This book was surprisingly great in my opinion. It's outside my usual genres, so I really can't even say why I purchased it in the first place, but I'm very glad that I did. Now I look forward to listening to the remaining books in the series as well.

As a huge fan of this series I was excited to pick it up on audio book. I should have listened to the sample. They had no business casting her to read this. I can hear her reading Jane Austen but not this. They really needed a younger, fresher sounding voice to read this book.

A great story ruined by the narrator. She speaks with an annoying affectation, and sounds as if she were reading to children. Perhaps she was trying to imitate the speech of the heroine -- but this doesn't explain why her delivery was so devoid of emotion. In all, very distracting. I'll avoid this narrator in the future.

Don't get me wrong - I like plenty of books aimed at people younger than myself - Ender's Game, the Wheel of Time series, the Bartimaeus books, the Discworld books, etc. - but this one has the same teen-love-story feel that I couldn't connect with in the Twilight series either (I only made it through book one in that series also).

I know some of you will hit the "unhelpful" button just because I don't love Katniss (or Isabella) or the many strapping young gentlemen they're involved with. But please, I'm not saying this is crap - I'm just saying that it's not for me - and probably won't be for other men in their mid 30s who like things like...the Song of Ice and Fire series, for instance - that's all :)

Not every book is for everyone. Although this book has a strong audience it was not one for me, it is a sappy teen angst confused love story with an amateurish attempt at being an action story. If you are 14, and a girl, this will be a great story for you, and that is the target market. I was sucked in by people who loved the movie and some of the reviews that indicated it could be a great book for an adult audience as well as the aforementioned. I am not sure how this works for adults, for some it seemed to but for me it was just silly. Any predicament "Catness" finds herself in is rectified by some intervention and she skates through everything with only confused emotions and some mad higher ups in the ethereal "capital". If she is stung by mutant wasps, or thirsty, BOOM fixed in an anti climatic revelation, her biggest challenge is to continually keep the audience of the "Hunger Games" from seeing her cry. For me I am certain that the books most useful aspect is as a cure for insomnia.

Already have twice! This book catchs you and won't let you go. So amazing

Divergent. They have a lot in common and are both equally amazing I suggest you go and buy both right now, you can thank me later.

Yes I started to cry and did end up crying a lot while reading this book. Not everyone is a crier but I sure am and it got me. Such emotion through the whole book, for that matter the whole trilogy!

Simple you will love it!

This suspenseful science fiction novel is written for a younger audience, but thoroughly engaged me. Catness is a likeable and worthy heroine, competing for her life with a number of other adolescents in the sadistic Hunger Games. The author treats all the children with at least some compassion; there are no all-bad-guys or all-good-guys.

Catness develops a rich, nuanced understanding of the despotic system in which she must operate, and maintains her hold on humanity, compassion and love, while sometimes making choices that set these aside for the moment, in the hope that she will live to love another day. Though the situation is life-or-death, the decisions she must make are not black-or-white.

I am completely impressed by the enjoyability of this book. I purchase several audiobooks a month to create a more tolerable commute to work; it wasn't enough for me, however, to reserve "The Hunger Games" just for my drive. I sat in my living room and listened it out until it was over. This is a crazy-good book that I'd recommend to everyone!

I WANT to tell you this story a bit too feeble. I WANT to tell you the narrator, while not the worst I've heard, was not good. I WANT to tell you the main character isn't all that likable of a person. I WANT to tell you your credit is better spent elsewhere. I want to say I did not like this book...but for whatever reason I can't. In looking back at how it kept my attention from beginning to end I can only say I WOULD recommend this book. Maybe it would have been better for me if I read it rather than listening to the narrator's interpretation. If you like fast paced plot lines that are very linear and want to just sit and be entertained this would be a good book to turn to.

I enjoyed the Hunger Games, but gave this book three stars instead of four, because its not without its flaws. Its a little simplistic at times, and I thought more of the book could have been dedicated to making the conflict in the arena more compelling. That part of the story was strangely lacking in my opinion.

Some people complained about the narrator's voice. I personally thought she was perfect. Her affectations didn't bother me at all, and I thought fit the main character very well.

Some reviewers have complained about the violence. All I can say to that is this violence is strictly PG-13. If you can't stomach the violence in this rather tame novel, then you should stick with the Disney channel. Its really not bad.

Lastly, just wanted to add that I am 35 and enjoyed the book. Its not the most sophisticated thing I've ever read, but so what? Will probably check out the sequel when I get a chance.