Took me forever to finally get around to reading this, but now that I have I wonder what took me so long. It was great. The world in this book is brutal and unapologetic. The characters are very relatable...from the start I loved Katniss and was rooting for her. Let's not even mention Peeta...who I am completely in love with. He is my kind of guy, and I'm not of mad at Katniss for being blind and foolish right now. Ugh. But the action is great, there is plenty of mystery...and a dash of romance...all in the middle of some gruesome activities. And excellent ride. Can't wait to read the next.