The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It was OK. I couldn’t help but think that this would be really exciting new territory for someone who doesn’t read science fiction. It appears to be targeted at the same demographic as Twilight with a very Twilight-esque love triangle.
The most annoying part is how the protagonist has amazing insight and stubborn, idiotic, blindness at turns depending on what is going to move the plot forward or draw out the story. This reveals in cumbersome inner-dialogue explaining history, external motives or her fears. The problem is that, most of the time, it is unnecessary and interrupts the flow of the narrative.
There are also some real inconsistencies in the world-building that I would have liked explained. Especially in the education of the populace. Why would children in District 12 even go to school to work in the mines? Why would the Capital waste their energy on violent suppression when they could control so much easier by giving and taking technology, medicine, food, etc… It just doesn’t seem that well thought out.
