the hunger games

i originally read the hunger games when i was in middle school but since it’s been gaining a lot of attention lately due to the new prequel's movie coming out, i thought i’d give it a reread! 

unfortunately this book is not as good as i remember, but i think that’s natural considering it’s probably been at least a solid six or seven years since i last read it. my brain chemistry has definitely changed from when young adult dystopians were my favorite genre in middle school. 

one of my biggest realization was that katniss is very unlikable. when i had originally read the book i remember being quite fond of her character. although i do understand that first person narration makes it more likely that i am not going to like katniss, since i’m reading all of her thoughts first hand, she was frustrating to read. she was often confused about peeta’s actions when it was blatantly obvious why he did what he did. it’s all a means of survival, which i would expect her to understand since she’s portrayed as an intelligent character who was forced to survive as a child. if she  is capable of outsmarting the capitol, then peeta's motives should've been as clear as day. 

having mentioned katniss’ first person perspective, the writing style is not my favorite, but then again i understand that katniss isn’t the most descriptive  or emotionally in tune character. regardless, the writing was really straightforward and for me personally, such a writing style doesn’t align with my personal preferences but i don't fault collins for that.

one component i thought was interesting was katniss’ braid as a motif throughout the novel. it’s a symbol of home but specifically her family, which essentially drives her life force, pushing her to volunteer and then survive the games. when katniss is on the brink of death, apart of it gets singed off, but when she wins the games she braids it once again. 

something new during this reread was that i think peeta is my favorite character. there’s something refreshing about killing someone with kindness in such a morbid society. he was also just overall very charming.

i’m currently debating whether i want to reread the rest of the series, but i’d say this is a good middle grade and young adult book! it’s accessible and it’s message is pretty easy to grasp with the capitol’s leisure coming at the price of children’s lives and innocence.