What happens if we value entertainment over everything else, even life? In Collins's world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll speak strangely, making all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. Moreover, we’ll think of humanity as nothing more than an image on a television screen. In Hunger Games, twenty-four “tributes” have their lives at risk while all who watch risk losing their very humanity.

Collin’s book is packed with action. It is so packed with so much action that it has time for little else. Many times, the book does not realize the allegorical potential that the plot has to offer. The author seems to value action over substance on these occasions.

There is a tangled romance that plays a part in the book. However, the characters are never really allowed to explore more than the surface of their feelings because the plot of the book takes precedence and every emotion felt is somehow linked to the games. No real sense of emotion is ever allowed to materialize because of the plot-driven nature of the story.

In summary, I give the entertainment value of the plot a B+. It was well-paced and has some really good action sequences. I give the lasting value of the work a C-. There were just too many opportunities to make a profound statement lost in this book. I do add a word of warning for parents. The book has a few somewhat explicit scenes. That’s unfortunate because the explicit nature of the scenes is unnecessary to the plot. Overall, I give The Hunger Games 3½ stars out of 5.