I've read ~100 pages and here's my review so far: It's pretty compelling (I've only been reading for an hour), but it's inconsistent writing. Parts are great and really draw me in but others are just too strange. Collins is trying to explain the Hunger Games, the world she's created and Katniss's family history all at once. And frequently I find myself questioning Katniss's assumptions because I don't know enough about her world to take her assumptions at face value. We'll see how I feel once I finish the book.Final review: The book definitely improved after the first 100 or so pages, once the Hunger Games start. The first part with all of Katniss's self doubt felt very Twilight-y to me, but that feeling went away as I got more into the action of book. My review of my first reread: The Hunger Games is incredibly readable and hard to put down. Even though I knew what to expect, I still found myself caught up in the suspense of the story. (I’ve even resisted rereading the second and third books until I know I’ll have time to finish them in one sitting.) The plot is really action-driven, but the characters don’t suffer for it. They’re well-developed, believable and sympathetic (I cried twice while reading it).It’s interesting how I noticed different things the second time through. The movie definitely colored my reading, affecting mostly the way I pictured the Capitol and the arena. The movie does a good job showing what happens, the book does a better job explaining why. That makes sense. Each medium was used for its strength. I think they compliment each other nicely. I could see someone only watching the movies or only reading the books and being satisfied, but I think fans of the books will enjoy the film as well.I didn’t mind Katniss’s voice as much this time through. On my first read, I found her pretty annoying for the first 100 pages. This time, it wasn’t so bad. But she has to be the least self aware first person narrator I have ever read (exception: perhaps Bella Swan). I don’t find her to be an unreliable narrator. I believe all the exposition she provides, but her refusal to even entertain the idea that Peeta might actually be in love with her, or that people might actually like her as a person outside of her connections to her father or Prim, is so annoying. When Peeta says, “She has no idea. The effect she can have,” he is on the nose.That said, it’s a good self-contained story, but the sequel is well set up. I wanted to read more when I finished it. Not because of a cliff-hanger ending but because I had become attached to the characters and their struggles in and against the Capitol. If you haven’t read The Hunger Games, I definitely recommend it. You should probably buy the box set though. I don’t know anyone who’s stopped reading after the first book.
