Book #84 of 2025: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #3) The first two volumes in this trilogy shared a roughly similar structure: half a book of buildup to the latest deadly arena match, and then the heroine’s desperate bid for survival within it. This closing entry operates along the same general principles, except …
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Book #73 of 2025: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #2) In certain ways, I think this dystopian YA sequel improves upon its predecessor. Whereas the series debut focused — understandably! — on the setting, the characters, and the inherent brutality of the premise, this volume is more able to expand on the …
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Book #62 of 2025: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1) [Previous review here, from 2011.] Fun to revisit this first Hunger Games novel, well after the blockbuster movie franchise that turned it into a household name. Even setting all that aside to consider the 2008 title fresh, it’s clear that it’s …
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Book #50 of 2025: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins I wasn’t a huge fan of author Suzanne Collins’s first prequel effort The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but this new title thankfully recaptures the old Hunger Games magic. It’s a challenging target for this sort of release to hit — similar enough to …
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Book #121 of 2020: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins The idea of a Hunger Games prequel about the young Coriolanus Snow isn’t necessarily a bad one, but I feel like there are three key elements that such a project would need to deliver in order to be successful. Namely, the book …
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Book #2 of 2011: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1) Very similar to the novel Battle Royale, which I love, except there’s much more of a focus on the kind of dystopian society that would make children fight to the death in the first place – which is definitely a rich topic …
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