The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins

I’ve been meaning to read these books for sometime but finally found the motivation after my boyfriend bought and read the whole trilogy, as now I can just borrow his copies! The Hunger Games is a YA science fiction series from the American author Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire is the second instalment published in 2009, only Mockingjay to go after this (which is already waiting impatiently on my tbr shelf). I absolutely loved the first instalment (for review see links at the bottom of post), and only held myself back from starting this one straight after with some seriously strong will power. I am also really looking forward to the up-coming release of the screen adaptation of the first book.

*spoilers* If you haven’t read any of these books and don’t want me to spoil the story, skip this paragraph!

Katniss Everdene has managed the impossible, and brought both herself and her friend Peeta Mellark back alive from the games. The population of the Capitol are all enthralled with the love story of Katniss and Peeta believing she threatened double suicide because of star-crossed love, however President Snow is not so easily fooled. Katniss may have just wanted to save their lives but in doing so she has sent out a powerful message to the impoverished districts surrounding the Capitol…you can beat them. As civil unrest and full-out violent riots break out in several districts the President is planning to undermine these disturbances with the 75th Quarter Quell which will mark 75 years of the hunger games. This year’s hunger games contestants will be chosen from existing victors…which means Katniss and Peeta must do it all over again. Can they both survive another game?

Catching Fire had a lot to live up to after The Hunger Games, and boy it didn’t disappoint! It would be wrong of me to say this was an enjoyable read, it was instead an edge of your seat, emotional rollercoaster ride, which I daren’t get off for fear of what could possibly happen next! Katniss is still young (not so mentally anymore), brave and wilful but deeply flawed, and there are many moments in this book where she is tempted to take the cowards way out to save herself, her family, and friends. However it is in this book that I think Katniss really comes into her own when she realises that self-sacrifice could save not only her family, her friends, but also a nation of people she doesn’t know. Peeta is still kind, caring, and unselfishly brave, a true stalwart character I feel he doesn’t need to change and I may be a little in love with him! Together they have such an interesting chemistry. A new character that has properly reared his head for this instalment is President Snow he is cool, calm, calculated, and evil, and with his invisible Capitol power he really casts a shadow over our two protagonists. He didn’t even need to be physically present in a scene just mentioned and my skin crawled. As for the ending all I can is OMG, I was at the same time excited, shocked, and heart-broken in equal measure.

The Hunger Games is a well written and devised whirl-wind of a series. If you pick Catching Fire up I predict bookworms you won’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to read the final instalment Mockingjay.

See also:

• The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Other Reviews:

• Amanda @ Opinions of a Wolf (The Hunger Games)
• (You?)