A review for Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #2)

Posted by Jessica

Published Date: September 1, 2009
Finished Date: 31st March, 2011
The Blurb: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.


The Review: I’m actually speechless! *sputters*

You know how the sequels are never as good as the originals? Yeah well forget that! Because Catching Fire was AMAZING! I’m still in complete awe about it.

We re-visit Katniss 9 months after The Hunger Games took place, her and Peeta are now filthy stinking rich and are living in the Victors Village with their Mentor Haymitch (separate houses of course). It’s time for Peeta and Katniss to take the Victory Tour through all the Districts of Panem ending with The Capitol and then returning to District 12. Her best friend Gale has been a little icy with her since she returned 9 months ago after he witness her Peeta’s ‘star crossed lovers’ role that they took on. Peeta is also a little distant. So Victory Tour goes to plan. Sort of. Once the Victory Tour is over and Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12, President Snow announces that there is to be the Quarter Quell (a smaller version of The Hunger Games) this takes place every 25 years. Yup you guessed it, all previous victors from previous Hunger Games are to take part. Which leads Katniss and Peeta heading back into The Capitol and back into the arena.

I actually enjoyed this one more than The Hunger Games. It was so full of suspense and I was on the edge of my seat! I could not put it down. The only time I found myself putting the book down was to sleep, and even in my sleep I was dreaming about it, and waking up I was thinking about it! I’d be staring at the book that stays on my desk at work. Just staring at it ALLL day! Yup Catching Fire is awesome, and I don’t have much more to say about it except, that it was great reading about Katniss and Peeta again. It was so well written that you are literally on the edge of your seat, biting what’s left of your finger nails. There isn’t a single flaw in plot, not a single dull moment. New characters arrive; like Finnick. Ah Finnick he’s a fine piece of man hunk! The way Suzanne Collins describes him makes me think of a Greek God. *sigh*. Anyway, major cliff hanger at the end, which is annoying BUT at least I don’t have to wait to read Mockingjay, heh that’s right, ITS IN MY BAG RIGHT NOW! Waiting to be cracked open, so I can read more and more, and fall even more madly in love with The Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair and Katniss Everdeen.

Thank you, thank you Suzanne Collins; you’re a serious piece of awesomeness! 

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Posted by Donna

Published Date: September 1st, 2010

Finished Date: June 12th, 2011

Format: Kindle

Pages: 391

The Blurb from Goodreads: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

The Review: Wow! After finishing this a few days ago this is definitely one of my favourite series. The Hunger Games was a phenomenal book and Catching Fire was a close second.

Catching Fire starts 8 months after the events in The Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta both survived the games and were both named winners although to the distaste of the game makers. Knowing that her actions in the games will not go unnoticed Katniss tries to start an uprising on the Capitol only to find out that she and Peeta will have to enter the games AGAIN! Will they survive this time around? And who will there be competition?

I loved this book! I nearly enjoyed it as much as the first one but I found the start a little slow. It was definitely a more mellow feel to it, however when hell breaks loose in some of the other districts you’re thrown right back into the action of the story.

Even though I knew before I started this book that Katniss and Peeta were going to return to the games, I never expected to feel the emotions that I did when Katniss found out. She’s always been so strong but for that one moment we see her scared and weak and I loved that we finally got to see a different side of her. Her relationship between Peeta and Gale doesn’t really improve during this book, although we do have a little hope during that games that she will end up with Peeta. With them both back in a deadly situation, you can see how much they care about one another whether in deny or not and I love how they can both lean on another for support.

I also loved that a few new faces were introduced and what I found more exciting was that these people were past winners of the games. It was interesting to meet them and found out how some of them won but I especially liked that we found out Haymitch’s story.  Haymitch has always been abit of a closed book with all his drinking and he likes to shut everything out but we finally see him different towards the end of the book. I for one am interested to see how he plays out.

At times I found the book quiet hard to read, not because the story was bad but because of what the Capitol do to people. They are truly monsters and the death and destruction they leave in their wake just to prove a point is completely horrifying.  Cinna! Poor Cinna! I honestly didn’t see the need for that.

Overall, this was a great sequel, one that has a MASSIVE cliff-hanger…I’m so glad I had the next book ready and waiting for me otherwise I honestly don’t know what I would have done.