The Hunger Games has held a special place in my heart from the moment it came out. Effie Trinket was my first cosplay, I wrote fanfiction for years, and went to every single one of the movies at midnight showings. But as we are now at five books within the world of Panem, it only felt right to take this opportunity to rank them all! Because while all of these were five-star reads for me, some just happened to be better than others.
1. Sunrise on the Reaping
Honestly, when I first picked up Sunrise on the Reaping, I didn't expect it to be my favorite of the series. I had high hopes, I had wanted Haymitch's book for over a decade, but I didn't expect it to be this insanely good. The way the themes of the book pulled no punches, the way we could see Haymitch's development from a lovestruck teenager to the drunk hermit we know (and love). But what I loved most about the book was it truly bridged everything we knew from an older Panem to the modern one we see in the trilogy - to backstories of Victors to the way the Games themselves evolved, this book lets us see the dark reality of Panem - without the flame Katniss sets on the world.
2. Catching Fire
This book sat at the top of my favorite books list for years, and still holds a special place in my heart. Catching Fire made the idea of Katniss and Peeta going into a second Hunger Games realistic, while setting the sparks of a working rebellion off. It raised the stakes, allowed for the world to grow, and allowed us to get to know the other Victors who had previously won the Hunger Games. I found the way it opened up the world to be the perfect way of understanding all of Panem, and I still will automatically defend it as the absolute best of the original trilogy, especially when Sunrise on the Reaping managed to take what we already knew and make it better.
3. The Hunger Games
The book that started it all, The Hunger Games, introduced us to Panem, The Capitol, and District 12, all while making us immediately root for Katniss as she volunteers to save her sister. So much of the emotional heartstrings start in this book, only to grow over the rest of the trilogy. But this book is important because it reminds us of one thing: Katniss never wanted to change the world; she just wanted to save her sister. It's an excellent beginning to the series, does a fantastic job of reeling in the reader, so we're able to fully appreciate everything that comes after.
4. Mockingjay
This book killed my favorite character, and therefore it automatically lost a spot. I am, in fact, that petty. That being said, with the horrors of war being at the forefront of this book, I had to put it down the most just to digest everything I read. I also felt like the ending was a tiny bit overcomplicated - I missed not one but two major character deaths I had to go back and reread. While it also touched on the theme of "history is doomed to repeat itself if you don't stop the cycle," I felt like this was a little rushed in at the end, which added to it being overcomplicated. Still a five-star read, but I had a few nitpicks with it.
5. A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
I enjoyed this book - it was a fascinating look into how President Snow came to be, and a fascinating look into how the Hunger Games almost ended much sooner than we thought. However, it just didn't have the spark the other four had. It's solid, and required reading for Sunrise on the Reaping to fully hit, but overall it's the weakest of all the books, giving us more character study on how a person becomes evil over some of the more punchy themes we see in the other books.