There is an enormous amount of hype surrounding this series of books which is rapidly becoming a global phenomenon. The question is whether the hype surrounding the book is justified.

The concept of the book is that of a future dystopia where two candidates from each of the now twelve districts are chosen to participate in an annual gameshow known as the hunger games. The games are conveyed as a means of punishment to the ditricts to demonstrate the capitols totalitarian grasp over the districts. In the past an era refred to as the dark ages the then thirteen districts insurrection fought against the capitol. Twelve of the districst were defeated with the thirteenth being completely destroyed.

The first element you will notice is that the books are written entirely In first person and present tense. This narrative style immediately draws the reader into the world created by Suzanne Collins and immerses you in the horror and desperation experienced in the world.

There is a strong narrative running through the novel which revolves around the protagonist: katniss. Once each year there is a yearly lottery where the tributes are chosen for the hunger games. Katniss’s sister Primrose is chosen in the lottery and instead her sister steps up to take her place.

Underneath this narrative are frequent flashbacks to Katniss’ past which help to explain the protagonists personality and the key events that alter her psychologically. Meaning that what happens to characters referenced in flashbacks carries some emotional weight adding to the drama.

Katniss is an intreging character who demonstrates depth She is by far the most well rounded and complex character portrayed in the novel. She is constantly over analysing peoples motivations and trying to second guess their future actions. In the interest of not spoiling the story I will not discuss the hunger games themselves, this is where the majority of the action and character development takes place. This novel has a perfect amount of background information pertaining to the poverty sticken state of distict 12 and the politics and society of the capitol to invest the reader.

Katniss is constantly evolving throughout the story which allows the reader to become emotionally invested causing you to urge katniss to succeed. This is one of the most engaging novels I have read it really puts the reader in the shoes of the protagonist. The novel will have you guessing all the way through and you will be unable to stop reading until you have the answers.

The language used in the Hunger Games is fairly basic and is clearly aimed at 11-16 year olds. I would argue that there is reason for older readers to pick this book up. The Hunger Games is a rich and intresting story it is relentless in its action as well as offering intresting characters and adrenaline filled action sequences. The first one hundred pages or so slowly introduce the reader into the key concepts of the novel this might put some people off. It is well worth persevering, and when the hunger games event starts you will be unable to put the book down.

Score 8/10