Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Well then, you know why I read the series, but you don’t know why I am writing reviews on each individual book. This is very simple and a lot more boring than my rant at the beginning of the previous review, and here it is...I read The Hunger Games series at my girlfriend's request so I could post as a guest reviewer on this blog. Anyway I think I let her down a little bit because instead of writing a proper review, which you may have guessed I have no idea how to do, I just rambled on about how I felt about the book rather than tell you what actually happened. Then again if I did that before you read it you may as well not read it so chew that over when you’re bored some time! On top of that rather than just doing it as a guest reviewer I decided to set up my own blog and do a few things myself, so please check me out! I am still not sure why I decided to do this but I guess I’ll either get bored of it or just rant about random crap at some point in the future.

Anyway, on with it! At this point in the last review I wrote about how the book was written but since it was written in exactly the same style as the first book I guess that is out of the question. So to recap; written in first person, blah blah blah, I  love David Gemmell, blah blah blah, quick to read...and so on.

This time the book and the film are a little further apart, but not enough to annoy me or make me think that one is overly better than the other. Our young heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is in the aftermath of the annual event known as The Hunger Games, of which she was last years winner. The book begins with her struggle to cope with the obligations towards the Capitol that winning the Hunger Games brings as well as dealing with the psychological ramifications as she struggles to regain her former life. Tours of the country, fake marriages and personal threats from the president himself are among some of the events she has to deal with as her mental state deteriorates. Then the bombshell, which if you have seen the film you already know, she must go back to compete in a special Hunger Games as part of an event called the Quarter Quell. We go back to the Capitol to meet many previous victors who also have to compete and then begin the ‘75^th annual Hunger Games!’ as Stanley Tucci so brilliantly puts it. Her and her fellow victor Peeta Mellark go back into an arena to once again fight to the death. However this time there is a twist at the end of the tail as the games go on and people die it is made clear that the tributes are trying to keep Katniss and Peeta alive. This culminates at the end when Katniss destroys the arena and is rescued by a group of rebels who inform her on the last pages of the book that ‘this is the revolution’ and ‘you are the Mockingjay’.

After reading this book I realised how perfectly Josh Hutcherson had played the role of Peeta Mellark in the films. His character's kindness, compassion and devotion to Katniss come across very strongly in this book and you get the sense of a real relationship developing between them, rather than the fake one they had in the previous book.  We are also introduced to another of my favourite characters in Finnick Odair, who is just brilliant. Also, if you have seen the film you will be glad to know that his sugar cube speech is almost word for word with the book, so credit to both writer and director there! As I mentioned in my review of the previous book you begin to lose the illusion that Katniss is the strong independent girl that she is meant to be. This continues in this book as her every move is controlled by another characters and she begins to have a couple of breakdowns because of the mental stress of her ordeal.

Once again I surprised myself by reading this book in a couple of days without having to spend hour upon hour reading. Once again I enjoyed how close my read was to what I had seen in the films. I thought the book was a brilliant read and did not want to put it down again. You are pulled into a political situation that goes well beyond the first book and creates complex plots which I instantly bought into. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book just as much as the first one and would recommend it again to anyone who has any lingering doubts.

8 out of 10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

CAUTION: SPOILERS

This film is best seen after the first film in the series, titled The Hunger Games.

Katniss and Peeta have won the 74th hunger games together and can now reside in peace with their winnings. But they are far from safe; as they journey through the districts on their victory tour, they see the sparks of the rebellion they have started. President Snow wants these sparks to be put out immediately and threatens Katniss to do everything in her power to make the people stop rioting. When Katniss fails, Snow takes matters into his own hands. The 75th year of the Hunger Games is a quarter quell; a very special type of games hosted every 25 years where the usual rules are changed a bit. This year, Snow's message is made very clear when the finalists are chosen from the existing victors; forcing Katniss into the games. Prepare yourselves; this film is scorching (apologies for the terrible wordplay).

Not only is this an excellent set up for the final two films (I feel they should be one film to avoid this ridiculous milking of stories that all the film makers seem to be doing now, but more about that another time) but it is also a stunning story. Some people I have talked to took one look at the trailer and thought that the film was just going to be a rehash of the first, but, having read the books, I knew better. As in the first film, the story does take a little bit of getting into. Much of the film takes place in the districts, and it builds up this massive sense of rebellion and defiance. It is stunning storytelling and I often found myself smiling in victory or tearing up in misery; it is very emotional. There is one hugely shocking scene fairly near the beginning that really took by breath away, but I wouldn't want to ruin it for you; you'll know it when you see it.

As for the characters, I couldn't wait to see what they had done with a few of them, and they seriously didn't disappoint. Finnick (Sam Clafin) is cast absolutely perfectly cast (and really very good-looking) and I loved how they portrayed Mags, Nuts and Volts. A nice surprise was the casting of Jena Malone as Johanna, whom she played with real guts. You may remember her as Lydia in Pride and Prejudice or Rocket in Suckerpunch, and I thought this role is perfect as a springboard for her to get into bigger and better roles. I loved how the film doesn't shy away from the love triangle, and I'm glad I dislike Katniss almost as much as I did during the books; my heart bleeds for Peeta, and since I know exactly what will happen in the next two films, it also bleeds in anticipation.

Everyone was rather on par in terms of their acting skills; there was no-one who stood out for the wrong reasons, but no-one stole any scenes entirely. However, Jennifer Lawrence impressed me in that very shocking scene I told you about earlier. Josh Hutcherson has always played Peeta beautifully, and he doesn't let the character down in this film either. Elizabeth Banks (as Effie Trinket) was very good for the few minutes that we saw of her. I thought it was nice how this element of her character was brought into play and Banks showed her outer shell cracking rather nicely.

Fans of the books will love this adaptation; it is so true to them and has included little bits and pieces which have made me truly happy to watch, filmgoers will revel in the level of pure emotion and adrenaline and eveyrone else will be very impressed. One word of warning though; the book stops of a cliffhanger and so does this film. You will be itching for an entire year to watch Mockingjay- Part 1, that is, unless you read the books!

9.5 out of 10 - the only downside being that the build up was slightly too long.

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The Hunger Games (film)

Dystopian novels for teens are definitely trending at the moment, and it's all to do with this gem of a trilogy. Being a huge fan of the genre already (both Adult and YA), I practically swallowed the novels whole. I can safely say that they are fantastic for a person of any age and, somewhat controversially, any gender too.

So, when I heard that the film was coming out, I was worried. Very worried. Hollywood had already crashed and burned all over my beloved 'Northern Lights' - they had created a monster of a film called 'The Golden Compass' in it's place. But, surprisingly, 'The Hunger Games' actually left me with an even clearer message than the books had about reality TV, politics and privacy.

The book follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen as she bravely volunteers, in the place of her 12-year-old sister, in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The film is NOT to be confused with the events of the film Battle Royale, which, although it has a very similar basic idea (ie: children killing each-other), is lacking in any meaning.

What is truly remarkable about this film is that the politics and the main concepts are cleverly depicted in a way that anyone can understand. Even people who have not read the books have come away knowing exactly what was going on. No confusion, just a burning desire to go read the books to find out what happens next. I personally love the way that the 'tracker jackers' have been explained - but you'll have to watch it to know more!

The world itsself has been perfectly realised. It's almost exactly how I imagined it. Readers of the books will be happy to know that the plot is never strayed from, and i believe that some minor discrepancies actually enhance the viewing experience. Plus, it gives those who haven't read it yet a couple of nice surprises. Things I may have wanted to see aren't hugely missed, and things that will turn out to be of importance are put in.

I believe that all the fundamentals of the story are there, as well as parts that I thought were extremely important to put in. There are poignant moments and particular phrases that will really help when making the second, third and fourth films. This may have something to do with the fact that the writer -Suzanne Collins, helped out with writing the film's script, and must have had a very good hold on the production.

I have only one problem. Because the concept is a difficult one, the beginning is somewhat slow. The action doesn't start for a little while, and there is a fair amount of talk. At the very beginning there is a little bit of writing. I advise everyone to read it. If you don't, I guarantee you won't really get the beginning at all. However, don't let that stop you from going. As soon as you get past the blurb, your inquisitiveness gets the better of you and you are catapulted into Panem, the Capitol and The Hunger Games itsself.

The casting was excellent, too. Some fairly well known names like Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Toby Jones and Donald Sutherland played fairly integral characters, which was good as support. But virtual unknowns Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: First Class) and Josh Hutcherson (The Vampires Assistant, Journey to the Centre of the Earth) took the lead roles. And may I say that I think these two are destined for good things. Their acting was extremely good, but I think that Hutcherson just gets my top spot for his perfect portrayal of Peeta Mellark. Oh, and Lenny Kravitz is in it, too, for all you music lovers.

Many have dubbed it 'the next big thing', and while I usually don't like that label, I think that they're right. With a film as consistent as this one I think that 'The Hunger Games' franchise could be as successful as Harry Potter, and, if there is any justice in the world, ten times more successful than Twilight.
It's a 9.5 out of 10.

For an excellent list on Young Adult dystopian fiction, please go to THIS blog post. And there are tonnes more, you just have to search them online.