The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a story that impacted an entire generation, and it even has recent releases and a current movie adaptation for its newest installment being made as I write this.
As a teen, I devoured the original series, and it was very easily one of my favorite stories at the time. Even as an adult over a decade later, I still love this series. After reading the two newest installments, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping as well as the original trilogy again, I can unequivocally say that this series is, without a doubt, and will probably always be one of my favorites.
It is a YA dystopian series, so while the topics and plot is mature, the content itself is generally considered acceptable for young teens and up. Personally, I agree with this rating (as long as you’re okay with numerous graphic, violent moments).
The Original Series
Synopsis: This story follows Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl from the impoverished District 12 who volunteers as tribute in place of her young sister Prim for the namesake of the series–the 74th annual Hunger Games. The Games are violent and gruesome, a way to keep the Districts in line and the Capitol in power in the land of Panem. Children from every District fight to the death in an arena with deadly machinations and mutations made by Capitol game makers for the sake of horrid entertainment.
Content Rating: Like all YA series, these books are considered acceptable for younger audiences. There is little to no swearing, aside from the occasional “hell” or “damn,” and there is absolutely no explicit content. However, there are copious amounts of violence and other war-related themes throughout all three books. These include but are not limited to: starvation, murder, mentions of suicide, poisoning, imprisonment, torture, and so on.
Personal Take: As I’ve already stated, I love this series and fully intend to read it again. All five books are wonderful, and the first three contain a solid, well-fleshed-out world and a protagonist anyone could root for. The story will have you laughing, yelling, cheering, and crying throughout. 5/5.
The Prequel Books
Synopsis: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells the story of Lucy Gray Baird, District 12’s female tribute for the 10th annual Hunger Games, and her mentor, future president and proud Capitol resident Coriolanus Snow. Unlike the other four novels in the series, this book was written in a third person perspective and gave an intriguing glimpse into the psyche of Snow as he did whatever it took to achieve the goals he set for himself.
Sunrise on the Reaping is told from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, winner of the 50th annual Hunger Games (and second Quarter Quell) and future mentor of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Nearly fifty children entered the arena during this Hunger Games, and despite the beautiful scenery of the arena, a deadly, toxic, and violent death awaits all but one of those chosen tributes.
Content Rating: These books are still YA just as their predecessors were, and there is still no explicit scenes or much profanity at all, however the mature themes and hard, graphic stories of war are still present. In my opinion, these two sometimes present pills that are even harder to swallow than the previous trilogy and include topics like cannibalism and torturous imprisonment in addition to the other topics I mentioned in the section above. But still, the two newest books to this series are incredible, and I personally feel they hold true to their YA rating.
Personal Take: These two books are not only as good as the original trilogy. In many ways, they surpass it. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was an exceptional piece of writing that told an excellent story of a Machiavellian character and made the primary antagonist in The Hunger Games all the more terrifying. While Sunrise on the Reaping told the heartbreaking story of a beloved character who meets their absolute breaking point under the terrible system that never permitted the odds to be in his favor.
Overall, these two books did exactly what prequels should do. They added so much more depth to the initial story and characters fans knew and loved, enriched the world in ways some could never have imagined, and made readers like me excited to go back and read the initial story all over again. 5/5 for both, with a partial preference to Sunrise on the Reaping, my personal favorite of all five books.
AG Patrick 