Collins is a master of suspense. She kept me flipping through the last half of the book at breakneck speed. I would hang onto each cliffhanger, regain my footing, and then find myself slipping back over the edge straight away because another twist or turn would present itself. I really appreciated the slightly detached, yet highly intense writing that told this story. Collins's writing style is very unique and accessible.
The most important element of this novel that I connected with was the dystopian theme and how I could easily intricate this novel in an English class. Pairing it with The Lord of the Flies, Brave New World, or 1984 would work out really well. I love the totalitarian depiction of future North America and how Katniss represents a sort of primitive human force that has to subvert the evils of her dictatorship by using the system. I have not read the second or third installments yet, so I can't actually substantiate my previous statement with more than speculation, but I feel confident that Collins will continue the trilogy with that type of action in mind. The teaching potential for this novel is endless and I would love to use this book in a novel study unit.
A thoroughly entertaining read. I would highly recommend it to pretty much anyone. It should set the stage nicely for my next dystopian read, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.