"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

This is what the person in charge of the ceremony of drawing names for the Hunger Games says.  And do the participants need positive odds....

As I mentioned in my last post, I've read "The Hunger Games" series, by Suzanne Collins.  It's geared towards "young adults," or teenagers, so I'm a little out of range, so to speak.  (Then again, so is Twilight...)  But I still enjoyed it.  There are three books in the series: "The Hunger Games," "Catching Fire," and "Mockingjay". 

What I enjoyed the most was that Collins really draws you into the opposite worlds of the much poorer districts (twelve of them) and the opulent conditions of the Capitol.  The story takes place in the Appalachian region of the U.S., years after what seems to be a nuclear war (not much is said about it, though). You really care about the characters (well, the good ones, at least), and are sorry when they "depart."  And there are a lot of them that are killed off.  As punishment for one now-extinct district trying to fight it some years ago, the Capitol (in charge of the other districts), created these "Hunger Games," in which teenagers fight against each other to win. 

If you win, you become rich.  If you lose... you lose.  And there is only one winner.

Think: "Survivor" meeting your worst nightmare.  

As I've mentioned before, there's a lot of rich descriptions of the environments.There's plenty of action.   Katniss, the main character, is very likable.  There are a number of other likable characters.  The action tapered off slightly right after the Games' beginning, but soon picks up again.  There are violent sequences, so readers/parents/etc. may have trouble with this aspect, as well as the ethical implications that come along with this story.  (Probably good discussion starters for parents/teachers, etc.)

The ending of "HG" left me wanting more, so I started "Catching Fire" soon after.  I had trouble getting into the second installment, so I'll have to read it again.  The reason being that the contender conditions seemed slightly unrealistic for me.  The middle of "CF" (the actual games) seemed to lag for me, but the ending is worth it, practically making you go out to buy (borrow, download, etc.) "Mockingjay." 

"Mockingjay" is a different world that Collins brings us into.  Katniss is thrust into it along with us, kicking and screaming.  [Spoiler: she lives through all three books, don't worry.]  I really liked this book.  It's here that Katniss comes into her own and shines.  The other elements of the previous books are still here: action, conflict, and loss.  The ending was slightly different from what I thought it was going to be. 

I started to gain interest in the books after I'd seen the trailer for the upcoming film.  Now I'm really excited for the movie. 

So... "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"  And use that bow and arrow wisely.