Have you read The Hunger Games series? If so, feel free to share your thoughts with a comment.

I finished book three in the Hunger Games series last night. Since I read books 2 and 3 back to back, I figured I’d blog about them together. After Katniss and Peeta win the Hunger Games in book one, they still have problems. The Capitol/President Snow feels threatened, Katniss has power that causes fear within Snow. Katniss’s attempt to swallow the poisoned berries in the arena has caused a definite stir within the oppressed people in the districts. She goes on tour with Peeta as the victors in the Hunger Games and for the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell), President Snow announces that the players will be former Hunger Games winners. Peeta and Katniss, as well as a host of other victors, both young and old, are sent back into the arena to fight one another for their lives.

Due to a pre-determined planned, the Games have been rigged and Katniss and some of the other victors are rescued from the Game and taken to the supposedly extinct district 13. Katniss is worried about Peeta’s safety since he’s been taken by the Capitol. Katniss loses her mind as she’s “nominated” by District 13 to be the Mockingjay, a spokesperson/support person for the war. She’s seen enough blood and guts to last a lifetime, and the gory details of book three are too numerous to mention in this blog post.

Although both of these books were riveting stories, and I felt compelled to read books one, two, and three back to back, I still felt that it was written from the viewpoint of somebody who has little/no faith/belief in God. I felt that the characters in all three of these books were functioning in a Godless, cruel world. There was so much danger, blood, guts, negativity in the stories, that I felt that most people, when in such an oppressed society would call upon God. But, it was almost as if religion doesn’t exist in this futuristic 13-district North American world. However, it’s possible that I feel this way because I read so much Christian fiction that it’s second nature for me to seek a faith element in a story.

I do think these books are thought-provoking. The novels make you think about morals within our society. It also makes you think about war, and about how the actions of war can affect innocent people, like unarmed women and children.

I also felt that these books were too dark to be marketed as young adult novels. I feel they were marketed as such because the characters were so young.

I did enjoy reading these stories, because they are very compelling and you can really feel for the characters, especially with all that they lose in the war. I plan on seeing the movie soon.

Have you read these books? If so, did you like them?

~Cecelia Dowdy~