There are a few reasons why I decided to write this review of this book ASAP.
1. As all books/stories normally do, the magic fades away the longer you leave to memory.. The more you think about it, the lesser you think about it, if you know what I mean. What sounded so amazing sounds less amazing after three days. Your goosebumps and adrenaline fades to nominal patterns after a short while.
2. I was starting to find out too many things about this book, and they were starting to spoil it for me. For instance, I went to the book store to find the second book and try as much as I did, I could not find it in Fiction section. Could it be? No it couldn't be! But oh wow - no, nah.. Yeah there it was - in the Young Adults section. Was I gutted that I was raving on and on about this new book that I discovered and then find out its just a young adult fiction? Heck yea. So before I discover more blog posts about teenage girls drooling over ideas of being Katniss (I was starting to, when I begun this post) and kissing Peeta (spoiler alert! Too late) I have decided to get this done and over it.
Well here is the review.
I really enjoyed it. It begun with a bang. A mere 5 pages in, I was hooked. Here was a new world, an imaginative and lush new setting that seemed realistic enough but had its good share of fantasy in it. Here was a believable country and its districts and the human, and whatever creatures teemed in it, conditions. A game to be played that involved killing. A sure action spinner.
The story progression is quite seamless. It is a real page turner.
The only thing that let it down were (spoiler alert) the cave scenes. I felt that it took too long and draggy. I felt it was forced. Like Suzanne Collins decided she wanted some intimate scenes in it, "Just so there is a bit of feelings into it," she must have been thinking... Like the forced romance between Katniss and Peeta, the whole thing felt very forced. It was a pain to read the accounts of pain and injury after Katniss was hurt. I felt very apathetical to her dragging herself and just keeping alive. I think it became too dreary in a not clever way. I am sure there could have been more imagination in the way these parts were written. Sure she went through hard times, but that doesn't mean the readers also get to go through the hard times, hard in its own rights. It was just hard to keep going on reading.
The gaming sequences were engaging and great read. Her account of her emotions for her family were also very well done, I thought. Her love for her sister, family, home and Gale were convincing. Of course I couldn't stand Peeta as a character. I think he had the Jacob spin to it, as opposed to Gale and Edward Cullen.... Just saying...
Finally, I can't wait to see the movie. Though I know this movie will be the nail that seals this coffin for me. A young adult fiction movie that has just been made a movie and strikes a heart with a million other teenage girls around the world don't sound like my type of party.
My plan of action - Knock these three books off quickly and then quietly wait for the movies to come out.