de escritura de Collins es ágil y envolvente, lo que facilita la inmersión en el mundo de Panem. Su habilidad para tejer suspenso y emoción en cada capítulo mantiene a los lectores conectados emocionalmente con los personajes y la trama.

En resumen, "The Hunger Games" es una obra maestra de la literatura distópica que no solo entretiene, sino que también invita a la reflexión sobre cuestiones sociales y éticas. La trilogía ha dejado una marca indeleble en la cultura popular y sigue siendo una lectura esencial para aquellos que buscan una experiencia literaria emocionante y reflexiva.

Sarah Sammis

I know it seems like I never review current popular fiction on this blog and you might think that I never read it. I do but I do it at my own pace. Sometimes though I end up being slower than first intended. In the case of the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I bought it right around the time that Catching Fire came out but my husband saw it and read it first. He then went on to purchase the second and third (Mockingjay) so I have those to get two soon.

Katniss lives with her mother and sister in District Twelve of Panem, a nation of twelve districts and a centralized capitol. In District Twelve the only available job is mining except for the few places that sell the essentials (like the bakery). Katniss lost her father to a mining accident and now makes up the difference by poaching. In other words, life is hard; the government is totalitarian and you have to break the law just to survive.

But the bulk of the story is the Hunger Games themselves, a yearly event where each district picks a teenage boy and a girl by lottery to represent the district in the games. Katniss ends up being the female representative for her district.

Most of the book then is about the games, the journey to the capitol, the preparation and finally the brutal game itself. It's an adult, government mandated and televised re-enactment of The Lord of the Flies and a la Highlander, there can only be one survivor.

I liked who Katniss is realized as a character. She's written with a strong and believable voice. Her observations of the way things are done in the capitol. She also provides fascinating insights into the different districts, based on what she knows of them.

The brutality of the Game itself is well written. It's shocking and stomach turning and thought provoking. The Games despite their depravity seem believable and at times frightening.

There are two details that I have problems with the book. The first is in the world building (or I guess nation building). The set up of Panem is described as being twelve districts with a thirteenth that rebelled and was totally destroyed for its dissension. Thirteen districts immediately brings to mind the original thirteen colonies / thirteen states of the United States. I'm sure that's no mistake given its location. The problem though is that Panem takes up not only the foot print of the continental United States but also from how Katniss describes it, parts (or the entirety) of Canada. That's a massively huge amount of land.

I realize that the Soviet Union took up a large piece of land too and maybe that's part of the inspiration behind Panem. And clearly the revolution part of the story is coming in books two and three so maybe my problems with the set up will be more directly addressed.

My second problem isn't so much with the book but with the fandom and marketing that goes with the book. I'm speaking of the different "Team" buttons that were so popular when Mockingjay was first out. Asking fans to pick sides seems completely contrary to the theme of the first book!

aleksandra

4/5

I never expected that this book would be so addictive that I would abandon all my responsibilities and read it in one day. But that's exactly what happened, because it turned out that this story - and I really hope that the whole series - is actually good. I'm not a huge fan of Dystopian young adult books, but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop until the very end.


I don't think I need to talk about the plot here because I think a lot of people know what this series is about, but the story really grabbed me from the very beginning. I watched these movies about three times, so I expected certain plot twists and moments, but overall I still felt stressed while reading some scenes. It was a little weird because I know how this trilogy ends - I really hope the books end the same way - and I'm happy with that ending, but I was still afraid that something might happen to the main characters that would probably make me cry as I like them and don't want them to die. Actually, now that I think about it, my trust issues probably caused it. This probably won't change in the next books.

I remember that when I watched the movies, our heroine Katniss made a rather good impression on me as I liked her determination and the fact that she never gave up. She was a young girl who sacrificed herself for her sister in order to take part in a deadly game in which she was one of the few participants who actually had a good heart and didn’t want to go on a killing spree. In the book, as it turns out, Katniss also made a good impression on me. I liked her, I didn't love her, but maybe that will change to the latter in the next books. We'll see. Let’s also not forget about Peeta. I just loved this man. That’s it. Katniss is lucky because I can only dream that someone would feel the same way about me as Peeta feels about her. I can't wait to watch her fall in love with him because they have such a manwife & girlhusband energy. I know they are not married, I don’t even know if they will, but they do okay.


Anyway, I can’t wait to dive into the next two books. Katniss better give my lover boy a chance in them, because I don't understand how you cannot love him.

river

i hate that it took me this long to pick up this series. wow

Nisindi

I enjoyed this 4 years ago. I enjoy it now.
It's the kind of book that makes more sense and cuts deeper the older you get.

Jordie

Athiril Ard

endingnya agak aneh.

tapi kayanya lebih ke ngegantung si daripada aneh, yaa, kan ada buku keduanya 👀

This was a re-read for me. I honestly loved getting back into the world of the Hunger Games. Really enjoy her writing, especially all the cliffhangers she had at the end of every chapter. I always found myself wanting to read the next chapter. Even though I already knew what was going to happen, I honestly forgot just how good these books are. 

Maggie Hotmer

graelihn

Such a great read! The last few chapters had my heart pounding and I couldn't sit still. I had to read while pacing XD I think I'm gonna wait a bit before jumping into Catching Fire. Just to give myself a little break :D

read this after watching the movie & the mutts in the ending are soooo much darker which i actually loved. such a good book:3

Los juegos del hambre

manuel

diciembre 2023:
5/5 estrellas
lo disfruté mucho, el inicio de una gran trilogía, muy sólido.

chloe rae

2019 re-read:

It feels weird to change the rating on this. I don't know if it's still a 5 star to current-me, but past-me thought so and I think that should live on. It feels weird to rate it in general, since this book is such a huge part of my reading history/life. Does that even make sense?
This was so fun to read again! I kept trying to put the movies out of my head (which was, admittedly, very hard to do. I've seen them all so many times!) and just read the story. I had such a blast visiting this world in its purest form, and from the beginning. This story really is so original and intense; no wonder it sparked such a crazy huge fan-base and franchise. Even though I knew everything that happened, I found myself applauding the grit of this story, the underlying themes and tones. This is a scary book, if you really think about it. And it doesn't seem to hold much back. I just loved how she weaved this world for us, and Katniss' voice still rings as true and clear as the first time I read this series over 5 years ago. I love this series, can't wait to continue on!

I like how fast the pace of the book was and it got to the point and I couldn’t put it down. Loved katniss’ story and the bit in the actual arena I can’t believe it ended with a cliff hanger they just arrived home.

sophie

really liked it! the ending was a bit anticlimactic for my taste tho 
4.5 stars

Rereading this masterpiece and truly no other book has beaten the sheer power of the cliffhangers she puts at the end of every chapter.

First in the ground-breaking HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her younger sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

The Hunger Games The Hunger Games #1

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