Catching Fire

Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins

Series or Stand Alone: Hunger Games series, book two

Release Date: September 2009

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 480

Author Site: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Won from giveaway @ Book Chick City (hence the UK Edition)

Synopsis [from goodreads.com]:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Review:

Suzanne Collins is a pretty gifted story-teller in my opinion. CATCHING FIRE is a gripping continuation of the Hunger Games that left me desperately wanting more. As I was coming to the last sixty pages I remember thinking, "NO, I DON'T WANT IT TO BE OVER!!!" . I don't want to go into the plot too much for those of you who have not had a chance to read THE HUNGER GAMES yet (becasue I know there are a few of you still out there).

I enjoyed the spotlight shifting to Gale and Katniss' relationship with him because it provided the missing details of their past. They are definitely closer than best friends and they have helped each other survive in District 12 for so long. It's totally understandable why Katniss feels a closeness and obligation to Gale. On the other hand, the romance between Peeta and Katniss is just as confusing to me as it is to Katniss. I can actually feel her inner turmoil between who she should choose. Which is probably because I myself don't know who to choose, although I am leaning more towards Peeta... So the element of the love triangle is a great twist to have in the story but I still feel there is so much more to develop on. Peeta continues to be sacrificing and chivalrous towards Katniss while Gale and his personality are still shadowed by the overall story...

The Capitol is so easy to hate and I like having a great villain in a story. While I love Katniss for her continued strength and ingenuity I don't find her the greatest heroine ever written. But I admire her qualities and the contrast between her and the Capitol are very well laid out. I can't wait to read MOCKINGJAY. The twists involved in book two kept me on the edge of my seat and while I didn't think the ending was a major cliffhanger, it certainly left me drooling for more. MOCKINGJAY has a lot to live up to being the end of the trilogy, there's many loose ends that need to be tied up and I wish it wasn't a trilogy but a series. Either way, I don't think Suzanne Collins will let us down with the next book.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Series or Stand Alone: Hunger Games series, book one

Release Date: September 2008

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 454

Author Site: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Won from giveaway @ Book Chick City (hence the UK Edition)

Synopsis [from scholastic.com]:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before -- and survival.

Review:

Yes, I know...it took me quite some time to finally open this book up. I've already smacked myself about it so no need to get all excited. I must admit, I do love when books live up to the hype they sometimes receive. I heard THE HUNGER GAMES was pretty awesome... and I totally agree with the consensus of most of its readers.

I'm not a big dystopian honcho. I don't know the who's who and the what's what in the genre, nor am I big on YA fiction. So the fact that THE HUNGER GAMES sits prettily in these two genres has nothing really to do with how much I enjoyed the novel. I enjoyed the brutal futuristic world that was Panem. The history of the Capitol and the Districts were not only interesting but very well developed. I mean you had to get a good portion into the story to find out about the actual Hunger Games and Panem's past.

The contrast in setting between the Capitol and District 12/the arena was stark. I found it quite easy to imagine the world Katniss lived in and the one she was forced to participate in. The time before the Hunger Games however, is when I had slight trouble with my mental imaging system (aka my brain). But not to worry, I let it slide since I was having such a good time watching the characters develop. I can't say I loved Katniss at first, but there was something very compelling about her. I'm sure I admired her in the beginning, but it's hard to remember even though I finished the book pretty recently. All I know is that she's bad-ass, but not show-offy (I know that's not even a word). She's a tough sixteen-year-old who was pretty much brought up to be that way because of her living conditions. And although she can be fragile and even naive at times she remains to be force to be reckoned with because of her quick wit and learning. By the end of the book I had seen her at her weakest and her strongest... and I knew she had me hooked!

I really enjoyed the development of the important players of the Hunger Games. It was easy to see their personalities come out with their actions and I admired the author's ability to show things without having to physically spell it out for me. Although all of the competitors don't get much spotlight, the important ones do, so it's not a total loss.

I saw the debacle with Peeta and Gale coming a mile away, so I'm extremely interested in reading CATCHING FIRE to see what happens after Katniss and Peeta return home. All in all, I enjoyed the honesty in the book. The author didn't go overboard with the cruelty of the games or the activities surrounding it...instead she balanced things perfectly and made me want more despite the 400+ pages.