Its Characters
When it comes to characters, The Hunger Games excels at presenting its readers with flawed, realistic people to follow over the course of its three books — and for that, it definitely deserves applause. It’s not revolutionary to see such multifaceted characters in YA nowadays, but at the time these books were published, it wasn’t as common.
Katniss, in particular, is a protagonist that many female readers were able to relate to in a refreshing way. She’s not written as an archetype, and her character isn’t defined by overused tropes. Katniss comes off as a very real teenage girl — one who experiences anger and fear, and one who often makes the wrong decision. But she’s also a compassionate, good person at her core, and that’s what keeps readers rooting for her.
Of course, Katniss isn’t the only character fans have fallen for while reading these novels. Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Cinna, Effie — every single person introduced as Katniss wins her first Hunger Games and goes on to become the Mockingjay is charming yet flawed, and following them will make readers laugh and cry again and again.