Wednesday, April 4, 2012

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins


Fr. Barron mentioned The Hunger Games and then related its story to ancient Rome. That made me want to know more. In the synopsis of The Hunger Games it noted that the book is a futuristic novel with “unsettling parallels to our present.” That can also be said about Cast Me Not Away. The concept intrigues me. Was it similar to Cape Arago Press’s excellent upcoming release, Cast Me Not Away? I wanted to know and bought a copy of The Hunger Games for my Kindle.

Although there are tragic deaths in Cast Me Not Away, the violence in The Hunger Games exceeds it. The suspense keeps the book rolling forward, however, and I was hooked in the beginning. I didn’t’ want to put it down. Ms. Collins descriptions are excellent. Yet, there are two things about the novel that I don’t like, both near the end. I didn’t like what was done to the deceased competitors, having them reappear as some kind of animal-human hybrid. That is something I didn’t like about the novel, The Mirror of N’de, by L.K. Malone either. Read that review hereMirror of N'de

And, last, but not least, I found the ending of The Hunger Games unsatisfying. I suppose it was to entice readers to seek out the second book in the series to learn which man Katniss actually loves, and what the Capitol has planned for her.

However, I don’t like being left hanging when a book ends. I won't purchase the others in her series because of this. Why encounter disappointment a second time? Then again, I might consider seeing if our local library carries the series. One nice thing about a solid book in your hands, you can flip through it easier than with an eBook.

This novel is recommended for young readers 12 to 17. It's not a book I'll recommend to my granddaughters in that age category.
—Gail Lewis

Product Details:

ISBN-13: 9780439023528
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Pages: 384
Language: English

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