DCstudentAH

21 de febrero de 2012

Amazing series! I would recommend to any person no matter what the age!

First of all, I'd like to make it clear that I will be reviewing aspects of the Kindle edition and also the Hunger Games trilogy itself.This series was recommended to me by a friend and I was told it was a definite must read. I chose to purchase the Kindle edition because it offered all three books for around $17. I figured this would be my best bet money wise and I also loved the fact that I would have all three books immediately in my hands. When purchasing from the Kindle store, you are promised to have your book within a minute of clicking the purchase button. My decision of purchasing the trilogy through Kindle was greatly based on the price comparison of the hardback trilogy and the Kindle edition trilogy. According to Amazon, the Kindle edition of the Hunger Games is $16.85 so roughly $17 and the hardcover trilogy is almost $31. In my eyes, there was no doubt about the Kindle edition being the more reasonable purchase.I'm still quite unsure and confused on how Kindle formats their book, in regards to font sizes and page numbers. I understand that Kindle users have the option of changing their font size to increase or decrease the character size. When a user increases the font size this also changes the number of pages they have to read in order to finish the book. A second issue dealing with the font size is that sometimes out of the blue, the font will just change when you change to the next page. This has never been a major problem for me but it threw me off guard and was a little unsettling for my eyes. The page numbers in Kindles can be very confusing and I for one haven't figured out the method yet. This usually wouldn't be a big deal but when you try to compare the Kindle edition to the actual hardcopy of that book, it can be very frustrating trying to match up the page numbers. Although, there were a few minor problems with the Kindle edition of the trilogy, I'm still very happy that I made the purchase. I loved the fact that I received all three books at the same time and I could carry all three of them around with me within a device that was a centimeter thick.As for the Hunger Games trilogy itself, I had absolutely zero complaints. As I began the first book, I was sort of confused but still very intrigued. Not until I heard someone else talking about the book, did I realize it was based in the future. The basic story line of the book is that the USA had destroyed itself and all that was left was a land called Panem. This consisted of 13 districts and a Capitol city. The people that lived within the Capitol were the wealthiest of all the people. The 12 districts that housed mostly underprivileged people had a different lifestyle all together. They had to work within their district's industry and many times went without food and any type of comfortable living. Each year, the Capitol would put on the Hunger Games in order to punish the districts and remind them how they ruined civilization. A girl and boy from each district were randomly chosen to fight to the death within a challenge-filled arena. Katniss and Peeta's lives were forever changed when they were chosen as tributes for the annual Hunger Games. You get to know the characters in great detail throughout the book when they are faced with adventure, challenge, death and even romance.As the series goes on, you learn more and more about the characters, the Capitol and the real reasons behind the Hunger Games. At some points, you may find yourself wanting to jump into the book and join the rebellion against the hated Capitol. The romance that was once a huge factor in the games begins to die down but the action and mystery only increases.Suzanne Collins does an absolutely amazing job of painting the romance, gruesome deaths and cut-throat action into the pages of the Hunger Games trilogy. Once I started the first book, I was fully intrigued and it was very hard for me to set my Kindle down. I would recommend this book to any person of any age. I know you can't always rely on the movie being as good as the book but I cannot wait until the movies comes out to see if I painted the same thrilling picture in my head.Ver más

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Tom McGee

11 de marzo de 2012

A Must Read, Haunting and Enthralling Blockbuster Trilogy!

Unlike others who had to wait for the next portion of this story to be told, I bought these books--The hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mocking jay--as a set and read them one after the other. Accordingly, I will review the series as if it were a single 1,145 page book.Suzanne Collins' imagination and ability to mesmerize the reader with this fantasy is unprecedented by any series that I have ever read. Completely absorbed, I literally saw this action-packed drama unfold in my mind. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end.The reader will get to know many of the author's fully developed characters and may develop an emotional attachment and sense of loss as many of them do not survive.The tale begins with the aftermath of the world as we know it today. North America, now known as Panem, is organized into twelve districts, heavily controlled by the capital. Each district contributes major resources to the capital as the unequal redistribution of necessities impact the health and livelihood of citizens.Following the rebellion and inhalation of the thirteenth district some 75 years previously, the capital has established a grim annual (Hunger Games) and special 25 year (Quarter Quell) event to keep them in line and remind them of the cost of rebellion.Each year on "reaping day" the capital forces each district to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games--a fight to the death televised live nationwide--with rules, setting and weapons established by the capital after a short training session.Home districts mourn theirs losses and hail the survivor as the survivor's families and district are rewarded with a more comfortable life style.At eleven years old, Katniss Everdeen's father was killed in a mining accident in district twelve. Since that time she increasingly took over responsibilities as head of the household through hunting in the forbidden forest and selling excess game on the black market for other necessities.Sometime ago she and Gale met and became hunting partners as he provides for his two little brothers.When Katniss was sixteen years old, she volunteered to replace her thirteen year old sister, Primrose, who against all odds was selected to represent district twelve at the games.Peeta Mellark, son of a baker was selected as the other district twelve representative. Unbeknownst to Katniss until the interview prior to the onset of the games, Peeta has secretly been in love with her for years. This gut wrenching story flies by as this unbelievably harsh and cruel event comes to its annual conclusion only to be followed by the next.Unlike previous Quell Quests, two previous victors from each district are pitted against each other in a fight to the death planting seeds of rebellion that germinate throughout all the districts. District thirteen rises from the ashes bringing a new set of events, characters and circumstances to bear.Growing anger, alliances and characters develop as surprising events unfold while the reader holds on for life during this rollercoaster ride of gut wrenching suspense and drama come to a head leaving Suzanne Collins my new favorite author!Enjoy!

CallistianStar

12 de septiembre de 2014

Beautiful; Beyond Reproach; An Ultimate Tale of Survival/Living

Its hard for me to not give this book three stars. Since I first read it less than a year ago (all three books), I have since read it 3 more times from beginning to end. Each time I am unable to put it down and end up reading the books far past the time when my eye get heavy. In addition, as I bought the Kindle Edition first, and then went ahead and purchased the hardcover editions, I feel that my love for this series cannot be understated. Reading this series also led me to read her other series about Gregor the Overlander.That said, had this been a lesser book (in my heart and eyes), I would give the PRODUCT, itself, four stars. The mistakes in the Kindle Edition don't inhibit reading, per say. In fact, I hardly noticed the mistakes during my first reading of the series. However, upon my second and third reading, especially when I noticed the first few mistakes, they became a little more glaring throughout. There aren't blatant misspellings, but at times spaces or letters are omitted or added, in the transfer between the hardcover edition and the kindle edition. Its not a perfectly edited kindle edition, but at the same time, I would like to stress that it doesn't detract from reading in general, as most of the mistakes are something our brain naturally fills in the blanks for.The series itself? Beautiful; beyond reproach. Its hard to have anything to add about this series other than it say it touched me, and invigorated my mind. Some argue its depressing or too bloody. I feel that all the different angles, all the different aspects make this book imperfectly perfect. There are no pretty-ribbon bows that create an entirely happy ending, in any of the books. There is a pervading darkness, mixed with the happiness and light at the end of each book, that create a sense of bittersweet emotions. For me, despite this being an entirely "different" world, these elements of darkness and light helped me understand the characters and their journeys even more by humanizing them and making them seem real. Each book the main characters thirst for survival is in question, while others try to beat her conviction to survive down until a real question of what does surviving versus living actually mean?Its funny, its hard to put into words what I feel for this series. I've only loved two other books in my life. Harry Potter and a Winter of Fire (Sheryl Jordan). This author has a way of creating a character through a first-person perspective that forces you to read on. I applaud her for this series and am so grateful to have read it.

David Monroe

19 de agosto de 2013

Surprising depth and detail

What I like about the series:The characters, even minor characters, were fleshed out and made human in some way or another by having at least one personality trait described. The people were real, not just props or shells the way the author described them.The politics were well described. Nearly every type of political system conceivable existed in one way or the other in Panem, either officially or unofficially, from the North Korea style presidential dictatorship with caste system of the overall nation, to the surprisingly benevolent fascist communism of District 13, the ancient Egyptian style prison/slave state of District 11, to the Libertarian interaction in the Hob. Positive and negative effects of everything were described without going into the detail of unnecessarily pointing out the obvious most of the time.There wasn't any sugar coating. I feel that the author made an effort to not cross any lines that would keep this from qualifying as a teen book, but at the same time it was gritty, emotional, and everyone suffered, just like real life and complex subjects were addressed. There weren't a lot of loose ends, the author did a good job of tying those up. She credited her husband with pushing her towards that in the authors notes at the end.The sheer popularity of this series did catch my attention a little, but I'm not exactly a follow the popular trends type. Then the first movie was on Amazon Prime, free for my viewing so I watched it with my parents, and we all liked it. I had already bought this books series for my fiance's Kindle so I had something I thought she would like on there when I gave it to her for Christmas. She had already read them, but having them on my account made them that much more tempting. Finally after nine months of sitting there untouched I cracked it open and started reading. I pushed through rather rapidly.I'm debating rather I should go ahead and send this over to my daughter's Kindle or not. She's 10 (and don't allow her archive access), it's a little above her level, but then again I read Robert R. McCammon's the Wolf's Hour at 12 and Swan Song soon after. Much heavier and more adult targeted than these. I doubt she would actually read them for at least a year at minimum if I did send them to her Kindle, if ever, but still not sure yet. The complexity of the whole games/political system, which is important, is beyond her at this age, but it would be a good introduction to the concepts.The only thing that was a put off to me was the love triangle, confused emotional girl aspect. It drove the story, I think it was simply the female perspective from a female author that made it girly, even if it was in a tomboyish way. I have a problem with indecisivness and Katniss had that in spades. It doesn't really detract from the books, but it's the only thing that was sort of a put-off to a 35 year old man who typically doesn't read teen lit, and hasn't since my pre-teen years having moved to McCammon and Stephen King immediately after reading the Chronicles of Narnia which where age appropriate to me at the time. May not annoy anyone else, and I recognize it was my built in "anti-chick flick" circuit getting activated on occasion, even if it was a book series and not movies. I highly recommend this series. I started reading this expecting watered down imagination land touchy feely teen goop, and was pleasently surprised by the depth. Even if you are an adult male in the 30+ category that reads Chrichton and Grisham I recommend it.

Lance

5 de marzo de 2012

The Latest Epic Saga

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW, SO DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKSOkay, so first of all, as a huge Harry Potter fan, I've been undergoing a withdrawal since the book series (and the movie series) have now ended. I love reading many different books, but I wasn't sure I would ever latch onto a new story the way I latched on to Harry Potter almost 10 years ago. Enter The Hunger Games. I actually first heard of it from Kristian Harloff of the Schmoes Know YouTube channel some months ago, and I was definitely intrigued. Of course, there's a movie coming out soon, and back when the trailers were first released, I thought it look interesting but I wasn't excited since I had no idea what it was about. I purchased this box set a few weeks ago, however, going off of the incredibly positive word-of-mouth.I've officially climbed onto The Hunger Games bandwagon. The first book is written in first person POV, with 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen as the main character. I will say that, as a male, I'm aware that most of the great fictional heroes are male. It's so great to see a great female hero like Katniss (along the lines of Ripley from Alien). While brave, her character is also very feminine and vulnerable, and she's just awesome! Anyway, I won't really delve too deep into the plot, but the first book, The Hunger Games, centers around this tournament in which 24 kids aged 12-18 (12 boys and 12 girls) are selected to compete in. They are put into large arenas controlled by Gamemakers, and it's basically a deathmatch. It's all a part of the Capitol (the force which runs the districts of Panem) showing the districts who's in charge. At first, I wasn't sure which of the 3 books was my favorite. Now, I'm pretty sure it's The Hunger Games, just because it takes so many unexpected twists and turns, and the reader really feels as though he/she is Katniss experiencing these games. Also, The Hunger Games is ironically the book that showcases the worst of the Capitol's power, by showing these kids killing each other.Now for the second book, Catching Fire. I regard this as The Empire Strikes Back of the Hunger Games Trilogy (for Star Wars fans out there). This one shows the issues that Katniss and Peeta face after the Hunger Games have ended and they have been crowned victors. The book centers around the rise of a rebellion against the Capitol, and the rising of President Snow, the ruler of the Capitol and the districts. What really sells this book is the dark, ominous, uncertain tone of it. It may reuse a few elements of the first book (for example, another Hunger Games match), but it puts a different twist on it. This book also ends on a cliffhanger MUCH like The Empire Strikes Back (I'll be shocked if Suzanne Collins isn't a Star Wars fan). This is a great book, maybe not as fresh as the first, but it's of equal quality and a great continuation.Now we have the final book, Mockingjay. This is definitely the one fans are most divided over. Some really like it, others were disappointed by it, and some even hate it. I'll start off by saying that Mockingjay is a full out war story, and everything in the first two books had been leading up to it. Many fans were disappointed that the Katniss-Peeta-Gale love triangle wasn't extremely romantic (though it was definitely present), and that the book seemed to end abruptly and felt incomplete. I, for one, think this book is excellent. It's not quite the read that the first two books were (though it's still captivating). While those two were dark, they still had a "pure candy" aspect to them. This one, as I said, is a full-out war story. People on both sides die, allegiances are questioned, there is anger, sadness, distrust, betrayal...everything. I was very surprised with how bold Suzanne Collins was with this book, but I was also very pleased. She doesn't sugarcoat any of it. War tears people apart, and it changes people permanently. Even if they make it through the end and rebuild their lives, they are never the same as they were before. And sure, the ending leaves some questions open, but it felt right to me. The main story, the main moral of the story was wrapped up very well. The main characters' arcs were wrapped up very well, too. It's definitely emotionally draining, but also uplifting.I thought the way she wrote it was fantastic. Is it my favorite of the series? I'm not sure. I would probably reread the first book before rereading this one. However, I might like this one a teensy bit more than the second, but I really can't be sure. All of the books are great for what they are.I'm not trying to overhype it, but this really is an epic trilogy. It has many thrills and takes many unexpected twists and turns. The first movie won't be out for another two weeks, but I could actually see the movies being even more enjoyable than the books. No disrespect to the author, of course, but the stories could benefit greatly from cinematic adaptations. Word has it that the films will take a more omniscent point of view, rather than being solely from Katniss' point of view. While seeing things from Katniss' POV works in the books, we definitely need a larger scale in the movies, so I think the atmosphere in the films could really blow people away. I especially think that Mockingjay (which I believe will be a 2-Part film) will benefit from a film adaptation, since we will probably see more of the war (and President Snow), and the ending will probably have a more definite conclusion. I think we will see some scenes from Peeta's point of view, as well. That's just my prediction anyway, and I hope I'm right.Again, this is a great set of books that has HUGE potential as films. Harry Potter did a great job as movies (sure, I might have some gripes here and there, but I'm just amazed that the crew stuck around to make EIGHT films, all of which are at least very good). Hunger Games needs to stick true to the books, but also bring in people who haven't read them. I LOVE the trailers we've seen so far, and I LOVE the casting (Katniss, Peeta, Effie, Snow, just about everyone), so I'm definitely looking forward to it. One things for certain, though: the world will be watching.

Bri

18 de abril de 2013

A Series That Will Haunt You!

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.