I wasn't in a huge rush to read this book (having recently neglected laundry and more devouring the
Outlander series) but figured I might as well put
The Hunger Games on hold and read it eventually- I was number 300 in line so it would probably be next year or something. Apparently, though, people devour these books and the library has a million copies because it came up for me not two months later. After reading thick, historical, adult-oriented books, I flew through this YA novel in about four hours. The story of 17 year old Katniss Everdeen, struggling to survive and protect her family in post-apocalyptic North America was very interesting. I couldn't wait to see how the author would resolve some of the issues presented. Although some of the story was predictable, I still enjoyed watching it unfold. The underlying issues of hunger, desperation, growing up, corruption were difficult and made me think about my own life and how I would react. After I finished the first one I read the next two the next day (unlike Outlander, it actually only takes a couple hours to read one of these, so that was nice). Some of my predictions did come true as the story resolved itself but I was mostly pleased with the way the story wraps up, particularly the resolution of the love triangle between Katniss and Gail and Peeta. I liked the way Katniss explained her final decision and felt it was realistic. Reading the story from her perspective was entertaining, as well- lots of action and good insight into her thoughts.
Did these books change my life? No. They were engrossing but at times I felt like the pace was off- too fast at the end, making me wonder if I had missed things. I felt like the ending flew by. There is a ton of symbolism (often kind of blatant- like she wanted people to rip the books apart and find things barely hidden) and lots to think about. I'm not sure I would want my 12 year old to read them (though I did appreciate that there wasn't a blatant sex scene like I almost expected). I haven't seen the movie since I wanted to read them first but I'm not sure how disturbing the teens killing teens theme would be on screen. For now, I am grateful for my docile, uneventful life.
