The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games, the first book of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, is a masterpiece. I read the book within two days during whatever time I can get my hands to. (I tried reading even though I was in a birthday party yesterday, ha-ha.) If I was the bookworm me in the past, I have the feeling that I could finish it within 4 hours at most, basing on the way I devour books before, but I’m different now. (Aside from the fact that I can’t even steal a few hours all to myself) I feel like I haven’t read a good book after reading the seventh installment of Harry Potter, and that’s saying something since it was years since that happened. As I ache to have the whole Harry Potter series in solid book form, I now also ache to have the whole The Hunger Games trilogy right now. If no one pays attention to my plea to give it to my on my birthday, I’ll buy the whole set for myself, then have a very happy birthday to me wallowing in these books, posting a big “DND and leave me alone” on my forehead.(*u* )
Honestly, I have a mild allergy to popular things: books,anime, manga, movies i.e. anything that has a plot. If a book has too much of a high praise on them, I doubt the validity of the words of those raving lunatics thinking that maybe they’re just exaggerating, and I’ll just disappoint myself. But I was not disappointed by The Hunger Games. This is even with me knowing the end, since I was stupid enough to spoil myself by reading over the summary. The way the story was executed was so thought about thoroughly, that the thrills and chills just came at the right time. Most importantly, the words that composed the book are so simple, just like in Harry Potter, that instead of me trying to figure out what the hell a word means, I can focus on the story at hand. This is why classics don’t sit out well with me.
I am head over heels in love with Peeta. I want my own Peeta, and I silently fume over the luck and stupidity of Katniss. But then again, it’s as if I cannot really blame Katniss since it’s her personality to be highly competitive, to be wary of the world, and to be distrustful of others. She doesn’t even trust her mother that much, even if she loves her. What more of a boy who she met under the setting of the Hunger Games, where she’s not sure if she herself loves him or if he loves her? It’s heartbreaking, really. All those kisses she showered the guy, and she was doing this all for the show, all for the plan, just according to keikaku.:| The last part of the novel isn’t much of a cliffhanger in terms of the main story, but ohh I almost died because Katniss still doesn’t know if she loves her! NO, I REALLY DIED. Thinking about the pain he must have felt, thinking that all along he has been sincere, and all Katniss did was doubt his intentions. It was unfair, but it was inevitable. Katniss decided that she cannot be vulnerable. I’m itching to read the second book guessing that the first part at least will be on how she’ll settle her feelings, probably having a few gar conflicts and a race for her feelings between Gale and Peeta. I’m a sucker for things like that.
What reminded me strongly that this story is set on a completely alternate dimension is when the mutts attacked them. It’s suddenly as if I saw the book in a whole light, that it was ridiculous to mutate human parts into wild dogs, but then I remembered the small talk about the jabberjays and the tracker jackers. It was not enough to prepare me for the mutts, obviously. (Is this FMA? Hehe) The Capitol appeared more evil to me, inhumane, even though I already knew that they are evil—it was mentioned or implied plenty.
Suzanne Collins saved us from the drama of having Katniss and Peeta kill off Rue and Tresh, which was a relief though I certainly would have loved it more if they did have to kill them. That will defeat Peeta’s goal of having his identity intact in the Games though, something that Katniss realized later to be important, which convinces me that okay, this is better.
Apparently, I’m also stupid enough to read the summary of the second book (Catching Fire) but sensible enough to stop reading through the third book’s halfway (Mockingjay). Sometimes I hate myself for having a penchant to spoiling myself. Anyway, the story in the second book is really similar to that of what happened in the sequel of Battle Royale. Considering that both The Hunger Games and Battle Royale have very similar themes, I’m worried that I won’t like the second and third installment of The Hunger Games (since I didn’t like Battle Royale’s Requiem), but a few Tweeters and people I know relieved me of this anxiety.
So…
May the odds ever be in your favor.
And mine.:) I hope I can acquire the book within this month. I’ll go insane if I can’t. I predict a few days of being hung over this book.
