I say “sort of rereading” because I read them in middle school (I’m in my early twenties now) but I don’t feel like I really absorbed them. Now I’m reading them for the first time with fully open ears and I’m absolutely blown away by the brilliance of this series. I just finished Catching Fire and am almost hesitant to start Mockingjay because I want to prolong the experience… always a good sign, that a book or series is really meaningful to a reader.
For one, I love Katniss. I remember not liking her too much when I was younger, maybe because my dad also read the series and he didn’t much like her narration, and he probably rubbed off on me. But now I’m definitely fond of her. She’s stubborn, snarky, grumpy, irritable, and socially somewhat clueless, but also has an incredibly resilient spirit and quiet strength, and man, I just want to be friends with her. She also seems so young, as she should seem to the reader. I think the older you are reading the series, the clearer her youth is. Which just makes it all harder to stomach. Overall, Collins did an amazing job building her character.
Which leads me to the other characters — I love each and every one of them (almost), especially Peeta, Haymitch, Effie, Finnick, and Johanna. Even President Snow is a great character in his own right, which makes me excited to read the prequel later. I’m not too fond of Gale or Prim, just because they feel so underdeveloped (especially Prim), but since they are part of this world that I’m so strongly attached to now, I like them in my own way, too.
I’d love to hear thoughts from people who read this series closer to when it came out, or who are only just reading it now. Does The Hunger Games stand the test of time, to you?
by BeanopolisCentral