The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, 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 TRIED MY HARDEST TO LEAVE OUT SPOILERS... This was a very difficult task!

My Review: Wow, wow, wow! Suzanne Collins sure knows how to draw in her readers. I was captivated right away by the complexity between the Districts and the Capitol. The idea of a dystopian society is hard to imagine because it is unlike anything we have ever had to experience, but Suzanne makes her readers feel like they are living in District 12 under the rule of the Capitol. The fear and the challenge of staying alive, is all there and it is emotionally exhausting. When The Games begin, which two people a boy and a girl from each district must participate and fight to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol, the reader can actually feel like they are also inside the arena. It was intense! I kept flipping through the pages one after another because I needed to know the outcome of the games. There were times where the book would get a little violent for my taste, but I kept reminding myself that that was the reality of life under the Capitol's rule.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE! It was absolutely amazing and had me yearning to read more. Actually, this is probably the best book I've read since Twilight (and I've read tons of books since then!)

The Hunger Games left me thinking two things... 1) Why did it take me this long to read this series? and 2). I want to be just like Katniss Everdeen!

'The Hunger Games' gets a release date -- EXCLUSIVE

This Just came in today via EW!! Super Excited!

Game on! Lionsgate has announced to EW that The Hunger Games, the highly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ futuristic YA thriller about scrapper Katniss Everdeen and her fight to survive a brutal reality TV contest, will be released on March 23, 2012. Director Gary Ross recently revealed to EW that he aims to go into production of the first installment of Collins’ trilogy later this spring.