The Hunger Games is set in a Post-American America comprised of 12 Districts ruled by The Capitol. Every year The Capitol holds the Hunger Games, selecting one boy and one girl from each district to compete. The Games are televised live and all citizens watch as these boys and girls aged 12-18 fight to the death to remind the citizens of the fate awaiting those who rebel. In District 12, the worst off of them all, Katniss and Peeta are selected. 
 Firstly, I was unsure of this series. I had heard the hype and the rave and I couldn't help but think, hey haven't I seen this before? But of course, I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. While I'm withholding judgement on the overarching ideas until I finish all three of the series I still enjoyed the first one. I feel I might be being a touch generous or more harsh on my rating of this until I complete the series and see how it improves. 
 The writing style took a bit of getting used to. I found that things were pointed out that didn't need to as though the reader wouldn't have been able to pick up on them themselves. The sentence structure was pretty awkward in some places. And Katniss's voice takes a little getting used to, although I felt it improved over the course of the novel, possibly due to her growing up more and thinking more complexly. As for Katniss, I quite liked her character. She was a strong character but still had a good vunerable streak, which is important in order to have a three dimensional character. I'm also especially glad that a romantic relationship wasn't central to the plot. 
 The book did keep me interested, the characters were well built, and I'd like to see where the premise is going.