As the prequel to the well-known Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes allows the reader to explore the motives behind the villain of the original series. We get to dive deeper into Coriolanus Snows’ teenage years and see his thoughts to get a richer understanding of him. The book is set 64 years before the original series, during the 10th annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus Snow is an academy student in the Capitol. The students are all assigned tributes to mentor.
The Trial by Franz Kafka follows the surreal and nightmarish journey of Josef K., a seemingly ordinary man who is arrested by mysterious agents for an unspecified crime. Throughout the novel, Josef navigates a bewildering and absurd legal system, facing a series of bizarre and surreal trials without ever being informed of the charges against him. The narrative unfolds in a disorienting and dreamlike manner, exploring themes of bureaucracy, power, and the absurdity of the legal system.
Catching Fire is the second movie in the Hunger Games series, and it is an absolute must-watch. The movie takes us deeper into the world of the Capitol and the life of the people living in the Districts. I enjoyed the exciting experience to watch the story unfold, with original characters and new ones being introduced. The movie is a great portrayal of the tension between the districts and the Capitol, and it does an excellent job of highlighting the 75th Hunger Games.
The City of Ember is a dystopian city constructed as a last retreat for humanity, located hundreds of miles beneath the Earth's surface. The city is kept illuminated by thousands of glass light bulbs, but it is slowly decaying, with the lights about to go out forever. Lina and her friend Doon set out to decode a secret message that could save the city from total darkness.
In The Maze Runner by James Dashner, the main character Thomas appears in the middle of a maze with no memory of his past. Thomas is more curious than the others there and he wants to know what is beyond the maze. He wants to explore the maze and get out. He eventually figures out and even sees the monsters that they call “Grievers”. Thomas is not like the other boys there. He doesn’t follow rules. While some of the other boys think Thomas is a problem, some think he could be a solution.
Books are amazing! They have this magical power that can transport us to different worlds and ignite our imaginations. One book that absolutely blew my mind is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's the first book of a trilogy and is narrated by Katniss Everdeen. The story takes us to a future where The Capitol is in charge of everything and has all the power. The way the older sister protects her little sister and tries to win the game was truly amazing and kept me hooked.
Insurgent is a dystopian novel that follows Tris Prior through her adventures in a war torn city. Tris is Divergent, which means she can resist simulations and can’t be controlled by the leaders. She has to make a huge choice during this book, she can turn herself in for testing, or the leaders will continue to kill her friends. The choice she makes tears her from her love, Tobias, who follows her even though she broke a promise.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is the first book in the series. Laia, who witnesses the murder of her grandparents and her brother getting arrested, must risk her life as a spy for the rebels by going into the Empire’s greatest military academy as a slave. Elias, who is a soldier in the academy, plans to desert, but deserting isn’t easy. If Elias gets caught, it could cost him his life. Both Elias and Laia want to seek freedom but find out it’s harder than they think.
Mare, a girl with red blood, is a thief waiting to get conscripted into the army when she turns eighteen, per the mandate. In this dystopian society, people had silver blood, meaning they had powers, or they had red blood, meaning they did not. When Mare learns that her friend, Kilorn, lost his job, meaning he must get conscripted, she does anything she can to save him from that fate. After meeting a stranger in a bar who turns out to be the crown prince, Cal, Mare gets a job at the castle which saves her from getting conscripted.
Katniss, the main character, volunteers in The Hunger Games to save her sister from the same fate. The hunger games are a free for all in which all twelve districts are required to participate. One boy and one girl are randomly chosen, the winner gets rich. You really want to win because if you lose you die and if you win you get popular and have a “wonderful” life.
