“The boy from District 1 dies before he can pull out the spear. My arrow drives deeply into the center of his neck. He falls to his knees and halves the brief remainder of his life and drowning in hid own blood.” This excerpt shows the marvelous vividness of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, written by a New York Times Best-selling author, is a powerful book brought into reality by the characters and plot.

The one and only novel-writing genius, Suzanne Collins, has a unique writing style. For example, in this book her writing style is that of the main character telling you about what she sees, her thoughts, and what she experiences. She tells you what’s going on, while also giving you her thoughts about it. Its an alien subject wrought through many experiences, from the arena, to home. This style only adds to the suspense!

Plots, subplots, and hidden plots flow together majestically. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, the main character, is wrenched from her home in the Seam, a poor area of her homeland, District 12. Next, she is shipped off to the Hunger Games, a brutal arena where 24 young teens are selected from the 12 districts and sent to survive in an arena built to mimic the wilderness and kill each other for fame and wealth. Normally, being a contestant from District 12 is a death sentence, because almost no one has come back alive. However, she volunteers because her sister, Prim, her whole world, was originally selected. Basking in the awe of the Capitol, she learns about the posh life they live compared to the slum that surrounds most districts, and the atrocity of their ignorance and narcissism. Sadly, her only hope lies in her rookie modeling agent, Cinna, who has to make her look good so as to win sponsors who support her with food and tools inside the arena, her often-drunk trainer, the only living District 12 winner, Haymitch, and her secret admirer (and baker’s son) Peeta. Once inside the area, she learns that nothing is ever as it seems, and readers hang on every word. The theme, everything has consequences, is repeated throughout the book from hidden themes in the costumes to attempted suicide in the name of love.

I would recommend this book for all teens, due to the age of the characters and the content. Also, it’s a fairly easy read, but some parts require a slower reading pace. Catching Fire is the next book in the series, with a third coming out in 2010. Eight out of 10 bull’s eyes for some missed character construction. In addition, the book is easy to connect to, so anyone would love this book. The amazing plot, reality of the situation, and full connections make this a stupendous book.

I like this book because some of the scenes are so vividly described, like District 12 and the arena, as well as the character’s reality, although I felt like they could’ve been more “colored in.” Also, it flowed so much; I couldn’t put the book down! When it wasn’t describing scenes in Technicolor, it was in deep reflection in the minds of teens. It was spaced so that I could fully absorb what had just happened, and then threw me into the next scene!

All in all, the colorful characters and wonderful plot bring this book to life. Of course, The Boy dies, all alone, in a well-shaded meadow, wearing the most serene of expressions. But what is to become of Katniss? Is she to return home, to a tearful reunion with her sister? Or to return in a small pine casket, to be buried under her favorite blind? How shall she die? To slip away in the peace of a morning frost? A bloody mutilation at the hands of a tribute? Now that, my Dear Reader, is for me, me, me, me, me, and me to know, and you to fi… what? You don’t already know? Ye gods, WHY DON’T YOU KNOW ALREADY? Hurry up! The book won’t read itself, you know…