the hunger games by suzanne collins

The Hunger Games was a book I put off buying for so long. I heard thousands upon thousands of recommendations for this book, and to satisfy my craving (I'm a poor student okay), I got the sample on my Kindle. Innocent enough. Until I finished the sample and bam, I couldn't spend another day in my life without reading the book - and I tell ya, it was the best decision I've made in years (actually, the best decision I made was to buy bacon on the way home because I had a hunch we had none in the fridge. I was right. HURRAH).

It introduces the protagonist, who narrates the book, Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12 in a place created of the remains of North America, Panem. District 12, the last district, is a poor place - starvation, little medicines, and is generally under developed, which is a re-occurring feature in the book. Every year, a boy and a girl from each district under the age of 18 is made to play in The Hunger Games, in which they fight to the deaths, and the winner is showered in gifts, glory, fame, wealth etc.

The beginning was albeit quite slow for me (I'm talking from the beginning of the book until the Games began) - it was a lot of background. It takes you through District 12, Katniss' family, community, friend (specifically Gale, who sounds like an absolute BABE), until she volunteers for the games in place of her sister Prim, being trained and prepared for the Games, her thoughts on it all AND lengthy descriptions of the people she meets. Be prepared.

Without giving too much away, the book is something you won't be able to put down, and the pages will keep on turning (or you'll keep clicking the button if you're a fellow kindle reader). You'll cry, you'll laugh, you'll smile, you'll be angry, you'll be so attached the book by the end of it, you'll run onto Amazon immediately and buy the second one, only tearing yourself away to try and write a review of the first one. Oh wait, that's me...

I would recommend this if:

• You like love stories. A book about sinister games, killing people etc, isn't exactly the most likely spot for a love story, but it's there. And it's cute. 

• You're pulled in by mysteries. Katniss asks a lot of questions in the book, a lot of which I hadn't thought about myself. Although you can just read it and slow along with it, it can also be a book that you can think about, and try to figure the outcome.
• You like to be excited. You know when you're reading something or watching something and your heart is pounding and it feels like your eyes are going a million miles an hour, trying to find out what happens? This book is full of 'em, and I LAV IT.

To conclude: I love it. I can totally see why people like the book, it's so different to other popular fiction that's out. It's rough and gentle, fast and slow, and calming and exciting, all at the same time, a first in a very long list of books I've already read to do that. If you haven't bought it - go.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/1407109081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324300053&sr=8-1

Enjoy!