My Review of The Hunger Games

(Day 19 of the 365 day photo challenge) 

A little over a week ago I finished the Hunger Games Trilogy.  It took me 9 days to do it, and was fully consumed the whole time.  I've known about the book series for a couple years, and was about to purchase it when a friend said she didn't like the last book, and that the series would have been better without it.  This discouraged me.  Who wants to read a book and feel at the end that it was a waste of time?  Books are a bigger commitment then a movie.

So the final verdit?  I loved it.  Of course I had to get past the theme of the book, kids killing other kids, and the Mutts, I hate the Mutts, but it was interesting.  And even now I can't get the characters out of my head.  Reading the last book I can see why so many people didn't like it.  The ending isn't a fantasy ending, it's a realistic ending, and I appreciate it.    

Through the process of reading these books two things came to mind:  The Uglies book series by Scott Westerfeld and the Romans.  The first is a series of four books, another look at a post apocalyptic America, only a completely different take.  Think of the Capital in The Hunger Games on steroids.  These books are quite exciting; another page turner.  I don't want to give anything away. 

And the Romans.  Roman history is both interesting and depressing at the same time.  Suzanne Collins, who wrote the Hunger Games, has mentioned the Gladiators, which wasn't the first thing that came to my mind, but I can see it.  Men sent to their deaths as a form of entertainment.  What did come to mind was something I learned about in a college theater civilization class.  There was another form of entertainment Romans used slaves for. Slaves were used as actors in stage shows, and if there was a death scene, there was a literal death scene where one slave was expected to kill the other on stage.  And I learned that off the coast the Romans would fill two battle ship with slaves, and watch them battle each other, once again, to the death.  It's been many years since I've taken this class, and I would love to find my course book, but these two facts have stayed with me.

Would I recommend the Hunger Games?  I don't know, because there is such mixed reaction to what happened to some of the characters in the end.  Personally I'm glad I took the plunge and gave the books a chance, and they will go down as one of my favorite series of all time.

Happy Reading!

Sarah