The Hunger Games was one of my favorite books and this last book in the trilogy did not disappoint. Full of the exciting characters and sudden plot twists we have come to expect from Suzanne Collins, I literally did not want to put this book down. Of course, I had to since I was reading it out loud with my husband and we do have to go to bed at a decent time these days. Sigh.
While it may be common knowledge that books with girl main characters will not appeal to boys (some blog posts about this), The Hunger Games series is an exception to this rule.
Book Signing at the Wellesley Free Library (author obscured by fans)
Here’s my proof: I recently attended a book signing at the beautiful Wellesley Free Library (with Wellesley Booksmith) and was amazed to see hundreds of boys and girls (and men and women) excited to meet Suzanne Collins. I took a photo with my cell phone while I was there, but unfortunately kids tend to be short so they don’t show up so well in a crowd…it’s a better photo of the many parents who were in attendance.
In the interest of trying to make this a real review rather than a “go buy this now” post, I feel I should mention a few of the book’s flaws. First of all, this book is not for those who haven’t read the previous two books. You probably won’t need to re-read those books if it’s been a while, but if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, this isn’t the book to start with. And squeamish readers beware: while the other books were violent, this one takes the cake. I’m not sure if it’s because I am farther along into motherhood than I was when I read the first two, but there were a few gory scenes that were a bit much for me. If they were to make this one into a movie, they would have to do some fancy editing to keep parents from throwing a fit. That said, there is a *point* to the violence in the book–Collins wants to show that war is gruesome and bloody. So you don’t have to worry about her glamorizing war. Of course the violence probably adds to the boy appeal of the book…
Even though I love her, Katniss can be a little irrational and irritating at times (though I do still like her better than Bella). If you have ever scratched your head over some of the things Katniss has said and done in the previous books, you’ll probably have a bald spot after reading this one.
But all in all, this was a terrific book and I would urge you to go out and read the entire series.
Disclaimers: I have not been paid by anyone to write this post and have not received any free books.