The Hunger Games Series

Well, a post is definitely long over due. Although I have a good excuse! I am in a book club and this month's book was The Hunger Games. I started reading and could not stop! Literally. I immediately bought the second book, read it in a little less than a week and then bought the third book and finished it in a day and a half! I have never read a book so fast in my life but it totally consumed me. I couldn't think about anything else and i have been really busy/productive lately so i just decided to put all my plans on hold for the weekend and do nothing but read. It was fantastic. The lazy weekend and the book, actually. Here is a very basic review to avoid spoilers.

The first book, The Hunger Games, was very good in itself. There is lot of action and characters you can relate to. Some of the problems/conflicts that occur are predictable but i didn't think the resolutions were.

The second book, Catching Fire, was still an interesting book but i didn't feel like it completed enough of a story arc to be a stand alone book. It was definitely meant to setup book three and because of that it felt more like "Part One" of book three instead of an individual book in a series. The love triangle angst was full force in this one.

Book three, Mockingjay, was just as exciting as the first with lots of action and thankfully less love triangle angst than the second. I thought the ending could not be more perfect. There were some parts towards the end that really grabbed me.

Katniss, the main character, is a strong female lead but is still very real. She has her weaknesses and often over thinks things which leads her to be wishy-washy and sometimes make the wrong decision. In fact, she makes her best decisions in "spur of the moment" type situations because she is so passionate and determined to do the right thing. She doesn't see her self as very compassionate but in reality she is compassionate constantly without even realizing it. She does have a lot of "relationship boy drama" going on throughout the series but i think that is realistic for a 17 year old girl.

I would comment on her love interest but i don't think i could without spoiling something. (Dang it!)

The books do a good job of building on the characters so i felt like i watched them grow up and mature. I experienced them coming into the person they were at the end and because of that I understood their actions and decisions based on previous things i had seen in them.

I noticed a lot of commentary on modern day society, especially in the last book, that were on the verge of being harsh but i felt had a lot of truth to them and were very thought provoking. However, what really drew me to the series was behind the angsty love triangle relationship, there was this unwavering love and self sacrifice for loved ones that happened repeatedly. It was having that person that will alway be there for you emotionally, do absolutely anything for you, and never leave your side. To me, that is unconditional love x100. Maybe this makes me sappy or a hopeless romantic but i just can't help it because what makes this hit even closer to home is that every bit of it makes me think of my husband, James.

I truly am the lucky one.