![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crankyoldmanSince it's everywhere and the ebook was within my budget. And I knew I'd be able to finish it in a night. ~4 hours, not bad. Spoilers ABOUND here.
Things I Liked:
- So Katniss is a pretty fantastic protagonist. Hands down. If she weren't, this book would frankly not hold together as well as it does. I very much enjoy that she is a hunter and survivor and had absolutely no doubt that she'd survive the Games. Not simply because she was the protagonist.
- Katniss's complicated family situation. This isn't Dickensian poverty; this is the kind where if your mother gets depressed you have a very high chance you might die. There is no rich benefactor going to show up. This is it.
- In fact, I really loved how there was no holds barred when it came to the conditions people are living in, and that why yes, richer districts have an advantage with their Tributes and the whole idea that they stack it against the poorer people within a district. Guys, this is how you do wonderful social commentary dystopia. Things like that.
- Cinna! God, I hope that future books get more into his motivation ("I requested District 12"... I WANT TO KNOW WHY OK) and don't just forget about the potentials they can go there. I'm seeing some arguments for the importance of art and beauty despite basic needs not being met (like Rue's love of music, for instance) and how he fits into that is interesting (i.e. using aesthetics to give his Tributes a fighting chance).
- Rue. Favorite secondary character, hands down. I'm so pissed I don't get to see the woman she grows up into. Hell, I would read an entire book from her POV.
Things I am Ambivalent About:
- Peeta. I think I would have liked him a lot more if he weren't a ~love interest~. I have no doubt that 15 year old me would have found him to be one of the most romantic characters ever, but 26 year old me knows that his kind of infatuation just doesn't hold up and finds it tedious. I don't blame him for loving Katniss, she's fantastic, but that is about 90% of his characterization. And that's annoying. And you know, default heteronormativity. I think I would have much rather there be a deep "brothers in arms" thing with them, instead of you know. Stuff. Then again, teenage romance is one of the main reasons I don't read a lot of YA. XD And I realize this is also very much a product of my experiences and in no way necessarily a bad thing for other people. But he is at least a decent person, hence being int he ambivalent category.
- Gale. Mostly because we don't see all that much about him. And that Katniss starts questioning how she feels about him. Bleh. Can't he just be her hunting partner, like she said originally? Though, I do like that he's got some strong ideals, even if we only saw them in passing, and hopefully in the later books more of his characterization will come through.
Things I Disliked:
- Rue dying. I'm sorry, I would gladly trade Peeta for her any day. I know it was a given, since she's neither the ~love interest~ nor the protagonist and the Games are "last one standing" style, but I held out a secret hope that the author was going to do something different, and not be all in the teenage romance angle. At the very least I hope there's more about District 11, which is giving me creepy Southern Plantation vibes.
- The obvious love triangle setup. Dear god, I hope this doesn't dominate the next couple books. Dear YA: why are you so obsessed with love triangles? Also, author, I already can tell you want Peeta to win. I could probably care less and if given a choice my option would be none of the above.
So, I liked the book, and will see where the trilogy takes me! I think I would have benefited from this more when I was say, 14 or so, but it wasn't a bad way to pass a sleepless night.
Things I Liked:
- So Katniss is a pretty fantastic protagonist. Hands down. If she weren't, this book would frankly not hold together as well as it does. I very much enjoy that she is a hunter and survivor and had absolutely no doubt that she'd survive the Games. Not simply because she was the protagonist.
- Katniss's complicated family situation. This isn't Dickensian poverty; this is the kind where if your mother gets depressed you have a very high chance you might die. There is no rich benefactor going to show up. This is it.
- In fact, I really loved how there was no holds barred when it came to the conditions people are living in, and that why yes, richer districts have an advantage with their Tributes and the whole idea that they stack it against the poorer people within a district. Guys, this is how you do wonderful social commentary dystopia. Things like that.
- Cinna! God, I hope that future books get more into his motivation ("I requested District 12"... I WANT TO KNOW WHY OK) and don't just forget about the potentials they can go there. I'm seeing some arguments for the importance of art and beauty despite basic needs not being met (like Rue's love of music, for instance) and how he fits into that is interesting (i.e. using aesthetics to give his Tributes a fighting chance).
- Rue. Favorite secondary character, hands down. I'm so pissed I don't get to see the woman she grows up into. Hell, I would read an entire book from her POV.
Things I am Ambivalent About:
- Peeta. I think I would have liked him a lot more if he weren't a ~love interest~. I have no doubt that 15 year old me would have found him to be one of the most romantic characters ever, but 26 year old me knows that his kind of infatuation just doesn't hold up and finds it tedious. I don't blame him for loving Katniss, she's fantastic, but that is about 90% of his characterization. And that's annoying. And you know, default heteronormativity. I think I would have much rather there be a deep "brothers in arms" thing with them, instead of you know. Stuff. Then again, teenage romance is one of the main reasons I don't read a lot of YA. XD And I realize this is also very much a product of my experiences and in no way necessarily a bad thing for other people. But he is at least a decent person, hence being int he ambivalent category.
- Gale. Mostly because we don't see all that much about him. And that Katniss starts questioning how she feels about him. Bleh. Can't he just be her hunting partner, like she said originally? Though, I do like that he's got some strong ideals, even if we only saw them in passing, and hopefully in the later books more of his characterization will come through.
Things I Disliked:
- Rue dying. I'm sorry, I would gladly trade Peeta for her any day. I know it was a given, since she's neither the ~love interest~ nor the protagonist and the Games are "last one standing" style, but I held out a secret hope that the author was going to do something different, and not be all in the teenage romance angle. At the very least I hope there's more about District 11, which is giving me creepy Southern Plantation vibes.
- The obvious love triangle setup. Dear god, I hope this doesn't dominate the next couple books. Dear YA: why are you so obsessed with love triangles? Also, author, I already can tell you want Peeta to win. I could probably care less and if given a choice my option would be none of the above.
So, I liked the book, and will see where the trilogy takes me! I think I would have benefited from this more when I was say, 14 or so, but it wasn't a bad way to pass a sleepless night.