Week 37 Reviews: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

From Goodreads:
Winning means fame and fortune. 
Losing means certain death. 
The Hunger Games have begun... 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, the shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

From Goodreads:
Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

From Goodreads:
My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

My first review of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
My second review of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
My Review:
Man, this series is always so great to read! I have read these books twice before on Goodreads, and I know I read them as Mockingjay was coming out, but that was before I was on Goodreads, so I don't have a record, just a memory. I just love this story and these characters, they're just such easy books to read! I mean, I read them all in a day, and one that I had to work, as well. It came down to the wire, but I finished them! 

I saw a review of these books by someone who loved them, and was rereading them, just like I was. That they were older, and disapproved of Katniss's choices, but that made them appreciate Suzanne Collins's writing more, if I remember correctly. I wonder if there's something different about me, that I'm older now, too, I'm now closer to the start of my 30's then the start of my 20's. But I didn't see anything bad about Katniss's choices, or what else she could've done. That's just not the way my brain works, I guess! 

I just had to reread these books now, because we did just get A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so I had to go back and read the original trilogy. The whole story with the districts and the Capital is so interesting. But one of my burning questions is, what was it like, that caused that first rebellion, the one that failed, and gave birth to the Hunger Games? I mean, I can't see how it could've been worse, but the thought that they had it better and rebelled, lost, and had it worse, it's an uncomfortable thought! 

Katniss goes through a lot through these books. Killing kids is awful, and having to enter the arena twice to fight for her life...yeah, she has scars of quite a few varieties. And all those emotional beats, with Prim, Gale and Peeta, I felt for her. The ending is a bit bittersweet after all the losses, but there is that sweet, that bit of hope. And it works well for this series, it was a good note to end on.

I loved reading these books again so much, they're just such great reads! 

Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #1, 2, 3
First Read: February 17th, 2012, April 3rd, 2012, June 8th, 2012
Second Read: Read: November 21st, 22nd, 22nd, 2013
Read: September 11th, 11th, 11th, 2020
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And they're all 2020 Dystopia Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books, and Mockingjay is a End of Series 2020 Book!
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: September 14th 2008, September 1st 2009,  August 24th 2010

The Hunger Games:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Catching Fire:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Mockingjay:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars