Review:
I read The Hunger Games way back in 2011. I had to read my review of it to remind myself what I thought of it - I liked it well enough but had issues with Katniss and disliked the developing love triangle. I never got around to reading more - for some reason, each new movie and book release, particularly after the original trilogy, reduced my desire to go back to it. However, one of my library's student workers was absolutely shocked that I'd only read the first book, so I decided to finally continue on in order to appease her.
In this book, the latest Hunger Games are over, but that doesn't mean that Katniss and Peeta are free from it all. Katniss and Peeta are both still in the spotlight and, as a result, they're forced to continue acting like they're a happy couple. Katniss still has feelings for Gale, but he'll barely speak to her.
Whether Katniss wants it to or not, a rebellion is brewing with her at its center. Katniss' family's living conditions are better than they once were, but Katniss is painfully aware that this could change at any time on President Snow's orders. She tries her best to be a well-behaved victor in order to keep her friends and family safe, but even her best efforts might not be enough.
When news about changes to the Hunger Games is released, Katniss realizes that even the smallest sliver of safety she'd found was nothing more than a cruel illusion.
Gale's bitterness and moodiness were extremely annoying, and I couldn't help but think that the love triangle was unnecessary. It would have been bad enough for Katniss to realize that she was going to have to spend her life pretending to love a decent guy who genuinely loved her (and who was just as aware she didn't really love him back), rather than have any real choice about her future.
I felt a lot more sympathy for Katniss this time around than I did during the first book. Gale, one of her best friends, was acting like a jerk, she was suffering from PTSD, the actions of others she didn't even know could potentially result in her friends and family being killed, she had to pretend to be a happy girl thrilled to be with the person she loved for the cameras, etc. She just did not get a break, and that was before the new Hunger Games stuff came up.
The new Hunger Games stuff was fantastically cruel, but it also struck me as being a fairly stupid move on the Capitol's part. Before, anyone unlucky enough to end up in the Hunger Games could at least hope they'd end up as a victor and therefore set for life. This change took that hope and stomped on it. It seemed more likely to light a fire under the budding rebellion than anything.
All in all, this was a good read, and I should probably listen to that student worker and at least finish up the original trilogy.
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