The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I think I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to read this book and after reading it all I can think is...What the hell took me so long?!? I loved this book, and I was a little afraid that because I'd watched the movie first that my perception of the book would be off cause I'd be expecting what I saw on screen. I was glad though that the movie seemed to be a great adaption of the book, but nothing can beat reading a book, especially The Hunger Games cause you miss out on all of Katniss's inner dialogue in the movie.

I also feel like I feel different about the characters now, especially Peeta, since he appeared a lot more weak to me in the movie, but in the book I don't find him so much as weak, but just sweet and naive, and someone who wants to do what's right.

Katniss is one of the few lead female book characters that I actually like. I don't know what it is, but I generally don't like most women in books, they're either too perfect and too nice, or if the author leans in the other direction they come out as just mean and no one cares what happens to a bitch. Katniss though is likable and human, and also I found her character rather compassionate, even though she's ruthless and cunning too.

I think what I liked most about this book is that it's not the typical teen book that just a love story. This book has something to say about society. It reminded me a lot of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, just in the sense that they both take place in a society that has complete backward morals of what most people hold today. For example, in Fahrenheit 451 firefighters no longer put out fires, but instead start them and burn books, because books are dangerous. In both it's also a story of the individual vs. government/society.