Review ~ Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

TITLE: Battle Royale
AUTHOR: Koushun Takami
COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE:  Fantasy
PAGES: 624
SERIES: Nope

REASON FOR READ:
I was talking about Hunger Games and remembered this is suppose to be the grown up version of that.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
In an alternative future Japan, junior high students are forced to fight to the death! L to R (Western Style). Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan--where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller--Battle Royale is a Lord of the Fliesfor the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language. A group of high school students are taken to small isolated island and forced to fight each other until only one remains alive! If they break the rules a special collar blows their heads off. Koushun Takami's brutal, high-octane thriller is told in breathless. blow-by-blow fashion. Battle Royale is a contemporary Japanese pulp classic now available for the first time in English.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
First off Hunger Games has nothing on this book at all. Its more violent, it involves more students, and well its just more graphic. And HOLY CRAP I absolutely loved it!!! I think this book makes you think more than Hunger Games, I feel as if more politics and emotions were invested with this book. In short I felt that even though this book involved teenagers it was more real and interesting then Hunger Games (and this from a Gal who still loves Hunger Games). I do think this book will make you more emotionally involved then any book I've read in a while.

THINGS I LIKED:
- I loved the characters even the flawed ones. In fact I was rooting for the main two I should've been rooting for but a part of me was rooting for all of them they were that well drawn out. I honestly felt for each and every one of them thrown in this situation
- Shogo stole my freakin heart. I never thought I would get so invested in his character the whole time we are suppose to be rooting for others but I absolutely loved this character and the investment we make with him.
- I never knew who would die next. Seriously I had a feeling who would win but then towards the end even then I found myself questioning it.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
- This seems silly but I absolutely hated how it started. The beginning was very confusing and honestly while it was cool learning about 40 some odd different students I have to say it was hard to keep track of them all.
- I'm not sure if this is a like or a don't like. I liked the ending but I didn't it was a hit or miss for me and while I kind of thought I knew how it ended I didn't like the absoulte final ending.


Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping this was an AWESOME book.

Would you recommend this book? Yes if you want something more adult then the Hunger Games I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Challenges:100+ Book Challenge
TBR challenge

Reviewing Next: My re-read of Nightlife by Rob Thurman