The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was surprised by how much I liked this story. It was a quick read in first person present tense–naturally. It didn’t put me off the way many YA novels do, by spending far too much time on dialogue and exposition. There’s enough action, and it’s well done. At no time did I pray for the death of the female protagonist. This is a rare and wondrous accomplishment, although I may have wanted to shake her once or twice.
This book is an odd blend of Witch World and The Long Walk, but it works.