Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Review

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games (#2)

Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Published by Scholastic Press


SUMMARY (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 her 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 in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

REVIEW: 

Catching Fire was not as exciting as the first book, however it was still exciting and enjoyable near the end, as it was where the games started and she was quickly filled in on what happened to her home, district 12. In the beginning it started a lot slower compared to the first book, because it had to explain the situation of the districts that were currently rebelling and Katniss' fear of what she has caused. Personally I thought that the writing lacked emotion and impact. The author wrote so much detail about the rebellions and Katniss' thoughts and worries that she had rushed through the truly exciting part, the games itself. While reading about the dangerous adventures Katniss and Peeta had with their allies I felt that things ended as soon as it begun. Near death experiences were quickly followed after by the next morning, feelings were skipped through, making Katniss seem like she didn't even realize she almost died. Overall, the Games were not as exciting as the Games in the fIrst book.

My favorite thing about this book were the characters, I loved every one of them. Katniss was a three dimensional characters with many flaws. She is uncomfortable, awkward, and doesn't allow people in. But she is also fiercely loyal to her family and friends, brave, smart, and ultimately, good. Peeta is wonderful, kind, smart, well-spoken. He is everything that awkward Katniss is not; they play off one another perfectly. Their allies during the games, Finnick, Mags, Johanna, Beetee and others who were killed off early were the perfect combination of bravery, kookiness, and intelligence. Some of the characters made me laugh because of their unusual behaviour, and the death of others greatly saddened me. I was so deeply delved into the Hunger Games that I felt myself standing beside the characters and watching them die in front of me. Another thing that I loved about this book was the creativity and uniqueness of everything. Suzanne Collins really knows how to capture her audience and make them cling onto every word.

The plot twist and cliffhanger were the worst things to depart away with from this book. Both of these events just made me want to scream in frustration because I suddenly had questions that needed to be answered immediately. I was never a fan of books of the dystopian genre, however the Hunger Games trilogy is an exception because it's amazing. I cannot wait to go see Catching Fire in the theatres when it is released.

Rating: 4/5