After hearing for months how I needed to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I finally decided to give them a try. I downloaded the first book to my Nook by Barnes & Noble (shameless plug over) and was immediately drawn into the world that the author had created. I read the first two books in the series in consecutive days....alas they were before the turn of the year so my beautiful bride won't let me count the whole series toward my goal!
I'm almost done with the third and final book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, so I will reserve judgement on how she wraps up the storyline until I finish. I read a lot of reviews of people saying that the third book was the weakest. Again, I haven't finished, but so far I disagree. It's not weaker than the first two books in the series, but it is heavier in a sense. You can tell that the author is trying to make her most profound moral statements in this book so there is less focus on it being an edge of your seat thriller when compared to the other books in the series.
My biggest complaint about the series isn't that it's not a good read.....it's that it could have been so much more. It could have been truly epic. The world that the author creates, Panem, has so much potential. There is so much opportunity to really bring these characters to life. It's not that the books lack character development, but it's really relegated to the main trio. It is a shame because Collins introduces side characters that have truly interesting stories that could have added to the overall experience. Oh well, I digress. Thank you JRR Tolkien for setting the bar so high that I look for every good book to be great.
I'll let you know how I feel about the conclusion of the series when I finish.....until then!
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