I read this book a couple weeks ago in a galley copy and enjoyed it immensely. While it is a watered down version of Battle Royale, it is still a good story, and it shows that the author is very capable. You have a strong female protagonist which the story is told form, which makes it a much more cohesive, and definitely less visceral story, as many of the deaths that occur in the book, occur out of your field of vision.It is extremely entertaining, and while it certainly is not for young children(under 11 or so I would say) it is a great addition to a many peoples libraries, and it is a much safer version of this type of story than Battle Royale.The whole tale behind the book, is the yearly occurrence of the "Hunger Games" which is a show of power of the government over the 12 districts which it controls(it used to be 13, but they nuked them many years before) and which 2 children(between 12 and 18) from each district are pitted against one another in a battle to the death. You meet your characters form district 12, and you get a "love" story which is quite good, and mostly understated. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to the final two volumes of the series. 

Question: How is the book?
Answer: the yearly occurrence