At first I was pretty reluctant to try a YA novel like this - not exactly my usual. I was very glad I ultimately did. Katniss' first-person narration really succeeds in taking you inside the head of a fierce, damaged young woman thrown into impossible circumstances. It also does an excellent job of showing the constant grinding struggle to survive under the Capitol - unlike in the more sanitized (and generally inferior) film, the "Hunger" part of the title actually makes sense. Really overall the book just has a rawer, in some ways darker sensibility - which I found more fitting, personally. Overall highly recommended - it makes for a great, gripping read.