The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

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RuqeeD
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Re: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Post by RuqeeD »

J-Cran wrote:I also read the Hunger Games series off of a recommendation from several friends. I loved the first book and immediately went to the store and picked up the second and third. I was honestly let down by the second and completely annoyed by the third. I'm not one who has to have "happily ever afters" but to me this storyline and its characters had so much potential and the author didnt deliver. It was very strange to have a series where the first book is the most climactic and have the series go downhill from there. I plan on rereading it so I can see if I feel differently about it the second time around. I agree with the person who said they started disliking Katniss in the third. I was very disappointed in how she reacted to what happened to her. I also felt like the ending was rushed, like the author didnt have time to think it through and was trying to beat a deadline... I'm not sure if thats the case or not. Its very rare that a book disappoints me or leaves me feeling so irritated but this one definitely did. I still recommend the series bc the first book is so great and everyone reacts differently to the ending. But overall I was let down. I'm curious to hear from people who enjoyed the storyline overall and how they felt about the book ending the way it did.

****SPOILER ALERT****

I felt like people started dying unnecessarily. I was crushed when Finnach died, literally crying about the loss of his character. From there is just went down hill. The way Katniss had reacted to Peeta being kidnapped, the whole Peeta going crazy- all irritating. And Prim dying seemed cliche, (of course all of Katniss' hard work would be for nothing, she couldnt save her sister regardless) but it didnt bother me. I HATED the way Gale/Katnisss responded to it though. Gale didnt even fight to save their friendship and he supposedly loved her more than anything. They completely gave up on each other, after everything! Disappointing. I was happy she ended up with Peeta and the line the author put in explaining it (about she had enough fire of her own etc) seemed to really tie it together...but I wish she had spent more time on the end developing it. It just.... ended. Then flash forward thirty years (exaggeration, I dont remember how much time was supposed to have passed) and they have kids and are still dealing with the trauma of the games? Ugh.
Ok the trauma I can understand, but still the ending seemed so rushed and thrown together to me. I loved Haymich all throughout the series, he was to me the most developed character and seemed to grow the most throughout the story. And Cienna, loved him!! Anyone else feel the same?
It's like you went into my mind and put all my thoughts down because I literally feel exactly the same way! :lol:

**********************SPOILER****************
I agree with you about the ending being rushed and in the process she destroyed the characterisations of the main characters that she spent the first two book and most of the third one trying to develop.
Prim dying to me sort of made the first book completely redundant. Why go through all that to have her die in the end?
I completely agree with you about the way the author ruined Gale's character and consequently his relationship with Katniss. It's like she spent most of the second and third book trying to induce some sort of triangle very much akin to the Twilight saga (and Katniss did start to resemble Bella in my mind which is not a compliment). The killing of the president was predictable and that whole part was so badly done, it could have been an excellent climax but it was rushed and somewhat forced.

Cienna was great, it was a pity he had to die as with Finnich. (By that point he was more or less my only favourite character). I also felt that he had more depth than Katniss had and that even his relationship with Annie had more depth. I don't know if you felt the same way, which is why I was gutted when he was killed off.

It's a shame because I loved the first one and I guess I'm going to try to just write the other two out of my head, for me it was a one hit wonder! :D
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Doyag
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Post by Doyag »

J-Cran wrote: ****SPOILER ALERT****

I felt like people started dying unnecessarily. I was crushed when Finnach died, literally crying about the loss of his character. From there is just went down hill. The way Katniss had reacted to Peeta being kidnapped, the whole Peeta going crazy- all irritating. And Prim dying seemed cliche, (of course all of Katniss' hard work would be for nothing, she couldnt save her sister regardless) but it didnt bother me. I HATED the way Gale/Katnisss responded to it though. Gale didnt even fight to save their friendship and he supposedly loved her more than anything. They completely gave up on each other, after everything! Disappointing. I was happy she ended up with Peeta and the line the author put in explaining it (about she had enough fire of her own etc) seemed to really tie it together...but I wish she had spent more time on the end developing it. It just.... ended. Then flash forward thirty years (exaggeration, I dont remember how much time was supposed to have passed) and they have kids and are still dealing with the trauma of the games? Ugh.
Ok the trauma I can understand, but still the ending seemed so rushed and thrown together to me. I loved Haymich all throughout the series, he was to me the most developed character and seemed to grow the most throughout the story. And Cienna, loved him!! Anyone else feel the same?
****SPOILER ALERT****
I totally felt the same. The second book strayed away from the whole hunger games story line. it's like some different book.
The third was the most disappointing. The whole crazy story line with Peeta and Katniss's reaction. Prim's death.. and that Gale was somehow responsible.. um.. didn't like how things ended with those two either. though i wasn't a fan of Gale at all!
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Post by primrose777 »

My teenager gave me the series to read so I originally thought they were young adult fiction, which could be the case, I began reading them as a dutiful Mother to please her daughter and was swept away very quickly. Read all 3 in quick sucession and loved them. This series seems to be quietly infiltrating the reading community here, once the movie is released look out.
There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Zora Neale Hurston.
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lincolnp
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Post by lincolnp »

I read the first book on my Kindle, at the recommendation of the optometry tech where I get my glasses (and get them fixed). I enjoyed all 3 books and had a hard time putting them down. I am not sure that I actually want to see the movie. Someone will have to let me know if it was good.
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LynnHardy
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Post by LynnHardy »

I am of two minds about the first book in the series: I read the book in one day - it was a fast-paced, fun read. However, I had a hard time picturing a 16 year old that could handle the situations and circumstances portrayed in the novel. Is it possible that authors are writing books with young characters just to attracted the large YA audience?
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Post by virgowriter »

The book is an engaging read (and not just for a YA novel). The first paragraph--as I have been looking at structure quite a bit lately--is fairly well crafted, in that it introduces and accomplishes a lot for just a few sentences. I thought the pacing was great and the message was pretty interesting. The one gripe I have is that the end throws me. Given Katniss's ordeal, I didn't see her thinking about who she should consider dating at the end. seems like she would have several more weighty things on her mind.
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lincolnp
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Post by lincolnp »

Doyag wrote:
J-Cran wrote: ****SPOILER ALERT****

I felt like people started dying unnecessarily. I was crushed when Finnach died, literally crying about the loss of his character. From there is just went down hill. The way Katniss had reacted to Peeta being kidnapped, the whole Peeta going crazy- all irritating. And Prim dying seemed cliche, (of course all of Katniss' hard work would be for nothing, she couldnt save her sister regardless) but it didnt bother me. I HATED the way Gale/Katnisss responded to it though. Gale didnt even fight to save their friendship and he supposedly loved her more than anything. They completely gave up on each other, after everything! Disappointing. I was happy she ended up with Peeta and the line the author put in explaining it (about she had enough fire of her own etc) seemed to really tie it together...but I wish she had spent more time on the end developing it. It just.... ended. Then flash forward thirty years (exaggeration, I dont remember how much time was supposed to have passed) and they have kids and are still dealing with the trauma of the games? Ugh.
Ok the trauma I can understand, but still the ending seemed so rushed and thrown together to me. I loved Haymich all throughout the series, he was to me the most developed character and seemed to grow the most throughout the story. And Cienna, loved him!! Anyone else feel the same?
I agree totally, one of my favorite characters was Cienna - I felt that he was to only character who truly understood Katniss and didn't have any alterior motives.
****SPOILER ALERT****
I totally felt the same. The second book strayed away from the whole hunger games story line. it's like some different book.
The third was the most disappointing. The whole crazy story line with Peeta and Katniss's reaction. Prim's death.. and that Gale was somehow responsible.. um.. didn't like how things ended with those two either. though i wasn't a fan of Gale at all!
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LynnHardy
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Post by LynnHardy »

Wow, thanks for the honesty.... I won't bother with the rest of the series!
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Post by IzzyAlene »

I reciently finished the trilogy and really enjoyed it. The ending of the last book had me so mad if I hadn't been reading it on my kindle I would have thrown it. Then I realized that I must be pretty caught up in the story to have such a strong reaction. While Katniss doesn't always have the best attitude, she reacts the way any of us would. Even if we don't want to admit it. I highly recommend them.
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Post by matt_d »

J-Cran wrote:I also read the Hunger Games series off of a recommendation from several friends. I loved the first book and immediately went to the store and picked up the second and third. I was honestly let down by the second and completely annoyed by the third. I'm not one who has to have "happily ever afters" but to me this storyline and its characters had so much potential and the author didnt deliver. It was very strange to have a series where the first book is the most climactic and have the series go downhill from there. I plan on rereading it so I can see if I feel differently about it the second time around. I agree with the person who said they started disliking Katniss in the third. I was very disappointed in how she reacted to what happened to her. I also felt like the ending was rushed, like the author didnt have time to think it through and was trying to beat a deadline... I'm not sure if thats the case or not. Its very rare that a book disappoints me or leaves me feeling so irritated but this one definitely did. I still recommend the series bc the first book is so great and everyone reacts differently to the ending. But overall I was let down. I'm curious to hear from people who enjoyed the storyline overall and how they felt about the book ending the way it did.

****SPOILER ALERT****
I agree with everything you said 100%. Especially the rushed feeling of the ending. Haymitch and Cienna were also my favorite characters as well.
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RobinCarvacci
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Post by RobinCarvacci »

LynnHardy wrote:I am of two minds about the first book in the series: I read the book in one day - it was a fast-paced, fun read. However, I had a hard time picturing a 16 year old that could handle the situations and circumstances portrayed in the novel. Is it possible that authors are writing books with young characters just to attracted the large YA audience?

Hey Lynn,

It is hard to imagine at that age, even younger from our perspective in our world or perspective. Yet, I do see how it would be possible. Check out the photojournalism of James Mollison's Where Children Sleep. If you google you will find the NYTimes posting of images and these children's lives all over the world. Some are harrowing and unimaginable. But, remind me that outside my own safe little world here, there are circumstances out there that are indeed a reality beyond our own personal frame of reference or 'our personal safe sliver in the world.
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Post by willowrose »

This is probably lame of me but I just wanted to state that I'm still waiting for this book to come in from the library even though I have it, the first one, sitting here on my shelf. ;p I have a thing about not wanting creases in my book covers so I won't actually read my own!

But anyway I am looking forward to reading it, although if you're depending on the library, definitely get your requests in now, for the whole trilogy. The more the movie is hyped the more requests are going to go on the books.

I had a friend that read them and tore them to pieces. She didn't like, what she called, the "simplicity" of the books. They're YA, but of course that doesn't mean "simplicity" so I'm super curious to see if I can figure out what she meant (I don't talk to her anymore or else I'd ask ;p ))
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Post by jennabrooke7 »

my english class started reading the book about a week ago. we are planning on taking nearly all the senior class to see the movie on march 23. :D i personally can't wait for the movie. i am in the third book and a love it. i am excited for the movie as a whole but i am most excited to see woody harrelson play haymitch abernathy. whoever cast this move did an amazing job with him!
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Poppy
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Post by Poppy »

I just signed up so I could join this conversation.... I just finished the series this past weekend and I quite enjoyed it.
*spoiler alert*
i knew from a previous review on another site about Prim so I wasn't caught by surprise . While I was really hoping the reviewer was lying i must say it didn't ruin the series for me because yes, what Katniss originally had fought for was taken from her, BUT it was on Prim's own terms not the Capital's terms. Katniss gave Prim a choice she wouldn't have had if she had gone to the games when ner name was chosen.
I was crushed that Finnick died...crushed!
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Post by shoekaloo »

omg the hunger games is like wow i am on the first one and its just great i can't get over it and i havent stated the games yet sssssssssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooo good i just love it i cant leve it eney were if i do i cry :( but wen rue dies in the movie i cryed i hate kado but i am loveing it great boook love it love it
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