Let me begin this post by writing that I have read all the books in the trilogy. The first book is an 8/10. It’s a quick, easy read and its pace is the best thing about it. Meaning that you want to continue reading and the book only takes 5-10 hours to read. The characters are very minimally developed. You get a feeling for who they are and what they are about but there isn’t any significant description into the characters. A complete far off example to explain this point. I am reading the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and each of the characters represents something whether it be individualism, capitalism, or communism and they all speak like they are thinking about that underlying theme. I know I’m comparing a literary masterpiece to a young adult novel but I think that has to put the Hunger Games in perspective. The idea behind the Hunger Games is interesting and well told and the ups and downs of Katniss is exciting. Like I wrote, it makes you want to keep reading to find out the ending. However, that’s where the good times end.

Aside from the fact that I thought the ending of the first Hunger Games was stupid, books 2 and 3 are horrid. Seriously awful. The 2nd book is a lame remake of the first and the 3rd is just bottom line boring. I never FELT anything for the characters. I didn’t care if Katniss chose Peeta or Gale. The pages kept turning but the feelings stopped. The first book had me wondering if Katniss would make it through the games or what twist was at the end, whereas books 2 and 3 lost the emotion. So I understand the hype over the movie and all but this is not a glorious series. It has one decent book followed by 2 stinkers. This is way, way too hyped up.