My Rating
Book: Catching Fire (#2 The Hunger Games)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication date: September 1st, 2009
Description from Goodreads: Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn..
My review:
As you probably have read in my review of the first book of this wonderful series,
The Hunger Games, I was completely sold! Luckily I bought the trilogy in one go, so I had the luxury to continue reading the next book as soon as I finished the first one! The first book did not exactly end on a great suspense moment, however my fingers were still itching to turn the pages of the next book and find out what would happen next.
I gave this book a righteous
5 star rating! The beginning of the book was slower than the first book, however the twists were prominently present and just as unexpected and intense (if not more) as in the first book! The book picks up almost exactly where we left off, where Katniss Everdeen is coping with her victory of the hunger games, living in an exact opposite life she was living prior to her (forced) participation in the hunger games. She deals with the dreadful aftermath of the games, experiencing horrific nightmares which she can only share with Peeta. and Haymitch, as they are the only ones who can truly understand. Not only is she threatened by her continuous nightmares, she soon finds out that her actions at the end of the hunger games have serious consequences, and that these will not be ignored by the all-mighty President Snow. Peeta, as usual, is a very supportive character for Katniss, keeping her grounded and keeping her from going insane from her drastic thoughts, paranoia and nightmares. You can't help but falling in love with his character even more.
The characters and their relationship between each other really surprised me, as they all changed so immensely. Among these drastic changed relationships are Katniss as Gale. This was primarily a shocker as I expected that after Katniss being away from her home so long, that their secret admiration for each other would continue to grow. As a matter of fact, this was quite the contrary, and one can already guess that this change in their relationship has sooomething to with Peeta ;) They grew distant, only meeting on rare occasions when they hunted together. Another relationship development which really surprised me (and I secretly also enjoyed) was Katniss and Haymitch. After going through all their differences, they actually grew closer to each other due to their pain they shared during the games, which formulates quite a serious, dramatic, but also humorous bond.
The twists in this book were really unexpected! I don't want to give anything away to those who have not read this book yet, but there is one major twists which surprisingly doesn't happen until approximately towards the middle of the book. It changes the entire setting which puts the main characters, once again, in jeopardy and sets
you on the edge of your seat!
The beginning might have been slower than what I was used to, but once the story picked up again I was once again thrown into the crazy, hectic, horrific, thrilling, dramatic and fast paced plot that keeps your attention at its peak and makes you want to read on and on and on (and on...)!
For those that have read the first book, all I can say is:
what are you waiting for?? Get the next book right
now, as I can guarantee you that you haven't read it all! Katniss & co have many more horrific and amazing 'surprises' ahead of them that will keep you ohh-ing and aww-ing throughout the entire book!!
