'The Games' Begin

[Yes another blog about a book, but whatever >.<]

Now, yesterday afternoon I started another book that I bought in the fall of last year 'round the time when it just came out. It's Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games. At first I thought it was going to be more like her Gregor series [which is one of my favorites], and it was similar but also very different. I just finished the book a bit over an hour ago, and I completly love this series too :D

This book takes place in a futuristic world that isn't all Hollywood-y futuristic. In fact, only the Capitol of Panem is living all high and mighty--Panem is where North America used to be. The majority of the 12 Districts, at least the poorer areas, struggle to eat enough food, or food at all. And that's where the story starts. The main character is 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen [yes, that's her name and I know it's kinda weird but it's actually a plant]. She has to hunt outside the gates of the District and trade her kills and spoils for better food and money. The time is hard and worst yet, the Hunger Games are about to begin.

The Hunger Games is a sport/competition where the randomly selected children from each district must fight and kill eachother. The catch: a child inserts their name the day they become 12 and once more every year until they're 18. Seven strips out of thousands, right? But the child can enter their name for a tessera which allows for oil and grain for one year per person. And being 16, Katniss has twenty entries, four each year to help supports her, her mom, and her sister, Primrose.

Here's the thing: once a year each district has to put up two tributes--competitors in the Games--one boy and one girl. For District 12, their girl is Primrose Everdeen, Katniss' sister. Instead, Katniss volunteers herself and is accompanied by the boy, Peeta Mellark. They go to the Capitol where there's cameras everywhere, watching and listening to whatever you do. After some openings, interviews and training, the twenty-four tributes are tossed into the arena in a battle of life in death. And then the Games begin.

Personally, this book was awesome. I couldn't put it down. It's both entertaining, action-y, and yet it also conveys how corrupt Panem is--at least the Capitol. Though I also find it real funny how the cliched 'girl-likes-guy-but-guy-doesn't-know-and-guy-is-too-boneheaded-to-see' is flipped around. Though the ending was a bit different than I expected, I cannot wait for book two. :D But it comes out in Sptember so the waiting is going to be agonizing as well...

-Tzui
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