The Hunger Games
It might interest you to know that this is the first popular (and when I say popular, I mean with a cult following) young adult novel I have ever read. I didn't touch Twilight, I've never immersed myself in Harry Potter and I only really wanted to read this one because the movie looked cool... so... yeah. I wasn't expecting great things from The Hunger Games and instead got to be pleasantly surprised by how... non-terrible it was. I liked it. I mean, it probably won't make my favourite books list ever, but I got a kick out of it and it made me think. I appreciate that in a book.
One reason it won't ever make favourite book status: THE FIRST PERSON PRESENT TENSE. NOOO. I severely dislike present tense in a story; I always find myself thinking, Why? Why would you do that? What does it add? It's so silly and distracting! I deal better with first person, but definitely prefer third person, all the way. I never really got used to the present tense thing, it distracted and annoyed me for the whole trilogy.
I passionately hate love triangles and this one was no exception - every time a story gives me a 'girl torn between two men, unsure of which she loves' line I gag and presently hate the girl. Katniss is interesting and has so much going on besides the 'pick a boy' thing that she manages to still remain relatable and likeable, but I still think that every love triangle should be cut before publishing, if only because it's a kind of drama that weakens the central character rather than giving her strength. (I've obviously never read a love triangle story with a dude in the middle. I don't think it would be any better though.) In Katniss's case, the weakening was actually needed, but still. Silly love triangles.
I also found myself wishing for more stuff to happen, particularly during the Games itself - there was a lot of missed opportunity for conflict and story. Although, after reading the third book I can no longer accuse Suzanne Collins of pulling punches or letting characters get off easy. *Shudder* But I'm getting ahead of myself...
I enjoyed this one a lot, though I spent a great deal of time mentally spluttering I hate love triangles. I hate them. Hate. Hate. Hate! Catching Fire is a typical 'second book of a trilogy' in some ways, particularly the first half - my liking of Katniss's character was certainly dented by her inability to decipher whether she loved Peeta or Gale, though, because the 'desperately resourceful survivor' element was somewhat missing. I don't like prolonged character angst and I did like how the Katniss of the first book was tough with herself and didn't linger in negative thinking. The Katniss of Catching Fire I admired less, chiefly because of my own desire for something to happen. And it does, of course, and the story and new characters are fairly interesting - not quite as gripping as the first book, but still scary and suspenseful and what not.
I hate to return to it, but HOW DOES KATNISS HAVE TROUBLE DECIDING? HOW? THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE WITH PEETA. HE IS LOVELY. This point of view has a lot to do with how badly Mockingjay hit me...
SPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERSSPIOLERSSPOILERSSPOILERS (Probably)
Mockingjay
Well... I really do have to say that this is my least favourite book in the series. Did I complain before that Collins missed opportunities for conflict? I'm sorry, I have to interrupt this review for a brief keyboard smash.
ASDLFKJASDL;FKJASDKL;GHAKLSJFGHASKFJSDLKASDL;FJASKL;DFJAKSDLJHFI
There, I'm done now.
This. Book. Was. Brutal.
Gosh. I'm still recovering from the emotional trauma of it all. I must repeat: DON'T STAY UP TIL THREE IN THE MORNING READING THIS STUFF. So many bad things happen. I mean, this series is all about a dystopian future in which bad stuff happens, right? The first book is all about children having to kill each other, which is heavy; the second is all about um, well, I don't actually know how to sum it up neatly like that... but, well, people kill each other, bad stuff happens, etc. Mockingjay is about how war turns people into monsters (even literally sometimes, though I still think the 'muttation' thing is silly). Everything a reader might cling to is stripped away - beginning with the cliffhanger from the previous book. There is nothing to like, almost nothing to root for: all the characters do things and have things done to them that push every boundary I know of as regards character development. Some that you thought were surely immune to being killed off... aren't. Nobody can be trusted. Nothing is safe.
The third book in a series is a really strange place to start reminding readers that your protagonist is a clueless, overwrought seventeen-year-old girl, I think, and the sudden visibilty of Katniss's fallibility is a bit shocking for a faithful reader. You forget about likeability and just have to grit your teeth and sit through all the nasty... and Peeta! Peeta! I just don't have words.
When reading a book, some people enjoy most the plotting, some the message, some the atmosphere or the style or the world building. I'm a character person. I love characters, good, well written characters. I like to see them suffer and win, I like to watch them make hard choices and do the right thing and be happy.
Suzanne Collins, do you hear that slow, heavy clap ringing from the back of the room? That's me, expressing my simultaneous awe, disbelief, confusion and disapproval. How can you do that? How can you push your characters like that? I'm struggling with it and I'm only the reader! Collins doesn't just take risks, she snatches them up and hits you in the face with them. I don't know how I feel about it, but I do know I'll never be able to do that myself.
Before checking out, why not treat yourself to the awesome art of this lady? Genius.
No comments:
Post a Comment