I just completed Chapter Five of Hunger Games, and I decided that I would supply a handful of thoughts that have percolated inside my mind.

Be mindful that these are thoughts after only 70 pages.

• Katniss is a terrible narrator – she reminds me of Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby, who is as wooden as the characters in Star Wars: I – III (George Lucas Strikes Back!).
  • I feel that the story would have been better served by a different narrator – perhaps Haymitch – because not only is Katniss unbearable, but she changes her mind more than a hormonal teenage girl. Oh, wait.

• The writing seems sloppy to me. Not in the storytelling, but in the narration. It feels much too simple and freewheeling – as if Katniss “wrote” the story and didn’t bother editing; she jumps between using Peeta and Peeta Mellark when we already know who he is. Or that could be Scholastic’s forgetting to hire a proper editor. Whichever.

• On a positive note, the story progresses quickly. There is little time spent on exposition that is irrelevant to the plot. However, I would have enjoyed a bit more description with regards to the Capitol and “The Rebellion”, which may be why I have no true dislike for the Capitol and its inhabitants at this point. I feel that I should be more on Katniss’ side, but right now I have very little sympathy for her.

I’m not getting a sense for anything spectacular, but I didn’t have one while reading H-Potts & The S-Stone.

So there’s still plenty of hope and plenty of pages to turn.