Book review | The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
★★★(ish)
review includes spoilers
For our Banned Book Readathon event in ink & aether (my cozy, bookish Discord community), we’re letting the cards choose what we read.
Our first pull was The Chariot—a card about drive, survival, and determination to push forward. The book paired with it was The Hunger Games, so Katniss Everdeen kicked us off.
I went into The Hunger Games knowing almost nothing—just that it was about kids being forced to fight to the death. That’s it. No expectations beyond the untimely demise of some children. And while it was better than I thought it would be, it was also just as predictable as I expected.
Let’s start with the romance. Or… whatever you want to call it. To be honest, I found the whole Katniss x Peeta situation kind of tired. Katniss basically carried Peeta through the entire story, and I would’ve respected them both a lot more if the romance had just been pure strategy on both sides; if Katniss had to take Peeta down in the end. Instead, we got to keep them both (🙄), with Katniss being completely clueless about Peeta’s ~tRue fEeLinGs~ until the very end (🙄). In my opinion, the romance arc felt a little forced—like someone told Collins to shoehorn in a love story to make the book(s) more marketable.
On the flip side, I did enjoy some of the other characters’ moments. Rue was an immediate favorite, and her bond with Katniss almost made me tear up (the gift of bread from Rue’s district: devastating). Haymitch was another character highlight—messy, sharp, and layered.
As for Katniss herself: I don’t usually like first-person narratives, and at first her voice grated on me. But once the Games actually started, the perspective made sense. It pulled me into the survival aspect, which was my favorite part of the book, anyway. The way each tribute’s skills tied back to their district was clever, and it added just enough depth to the action to keep me hooked.
Did it land as social commentary? Not for me. Books like Brave New World or 1984 feel more heavy-handed and effective. The Hunger Games was… entertaining. Nothing more. Still—it was a fast, easy read, and I enjoyed it enough to give it 3-ish stars. Maybe 3.5 or even 4 on a particularly generous day. Left to my own devices, I wouldn’t continue the series. But since the cards are deciding for me, I’ll pick up the next one when the card is pulled.
What I appreciate most is how the tarot framed it: Katniss as The Chariot, all forward motion and survival instinct. And by the time the series shifts into Mockingjay, the card tied to it is The King of Paper—power and resources put to use for something larger than yourself. Endurance, rebellion, resistance: it’s all written in the cards.
Curious about what else we’re reading? The Banned Book Readathon event is happening now in ink & aether—a magical, candlelit corner of the internet for readers and writers. Come join the stack.
