Hunger Games Series Review

When you saw that title I can bet you either jumped with excitement or groaned. Cause everyone talking about The Hunger Games and I know you either LOVE It or you HATE it. Trust me, I know how it is. So I thought I would write a review on the book series and movie. This review is basically reviewing the entire ordeal in general.

Overview:

The Hunger Games is a Dystopian fiction novel. After a rebellion, the Capitol of 12 districts punishes them for rebelling by creating The Hunger Games. It is televised fight to the death with children ages 12-18. Each district offers up two tributes by lottery.

President Snow: And it was decreed that each year, the 12 districts of Panem should offer up a tribute of one young man and woman between the ages of 12 and 18 to be trained in the art of survival and to be prepared to fight to the death.

Katniss Everdeen, A 16 year old girl from 12, volunteers in place of her sister Primrose, when Prim is called. The story follows her as she trains and competes in The Hunger Games. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, a guy who once saved her life and she just can't kill.

Catching Fire, The 2nd Book, Follows Katiss, now hated by the captiol because of the way she survived. Katniss and Peeta attend the Victory Tour for champions of the games and later find out about the Quarter Quel, which is a Games like the Hunger Games but the tributes will be champions. This means they must return to the games. Mockingjay, the final book, is about the rising rebellion of Katniss Everdeen and also her love triangle--whether she will pick Peeta or her long time friend Gale Hawthorne.

                                                           
                                                                      My Thoughts:

Well I thought a whole lot. I'm no going to go into much depth on the characters because we all know who they are and what the hec they're doing.

I hear two main complaints from non-Hunger Game fans. The first is "This book is like 12 year old girls killing each other!" and of course the "This book is depressing for Peke's sake." Well I can fight to the death (haha) against those 2 comments.

One, this book is not about kids killing each other really. I mean parents--your kids are not going to pick up a bow and arrow and shoot their friend over this series. They make you want to cuddle in your bed and forget your trouble. I do believe these books are violent and mature, so I would not read this book unless you are 13+. This way you can truly appreciate the books lesson. The lesson of hope, which I will get to in a second.

These books should be depressing, ok? I mean they are Dystopian fiction. All books like that are meant to end unhappy. I mean have you ever read "The Giver" or "1984?" Those books aren't Cinderella. They are meant to bring across a point or to show us the way we are headed if things don't change. As Wiki saids, " Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other speculative fiction genres, and arguably are by definition a type of speculative fiction."This book is not meant to be happy nor do we need to complain if it ends sad, which I think it needed a bit of a more intense climax but overall it was wonderful.

The lesson of Hope. In a dark  nightmare like The Hunger Games there is the lesson of hope. The lesson of this book is depressing but it doesn't have to be like this, does it? The moment I finshed Mockingjay I ran to my bible and was like "It doesn't have to be like this." Katniss is depressed and lives in a world of darkness, but we have light and we will never be in that pain. What is it Snow saids to Crane in the movie:  “Hope is the only thing more powerful than fear."

Hope is found in darkness and is found the same way Katniss picked that dandelion after catching Peeta's eye. The hope of Annie and Finnicks son after Finnick dies. The dandelion in the spring.

The sense of Good Vs. Evil is also a big part in these novels. For example Cato (In the film) saids :"Go on! Shoot, and we both go down and you win. Go on. I'm dead anyway. I always was, right?" The novels are heartbreaking at times and cause me to break down crying. Like when Cato died I broke down. Or when( SPOILER ALERT) Rue, Prim, or Finnick died.

The books are a bit literary weak but the movie really devoped the characters better along with the fact they made the romance work better in the movie. Remember this moment:

Peeta Mellark: I remember the first time I saw you. Your hair was in two braids instead of one. I remember when you sang in the music assembly and the teacher said "who knows the valley song" and your hand shot straight up. After that, I watched you going home everyday. Everyday. Well... say something.

 Katniss Everdeen: I'm not good at saying something.

 Peeta Mellark: Then come here. Please?

Awwww....well anyway...tangent....

My last commet is the fact that it deals with inter sin. While Peeta is scarred of the games turning him into a personal he is not, Katniss is scarred of the games turning her into the monster she already is. Here is another Movie quote:

Peeta Mellark: Yeah... I just... don't want them to change me.
Katniss Everdeen: How would they change you?
Peeta Mellark: I don't know. Turn me into something I'm not. I just don't want to be another piece in their games, you know?
Katniss Everdeen: You mean you won't kill anyone?
Peeta Mellark: No... I mean, I'm sure I would just like anyone else when the time came but I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them, that they don't own me. If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me. Does that make any sense?
Katniss Everdeen: Yeah... I just can't afford to think like that.

Conslusion

This book stays clear of most innaproite lanuage and nothing about sex so it's actually quite clean that way. A few Hells and Damns but nothing really bad. I mean there is also a few miss uses of the Lord's name. But no cusing. The violence and maturity is the only reason this is not a middle-school book if you know where I'm going.

I would read the series if you have not and are over the age of 13, but whatever you decide I'm sure that is the right personal descion. It deals with the core of sin, the core of hope, and the core of a great futurist novel.

 "there are worse games to play"