"Odds are someone else will kill him before I do. Of course, the odds have not been very dependable of late..."

post-apocalyptic stories, young adult ones especially, are difficult to get right. You either end up awed at the world so much that you can't focus on characters or so apathetic about the whole thing because it's so distant from any reality you can conceive of. here, the world is neatly summarised and built upon only as necessary and the focus is very much on the characters, who are detailed and potent. Everything's filtered through Katniss in first person perspective and her life's hardship and trials comes through in every sentence.

The action is neatly placed and fast paced, and even though things got a little predictable, it all happened so well that I'm not complaining. This is the first of a trilogy. Rock on!