Catching Fire Review

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games 2)

-          Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

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.

Wow. Just wow. It’s been a long time since I was caught up in a book as much as I was with Catching Fire and The Hunger Games. I feel like I’m literally devouring pages, desperate to know what happens next! The writing is high addictive and next to impossible to put down – a lot like good hot chocolate! And with the same need for more when you finish…

Katniss may have survived the Hunger Games but that doesn’t mean life is easy. A lot more of this book takes place in the lead up the Quell, the 75^th Hunger Games as Katniss tries to adjust to her new life. She defied the Capital and as such has become a spark for many who are unhappy with the oppressive regime of President Snow. With Snow himself threatening those she loves, Katniss must make the hard choice between protecting those she loves and doing what is right. I love Katniss as a  character. I love that she is moody and still haunted by the games experience. She is only seventeen and while wise beyond her years, she is also confused and torn. She never wanted to start a revolution, just to survive, but doing so she has set in action events much bigger than herself. She is still in many way finding herself and discovering what she wants from life.

There is a lot of tension in this novel as events outside Katniss’ control impact her and her friends and family. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it – and wondering if Katniss would make the change from passive to proactive. The action scenes as ever are well described and involving with many secondary characters given diverse personalities which make them stand out – much more than in the first book. While some scenes  may seem familar at first from the first book, it is the differences that makes Catching Fire such a compelling read. What more can I say about this book that hasn’t already been  said somewhere? A book worth reading as it will get your heart pumping more than any trip to the gym!

Recommended for fans Veronica Roth and Cassandra Clare. 10 out of 10.