4.5 stars! I have many friends that have read this, and all of them rave about it, so I knew I would get to it one day. The upcoming movie increased my desire, and it was a quick read; it's easy to understand why it is so popular. 
 My 13 year old son read it at the same time as I did, and he deems it a 5-star book. I liked it a great deal; it's a page-turner for sure. The detailed setting and the unusual plot quickly sucked me in, and kept me wanting to read more to find out what happened next. 
 The characters all encountered tough decisions they had to make, though we gained the most information from Katniss, who provides the reader's perspective. One of the things that kept this book from being 5 stars for me is Katniss. While she is a highly intelligent strategic hunter, super good with a bow and arrow and is capable of understanding when its in her best interest to do what she's told, she is bizarrely thick in other ways. How she could not fully grasp (view spoiler)[ that Peeta had true feelings for her and wasn't just playing to the audience is not something I bought--it's too out of character. For a "normal" 16 year old girl, okay, maybe she would be that dense. But as smart as she was made to be, my feeling is she would have picked up on some clues earlier on. (hide spoiler)] 
 Often the first book in a trilogy is the best, and I have heard that is the case with this one. Still, I'll be reading the others, and will expect a bit of entertainment for my time investment, nothing more.