This' a book that I find quite difficult to rate. Obviously I choose to rate it highly but first the negative: the first 150 pages or so drag a hell of a lot. Loaded down with info dump and not a lot happening, the book moves too slowly until the game starts. The other negative is that Collins is far from a wordsmith, which means that she can't sustain that first bit of the book. Even once the book really gets going, the writing style remains quite awkward. 
 As soon as the games starts however, the book really takes off and becomes a page turner, in spite of the problems noted above. Plot is a real strength here and it's very engaging once it gets off the ground. Both Katniss and Peeta are very strong characters as well, and Haymitch is also well-done. Don't know if he'll be in the next book, but it would be good to see him again! Looking forward to reading the next book and seeing the upcoming movie!