Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Hunger Games Trilogy

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Finding A Flawed, Relatable Heroine and Her Hero

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018

My long ago 9th grader classical history students alerted me to this trilogy during a discussion on the Minotaur. I asked if anyone knew what a "tribute" was and every hand shot up. We had a sidebar on the Hunger Games. As soon as class was dismissed, I ordered my Kindle copy.

I immediately understood Katniss: the mindset to survive unthinkable tragedy, to distrust as first reflex, to protect others, to wrap oneself in emotional distance - yep I got that. Refusal to be a game piece, to surrender myself, That she was in her teens and I in my 40's mattered not a whit. Still, many years later, Katniss and I amble through a reunion - a literary walkabout is still a fresh experience. This is unusual for me. (The films, though entertaining and generally well done, can't compete with the story in my head. Though I confess the idea of drinking fruit juices recommended by s Donald Sutherland voiceover can give me chills.)

Peeta's deep love for Katniss and her misunderstanding of it in so many ways - especially feeling unworthy of it - I also understand. I am fortunate to have married my Peeta. He may not have Collins' character 's gift for the right words, I know he loves me always.

The other marvelous folks who populate the books are an odd sort of family now. Reading their collective story never gets old. And they always remind me to be my fierce though flawed, self and never be a piece in anyone's games.

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Kelsey Anderson

Stories are great but book came moldy!! (EDITED)

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2019

I read this series years ago and loved it. I bought this used set on Amazon for my son and one of the books came to me MOLDY. Note, in the pictures, the box itself is not moldy. Gross. Don't buy from this seller.

ETA 11/19: I didn't ask for a refund because 1.5 of the books were readable, and it was my busy season so the effort didn't feel worth it to me. The seller refunded me unprompted, which I do very much appreciate. Changing my star rating to reflect the good customer service.

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Shieldmaiden

Finding A Flawed, Relatable Heroine and Her Hero

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018

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80 people found this helpful

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Zach Cox

Required Reading For All Politicians And Military

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2017

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This book is, of course, written from the viewpoint of a young woman, but the lessons she learns, and the lessons she can not un-learn are, in our real world, critical for us to know, understand and never forget.

We as a species stand on the knife edge of our continued existence. We are not struggling in some post apocalyptic state, yet. However we are trying our damnedest to get there.

Our evolutionary heritage as a top predator has become our current evolutionary excess baggage.

Additionally the way our minds were constructed by natural selection to allow us to become a social species is a disaster when we consider how they allow us to be manipulated by fake, made up, and pure crap ideas that are just yelled loudly at us from sources that we do not, and can not question based on how we evolved to form social groups.

We must understand this if we are to persist as a species.

Our big brains do know how to self train to engage in contemplative scientific thought.

To the extent we require ourselves to exercise our big brains in this manner with a view toward curbing our evolutionary heritage that is preventing us from being sustainable: We will succeed.

To the extent we do not or can not: We will not persist.

25 people found this helpful

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Janine

A great series that got me thinking with fast pace and memorable characters

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2018

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The Hunger Games trilogy is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen that at her core, is struggling to survive in her dystopian world built on top of an apocalypse that occurred an unknown time before the story, wanting to protect those close to her. Already stoic and somewhat emotionally detached coming in, she’s put in the ringer, starting when she subs in for her sister Prim to participate in The Hunger Games, a live TV event where children are forced to kill each other until only one remains.

The books themselves are all fast paced with great twists and cliffhangers at just about every chapter to get you to read more. For the most part, I was pulled into the story, outside of some parts of Mockingjay where I felt the story dragged in parts, mostly the second third. The characters are fleshed out, and while some characters don’t get a lot of story time, you feel for most of them and I was stunned by quite a few of the deaths (there’s a lot of this in the series). Katniss herself was a great character that fit her story. She struggles with herself and the story isn’t afraid to delve into the darkness within her, especially as we get later in the series. Despite all this, she persists to protect what she loves and has the wits, knowledge and physical strength to last through her trials. The country of Panem is fleshed out well throughout, and while it’s obvious from the first chapter how depraved it is, we see how dystopian this world is as the series moves on. It doesn’t bog down on a bunch of backstory more than what’s needed on the story. I loved the themes and questions the story trotted out, which got me to think a lot about the world and humanity. While there’s a love/hate towards the love triangle aspect in fandom, I thought it was not bad and didn’t distract from the plot as much as I thought, but I disagreed with some aspects and thought to an extent unneeded. I suspect it’s here partly due to the success of Twilight and it’s love triangle. Without giving too much away, I liked the way the series ended and I felt satisfied.

The quality of the box set is great, no issues with the book quality themselves; all sturdy and I love the black with the color text that accompanies each book (yellow, red, blue). The covers are a bit different than the original USA hardcovers, as I presume it’s based on the UK covers, but they all have the uniform style expected in a package like this one. I do have a bit of a struggle of jarring a book out when all three are in the box, but shifting the box gets them out without much of a problem. I recommend this set as a great way to dive into this landmark YA series.

Note: I gave this a five based on an average score of the books, which I gave detailed reviews of each elsewhere. I gave “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” 5/5 and “Mockingjay” 4/5.

27 people found this helpful

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JJW

An important contribution to the conversation for readers of any age

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2015

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I saw the first Hunger Games movie before I ever read the books, but I enjoyed the movie enough to buy the Kindle book version. This is a well written trilogy, and you experience this world from the first person perspective of the Katniss Everdeen character.

Both the Hunger Games and Catching Fire are very well written with a tight narrative, but the storytelling gets a bit too expansive and jumbled by The Mockingjay. I would say the 4 movies are the most faithful and accurate adaptations of novels I have ever watched. There were very few deviations from plot, theme, and character. The only notable of those would be the elimination of Madge Undersee and Delly Cartwright and the increased presence of Effie Trinkett in the Mockingjay. I found Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2 better than the book, actually.

Overall, I find the premise and setup of the story quite interesting, if not a little bit too plugged into the Climate Change hysteria. It becomes obvious from the books that the real issue creating slavery and hunger in this dystopian world is government control and overreach, not rising sea levels. There appears to be abundant food out beyond the walls of these districts, if only the people had the courage or opportunity to venture out there.

In summary, a fast read for readers of any age and an excellent addition to the debate and discussion of government power, oppression, and other relevant topics.

10 people found this helpful

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Mario Gutierrez

Terrific Read

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2012

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I am not a big fan of bestsellers as a rule. My literary tastes tend away from the mainstream and off to the fringes of speculative fiction. I avoided the hype on this one for quite some time, but finally succumbed when people kept telling me I had to read it. This book is a clear exception to the norm of bestseller lists.

Many of you will recognize this as the old Spartacus / Gladiator story. Which is not a put-down in any sense -- she spun this old slave turned gladiator turned revolutionary trigger tale masterfully! The best tales can be told over and over again by great writers and be fresh and exciting in each telling.

Suzanne Collins has that rare combination of skills -- she is a really good writer and a great storyteller. I literally could not put this down once I started reading it. I read all three books in less than three days as I just had to find out what happened next. I thought the first book was the best of the three, but all of them were very, very good. I would say more, but if you haven't yet had the story spoiled for you (I hadn't), I won't ruin it for you.

Personally, I thought the ending was just right -- it would have been thematically incongruous to wrap this up the way many people seem to have desired.

I also don't get the complaints about the Kindle formatting. I read this Kindle edition (on a Fire) and had absolutely no issues. Yeah, there was a typo or two, but that's about it. If the formatting had sucked, I wouldn't have been able to finish the entire trilogy in less than three days. ;)

I recommend this book highly -- very highly. You might want to keep a box of tissues nearby for some of it, though -- parts of it are absolutely heartbreaking.

8 people found this helpful

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Bri

A Series That Will Haunt You!

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2013

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This world that Suzanne Collins has created, is amazing. If you were like me and disliked books, after reading these it will change your mind. I had read this series 3 years ago and it still keeps me up at night thinking about Katniss's amazing story. This is a series that I can read over and over again, and never get tired of. Now, if you aren't picking these amazing books up because it's a YA book, you should really look past that. And ignore the whole "next Twilight" because you can't compare. You will have quotes stuck in your mind. Once you pick these books you will not be able to put these down. I decided to buy this boxed set because my older books were in terrible condition. I love these books, the box is a nice little box. Now about the series, characters are not one dimensional, they are defenitly relateable. The love triangle plays along well in the story, yes there is a love triangle in here, but it's really something minor compared to all the other things that are going on.

The Hunger Games: In a post apocalyptic future nation, lies Panem. Panem is made of 12 districts, and the the Captiol, which is in charge of all the other districts. Each district is in charge of a particular source such as district 7 being in charge of Lumber. Before, there use to be 13 districts, but all 13 districts rebelled against the Capitol. The Captol blew up district 13. As for a punishment and reminder, all 12 districts must participate in the annual Hunger Games, where for the Captiol's entertainment, they force 1boy and 1girl from each district to fight to death, which is broadcasted live. The Capitol treats their districts very poorly, they also like to place bets on who will make it out alive. Now in district 12 we meet our heroin Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers as tribute after her sister Primrose Everdeen is chosen. There is a age range 12-18. Katniss is forced into an arena where she must fight to stay alive, along side fellow tribute Peeta Mellark, whom she feels owes something, because Peeta Mellark saved her from death.

Catching Fire: The second installment of the Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta have survived the hunger games. But it's not at all what Katniss wanted it to be like. President Snow is keeping a close eye on her. Peeta has turned his back on her. And so has her best friend Gale. Katniss must continue to act in love, for Snow has warned her, if she doesn't act in love and makes it convincing she isn't just putting herself in danger. There is unrest in the districts. There might even be rebellion starting and if Katniss and Peeta fail to convince people that they were driven by mad love for each other, then they can end up in a serious situation. And that's not all there have been rumors that district 13 does exist.

Mockingjay: The third and final installment of the Hunger Games. Katniss thinks she should be dead, after surviving not once but the hunger games twice. After being rescued from the arena, katniss finds out that district 13 does in fact exist. It had been planed to rescue Katniss from the arena from the beginning, the only people that didn't know about it was Katniss and Peeta. Peeta was captured by the Captiol, and Katniss also learns that her home was destroyed. The rebellion against the Captiol has boken into full force, and they want Katniss to become the symbol of the rebellion, they want her to become the Mockingjay. But can Katniss put all her hurt and empty feelings inside to become the peoples Mockingjay.

2 people found this helpful

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David Bower

An Exciting Story and an Excellent Addition to any Collectors Library

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2012

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My first introduction to the Trilogy was the movie; I had not even heard of the books and had completely missed out on any discussion generated by the books. When the movie came out then even I couldn't help hearing about "The Hunger Games." I resisted seeing the movie in theaters and finally rented the movie on streaming video and watched it once and then watched it again; I now have the Blu-ray version of the movie and expect to buy the final two when they are released.

I was captivated by the movie, the characters and the story and immediately ordered this boxed set of the Trilogy. I am a book collector and love books; I love their feel and their smell and enjoy seeing them sitting on the shelves of one of our many bookcases. Therein, of course, is the problem, they take up space; space I don't begrudge them because they are like old friends waiting to be discovered again.

"The Hunger Games Trilogy" is now one of my new best friends and I recommend it highly to all those brave enough to consider the dangers posed by a totalitarian dictatorship. Since the set came in after I had watched the movie I started reading Book 2, "Catching Fire," immediately. I had decided I would read books 2 and 3 then go back and read Book 1; I was very curious what was going to happen to Katniss and the others. One good thing about books 2 and 3 is they each pick up where the preceding book left off; just as if they were the next chapter, which, in a sense, they are.

The story is not complete in any one book; it takes all three to tell the story of Katniss and the others, their bravery and determination in the face of what appears to be overwhelming odds against them. The major characters are all from District 12, one of the poorer districts in a dictatorship called Panem, an area once called North America. District 12 includes what had been called Appalachia and is the source of Panem's supply of coal, an important energy source.

District 12 had once been part of a revolt against "The Capitol" which resulted in their enslavement along with the other 11 districts. There had been a District 13 but it had been destroyed during the revolt and no longer existed. In Book 1, "The Hunger Games," the reader is introduced to the general situation in Panem and is told the story of a tool used by the dictatorship to control the enslaved peoples of the 12 districts, a so-called game in which young people between the ages of 12 and 18 are drafted each year, one boy and one girl from each district, to compete to the death in a controlled environment which would be in Book 1, the 74th annual Hunger Games contest. The winner would receive rewards and privileges for themselves and their districts for one year following their victory.

In Book 2, "Catching Fire," the story of the unintended consequences resulting from the 74th annual Hunger Games begins to complicate life for the dictatorship who decides steps must be taken to correct the situation. Each 25 years a special feature is added to the games to excite the jaded interests of the spectators from "The Capitol." In Book 2 that special twist seems to offer an opportunity to both entertain and bring resolution to the growing problem faced by the dictator, President Snow.

In Book 3, "Mockingjay," there is further development of an unexpected hope first revealed in Book 2 and things start to get very difficult in Panem. This is the book of the revolution and with this book final resolution is achieved for the moment. In each book the scale of the action grows until the exciting final battle is revealed which sets the stage for the new Panem.

These are exciting stories and have earned an honored place in my collection of fantasy and science fiction. One last plus for the collector; these are all hardback first editions.

One person found this helpful

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Lives Up To Its Press ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2013

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"The Hunger Games Trilogy" is one work of fiction that lives up to its press. Suzanne Collins has created characters and a world that are both fascinating and disturbing.

Elements of history and religious themes are skillfully woven throughout all three novels which make up the trilogy. District 1, the Capitol, reflects the decadence and depravity of both the Roman Empire and the Egyptian Pharaohs. The twelve separate districts are reminiscent of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Each has a specific occupational function within the nation; each remains separate from the others; some districts are deemed more desirable and prestigious than others.

Characters throughout "The Hunger Games Trilogy" experience personal growth. Emotions are real; reactions are genuine; and relationships, as they do in life, develop or wane. Challenges occur and are dealt with differently by different individuals; some will rise to confront the situation and others will take shelter within themselves or in the world of addiction. Violence impacts each character and every situation is one which may deteriorate into bloodshed and death. Some will survive and thrive; some will not. Those, who might be least expected to surprise you, may do so.

All three books which make up "The Hunger Games Trilogy" are engaging and will maintain your interest throughout. I do recommend reading the complete trilogy straight through. If you choose to read the three components of this work separately, you may find yourself spending time wondering what will happen next and how issues and relationships are resolved.

Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games Trilogy" lives up to its press - it is a 5-star work of fiction. It is a series that is difficult to put down and impossible to forget.

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Joan B

A masterwork on the strength of human spirit.

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2019

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Just finished probably my fifth reading since this was released, and again finding new facets of Katniss's story. The films were well done, but the books have the mental and emotional impact of epic myth. I'm not a Young Adult, the books' target audience, but an adult who's seen enough of life and current society to recognize this as a cautionary tale, full of moral and social lessons, and about how one person, possessing strength she didn't know she had, and manipulated by the goals of others, can be a catalyst to change the world, though maybe not as her manipulators intended. (Oh, and it's also a fantastically gripping and entertaining read!) If you've seen the movies, read the books. They're the only way fully to understand Katniss's world and her real victory. I only wish there were more than 5 stars!

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Saturn 9

A Trilogy for All Seasons!

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014

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This Trilogy is worth every penny and so much more. These books kept me glued to my seat and I couldn't stop until I had read all three. A perfect example of what can happen when Big Brother is watching 24/7. The Hunger Games punishment that has been forced on the 12 Districts for 74 years, before Katniss' story begins, is unforgiveable. The forced slaughter of 1,798 children (excluding Victors), including the Quarter Quells for the first 3 quarters is barbaric. I have read other reviewers comments and agree that our society today can become this way if we are not careful. This book is excellently written. The characters are real and believable. The pacing perfect. I found myself cheering on Katniss, Peeta and Gale. But there are many other characters, though they may be minor, that are touching too, though too many to be named in this review. A lot of these characters are killed directly because of a mad despot that was elected president of the capitol. This is a book that will break your heart, make you cheer for the enslaved districts, and will remain in your mind and heart long after you have set the Trilogy aside. This Trilogy should be placed in the International Library of Books for All Time and Generations so that it will never be lost to us. God Bless Suzanne Collins for giving us a world filled with unforgettable people that will live until the end of time!

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