Catching Fire

This is going in my “was not expecting that” list. After coming to an abrupt and unexpected ending in The Hunger Games, I had no choice but to move swiftly to the next book. Ah, the benefits of reading popular series years after they were released! To put it simply, I was excited for Catching Fire because I thought the entirety of the book would take place during the Victory Tour. I imagined we would go with Katniss and Peeta to visit all of the other districts; we would get an inside peek at how they all work, their industries, the landscapes, what the people are like, and their relationship with the Capitol. I had a sort of anthropological curiosity about it.

But no, Catching Fire is not a travelogue of their trip round Panem. I was startled to find the Victory Tour over in a minute, and besides the fiasco in Rue's district, we didn't get much information on the other districts at all. It's interesting, because Katniss and Peeta have this newfound understanding of the other districts, at least on a superficial level. They have seen people gather, they have walked on a beach, they have gone across the whole country. Yet us readers are still pretty much left in the dark about what goes on in these places.

I think that ultimately us not coming along for most of the tour was beneficial, because our complete lack of knowledge about most of the districts mirrored Katniss's lack of real knowledge about the districts. Sure, she saw what their center squares were like, and she looked into the faces of a gathered crowd. But this is surface-level. What she really wants to know, and what I really want to know, are about the lives of these people. Are they as discontented with the Capitol as Katniss? What do they really think about the Games? Are they willing to rebel?

Our understanding of the situation in other districts doesn't come from their staged Victory Tour. No; it comes from the people we meet and the connections Katniss makes, which are woven tightly into the story as a whole. When we meet Bonnie and Twill, or accidentally see the news on the Mayor's television, or get to know Finnick and Beetee and Wiress, we begin to put the pieces together about the Districts they are from. Through these characters we get a far deeper understanding than if we simply witnessed Katniss and Peeta on the victory tour. Thus I am glad I didn't go along with them, because learning about the Districts through the characters was far more satisfying.

Oh yeah, and they go back into the arena. I most certainly didn't see that coming when I first picked up the book, but then I heard a sort-of-spoiler about it. I thought Ha! No way. Wouldn't Collins want to explore them in a different situation?

But the hints of the Quarter Quell were concerning. And then the yellow envelope came. If I hadn't heard the half-spoiler, my mouth would have dropped open. Maybe everyone else saw this coming. Alas, since the seed had been planted in my mind, I just thought, “Oh, wow, well, okay. Here we go again.”

It was more of my favorite: Katniss in the (simulated) wilderness, us discovering with her how this environment works, what in it will save her and what in it might kill her. Yet it had a whole other dimension, a different flavor, and different stakes. Finnick really grew on me. I hoped and hoped there would be a rebellion starting from within the arena (the only way it seemed both Peeta and Katniss could come out of this alive), but we're still too close to the events to understand how they will affect the greater whole. Everything is still so immediate. And then the book ends.

And yes, I was fooled again! You'd think I would have learned by now that the Hunger Games trilogy on Kindle does not end at 100%, because there is a preview of the next book to follow it. But no! I thought I had a whole 8% left!

“Katniss, there is no District Twelve.” THE END.

SUZANNE!!

This was a nice follow-up to the Hunger Games. As a bridge between Hunger Games and Mockingjay, it begins to explore the price of victory and the various costs of publicity. The supporting characters introduced also help add nuance to those main themes. I read this back-to-back with Mockingjay, which says a lot about the easy readability, but Mockingjay sticks out better in my mind, so the majority of my review will be there.

Another fabulous page turner in this series.I didn't like Peeta & Katniss having to go back into the arena but oh, how it made those pages fly!And the ending...twist upon twist.Can't wait for [b:Mockingjay 7260188 Mockingjay (Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1282388315s/7260188.jpg 8812783]'s release shortly!

I wish I could give this fewer stars, because its clearly not as well put together as The Hunger Games was, which isn't a huge suprise as a middle book in a trilogy. The first two hundred pages are rather aimless and do a lot of skimming (these are the points, like in the first book, that the target audience becomes obvious) and I kind of felt like putting Katniss and Peeta back into the games was a bit of a cop-out. But nonethless I could not put this damn book down. Literally. I carried it around the house with me, even when I was not intending to read for a little bit. If I was at the computer, and a website took a couple seconds too long to load, I was tempted to crack it open and devour another page or two.

It's these characters, man. They're just so gorgeous and wonderful and messed up and how is Katniss not in a straightjacket by now? And then Collins does that awful thing with cliff-hanger chapter ends. Lady, I have to get up at six in the morning for work. Not fair. And I'm still mad about Cinna.

The fact that the challenges in the arena were often psychological (raining blood, animals that screamed like human beings) was not an accident. The Capitol was conducting psychological warfare on the Hunger Games contestants (though I'm not entirely sure how this translates into good television, even for a sicko like me), and this story is determined to pull every aching heartstring in its readers. Oddly, it fell short in its most obvious effort - I'm not swayed by Peeta. His undying teenage love for Katniss seems trivial compared to Finnick's familial bond with Mags, or Cinna's quiet, slightly dangerous passion. Call me cold, but the boy's constant pining damsel act gets a little repetitive. And I'm not necessarily more inclined to Gale, as we see so little of him, and he's so much like Katniss anyway.

It's interesting and sad to me that there is so much fixation on the supposed love triangle in this series. To me, Katniss' relationships with Gale and Peeta have a lot more to say about friendship, partnership and sacrifice within a purely platonic scope than they have anything to do with with romance. And that's not even going into her bonds with other male characters like Cinna, Finnick and even Haymitch. Catching Fire lays on the complicated with all these relationships, on what it means for Katniss to kiss Gale and share a bed with Peeta (personally, this sounds like a solid case for polyamory, but that may be just me), to appreciate the sympathy and love of people born with far more privilege than her but hate them when they break down in tears at the thought of her dying for their entertainment. There are no easy answers to anything in this book, the intention of it is to ask the questions and light the fire for the next one.

I'm not sure what else to say about this book, because you can't really read it without intending to read the series through. Its a gateway. And if you filled in the missing word after “gateway” with “drug,” good, you see where I'm going with this. This series is toxic, it gets in your veins, it changes the way you look at the world. My parents were talking about the upcoming summer Olympics the other night, and I began to feel slightly ill. I had to remind myself, “No, that's not the one where they kill people.” There's enough of our world in this story that it often feels like looking into a warped mirror, regardless of muttations or the plausibility of such a society existing. Maybe that's why I can't put it down.

Loved it. I now plan to reread both The Hunger Games and this soon. It is better than the first because you learn more about Panem, the districts, and the games. I was so blown away by the plot and pacing that I didn't stop to think much about the message or the characters, but I think those are pretty thought-provoking as well. Katniss is a great central character; she's sympathetic but has a certain coldness/brutality in her core that is hard to relate to. I have done some reading on the text and it turns out much of the trilogy is inspired by Greek mythology, particularly Theseus and the Minotaur. I love how this book seems almost real. I also love the central male character and how the traditional gender roles are reversed between him and Katniss. He is the one who is motivated by love. He is the nurturer who bakes bread. Katniss on the other hand is the hunter who just wants to provide for her family. The dystopia these books present is horrifying but really only about 1 degree off of the world we live in now. Fascinating.

GO READ THIS NOW.

I am so stunned by the ending of this second book. I need to preorder [b:Mockingjay|7260188|Mockingjay (Hunger Games, #3)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1282388315s/7260188.jpg|8812783] ASAP. An incredible sequel to The Hunger Games, I can't really review this book without giving away major spoilers.

I was worried whether, after how the last book ended, this one would turn out to be a sop-fest. To my relief, the ‘soppiness' is kept to a minimum, and the focus is squarely on action. The ‘revelation' towards the middle of this volume was a surprise (in a nice way), but the scenario that led to seemed rushed. And the ending, sigh... talk about leaving you hanging!

Didn't think this was quite as good as The Hunger Games, but still another fascinating, captivating read. There were quite a few plot twists I didn't expect and I really can't wait to read [b:Mockingjay 7260188 Mockingjay (Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1282388315s/7260188.jpg 8812783] when it comes out.

Katniss is a strong character. She's independent and self-sufficient, and she'll do anything for the people she loves. All of a sudden she can't do anything. It takes some reading to find that maybe The Hunger Games had more of an effect on her. I think this should have been focused on in the beginning screw the impeding love triangle. We are smart readers. From the first book I know Kitniss is going to have a lot of feeling searching. Book is rushed in the wrong places.
The book still has great concept, scenes, and characters that keep me reading.

Can't believe book 2 reads like it managed to top book 1. It's like book 1 all over again, except... better - in almost every way. More intense, more intriguing, more brutal, more surprising. I figured out an over-arching plot, but for most of the book, I keep getting pleasantly surprised by unpredictable plot twists. Intense action? Check. Suspense? Check. Shock? Check. Humor? Check. Sorrow? Check. Love triangle? Check. Political intrigue? Check. Conspiracy? Check.

Cliffhanger? Most definitely check. That's the only bad thing I can think of - except, since I already have book 3... I'll just keep going.

All in all a bit weaker than the first. I liked the first half the most. All the consequences they have to face after what they did, and the first signs of the uprisings were good written. Although the games were much more interesting setting wise this time, I felt a bit bored during them. The characters evolved pretty good, and the ending was good enough for me to want to know how this all ends.

This book again grips the readers, with some stunning plot twists and turns. The story that was left unfinished in the first of the series continues.
It bustles through themes of dystopia and coming-of-age. Because let's be fair it's not exactly literature, but it's just very exciting teen fantasy. Nonetheless, a book that is sure for an exciting heart-in-throat-pounding thrill ride.

Also it's one of those books you can easily finish in a matter of day(s). It is an easy and fluent read.

This didn't really have the dip that a middle book of a trilogy often has. I suppose the pace of the story is so quick that there isn't really time for it.
Again, Katniss' slowness on the uptake was frustrating, though I suppose it adds to the complexity of the plot (and let's face it, there isn't much) and there is something realistic about seeing things from the viewpoint of a character who is blundering along without knowing everything that is going on.