The Hunger Games: Step Into the Arena

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably heard the name Katniss Everdeen once…maybe twice. So who is this chick and what exactly are the Hunger Games? I’ll tell you: It’s not just a book, it’s a ride, an adventure, a page turner that will keep you wanting more when the book close the book itself. But don’t take my word for it, read the first chapter online at Amazon, and I guarantee you’ll want to see what happens next. The book lives up to its hype in my opinion, but don’t think Suzanne Collins was the first to tackle this subject. It was first touched upon in the movie Running Man starring Arnold Swarzenegger. Then Stephen King typed out his version in the spooky novel The Long Walk.

So what does The Hunger Games have that the others don’t? First of all, the genre of the book has an audience, the young adult fantasy/romance seekers that took to this book like a fish to water because not only is it drama filled and violent, but at its center it’s a love story, a love triangle, a romance in the midst of chaos. Running Man is an action flick geared toward men, while The Long Walk is a horror geared toward fans of the macabre. The Hunger Games found its way into the hearts of young women because in this book they not only have a strong willed, captivating protagonist/heroine, but they have two boys for her to choose from and root for that most young adult paranormal novels have now. Within the pages of The Hunger Games, well written in the first person narrative from Katniss’s point of view, you feel like you’re living it with her step by step and it feels amazing, nothing less than exhilarating. You cry, you feel the victory, you feel the sadness, but the best thing about it is when you finish the first book you know the journey doesn’t end. And you want more. You want seconds and thirds, and the best part is, you can have them and continue the ride. You’re still on a journey with Katniss, Gale, and Peeta--a dangerous one--but at the end there’s a reward, and you can’t wait to find out what it is.