Gripping

by GoluxGirl on June 16, 2009

This novel grabbed me from the beginning--I started it during my lunch break and finished it before bed (a late night, admittedly). The first person narration makes the story very immediate, and very intimate. Katliss is a superb heroine, one who draws you to her like a moth to flame (she is the girl on fire for a reason), yet she is far from an idealized girl. She is tough and vulnerable, wily because she is aware of her mortality.

The story itself is gripping, gruesome, and kind of shattering; an odd mixture of beauty contest and carnival side-show, Survivor and the Most Dangerous Game. I thought at one point that reading the story of the Games felt a little like being one of the heartless, frivolous vultures from the Capitol who feed on the misery and mayhem provided for their entertainment: what makes a great show for them makes a great story for me. (And aren't all the basic reasons they watch the Games the same as why we watch reality game shows, anyway?) I am excited for the sequel to arrive this fall, because these characters are worth following. If you buy it, it's worth the price in hardback.