Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Tif Takes On The Hunger Games vs Divergent

Have you ever been in a book club when a member compares your current read with a popular book?  A popular book that just so happens to be one of your own favorites?  And, you kind of gasp just a little bit like you cannot believe they just did that?  Well, that was me recently with the book Divergent by Veronica Roth, and the comparison was to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Well, that got me thinking ... how does Divergent compare to The Hunger Games in the book blogging world?   I asked and I think I got my answer.



Let's first start with a little background information . . .

The Hunger Games features a world made of 12 districts, made up essentially of needs (i.e., transportation, fishing, lumber, etc.).

Divergent's world breaks down into 5 factions (or, in my opinion, technically 6 when you consider the factionless), separated by personality traits (i.e., honesty, knowledge, selfishness, etc.).

Both of these worlds essentially put people into categories.  When people are put into boxes, they are meant to break free of them!

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The Hunger Games is led by Katniss Everdeen, a strong young woman who has learned to survive in her imperfect world.

Divergent is led by Beatrice Prior, a young woman who comes to discover that she is stronger than she initially gives herself credit for.

Both of these girls can kick your butt anyday!

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The Hunger Games is really about survival, but love does come into play in a triangular fashion.

Divergent is also all about survival and love falls into her lap along the way.

Yep, survival and love in both.

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Despite all these similarities, there is only one winner for me if I absolutely have to choose one:  The Hunger Games.  I found the categorization into resources more believable than personalities.  I thought the writing was better.  And, I thought the entire series was strong.  Granted, I am not quite done with Allegiant, the third in the Divergent series.  However, I devoured The Hunger Games within days ... for the entire trilogy.  The Divergent series began dragging for me with Insurgent and I don't find myself drawn to the story as much as I did with The Hunger Games.

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Thankfully, my vote is not the deciding factor.  I now turn to some fellow book bloggers to share their views on the two trilogies . . .

Kate from Midnight Book Girl
Hunger Games, hands down. I really loved Divergent, but I did not like book 2 or 3. I kind of felt like Roth didn't really have a vision for where the story was going. I think Collins is just better at world building. 

April from The Steadfast Reader
Yep, a thousand time The Hunger Games. Admittedly, I only read 'Divergent' (this is how much more I prefer The Hunger Games) the reason behind it was that I couldn't relate. The stunts that the Dauntless had to perform seemed reckless and unnecessarily dangerous (that's not bravery, that's stupidity). But, then I'm not the key demographic either. :) I also agree with Kate from Midnight Book Girl that Collins did a much better job at world building. I'm all about the world building.

Kayla from Bibliophilia, Please!
I loved The Hunger Games, but I couldn't get into Divergent. I found the world-building a bit harder to believe because the factions didn't really make sense to me. I also didn't have the connection with Tris that I had with Katniss. I've heard that Insurgent is a better book than Divergent, but I doubt I'll ever read it.

Monika from A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall
I read all of the Hunger Games straight through. Could not put them down, couldn't wait to read the next book, was SO GLAD I'd waited until all three were out before ever starting the series for that very reason. ;) Divergent was very good, I enjoyed it, but I haven't been as compelled to read on. I want to, eventually, but no feeling of "I MUST find out what happens!!!" you know? So for me, Hunger Games wins.

Tanya from Girlxoxo
Another vote for THG. In Divergent I think the premise behind the society didn't make sense. And it only got more nonsensical at the end of Insurgent. I haven't read the final book in the series yet though.

Melissa from Palmer's Picks for Reading
It took me two tries to get into The Hunger Games....and once I did, I enjoyed it and Catching Fire. But Divergent sucked me right in. I found Tris to be an interesting and complex character...strong and intelligent. I liked Four and wanted to watch their relationship grow. There were times in the three books that I wanted to smack both of them but I could not put these books down.

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When I put out this little call for an opinion, I really did not expect to see such an overwhelming response to one trilogy over the other.  I really thought it would be more of a battle.  Alas, it was not and the winner is . . .

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

Now, it is your turn to weigh in.  Which series do you prefer:  The Hunger Games or Divergent?  Why?

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Tif is one of the creators of Book Bloggers International 
and can be found on a regular basis over at Tif Talks Books.

22 comments :

  1. I also preferred the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’ve read all three books in a week. I really couldn’t put them down and read till early in the morning. I think I slept for 5 hours a day that week. I’ve also read the complete Divergent series by Veronica Roth but the last book wasn’t really what I expected. I couldn’t get ‘into’ it. And sometimes I almost wished the book would just end already. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Divergent series but with the Hunger Games I was completely pulled into that world. I couldn’t think about anything else for days. I loved Katniss and her personality. At times I didn’t really like Tris.
    Yes, I definitely would choose The Hunger Games.

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    1. Maureen Beatrice ... As I mentioned above, I actually have not yet finished Allegiant. I just don't find myself drawn to it like I did with The Hunger Games, and honestly, the different perspectives have gotten a bit confusing at times. I hope to finish it soon, but I guess we will see!

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  2. YES! Hunger Games all the way. Overall better universe, better story, and um better ending.

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    1. Julie S ... No spoilers!! I'm not quite done with Allegiant yet!! :)

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  3. I agree. The Hunger Games for sure!

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  4. I didn't realize how overwhelming the Hunger Games vote was! :D

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    1. Monika @ Lovely Bookshelf ... Me neither! I was quite surprised and thought it would honestly be a more even battle.

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  5. Hunger games won! Yay! But that won't stop me from reading it.

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    1. Johannah ... Divergent is still a fun read, so I don't recommend skipping it entirely. BUT, if I had to pit one against the other ... The Hunger Games would definitely win!

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  6. I would probably vote THG, too, though I have pluses and minuses for both. I loved, loved, loved Divergent, but Insurgent kind of dragged until right at the end and I am not biting at the chomp to read Allegiant, though I do want to still. Of course, I didn't like Mockingbird that much. It seemed like mostly filler and I felt like Collins was trying to tie up everything with a nice big bow and that kind of irked me since it wasn't what I was hoping for.

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    1. Becca Lostinbooks ... I am actually a fan of Mockingjay, but I know that not many people are. I am currently in the middle of Allegiant and find that it is not catching my attention very much at all. I didn't even read it at all yesterday. That's a rarity for me.

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    2. Yea I need to get it from the library and read it soon so we can discuss it!

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  7. I read Hunger Games as they were published and loved them, sharing them with my students. Love the series. Read all of Divergent in a week and loved them equally. So while I say I love them equally, if forced to pick, I'd pick Divergent. When I imagine myself in one of them, I can't pass up living in a place where I'm expected to do nothing but read and learn (Erudite). Beats any district any day. And I think Four was better than Gale and Peeta combined.

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    1. Jennine G. ... I am definitely a fan of Four! That I will not deny! He is almost a combo of the good qualities of Gale and Peeta. And, I love the way you see the Erudite. I didn't even think about it that way!!

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  8. I actually enjoyed the concept of Divergent a lot more than that of The Hunger Games. If the books themselves were stronger, it would definitely win for me.

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    1. Charleen Lynette ... What part of the books did you think could be stronger?

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    2. I really liked Divergent, but then Insurgent just felt a little meandering. There were so many smaller, personal conflicts that to me felt petty and a little contrived, and I think it took away from the greater conflict. This is in direct contrast to Catching Fire, which I thought grew out of The Hunger Games and escalated the conflict in that world brilliantly.

      And then I thought both Allegiant and Mockingjay tried to do too much and so the end of both series fell a little flat for me (but not because of any particular thing that happened or didn't happen, which seems to be the complaint a lot of readers have).

      I'm not a super-fan of either series. I think I just felt more let down by Divergent because I loved the concept and felt like the series could have been a lot better than it was... like maybe if there wasn't an obligatory romance! (*coughcough*)

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    3. Charleen Lynette ... LOL!!! I love that you mentioned the obligatory romance!! On a serious note ... I totally get what you are saying here. Thank you so much for sharing the details!

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  9. VOTE THG!
    I've read all three books and really liked all three, although in the third book Mockingjay story as too circling and less adrenaline pumping like the second book cathching fire.
    I also have read the first book divergent, and my choice remains THG, collins very good at building a story and make the reader as if it were in the story.

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    1. opisolok ... Yay!! I'm really thinking it's time for a re-read of The Hunger Games!!

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