Confession: I Stan for The Hunger Games

This was not supposed to happen. I was not supposed to get into a story like this. The Harry Potter books never interested me. The Twilight series made me laugh. And even more laughable were the followings these books and movies produced.

So it took me by surprise when I found myself actually wrapped up in a young adult series. I read The Hunger Games for a book club and was instantly hooked. I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked, considering the dystopian setting. (Dystopian fiction, the "anti-utopian," has been my favorite sub-genre since high school when I read The Handmaid's Tale.)

This is the synopsis from The Hunger Games' website:

In Suzanne Collins’ riveting tale of life in North America after its destruction, a powerful Capitol emerges as residents of its twelve outlying Districts individually struggle to survive under its bleak rule. Living under the constant reminder that the Capitol obliterated District 13 when the people incited a rebellion decades before, 16-year old Katniss Everdeen quietly carves out a path of meager survival for herself, her younger sister, Prim, and their widowed mother under the Capitol’s strict regime.

Each year, the Capitol assembles its Gamemakers to create an elaborate arena filled with deadly trigger points and calls upon one girl and one boy from each of the twelve Districts to play in its nationally televised Hunger Games. On the Day of Reaping when 24 children are selected to fight to the death, Katniss is whisked away from her daily quest for survival alongside her friend Gale, and thrust into the elaborate Capital as she is prepared for the Hunger Games.

In this world of instant gratification and superficial people, Katniss contends with her drunken, disengaged mentor, Haymitch, and wrestles with her feelings about her co-Tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark. Growing up apart from Peeta in the same District, Katniss struggles to determine if Peeta is the boy who once showed her an act of kindness pivotal to her family’s survival, or if his actions are motivated to keep himself alive, as the Capital will allow only one Tribute to survive the Hunger Games’ treacherous arena.

In the days to come, Katniss must fend for her survival against the natural elements and the vicious Careers, who are Tributes who’ve trained for the Hunger Games their entire lives. Katniss meets a young Tribute whose likeness to Prim tears at her heartstrings and she continues to process what Peeta’s motives could be as the end draws near. Should she kill these two or be killed? If Katniss wins, her family will be handsomely taken care of and her District will receive the additional food it so desperately needs to survive.

Deep inside the Hunger Games, readers are treated to the witty, young mind of Katniss Everdeen, a survival-savvy girl who yearns to trust in a world that has shown her nothing of the sort.

 

Intriguing, right? I promise, from the first page, I was hooked. Usually I end up getting a little bored with a book and putting it down for a while, then coming back to it. Not so with this. I read it in a matter of days, then read the other titles in the series (Catching Fire and Mockingjay) back to back. It was actually a little sad to finish the last book, knowing that was the end of the story. There is a quote by Paul Sweeney that says, "You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend." That was the case here.

So how bad is my fandom? Ugh, I almost hate to admit it! But it's kinda serious. Besides the obvious fan moves of following on Twitter and liking on Facebook, I have followed every THG Tumblr I've found (even though it's a little redundant considering they all reblog each other, but no matter). I'm constantly looking for new trailers from the movie (coming out in March y'all!) and even though I have all three books on Nook, I really want the collector's edition (so far, only the first book has been released). Also, I may or may not have plans in the works for THG inspired jewelry. Whaaat, don't side-eye me like that! Especially if you were caught up in Twilight. Don't judge my life! LOL

[caption id="attachment_2044" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="the Mockingjay, which may be on an Unbuttoned bracelet"][/caption]

But yeah, if you're looking for an easy read that has a lot of action, a bit of sci-fi, a little romance and plenty of twists, I'd suggest this for you. My only wish is that I'd seen the movie before I read the books. Hopefully I won't be in the theater yelling "that's not what happened!" If I do and you're in the theater, please look over me.