The Present Tense Voice

Most books are written in past tense. But lately I've been reading more and more in the present tense. THE HUNGER GAMES is a prime example and it's probably my favorite YA novel to date. The present tense voice gives a sense of urgency, as if it's happening right now. I feel like I'm living with the character, experiencing first time emotions right along with her. I love it.

I've experienced with the present tense voice before. My first novel was in 1st person alternating between the two main characters. One spoke in past tense (because she's immortal and reflecting on her extended life) and one spoke the present tense (because he's mortal and everything is happening now for him). I think it worked, it presented great contrast. But I've never written a whole novel in present tense. I'm curious to experiment with this.

I wrote a short story in present tense. It's also in third person. Here is the opening paragraph:

She gazes through her black and white telescope and sees what she wants to see. A gush of wind blows dark hair over her forehead, blocking her view of the starry winter night. She brushes the strands back with her fingers, careful not to touch the scope. She has it positioned and zoomed exactly the way she wants it.

Now which sounds better? Past or present?

She gazed through her black and white telescope and saw what she wanted to see. A gush of wind blew dark hair over her forehead, blocking her view of the starry winter night. She brushed the strands back with her fingers, careful not to touch the scope. She had it positioned and zoomed exactly the way she wanted it.

Of course I'm gonna say present tense because I wrote it that way. But what if this were an entire novel? I feel like present tense 1st person works. But can present tense 3rd hold up? And then I worry that some agents will look down on the present tense voice just like many look down at 1st person narratives. I think choosing the correct voice for your novel is crucial to how it reads. I don't think THE HUNGER GAMES would have been as page-turning had it been written in past tense.