The Hunger Games
Jenna Hathaway
In the not so distant future, the world as we know it today is a dark and chilling place. At least for those who do not live in the Capitol, the capital of the country now known as Panem in Suzanne Collins’s post-apocalyptic world. The Hunger Games is a trilogy; one that has become so popular recently and not for the wrong reasons. The story offers a view of the world where it’s no longer a safe place for everyone and where democracy doesn’t have a place to exist. The country of Panem is divided into twelve districts and our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, lives in District Twelve, the poorest of them all. Finding food in her days require you to hunt illegally for it yourself, and even then, most people still starve to death. And that isn’t the most horrible part of her world, either. No, that part is known as The Hunger Games. Fans of Battle Royale would probably be familiar with the concept; every year, a pair of teenagers (one male and one female) from each district are chosen at random on what’s called reaping day and sent into the arena to play in The Hunger Games, a TV show that is broadcast live to all of Panem – a show where all 24 participants must fight to the death and only the lone survivor in the end would win. Victory means a life guaranteed of fame and riches, but losing means certain death.
On the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss’s little sister Prim’s name is called as their district’s female tribute, forcing Katniss to take her place instead. And so begins her adventure in The Hunger Games. I won’t go into too much detail about what goes on in the arena, but the books offer enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. It was positively hard to put down, and the relationship between Katniss and Peeta Mellark, the district 12 male tribute, definitely will create another division in fans’ loyalty much like the triangle between Bella, Jacob, and Edward did in Twilight. Because see, back home, Katniss has a sort of best friend that also harbors feelings that are more than platonic for her, Gale. But in order to survive, Katniss must pretend to be completely in love with Peeta, who on the other hand isn’t faking his feelings at all. With romance and survival both at stake, The Hunger Games offers more than just your average love story and brings it to another level. This is not a series about girl meets boy and how they fall in love. This is a story about how one girl tries to survive and eventually almost single-handedly defies the corrupt government that has made her people suffer.
In Catching Fire, the second book, we learn that there is hope of a rebellion against the Capitol, and some things have been set in motion that will guarantee that the third book will become an explosive conclusion. All the supporting characters are also wonderfully written, and watching some of them die in the games was definitely heartbreaking. Still, all the horrors in these books make the series more real; it shows us just how serious the situation in Katniss’s world is and that changing that isn’t going to be an easy feat. That is why I’m eagerly awaiting the last book in the trilogy that no doubt won’t disappoint me. This is a series that I highly recommend for everyone, since it’s clearly not your typical young adult series at all. After all the supernatural stuff I’ve read lately, The Hunger Games are very refreshing with its cold reality.
