Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hated it. I know there are lots of others out there who loved this book, but I hated it. I couldn't put it down & I hated it. I thought this would be a book like A Thousand Splendid Suns - I struggled to read that brutal, beautiful book, but felt the redeeming feelings at the end made the journey worth it. "Hunger Games" was not like that for me. *spoiler alert* It is essentially a book about an enslaved nation governed by masters so unfeeling that they use children (12 to 18) in a yearly gladiator-type, fight-to-the-death contest as entertainment. Each year a boy & girl are chosen from each district to participate in the 'hunger games'. They are brought to the capital to be pampered, paraded, fed & ultimately judged on their ability to win. Sponsors are sought, wagers are placed & the children begin the fight for their lives. The masters, constantly watching the contest unfold, influence the outcome by sending silver parachutes to their favorites with needed medicine, supplies, food - as a reward for spicing up the drama or a thrilling kill. The whole thing is barbaric (which I'm sure is the point) and distasteful. I had hoped for a paradigm shift or something to change the feeling of the book as it came to an end. It didn't happen. I was left with a dark, yucky feeling at the end. I don't plan on reading the other 2 in the series - I have no desire to spend my time hoping the next book ends better. I found nothing redeeming in cruelty for cruelty's sake - which is my take on the plot line. And I'm a little discouraged that so many have loved this book - what does that say about my fellow readers - or me?