Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy

So I just finished reading the The Hunger Games trilogy a couple of days back. I'll admit, I was hesitant to pick up the series at the start, even though it was widely praised and got great reviews. But eventually I picked it up. Mostly because several people at camp started reading it and Mitchell (great guy with lots of good books and a generous heart) decided to lend it to me. So I borrowed the books one by one, read them (mostly at camp) and then got the next one until I was done with the series. The whole process took about two to three weeks. I did not really keep track, although I was not really reading all the time, to be honest the books are quite a quick read, so if you read them religiously and back to back, you should be done in a few days.

Personally, I liked the first person narrative of the series, it is somehow makes the story more intimate, in fact I developed a love-hate relationship with Katniss by the end of the story.  The writing  can be described as sharp and tightly woven. You basically read the story as though it is a running commentary by Katniss of the events that transpire. Sometimes, it comes off as curt and pushy, but that its what I like about it - it keeps you on edge. There is also extensive use of cliffhangers, in fact, almost every chapter ends in one.

THE HUGER GAMES

The first book of the series, and in a lot of ways the most important one. Has to impress the readers, so that they will read the other two, or rather, has to impress the editor/publisher so that they will publish the other two. I liked this book. The first person narrative was what I noticed mostly of all and Katniss's rude and rather bleak 'voice' added a nice touch to narrative as a whole. This book was mostly about the hunger games itself, the process leading up to it, the actual games and a bit of the after party, of sorts. This book was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat and for reasons I will explain later, the best book of the series. Also, Go Peeta!

CATCHING FIRE

Catching Fire started out well, detailing the aftermath of the hunger games, and how Peeta and Katniss were adjusting to their new lifestyle. It was pretty exciting, especially the arising tension between President Snow and Katniss. The hunger games in that book was kind of surprising really, did not really expect it. But it was really well written, I really enjoyed reading that part. More characters were introduced and the character development was solid. Then again, another twist, when they get rescued by the rebels.

MOCKINGJAY

Mockingjay seemed promising, finally, the focus was not the hunger games but the rebel campaign. it was really action packed and full of twist and turns. The plot was good and I was expecting more, but alas, it ended too suddenly. I don't know what happened. It just ended like it was dropped off a cliff. It  left a bad aftertaste. I was so hesitant to start this series and when I did, I was hooked because it was so good in the first two books. Even the third one was good until the end. I would still recommend people to read it. The writing is good and unique still.

7/10