Monday, August 16, 2010

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for anyone who has not read The Hunger Games. Proceed with caution.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games, along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Katniss should be celebrating the wealth she has brought her entire family and district, but she can not. The terror she encountered in the Games still haunts her. The Capital also wants her dead. By pulling out the poisonous berries, Katniss defied the Capital, and no one defies the Capital. Soon, there are rumors of rebellion within several of Panem's districts--a rebellion that Katniss unknowingly created. Even worse, this is the 75th annual Hunger Games. Every 25 years, the Capital creates an even more vicious version of the Games. And this year's game is the unthinkable...

I read The Hunger Games two years ago, when the novel was first released. I loved it, and anxiously waited for Catching Fire. Yet, I did not pre-order the book, and by the time it was released I had started school. I wanted to focus on my schoolwork and the ~60 books I own, yet have not read. When summer rolled around, I knew I had to read Catching Fire. I ordered the book along with pre-ordering Mockingjay. I started reading Catching Fire the afternoon I received it in the mail. I read 340 pages that day, a record for me. The next morning I finished the rest of the book. If the speed at which I read this book does not tell you how much I enjoyed it, I do not know what will.

The characters in this book are top-notch. Readers see more of their favorites from The Hunger Games, along with a few new characters. Collins does not reveal much about the new characters, but I think they will play a larger role in Mockingjay. Also, Collins is a great storyteller. Most of the chapters end with cliffhangers, so readers will continue to flip pages wanting to learn more. I did not necessarily like the direction this novel took about halfway through (if you want to know what exactly I mean by that, look in the comments), but it had no effect on how I felt about the novel overall.

If you have not read Catching Fire yet, READ IT. With the release of Mockingjay in a week, there is no better time than now. Also, if you have read Catching Fire, feel free to discuss your thoughts on it and/or predictions on Mockingjay in the comments.

P.S. I am Team Gale. :-P

Related Links
The Hunger Games Site
Suzanne Collin's Site
Amazon
Powell's

I purchased this book.

WARNING: Comments may contain spoilers for The Hunger Games trilogy.

2 comments:

  1. By the direction, I mean another Hunger Games for Katniss. I literally groaned when I read it, but overall it worked for the novel. The Games in this novel was not a repeat of the first novel at all. I still would have liked something different, but it was not really a big deal. :P

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  2. I haven't read The Hunger Games yet. I'm really behind. I'd like to read my copy before the year ends. I've been hearing too many good things about this series.

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