UEL English PEN Society Book Reviews

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

I've finally jumped on the bandwagon and read all three Hunger Games books, so join me on this review saga.
In my humble opinion, the first book of the trilogy was the best one. It had the best dialogue,  best quirky lines and wasn't revolved so much around the silly love triangle that every  teenage book seems to have.
What I love about The Hunger Games is that it presents tough political views in a way that teenagers could understand it.
It's set up in the USA future, in a nation called Panem. Panem is split into 12 districts, district 1 being the richest and district 12 being the poorest. Each district holds a special 'talent', such as mining, fishing, hunting etc. and they are the providers for the ultimate evil, the Capitol, which is presented as a more diverse version of New York.
The Capitol controls the districts, and makes sure no one rebels, by running annual Hunger Games, where two kids (one male and one female) from each district fight against other districts and each other and only one can be crowned a winner.

Katinss Everdeen volunteers to take place in the Hunger Games for her sister Prim, and therefore saves her life. Through her eyes, we truly see the evil that happens in Hunger Games  - most of the contestants show no mercy and don't mind slitting throats of 10 year olds. Allies are formed in order for the contestants to be stronger and lovers are created in order to appeal to the public (the entire games are filmed and shown in every district). Appealing to the public means that  you get potential help from sponsors, who might or might not save your life and help you win the games.

There is a lot more to the story, but as it is full of details it is best if you just trust me on this one and read the book.
There is lots of crying and holding your breath in the first book, so if you are looking for a thrill that is read by adults and teenagers (and is not 50 Shades of Grey), go read Hunger Games!
Stay tuned for part 2 and part 3 review!

xoxo Mandy