A couple of years ago my sister picked up this book and it blew her away. She couldn't stop talking about it and was so excited by the plot and simply affected by the characters. I was told OFTEN by her after that, that I NEEDED to read this book. But I couldn't bring myself to do it because of it's violent premis. I'm not one for violence to begin with, let alone child on child violence. Furthermore, I'm also not a big fan of dystopian fiction (although I did really enjoy The Handmaid's Tale) and wasn't exactly drawn to the story by any means. 
 That being said, I obviously did eventually give this book a try. This, I will admit, is due to the fact that it's all anyone seems to be talking about lately. 
 Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before -- and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 
 I don't know how Suzanne Colins did it, but she made me a fan of this story in spite of all my resistance to read it. I fell in love with Katniss immediately and related to her protectiveness of her sister entirely. Like her, there is nothing I wouldn't do for my younger siblings. She was an incredibly relatable character. She was also a strong and powerful girl who anyone would be proud to look up to. She embodies what every woman hopes and dreams of becoming in life. And that is an important role to portray in a young adult novel. 
 The connection between Katniss and Peeta was so fun to see grow. I was excited and uneasy the entire book about their potential love story. I wanted so desperately to see a relationship develop, but at the same time I was too scared to enjoy the connection since inevitably only one could live. 
 I still truly can't believe this novel is geared towards children ages 12 to 16. It was disturbing enough to read for a 29 year old, especially the first part of the novel that focused on the real hardships Katniss and her family have to endure in this futuristic communist society. But, the story serves as a lesson in so many social and political issues, I can see why Scholastic is it's publisher and why the story is geared towards this generations 'tweens' and teens.