Welcome to Professor Beej’s Hunger Games trilogy book review! I’ll get the hyperbole out of the way first: if all YA lit were as well-written as The Hunger Games, I might never read adult fiction again.
Okay, now that that is out of my system, I’ll explain what I mean. The Hunger Games trilogy is the most well-written YA series I’ve read in a while. In fact, if it weren’t for the protagonist being 16 years old, I would be hard-pressed to classify this as Young Adult. Suzanne Collins does an outstanding job at worldbuilding–the characters are well-rounded and believable (most of them, at least), the narrative is compelling, and the setting is recognizable while remaining exotic.
Looking at the books individually is to do the whole Hunger Games trilogy a disservice, though. Probably the best thing about the series is its structure in that the first novel can standalone, but doesn’t. The trilogy reads almost like a single novel, which is part of why it appeals so much to me. I’m a sucker for serial narratives.
With that in mind, I have written each book a sort of mini-review below instead of writing three separate reviews.
The Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 1: The Hunger Games
Spread across three novels, The Hunger Games is told from the first-person (present-tense, even!) perspective of Katniss Everdeen, a snarky tomboy living District 12, a part of Appalachia in the former United States (now a country called Panem). She poaches from the government, she trades on the black market, and she provides for her family.
Typical stuff for a sixteen year old, right?
In all honesty, The Hunger Games starts off like almost any other post-apocalyptic novel. The world we (the readers) know is gone. In its place is a dystopian society where North America is split into 12 districts, and of course our main character is from the poorest, most remote section.
This trope aside, the series is set apart by Katniss’ voice. In much the same way that Jim Butcher separates Harry Dresden from typical detective noir PI’s, Collins keeps Katniss from sounding like some other vapid YA narrators.
The premise of the novel (series?) itself also sets it apart, though it’s not 100% original. Every year, the Capitol forces each of the 12 districts to offer two children as tribute as punishment for holding a rebellion a century before. The twenty-four tributes are then put into an arena where they fight to the death. Winning not only means they stay alive, but they also secure monthly food drops for their district, while the other 11 maintain their meager existences. Hence, the title.
While the premise is shared with such cult favorites as Battle Royale, The Hunger Games just executes the concept well. For YA, the book is surprisingly violent. Readers are treated to Katniss’ whole trip through the arena, seeing teenagers and children mutilated along the way. If you’re squeamish or hate violence against children, you might want to shy away. We are treated to arrows through eye sockets, explosions, beatings, eviscerations, and even hallucinatory insect venom. Collins knows how to give the readers what they want, if what they want are 20+ dead children.
By the time the first book ends, readers have a good grasp on what the series has to offer. It’s fast paced and easy to read, and Suzanne Collins really knows how to get the most out of her created world. Panem has a rich history that readers are teased with, but she only lets us know what is necessary to the story.
The Hunger Games may be the best book in the series, but only for one reason: it is the most unique among them. It’s concept (and the execution of it) is something rare in YA literature, and that counts for a lot. While the other two novels in the series continue the story and expand the narrative, the first entry in the series is unique after being used to so many authors churning out page after page of whatever the flavor of the month is, (but to be honest, this may be the next flavor). Still, I can’t help but like it best.
Book 2: Catching Fire
Book 2, Catching Fire, has a couple of things going for it. The most prominent of which is the first book. Don’t get me wrong, Catching Fire is a splendid read and continues the story well enough, but it suffers from the main problem that many second-novels suffer from: sequelitis.
Yes, that’s a technical term that can be defined in the Beej’s Big Book of Made-Up Literary Terms:
Sequelitis refers to any novel, particularly a second novel, in a series that continues the story in an interesting manner, but brings nothing new to the series on its own. A novel suffering from sequelitis may possess a lack of new characters, rehashed plots, and occasional flashbacks to the first–and stronger–book in the series. Sequelitis is not a series-threatening affliction, and symptoms will often go away as the series continues into its third installment.
Catching Fire suffers from most of these problems (who’da thunk it?). The thing is, the book’s good. The characters are still compelling, the narrative is strong, and we even get new insight into Panem and the rest of Collins’ post-apocalyptic wonderland. The real problem is that, like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the entire book feels like I had already experienced it.
The main reason that The Hunger Games was so intriguing is that the situation was original (enough) and Collins wrote well enough to make a bunch of teenagers gutting each other not seem as creepy as it may sound. It was something new for YA. But Catching Fire does the main thing that I hate a sequel to do: rehash the plot of book 1.
Sure it’s a safe bet because it guarantees (pretty much) that readers who enjoyed the first book will enjoy the second. They’ll get exactly what they came for.
But that’s the problem. By making there be a second Hunger Games in book 2, Collins eliminates any freshness the idea still had. I like the traps, and I have to admit that the arena from book 2 was a lot more interesting than the first one. But I couldn’t care as much because a good third of the novel felt like I was walking through hallways I had just been down.
More than that, though, I was disappointed that Collins piqued my interest with a tour around Panem that the first novel couldn’t have accommodated. I felt teased by learned things about the world, the people, and the government. I was tantalized by whispers of rebellion, and I saw an emotional sequence of events unfolding that had me wondering which character I should root for.
But then came the Quarter Quell and the second Hunger Games of the series, and I got bored because, like I said, I had just finished a book where that was the main plot, and I was hoping for Catching Fire to be more than that.
So when the book ended, I smiled (because I did enjoy the novel), closed it, and hoped that when I got into book 3 that the author would expand the narrative instead of being bogged down in still-more-of-the-same.
Book 3: Mockingjay
In a lot of ways, Mockingjay fills the hole in the series that the just-okay Catching Fire created. The best thing about it: it fleshes out the world and characters, getting political and keeping just the right amount of familiar convention. The worst thing about it, then? The title. Mockingjay? Really? I appreciate how thematic it is, but this one’s kind of a stinker.
Outside of that, the series’ conclusion is about what I would have expected. There is the requisite amount of violence and skarky narration, and I felt emotionally connected throughout the whole story.
Mockingjay surpasses the previous two novels, however, at expanding the series in terms of location. The first two books are limited in where they are set. We see lots of District 12, the Capitol, and maybe a few glances of different districts as the characters travel by train. However, Mockingjay moves the narrative into before-unseen areas, which gives the whole book a feeling of newness, rather than Catching Fire‘s more-of-the-same. My favorite scene change is when the characters go to the hospital in District 8 to shoot a propaganda video; everything about that section just clicked with me and felt different and fresh.
An interesting note about the third book, though, is that it felt short. Very short. Maybe I expect too much out of endings, maybe I look for too much explanation and closure. But Mockingjay‘s ending seemed rushed. The novel itself was roughly the same length as the previous two, but with such a large mythology to wrap in a neat, closure-filled package, the ending came too soon. And as with the case with many epilogues (I’m looking at you, Harry Potter!), the tone of Mockingjay‘s just felt…off.
The resolution and actual events were fine. I liked what happened, even though they were predictable through the last 50-100 pages. They never truly granted closure, though. The events just happen, and readers move from one plot point to the next in an almost surreal blur. I would have preferred either a longer novel, or maybe less plot-point explanation and more personal resolution.
But then, maybe it’s just me.
In a lot of ways, Mockingjay feels like the end of LOST. It wasn’t exactly what I expected going in, nor is it precisely what I wanted after investing so much time with the series, but upon further reflection, it was definitely appropriate.
The series could definitely have gone on past a trilogy, and I’d like to see maybe an Ender’s Shadow-style spin-off series from another character’s perspective. Prim would have a great story to tell, or Gale. But as for the main narrative with Katniss Everdeen, I’m glad it’s over. It was fun (as fun as a trilogy based around political revolution and annual teenage murder can be), and I’m glad I read it.
But that story’s been told. Suzanne Collins has a wonderfully crafted world (with a rich history, an interesting present, and a future of some sort) in The Hunger Games trilogy, and readers only ever get to see the tiniest part of it. That much work, that much effort, that much creativity shouldn’t be put to rest after just three books.
Overall Impressions of the Hunger Games trilogy?
While they are the first books since John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War to have kept me up past my bedtime, the Hunger Games trilogy is definitely not a series for everyone. The sparkly vampire crowd may or may not like it. Those looking for vulgarity and excessive gore might not, either. Heck, even people who love post-apocalyptic SF may find fault with it because as dark as it is, it never made me want to just go curl up and cry like The Road did.
It’s well written, though, and maybe more importantly, it’s fun. The characters are compelling, and the concept is something that mainstream YA fiction has needed for a long time (i.e. a series not based around wizards or magic or beasts or fantastical creatures of any sort).
And they don’t take long to read. While each book clocks in close to the 400-page mark, the hardcovers (yes, I read the hardcovers instead of ebooks!) have large, easy-to-read type that is very quick to plow through. I used these books as a kind of palate cleanser from the “literature” and essays I was reading for class and prepping lessons on, and it was always pleasant to pick up one of The Hunger Games and read.
Not because it was easy, not because it was fast, but because it was good, and even as a pushing-30 English teacher well outside of the target demographic, it made me think. Which is why I wanted to do a Hunger Games trilogy book review in the first place.
I’d trade all the sparkly vampires in the literary world for just a handful more YA series that do that.
Great write up/review. I have to agree with you on a lot of points, especially Katniss as a protagonist that stands apart from your typical vapid teenage female character. Many times while reading this trilogy, I actually thought in my mind how she is the exact opposite of Bella from Twilight — strong, self-reliant and not constantly pining for a boy waiting for him to save her. In fact, many times Katniss takes it upon herself to rescue the the boy 😀
I was surprised this was YA when I read it too when I read the violence. Guess things have changed since I was a teenager, which wasn’t even that long ago 😛
I’m a sparkly vampire fan and definitely enjoyed The Hunger Games. But I could not agree with you more about feeling like the ending was rushed. In fact, I actually had to go back and read some of it again because it was kind of like whiplash–“Wait! Did what I think just happened really happen?” I wanted to be able to have a little more time to digest the fate of some of the characters before the storyline was propelled forward. All in all, definitely still one of the best trilogies that I have read in awhile.
I’ve heard some good things about this series and I have to say its peaked my interest. After reading another positive review, I’m thinking of picking them up for both myself and my 16 (who rarely finds a book she enjoys) though.
I just finished the series this week. Overall I thought it was good, the first book was obviously the best, but I was rather disappointed with the last book. Without the Games to provide structure for Mockingjay it seemed like the story lost its way. It wasn’t as engrossing as the other two.
It was a horrible decision to include an epilogue. In my opinion, those few final pages cheapen the story. The last sentence in the last chapter was perfect. What was the Collins and her editor thinking? Aside from that, this is a great and worthwhile read, and I would not categorize it simply as “Young Adult,” just because the protagonist is 16. The geo-political concepts pertaining to war, refugees, exploitation and corruption propel it beyond such a simplified categorization. A great story and a fine review.
I love your review! And one of the only few I agree to so far. I agree with “Catching Fire” having a reused plot, not unlike other opinions where they thought “Mockingjay” was a let down. I actually think the third book has a more real depth personally with it, after being thrown in with rebellion, grief and confusion. All in all, I love the series, for something classified under YA.
Thumbs up!
You’re one of the few I’ve heard of who agree. A lot of the folks I speak with about the trilogy feel the second one was better than the third and don’t understand how I see Catching Fire as derivative.
I completely agree that the second was kind of a let down (reused plot), when I found out there was another hunger games I can honestly say that I saw it coming. They also never really exlpained enough of the behind the scenes rebellion plans either. The next thing we new Katniss was on a hovercraft going to 13, slightly unstable. Then the third was just rushed. To me it just sort of seemed like she was giving up, or ran out of time to finish off the story. She spent so much time getting us connected with the characters and their lives, and all we get is…Prim dies, Gale leaves, and she goes back to District 12 without her mom. I felt cheated.
I agree completely. This is exactly how I felt. Cheated is a perfect word and it drove me to check reviews to see if anyone felt the same as me. I know books are supposed to leave something for the imagination, but after the build up, it was just plain rushed through. Gale just leaves? Just like that? They all leave her to wither away? Must have had a deadline to finish the book. But I must say I could not quit reading this series. I hate any story or movie, anything that involves children being hurt, injured, killed whatever…but I couldn’t put it down.
I disagree that Collins ripped off Battle Royale (you could say that both series “ripped off” Lord of the Flies). There’s the fight to the death stuff, yes, but the trilogy as a whole on very different themes. It’s not so much a story of a gladiator death match as it is a war story.
Also, I thought the epilogue was fitting. Katniss and Peta and frankly, most of the HG champions (and the war vets) had classic symptoms of PTSD. War, torture and hardship hardens you in horrific ways; we already saw Katniss was on the road to that in the first book anyway. (She wanted to drown Buttercup because that cat would have taken up valuable food supplies, it was only her sister that kept her from doing it.) If anything, her emotions expanded–in the first book, Prim is the only person she’s sure she loves, by the last, she knows there are more people she does love, and it’s cost her very, very dearly. She and Peta build as good a life as they can together but it’s not going to be happily ever after. Even going through the arena once, with no wartime experience, would have made that moot. But after the arena, war, betrayals, and torture, this is the best they can hope for. A quiet life is probably preferable to them.
I totally agree with your view of the overall ending. For me, the driving force in the trilogy was Katniss’ and Peeta’s relationship and where it was going to go, if anywhere. Once everything with the war was over, I was expecting a long, drawn-out ending that explained everything. As wonderful as I thought all three books were, I was disappointed that the ending didn’t have more going for it. I mean, she didn’t even name the kids, or go over all of the other surviving characters. Even though you say it’s just you who feels that way, I think many other people agree. I almost feel justified in feeling how I do about the ending now. Great review!
I was a fan of the first book, the second was… Meh, but the worst of the series was the third book.
It was as if Susan had too many ideas and themes, and decided to use them all. The end was anticlimactic (if you didn’t see the death of a *certain* person coming from a mile away… well…) and there was no real tension. Clearly since she was not in control of any of the situations she faced during her time in the Capital (unlike the games) Katness is basically pulled along, from encounter to encounter, without really understanding what was going on. Even at the end, she’s disconnected from the reality of what’s happened and decides to shelter herself from the world. What’s funny is that the author uses Gale and Peeta to tell her audience how shallow and predictable Katniss really is.
The first book is the only one worth reading again. Which is sad since this is a trilogy.
Completely agree! I forgave Catching Fire for doing little to forward the story because I thought it would be made up for in the end. Doh! Then I read Mockingjay and it was a mess. It felt like she gave up the original story line and just manipulated the plot of Mockingjay to show all of the war time atrocities she could think of.
I have to agree that Mockingjay was like the ending of the tv show Lost. However, upon first watching the Lost finale, I like it but the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it. The tv series raised so many plot lines that went nowhere and then gave us this overly sentimental ending that trumped the loopholes. That is not good story telling, it was the tv show equivalent of “And then I found five dollars.” I wanted to see what the island was in real time not have the whole series be nullified by “you spent the most important time in your life together.” I would’ve been fine with the ending of Lost if many of the plot lines had first been resolved.
This is actual a perfect comparison to Mockingjay. Catching Fire did not lead into Mockingjay and Mockingjay made Catching Fire nearly pointless. The tone and story shift that happens in Mockingjay should’ve begun (like so many Lost story lines) earlier. An example is the love triangle. Little happens on that front in Mockingjay which is realistic in a war setting. Then it is resolved in what felt like an afterthought. However, so much time is spent on the love triangle in Catching Fire which didn’t really go anywhere. Didn’t Collins outline ahead of time? The overall story arc and pacing was wrong. I also didn’t like that Katniss has no real growth in the end, she learned nothing. Her vengeance is never fully rebuked nor her being oblivious to the world around her. I guess I like YA with some sort of ‘coming of age.’ Also a lot of Katniss’s motivations in the end of the book are left too ambiguous. We are stuck inside of her head and don’t get to hear her most important thoughts.
I don’t agree with this review. You can tell that the writer of it is very biased, and focusing mainly on the negative. I however loved the whole series and I think that the third book was great, although I would have like her to develop Peeta and Katniss’s relationship more towards the end. I did think it was great how they said that the Games never really did end, and this was just another year of Games, except more than one person could survive. This continued what the first two books were about, but in a different fashion.
Loved the review. I agree wholeheartedly with all who have posted about the ‘end’ of the trilogy. I was so invested in these books, characters, and indeed the unnamed citizens of Panem, that when I reached the last chapter I was not only disappointed….I was devastated! I truly feel cheated by Collins, and I’ve thought about trying to start a ‘movement’ to demand a book four! The final chapter of “Mockingjay” was so rushed, so disjointed, and so uncharacteristically void of details, that I was left with feelings of actual anger at Collins for ‘cheating’ the reader! In the epilogue, she makes it a point to thank her husband for asking questions when he believed she should be providing answers. My immediate thought after reading the final chapter was that he must have skipped it; if he had read it, wouldn’t he have asked things like, “Okay. Why don’t you explain why Gale – Mr. Anti-Capitol – ends up working for it, not to mention destroying innocents along the way? And honey, can you explain in more detail why Katniss so distrusted the new president even though (the pres) kept her promises? Don’t you think, sweetheart, that your audience will want to know just a tad more about the development of Peeta and Katniss’ – especially Katniss’ – relationship (even if she chose her man by playing ‘Eenie, Meanie, Minie, Moe’?”
My strong guess is that Collins was bumping up against a deadline and her publisher was pressuring her to wrap it up as quickly as possible. I imagine that she would defend her decision by saying that she intentionally meant for the reader to feel rushed, and for the chapter to be disjointed, and the ‘gaps’ were intentional as well. Why? Because this was a way for the reader to experience what Katniss was experiencing…time flying by and memory lapses due to the medication (for her depression), disjointed thoughts, etc. Well, I don’t buy it. It would have been a far better ‘gift’ to those of us who committed ourselves to exploring and buying into the whole universe of Collin’s imagination to give us a book 4 (sequel). She took so much time developing these characters and painting incredibly vivid landscape in which they lived and with the final paragraph, she insulted my intelligence by essentially saying, “What’s the problem? I’m giving you a happy ending; that’s all you wanted, right?” No! Of course I was glad to know that ‘they’ hooked up in the end. But I also wanted to have closure wiht Gale, Mrs. Everdeen, and even Haymitch! Anyway. I vote for “The Hunger Sequel.”
OH YEAH!!
Wooh!! So behind you for the sequel! Happy to hear someone else actually feels devastated about the final end as much as me. Totally agree that it makes no sense for characters to just disappear with no actual real reason!! Like ‘Hello Collins but did you not see the gaping hole you left in your conclusion?!’ but yeah I can’t say ididnt enjoy itand what we’re you saying about that ‘movement’ thing?! I would LOVE a sequel!!
AS part of my English class assignment was too read The Hunger Games book a requirement for my class and upon starting the book found myself engrossed in the book and bought the trio for my kindle fire as it had a gripping tale so when i seen the movie come out i went on opening day and the dissappointment at the movie was an understatement and would tell people not to waste their money seeing the movie what a let down and i left before the movie had finished having read thousands of book and feel a good judge of books and movies im dissappointed that suzanne collins would allow the way the butchered her book in that movie i WILL not attend any more money they should of paid for better writers who could capture the context of the book the movie is a flop and hope people see the waste of money to see the second one coming out if its as rushed as the first one Blaine
A really good review and I also have to agree with you on a lot of points, but I also very much agree with Chickadee about the PTSD. To me, the very reason why I liked the books – the characters vere believable and grew on me along the story – was the reason I think the ending is what it is. Going through all that Katniss and Peeta went through damaged them so deep and left them so hurt (and I hurt with them, which is a sign of great writing), that anything else would be serious sugarcoating. The ending of the book is what the ending of the war was to the characters – chaotic, disturbed, and broken. Yes of course Collins could have gone further and been more detailed about their overcoming of it, but I don’t think that was her point. Her point was exactly that when you go through that kind of ordeal, it leaves you broken like this. And it can never be wholly repaired. And oh my do I wish they could be repaired! I yearned for a happy explanatory ending as well, something that would have made it all good, but that would be a whole another story.
I love The Hunger Games. But… with people that never read the books make fun of it, well… they should just read the summerize that the publisher of this website left. It would give them a whole new perspective of how the Games really are. But I also see Ella’s perspective too… It’s mostly targeted on the negitive events. It’s like the maker of this website has no love for The Hunger Games. But then again, the future reader will know some of what they’ll see and read later in the novels. The review was fair.
THE HUNGER GAMES RULES!!!! A MUST READ NOVEL SERIES!!!!:0
There… now I’m shouting to you that you MUST read the novel series with Katniss.
Evelyn: Team Katniss
ok , I’v read your reviews, who are all of you? capitol people? those who have everything, spoiled, in need of nothing they WANT, thinking nothing of the people who give you those things or what they endure to give them to you? look beyond the story telling of the Hunger Games, look at what Suzanne Collins is really telling everyone….So many of us have decent jobs, food on the table, a life filled with family, friends, possibilities of better things … how many people don,t? how many people do we forget? those who work 24-7 and are lucky to have the bare necessities,the people who fight every day just to keep their heads above water and those who cant even do that, those who, no-matter-what will never be equal to those with everything. This is what the Hunger Games is trying to tell everyone. If we continue with our greed and selfishness, if we continue to disregard those less off than ourselves then we will end up with nothing but the bare beginnings and lose everything……Do we have to go through death and destruction to become equal. READ BETWEEN THE LINES………….SEE INTO THE FUTURE
I want a fourth book telling the whole story from the point of view of Plutarch. There was so much about the worldbuilding that didn’t necessarily add up for me – I’d like to see how life looked from the Capitol perspective, and how and why the internal rebels emerged.
I do not like the ending! Prim shoudlnt have died. What ever happened to gale,kaitness’s mom,haymitch?!?! It only tells that peeta and kat had kids NOTHING else.. Let’s hope the movie brings closeur
Haymitch became her guardian and lived right next door. He started drinking again as well. Her mom stayed to help build a hospital in district 4 and Gale went to district 2. That’s what happened to them. It states all this in the last chapter
I have just finished the last installment of the hunger games trilogy. Upon closing the book I was filled with mixed emotions and agree that the concluding chapters are far too rushed leaving it quite hard at times to absorb what had happened, simply because too much was happening at too fast a rate. There are definitely themes that could have been less marginalised and explored in more depth. That said, I was completely drawn into the story, it’s characters and the vivid description of panem. The mixed emotions I felt at the end only clarify how captivating and enthralling collins world truly becomes and would highly recommend these books to anyone.
Just the same here…after closing the final book I was just filled with mixed emotions as you said! But definitely a great trilogy 🙂
I agree with you on most of your points. All three books I loved and would highly recommend them for anyone to read. In fact I may read them over and over again myself. The last few chapters of the last book did seem to go really fast and I had to re-read some of it just to make sure I got all of it. I was expecting her not to be so weak at times, but at the same time I can’t imagine what she went through and have no idea myself how I would act in her shoes. I think all the characters were well written and I can see how you or anyone else would think there should have been another book added. I would like for another one to be added as long as they don’t change certain things about the characters. I did love the fact that she ended up with Peeta and how they did have kids. All in all I loved all 3 books and will be reading them again. Can’t wait for the movies to come out.
Great anti war novel in Mockingjay
Honestly if it was not for the film I don’t think I would known about the hunger games but I enjoyed the film and ended up reading the books (besides the first one getting that later on) catching fire im not exactly sure what to make of it….I enjoyed it but not as much as i did with mockinjay again im not sure what made me enjoy it. after finishing the book like a few of the people here the ending did seem a bit rushed and also would have loved it if there was another book.
I absolutely love these books they are by far my favorite!!!!!!!! I have already read them twice and thinking about doing it a third time!!!!!! The movie was good to but they left so much out and it really bothered me that in the movie katniss gets her mockingjay pin from the hobb instead of madge…. I’m not sure why but it did.. these books are amazing though I’m sad they had to end!!!!!! And it sucks that prim dies in mockingjay!!!!! I mean that was the whole reason katniss volentered for the hunger games was so prim didn’t die!!!!!! That was the only part I didn’t like! Other then that I LOVE the books!11111
I would have to disagree with the overall review. I have read quite a few books/trilogies and this was the first time I could tell explicitly what gender wrote the books. The first book I must say was entertaining and made me want to read the next. The second book was disappointing. It mirrored the first book, but did not comliment it. I felt like I was reading a bad version of the first book. The third book was absolutely horrible. I don’t know how else to put it. Lack of imagination, predictable and way too emotional.
i thought the first book was bad but the rest were ok
I enjoyed reading your review of the hunger games and found myself agreeing however also disagree on points made. I’m 14 so I guess I may sort of fit into the YA category but I think it could still class as an adult book. I agree with you…the first book was gripping and i’d finished it with a day (I read fast for a teen I guess). I love the suspense of the book and how it was written from the view point of Katniss (at this point it may be good to add that yes I’m a sparkly vampire teen and I enjoyed it fading Stephanie meters Twilight…sorry) Maybe because im predictable and stuff but I really enjoyed the second book :/ 🙂 I think the second arena was alot better like you said and absolutely loved the suspense of Katniss and Peeta and the whole cover up. By the third book I was eager to see what I had to offer …At the starting was reading with slight enjoyment but not really loving the book as much of the others but I did get into the whole rebel thing. However the political stuff bored me. I found myself rereading pages after confusion over certain people and subjects. I do think the 3rd book did introduce alot more to the story will Peeta being taken and ‘hijacked’ by the capitol/snow (loved that part) but in the end it all got a big confusing for me. Katniss going crazy,shooting coin instead of snow (now I understand) and hello but what on earth happened with GALE!!! Ending was just plain rushed but it did sorta give me a some…’hope’ when I knew they had kids (I’m a sucker for happily ever afters) but the epilogue should have been longer if anything…so short! Collins did a great job but I think in the end killing of so many characters killed it 🙁 I miss prim. And gale. But I guess Katniss did have to choose ..but nahh distribution 2 excuse did. Do it forme. So all in all it was great apart from left a bit confused in the ending of book 3. Needed another bookmaybe.I just don’t feel whole with the ending (please leave me now to cry in a corner for a week) and now here’s me seeing how much I’ve said…could be areview in itself…oh well I think the order of my favourite books of the series go in order of the trilogy. 1.2.3