May the odds be ever in your favor.

I just finished this on Thursday. It was quite good; probably the best thing I read on my short summer break (apart from The Deathly Hallows). You can read a summary here, because I feel like if I tried to summarize it, it would sound terrible. "And then that girl did the stuff with the thing in that one place." Yeah, no. It was definitely better than that.

My initial reaction to this book was that it's a cross between 1984, "The Most Dangerous Game" and Lord of the Flies. It deals with a dystopian future set in a post-nuclear apocalypse world. My second reaction to this book was that it's one of those genre-benders. It's sold in bookstores under Young Adult lit, but I feel like there's so much stuff going on between the lines that it could really be for anyone, adults included. Just because the main characters are teenagers doesn't mean it should only be marketed towards teens. I think a lot of adult readers would enjoy it, too. Anyway, I always love a good anti-government dystopia story (V for Vendetta, anyone?). And like Lord of the Flies it explores human nature (specifically, the baser nature of children) untamed and uninhibited. The games are designed by the Capitol (aka: government) to remind the districts who's in charge. And the object of the game is simple: outlive everyone else, and kill whoever stands in your way. It's an extremely fascinating subject, and I feel that Collins does a really good job of sucking you in to this universe where this is the norm; The Hunger Games just exist, are played, and then life moves on.

I like the characters too. Peeta turns out to be unexpectedly likeable, while Katniss, the protagonist, is that perfect mix of realistic and ideal. She's not a total Mary-Sue, but she's not unlikeable either. Unfortunately, my only complaint is that The Hunger Games is just the first in a trilogy, so the ending was a total cliffhanger, and I'm not entirely sure where this story could go to fill two more books. I feel like maybe five more chapters and an epilogue would have satisfactorily ended the story. However, I'm probably wrong. Collins writes so wonderfully that I'm not complaining about having to read two more of her books.

Anyway, this is a gritty, fascinating, and addictive read. I read it in about three hours and couldn't stop. Definitely for fans of sci-fi, dystopian fic, and psychological stuff. It's a thrilling read, and I very much enjoyed it.

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So, in other news, I start school tomorrow.

WAYY too short of a summer. I am DYING to go on a cruise, so if any of my generous, adoring readers wants to hook me up... ;)
And that's about all that's new with me. Hope you guys are enjoying whatever summer loveliness you're up to!



Also, PS: Remus Lupin as a "gay junkie?" Brb, loling forever.