The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set

The Hunger Games (Trilogy) is one of the most "unputdownable" books to enter the teen market in a long time. The cliffhangers at the end of each volume are so intense, you can't help but continue on. Knowing this in advance, I decided against reading the series last summer despite the fact that everyone was talking about it. I waited the extra year, and I'm glad I did--even a week was torture when it came to getting my grubby mitts on a copy of Mockingjay.

For the record, this isn't a series for everyone. You will be drained emotionally by its end. The Hunger Games is one of the grimmest dystopian worlds I've encountered in literature. A lot of characters die, and their deaths aren't pleasant. This series may not be for you. Then again, those who know me well would say it's not for me, either. I'm one of the most squeamish people you'll meet, and The Hunger Games more closesly resembles the movie Battle Royale than I thought it would when I started reading. I really enjoyed the series, though. There are scenes so poignant, they'll stick with me. Between this and Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, I've found that even squeamish ole me can still enjoy a disturbing book if it's thought-provoking and well-written.

Now that I've warned you about the contents, let's move on to the meat of this review. It's hard to go in-depth without giving a lot away, so I decided to focus on the trilogy as a whole instead of singling out Mockingjay and reviewing it on its own (though I do have a paragraph dedicated to it further down). A brief synopsis for the uninitiated:
The trilogy takes place in the future. The USA has been destroyed; in its place is Panem, which consists of thirteen districts and a Capitol city. Before the series begins, the districts revolt against the Capitol and are defeated; the thirteenth is completely obliterated. As retribution for their crimes, each district is now required to send a boy and girl, called tributes, to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The games are centered around survival; there can only be one winner (Luckily, most of the deaths occur off-page, so it makes it easier for the squeamish to read). The characters are very rich and detailed; some of their deaths hit incredibly hard and are forever memorable. In the second book, Catching Fire, there is a lot of unease in the districts, and a lot of anger when the year's Hunger Games take a twisted turn and past winners are forced to battle it out for survival. The final book, Mockingjay, consists of a full out rebellion; the districts are at war with the Capitol and it's do or die in a showdown so explosive, readers never see it coming.

Mockingjay has already received flack for not going in the direction fans anticipated. Most were caught up in a romantic triangle and hoped the final book would have a heavy emphasis on this theme with war as a backdrop and a happily-ever-after on the horizon. At the same time, Suzanne Collins has been setting up the revolution since Day One; the grim nature of the first two books should lead readers to believe that the finale will continue in a similar vein. Yes, people will die and it won't always be fair. That's life. I think the direction of Mockingjay was natural, especially in war-like situations. Characters will not be the same as they were earlier in life; war changes you. I would have been disappointed if Collins sidestepped harsh realities in order to soften the story. The tale she weaves is extreme, but it's also genuine. To me, by sticking to her guns and not copping out for something friendlier, she has created a memorable, haunting series that will stick with you long after you've finished reading it.

I'd also like to bring attention to the amazing book jacket art put together by designer Elizabeth B. Parisi and artist Tim O'Brien. At first glance, they don't mean much, but once you've read the serious, you notice just how ingenious they truly are. Before I read the series, I looked at the preview of the Mockingjay jacket and thought, "Wow, that's bright compared to the first two." Now I know better. Each book features a mockingjay, which is a hybrid mix of mockingbird and jabberjay (a Capitol creation used for spying on enemies during the first rebellion). The first book features the bird as the pin the main character, Katsa's, friend gives to her. The book is black and grim, giving it a desolate air. Every character in the Games feels hopeless, as though he/she won't survive. The second book's mockingbird is trapped inside a clock-like environment, which is the setting of the Hunger Games in this volume. The book is red for fire (both for its title, Catching Fire, and the literal associations with the element in the book), for anger (the fact that previous survivors of the Hunger Games must participate once more), and for bloodshed. Both books feature these circular objects that link to one another representing the way the districts and Capitol are linked. The final book features a mockingjay with its wings spread out. The linked circles are in broken pieces around it. The book is a vivid sky blue, the color of peace and hope. These covers have become favorites of mine; I adore the symbolism.

All in all, I'm personally glad I've read this series and wouldn't change a thing. I'm glad I didn't sidestep it due to its violent nature and extreme situations. This trilogy is one I'll read again to delve into the intricate layers I know Collins has laid out for us. Collins is a master at capturing a society at war and showing the horrors that come when a corrupt government is in control.

Because I was such a fan of Suzanne Collins' The Underland Chronicles (also known as the Gregor the Overlander series), I picked up The Hunger Games the first week it was out and I feel privileged in a way to not only have read this series as it unfolded, but to have witnessed its climb in popularity over the last 2 years. That popularity is richly deserved.

Collins is both a talented writer and a gifted storyteller, two things that do not always go hand in hand. In The Hunger Games trilogy, she has created characters that will stay with me and has given them a hard and difficult story that will haunt me. She also managed to keep the quality of the series high throughout which is not always the case with a book series.

At the conclusion of book three - Mockingjay - Collins hasn't wrapped everything up in a neat little bow and slapped a happy face sticker on the bow's ribbon ends nor, IMHO, should she have done so. Instead, Collins provides a conclusion that suits the story, that left room for my internal `if-onlys', `what-ifs', `I-wonders' and `but-what-abouts', but that I also found satisfying.

I consider The Hunger Games trilogy to be a great accomplishment for Collins and a true classic for both teen and adult readers of both sexes. I'm very pleased to give it a permanent place on my-favorite-books-of-all-time shelf where, coincidentally, it will sit right alongside The Underland Chronicles.

Very, very highly recommended.

Note: Prices will vary, but you may want to price the books out to see if you'll get a better deal buying them separately. As I write this, you will, so if you're not really committed to the box... :-)

I have so many reasons for disliking this book its hard to know what bothers me the most. I guess I could start with the ludicrous premise of a world where a government is so incredibly evil it forces children to fight to the death in some fantastical high tech arena..... Lots of shades of grey there eh? Or I could mention the juvenile plot focusing on action, surprise cliffhanger endings, and a simplistic "page turning" writing style at the expense of character depth and real plot development. Or it could be the interminable costume and hair details that fill chapter after chapter that only a pre-pubescent female could possibly relate to. Or maybe its the completely unsympathetic main character that forever dithers between two underdeveloped milk-toast males. Lets not forget the impossible and inconsistent use of sci-fi technology where a society has nuclear weapons, the ability to make a wide variety of genetically altered beasts and flies around in hover crafts, but still devotes an entire segment of the population to "coal mining" and hunts with bows and arrows. For anyone with an ounce of hunting or military knowledge, many of the scenes are actually laughably bad and poorly written. But I suppose that the most galling thing about this book is the final installment where the author basically runs out of ideas so she throws the kitchen sink at you in a series of ludicrous adventures where the main characters race toward an inevitable conclusion. And then she unceremoniously kills off a main character to try to give her writing efforts some gravitas, if not an actual point.
Now I don't expect LOTR or Game of Thrones detail in a book written for teenagers. But even compared to other books like Harry Potter, Eragon, or Redwall this is trite. And giving it a bleak ending doesn't excuse the multitude of sins one must wade through to get to that nihilistic outcome. On the plus side, it was an awfully fast read, so at least the torture won't last long.

I've never posted a review on Amazon before but I just had to this time. I belong to a reading group consisting of eight women, mid-thirties to fifty eight years old, who read mostly literary fiction. We just read this trilogy and every one of us loved it. We had one of the best and longest discussions that we've ever had. This is classified as young adult fiction but it speaks to every age. There is a lot to think about here, yet the books are also very plot-driven and almost impossible to put down. What could be better?

I thought I had reviewed this series already, then I remembered I was so emotionally moved after having read these books that I couldn't find words to review them. Let me start by saying I am a 38 y/o woman with 2 pre-teen children. When several people at work were discussing this series I really didn't think I'd like. My friend Krista, who shares similar reading interest sang it's praises so I purchased them for my kindle. I've read them and all I can say is Wow, Wow, Wow. I have since purchased them in hardback form! This series is incredible. I want my daughter to read these in a year or two-before she sees the upcoming movie. When I finished the hunger games I had to immediately start on Catching Fire and when I finished it I started on MockingJay. I read these books in one weekend and when I finished them I was emotionally drained. I cried for most of MockingJay. I cried days after when I thought about the books. My family thought I had lost my mind. It has been a long time since I've read somthing that touched me like this. As I sit here writing I realize I've told NOTHING of the book's content.... Well, I'm not going to. Read for yourself and discover the brilliant writting of Suzanne Collins.

I read this series years ago and loved it. I bought this used set on Amazon for my son and one of the books came to me MOLDY. Note, in the pictures, the box itself is not moldy. Gross. Don't buy from this seller.

ETA 11/19: I didn't ask for a refund because 1.5 of the books were readable, and it was my busy season so the effort didn't feel worth it to me. The seller refunded me unprompted, which I do very much appreciate. Changing my star rating to reflect the good customer service.

No doubt if you're looking at this product, you already know The Hungry Games Trilogy are all great books!

In my mind, there's really only a few reasons for a "boxset" to exist: 1) To give as a a better looking gift than three separate books to someone who somehow missed the phenomenon along the way or is missing some of the collection. 2) Because they include something special w/ the set that makes it more meaningful, or 3) Because it's cheaper to buy them as a set.

In this case, this set is only your best choice if you want to give the set as a gift. I wish they'd included something special that made it more worthwhile than a cardboard container to hold them. I don't think it would have hurt to add in a mockingjay pin and an exclusive map or poster - since the set costs more than the individual books combined. (Or did, the day I was writing this.) Who knows? Maybe they will come up with a more special set after the third books been out a bit longer.

Still, there's plenty of avid teen readers that are just now getting to the age to begin enjoying these tales, and a set of the books would definitely make a great gift for them boxed or unboxed.

I thought Hunger Games was decent. I thought Catching Fire was the exact same as the Hunger Games and pointless. I thought Mockingjay was a disgrace. The fact that this series is receiving so much acclaim is really an indication that the readers of this world are as sick as the literary Capitolians in these novels and can be entertained by poorly written, scattered story lines full of violence and nonsense. Honestly, I think Collins was a Team Jacob fan from the Twilight series and published these books to bring justice to Jacob by having Katniss end up with Peeta (spoiler alert, sorry). If you've read the two series, think about the parallels... supernatural beings (vampires and muttations), all powerful controlling body (Volturi and the Capitol), gory war violence, a normal girl torn between two men she loves while trying to protect her family, two attractive men trying to protect the one girl they love despite her resistance to marriage and children, etc. etc. Overall, Mockingjay lacks character development, lacks a consistent story line, lacks dimension. You lose interest in the protagonists and the antagonists, and you're left feeling sorry for the few people in the plot who were genuinely happy with their lives because they die violently. It's such a jumbled mess that the ending is actually perfect and expected considering how nonsensical the rest of the book is. Also, Collins needs some work in learning to illustrate scenes and people with detail... use more appeal to the senses and the imagination instead of being so technical and boring. Another thing that kills me is every time she doesn't know how to describe an event, she just conveniently has Katniss black out. I guess that's a perk of being the author, but it sucks to be the reader. Don't waste your time getting involved in this series because it gets progressively worse.

This was a gift for my 14 year-old son; he has become very particular about his book collection and prefers hardcover. I can’t say that I fault him for that. That having been said, I have read them myself on Kindle, and the series is excellent. It may be classified as “young adult fiction,” but as an adult I didn’t find it oversimplified to cater to teens (read: condescending), as is most “teen fiction” out there. To the contrary, the series is quite complex in its imagery at times, eloquently written, intricate in its plot development and, if anything, pushes young readers to expand their boundaries. I always take great joy in encouraging my son’s affinity for reading, and this was no exception. He blazed through them in about four days and has re-read them all at least twice each.

The first book is absolutely amazing. The main character is strong and smart, the supporting cast is engaging, and the action is perfectly paced. After the explosive beginning, the rest of the trilogy is a huge disappointment. Both Catching Fire and Mockingjay spend huge amounts of time building up to or hinting at intriguing ideas. In CF, a burgeoning rebellion is constantly alluded to, and MJ presents the fascinating possibility that the rebel leaders may be just as bad as the Capitol. But any plot thread that shows promise is always, inexplicably eclipsed by Katniss' constant angsting, whining, and pettiness. A huge amount of time is spent on the love triangle, which is fine, romance can be interesting. But since Katniss constantly stonewalls or lashes out instead of communicating, her relationships with Peeta and Gale both feel underdeveloped, and when she finally makes her choice, it seems almost arbitrary. The final two books also commit the cardinal sin of having nearly every supporting character be more interesting than Katniss. I so badly wanted to know more about Finnick, Beetee, Johanna, even Coin, but not only are they not given enough screen time, they're deprived of even a quick where-are-they-now in the epilogue! The third book is the worst; the entire last section of it is wasted on a violent battle that has no point in the end, followed by an extremely rushed ending. What was the government like after the Capitol fell? How the heck did Peeta recover so well from his hijacking? There is no satisfying conclusion; an epilogue saying that Katniss eventually became happy and had children doesn't come close to cutting it. I have never seen any book series that builds such a fascinating world, and then refuses to explore the most interesting corners of it. I almost gave three stars because of the worldbuilding and strong first book, but the huge letdown forces me to instead award two.