So now that I’ve finally finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I want to discuss! I’m kinda bummed I missed the boat on this series when the first book came out because I would’ve loved to find a good Hunger Games podcast to listen to and listen to them theorize. Jay just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night and although I’m thrilled to be able to talk HP with someone who it’s all brand new to, I feel sad that he missed out on the Pottercast and Mugglecast experiences. I miss the days of intense fan theorizing and over-analyzing, for both Harry Potter and for Lost. I miss the excitement of listening to podcasts and going to the message boards and YuBlogging along with an episode… I wish that I had been able to do that with this series. Are there any good HG podcasts out there?
But I digress.
I loved the first two books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. I loved every moment Katniss and Peeta were in the area and I was rootin’ for those two crazy kids to get together the entire time. THG and CF were so clever and you were into the characters’ survival and really felt like you were there in the books. I didn’t always like Katniss herself, to be honest. She just annoyed me at times. I think this was my problem with the last book, Mockingjay. It didn’t have the same feel as the first two. There also wasn’t enough Peeta who is the heart of those books. Gale doesn’t bring out Katniss’s good qualities like Peeta does and I think without him, every single thing that bugs me about Katniss was emphasized all the more. I loved the war storyline but come on…how many chapters were spent with Katniss needing to be sedated and then wandering around while whining? Totally normal reaction? Yes. Heroine reaction? No.
I thought the districts going to war storyline was well done, particularly how it led up to it. I was hoping President Coin would have gotten what was coming to her in a different way because say what you want about Katniss but she wasn’t a killer. You can argue she was grieving for the 600th straight page or out of her mind or wanted revenge BUT that doesn’t necessarily mean that would automatically turn her into a killer. The point of the first two books was that she killed to protect and survive and only did so when it was absolutely, completely necessary. I would have liked to have seen Coin answer for what she did, even if it could have meant serious repercussions against the rebel leaders. I’m glad that she didn’t kill Snow for the same reason that I don’t like that she killed Coin. I loved that Katniss and Peeta ended up together in the end. I wish that we had had more of those moments between them. Looooved that she ended the story with “Real.” It was realistic of Collins to acknowledge the lingering damage to her psyche in the Epilogue. I was so sad when the series was over. I’d love to visit a post-Panem Rebellion era in another book series. I hope Collins indulges us with more.
