Ugh! What a disappointment!

Let me start with the things I liked: Too often heroes/heroines seem to have too much influence that they realistically should have. Essentially, the author has to bend the rules to make sure the hero can win against all odds. I actually liked that Katniss is a bit helpless and struggling to have an impact on the situation and events. (This is actually one of my only complaints about the Harry Potter franchise... you have to make the adults inept (unrealistically so) in order for the kids to be the heroes).

Unfortunately, that's probably the only good thing. Katniss is extremely unsympathetic throughout the entire book and never redeems herself. The ultimate resolution feels contrived and predictable. I still have to recommend it for people who've read the first two books because you'll want to find out how it ends, but I don't understand the high reviews this book has received.

Based on the first two books, I was expecting much better from Collins.