I didn't mind the bad guys being loosely-sketched cartoon villains because the story was told completely from Katniss' point of view, so that's all they would be to her. She has brief encounters with Snow, Coin, and a few others, but a lot of what we're told is speculation on her part and of course she's going to assume the worse in a way that might be over the top. I don't think the books are super amazing, but they're a solid read for the genre.