My Secret Addiction

For the most part, I found that The Hunger Games was impossible to put down.  The beginning of the book wasn't necessarily a "page-turner" because there was a lot of background information that Suzanne Collins needed to explain before the plot could really take off.  However, it wasn't as if the first few chapters were hard to read; they were still somewhat intriguing because the concept of the story was so original.  By the part of the plot when the Hunger Games actually began, I found my eyes glued to each page, obsessing over every word.  I actually became addicted and by homework from other classes started piling up before I realized it.  I believe that what makes this book so incredible is its originality and its wide range of emotions.  Although the theme of the book has been portrayed before, the setting and the plot always kept me wondering what would happen next.  Many books today seem to be quite predictable, but with the unexplored world of Panem, I never knew quite what to expect, and Suzanne Collins never failed to surprise me.

          I also experienced so many emotions while reading this book, which made it difficult to stop reading.  The novel made me excited, because of the intensity of the Hunger Games.  When there was less action, I felt other emotions that were more heartfelt, like love.  The ever-growing affections between Peeta and Katniss was sotouching that I myself has warm fuzzy feeling from simply reading about their relationship.  I also experienced anger.  This emotion was always directed toward the Capitol.  Even when a competitor killed another competitor that I'd grown to love, I wasn't angry at the person who committed the murder, I was angry at the Capitol for putting them in that situation.  In addition, I experienced a lot of despair, like when Katniss' alliance, Rue is murdered by one of the other competitors.  Finally, I felt triumphant when Peeta and Katniss finally won the games and manipulated the Capitol's rules.

         Overall, this book was an excellent read and I'd recommend it to anyone.  I even think it would be a good book to read for a novel study in high school.  Although it's more modern that traditional novels studied in class, Suzanne Collins rights extremely well and there are many underlying themes that could be discussed or debated.