I was given this book by one of the students I tutored this last winter. I honestly was not interested in reading the novel. I had no good reason, it just didn’t appeal to me from the cover and summary. But I borrowed it anyway not wanting to be rude. I thought I would leave it in my bag for a few weeks and return it when I completed my work with the student. Then, one day, as I was proctoring the student’s finals, I decided to open the book and skim the first chapter or two to pass the time and that’s all it took for me to be completely enthralled with the storyline. And, because I didn’t have the decency to open the book when the student first gave it to me, I didn’t have time to finish before needing to return it, thus starting my adventure to garner a copy of The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire.
For some reason (I’m sure that reason being this is an AWESOME series), I could not find a copy of the book at the two local libraries I have cards for. Purchasing the novel was not an option either because Husband and I had just found out that I’m pregnant resulting in a massive downsizing of my personal library and there being no room at all for new books. I was stuck. I asked everyone I knew if they had a copy of the book I could borrow and considering I work for a school district, I thought for sure I would find a savvy English teacher who would have the novel. No such luck. Instead, I had Sister-in-Law send me the book from Houston. It was a long journey, but well worth the wait.
The first novel, The Hunger Games, introduces the reader to District 12, a country-like state on post-apocalyptic Earth. There were 13 districts at one point, but when the 13th went rogue and decided to rebel against the Capitol it was destroyed. Only 12 districts remain. In order to encourage complacency and obedience, the Capitol instated a mandatory battle between two contenders from each district. The battle results in more food for the victor’s district making winning desirable, but the contenders are children and there is only one victor. The Hunger Games are televised to all districts for entertainment purposes and the Capitol always likes to put on a good show.
Katniss Everdeen does the unthinkable when she volunteers to take the place of her younger sister, Prim, who was chosen to take part in the Games. What she doesn’t expect is for the male contestant to be Peeta, a boy who loves her. Using this to her advantage in the arena, Katniss shows the world she is falling in love with Peeta in hopes that viewers will take interest in their love story and send valuable gifts that will help her survive. Even though she doesn’t love Peeta the way he loves her, she is able to convince the audience long enough to demolish the other 22 players in the Game.
At the end of The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta, who have been partners in staying alive in the arena designed for them, decide to poison themselves at the same time, so neither one is victor and the Capitol learns a valuable lesson in mistreating people. Instead, the Game is ended abruptly to avoid angry viewers resulting in both Katniss and Peeta being elected victors, a decision that has never been made before. This leads into the second book of the trilogy, Catching Fire.
The Games are over and Katniss and Peeta return to District 12. A small uprising against the Capitol has begun to gain steam and those rebelling look to Katniss’ poisoning idea as the catalyst for upheaval. Katniss’ best friend, Gale, and her mother and sister are on hand to welcome her home. Her relationship with Gale has changed since she was in the Games. He never took interest in her until she was gone, after which he decided he loved her. Her behavior with Peeta in the Huger Games hurt him but she cannot fathom how she will live without him, even if she doesn’t love him either.
The time comes for the next Huger Games to begin. It was tradition that those who had already played in the Games and survived would not be called back to the arena for a second time. The Capitol was so upset with her poisoning stunt in the last Games, however, that they change the rules requiring only contenders who had survived the Games to play in the next one. She, being the only female victor from District 12, is called back to the bloodbath once again, and with her, Peeta. The world thought they were in love so, to continue their support, they start the charade again.
The next Games are more difficult since they are playing with people who have already survived once before. What she doesn’t realize is the players decide to take the Games into their own hands and rather than all killing each other, they team up, stage a coup, and escape the arena. Peeta was accidentally left behind.
In the final book of the trilogy, Mockingjay, Katniss is safe along with her friend Gale and her family. They are taken to District 13, a place until recently had been thought to be destroyed. There they come together to take part in the uprising against the government at the Capitol. Katniss realizes that she has unknowingly become the face of the rebellion and, in order to survive and keep the rebellion going strong, she must become a pawn for District 13. She must help take down the Capitol.
Admittedly, much of the allure to this trilogy is the relationship between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. Though not a romance novel by a long shot, the story so entwines itself into their personal lives that I found myself rooting for the relationships to work. Mostly, this trilogy is non-stop action and suspense. Once I managed to get my grubby little fingers on the books, I couldn’t put them down. I carried them everywhere with me just in case I might have 30 extra seconds to dive into Katniss’ world. This is not a difficult series to read and it’s one that I might never have started if not for being bored one afternoon at work! Take my advice: read this war-tinged coming-of-age story. You won’t regret it.
-Harper
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