Catching Fire

Probably 4 1/2 stars really. I enjoyed it but not as good as the first. The first deserved 5 stars, this was just a half step down.

Riveting. There's no denying The Hunger Games books' ability to hold the attention of many people. These are books that demand the reader to keep reading, to ignore the time on the clock and read “just one more chapter.” Despite the lack of character development, and the flaws in logic that frequently pop up, or the conveniences thrown into the plot, these are stories that entertain and quicken pulses.

With any series as popular as this one, fans are expected to find faults with every subsequent book in the series. While I wouldn't call myself a fan, my personal feelings are that Catching Fire was a significant improvement over The Hunger Games. Catching Fire begins and ends with some huge bumps—the first thirty pages are filled with unnecessary recaps of the first book, and the final ten pages are filled with conveniences that were jarring in relation to the rest of the book—but despite these bumps the core of this novel is filled with great storytelling.

What made Catching Fire better than its predecessor? First of all there is the revolution. It adds an underlying layer of action to the primary plot. Much more is at stake in this one than the lives' of our young gladiators. Second, the supporting characters of Catching Fire are significantly more interesting and rounded. Hunger Games was filled with great characters who propelled the plot, but their purpose was obvious. Catching Fire's cast is largely two-, sometimes three-dimensional. Finally, Katniss, our protagonist, is much more believable. In The Hunger Games her allegiances and thoughts shifted uncontrollably from page to page without reason. There is still some of that here, but its toned down to the point where it's nearly within reason.

Catching Fire is an improvement in nearly every way except one: (small spoiler follows, so vague I'm not going to block it out) The strong woman known as Katniss in the first book appears weak and impotent by the end of the second book; in the final pages, we see a Katniss unable to lead a revolution without the help of a team of men. I'm hoping this shift of power is remedied in Mockingjay in a believable way that aids the plot. As it stands, she is nothing more than a pawn in the hands of her male counterparts. (end spoiler)

Here's to hoping Mockingjay has similar improvement over Catching Fire. This is a series I'd like to see end well.

The series continues seamlessly. Obviously, nothing is as original the second time around and I wonder if it is even worth my time, especially since the ending is weaker in the middle part of the trilogy.

The three stars are because I experience a distinctly unpleasant tension associated with feeling uncertain as to whether the author will kill off one of the main protagonists by the time all is said and done. (I know, I know–it's YA. Still, Suzanne Collins is a harsh literary mistress). Less pleasant, but no less urgent, is my current need to KNOW HOW IT ALL ENDS. I'm mostly through “Mockingjay,” so I suppose tension of any sort will soon be relieved. Small comfort, I suppose :P

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.

So we've got an Empire-Strikes-Back-esque ending, but it really doesn't make me want to read the final book at all. In fact, I don't know whether I will or not.

A slower start, and at times it felt too much like a filler book. I still found myself getting angry and too involved at parts though, hence the 4 stars. :)

I liked this one better than the first one–the characters are more fleshed out, there's more world building, and Peeta is slightly less creepy. Also a whiz-bang Episode V esque ending. Actually it really should have been titled The Capital Strikes Back

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.

Not as well wrapped up as the first one, but still quite enjoyable, although the final chapter does read a bit like one of those “stay tuned for scenes from our next episode” bits at the end of US tv shows.

The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins continues the story first begun in The Hunger Games, in which Katniss Everdeen must fight for her life against 23 others in the 74th Hunger Games. Does Catching Fire maintain the same level of intensity and interest that held readers rapt in The Hunger Games? Can Katniss reconcile her feelings with her actions taken in the arena? Will Peeta or Gale capture her heart at last?

Synopsis for Catching Fire:

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.

Catching Fire

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Catching Fire

I enjoyed this more than [b:The Hunger Games 2767052 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) Suzanne Collins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326003698s/2767052.jpg 2792775] because I felt there was more character development. The first book was more about the games and describing them and Panem, and this book has more to offer in terms of character.

I must admit, I read the publisher description of these books repeatedly, and had no idea what all the fuss was about. I'm a person who will read anything, and there was nothing in the description that made me have any interest whatsoever.

But then, I started seeing the trailers for the movie. And something about them caught my attention. I don't know, even now, what it was. But something made me want to read the books, because I firmly believe that the books are always better than the movies.

And so, I read the entire trilogy in a week. Because I just couldn't stop reading. I won't go so far as to say it's on my list of favourites, but it might be close. Something about Katniss made me want to both smack her, and protect her. And Gale and Peeta... well, there's so much a person could say. The characters must be considered a driving force to the popularity of these books. I find that I can believe the authenticity of any situation, if the characters are written strongly enough. If I can believe wholeheartedly in the people, then the situations never seem out of line.

I don't even know if I feel the need to see the movie. I can go back and read the book any time that I want. And that's better than anything Hollywood can come up with.

Catching Fire is incredibly violent. I think even more so than The Hunger Games. In the first book of the series, Katniss does very little killing. She knows, logistically, that everyone else in the arena will have to die in order for her to go home, but she is not okay with that fact and actually partakes in only two deaths. And only one was at her weapon.

In this book, however, she goes into the arena with a fixed plan, kill. Similarly to the first book, she is killing to save someone else. In the first book, she knows that if she does not make it back to District 12, her family will probably starve. In this book, her sole purpose is to make sure Peeta leaves the arena alive. She knows the reason everyone is in this situation is her refusal to kill Peeta the previous year. Now Districts are uprising and people are being killed.

The guilt she experiences is very real, but at the same time makes her seem a little naive. The Capital is angry, people in the Districts are beginning to see their rulers as the enemy, and it all started because Katniss refused to play by the Capital's rules. She knows this, but it is still hard for her friends and allies to explain why the people see her as a symbol. I can understand being reluctant to be the leader of a war that will result in the death of even more people than you already feel responsible for. I cannot understand her inability to see why those people chose her and now to begin the fight. This can be infuriating for someone like me, viewing this world from the outside, seeing the atrocities committed and then witnessing the heroine essentially wimp out.

That is not to say that Katniss is any less strong than she was in the previous book. She is still the only source of food for her family and many other people in her District. She is still a leader that other people look up to for decisions. She is still the one Haymitch takes orders from. But she appears weak when faced with her own leadership.

This of course all goes with the territory of being a 17-year-old girl. Especially one thrust into the spotlight as Katniss was, which makes for an honest experience, even if it can feel like yelling at the television.

But, as a genre, Young Adult (YA) fiction is full of honest experiences. That's what makes it great. Lately I have been hearing a lot of backlash against YA fiction, especially violent books like this trilogy. Apparently some people think that teenagers are not capable of separating fact and fiction in their lives and it worries adults.

Before I really delve into this argument, I just want to point out the incredible amount of privilege these writers are coming from. They tend to overwhelmingly assume that every teenager is in the same situation they were in. Writing about rape, eating disorders, molestation, suicide, body mutilation and murder is bad for teenagers because they are not already experiencing those things, so it supposedly makes them more interested in the dark subjects. But the truth is that teenagers' lives are much darker than these writers assume.

I have been reading a lot of YA recently, and I don't see that trend ending any time soon - it's a great escape from my required-reading English-major status. I am also not too far removed from being a teenager. Though I occasionally look at myself and wonder what the hell happened - last time I checked I was 16 - the fact is that I was still a teenager only 4 years ago. Looking back on my teenage years, I can still feel the loneliness and despair. I had friends and family that loved me, but I still felt alone. I still contemplated suicide. I still cut myself.

That is not to say that every teenager had the same experience I did. Some, thankfully, had it better. Some, unfortunately, had it worse. So to say that YA fiction puts these ideas into the heads of unsuspecting teenagers is ridiculous. It's sad, but every teenager probably knows someone who has cut themselves, or wanted to kill themselves. They probably have a classmate that is being molested or was raped. They probably know someone who was murdered.

It sucks, but that's the truth. YA does not normalize these horrible things. They are already pretty normal.

What YA does is give readers an outlet. Characters like Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen provide a simulated friend for these people to relate to.

Maureen Johnson, YA author of many great books, provided a brilliant NPR smack-down of the Washington Post piece in a joint interview with its author. This article gives a play-by-play of the YASaves movement that Johnson started in response to the WP article.

The whole point of the YASaves movement is to bring to light the terrible things that are happening to teenagers. Of course, none are being randomly chosen to battle to death for our amusement, but that does not make The Hunger Games any less valid as a reading choice. They are still great books with strong characters and real emotions.

Teenagers don't need protected from their emotions. They need characters that feel them too. That's what YA's for; that's what it's good at. Catching Fire is no exception.

Catching Fire begins with a soft start. It didn't really give that punch and run with it feeling like the Hunger Games had which is okay because sometimes to get to the interesting part of a story you have first to trek through the mud.

(I would reveal some of the big moments, but for those that haven't read the sequel, I can't say much from here on out. I don't like spoiling good moments from books, especially the important ones.)

It was interesting to see such a new dynamic placed out for Katniss with President Snow. That was the dark horse in the story. You could feel it everywhere, creeping around ever corner. His words had weight and it was keeping Katniss flat on her back in fear.

When Peeta and Katniss reached the capitol, the idea of seeing Mockingjays everywhere being incorporated into the fashion of the citizens really took hold of a bigger message. It was quietly foreshadowing the last few chapters of the book. This is important, so if you aren't read it yet, keep your eyes out for this throughout the novel.

Now for what happens in the 75th Hunger Games, I can say the arena in this book is quite interesting. The complex layout and ingenuity of it was genius on Collins part. I love the science aspect behind the construction the most. Definitely one of the cooler parts of the book and one I'm dying to see constructed for the movie! I can't say what it is and such and hoping they don't reveal anything in teasers or trailers for the movie later this year, but it's one to keep people on the edge of their seat.

It was fun to read more humor being laid out in the book. I actually laughed out loud for some of it, where as with the Hunger Games, not so much. I can tell Collins was trying to balance out and diffuse any tension for the readers. I won't lie, it was dark and grim at certain parts of the book. It made the first book look like a walk in the park. All I have is one word: destruction. It was everywhere and every district was dealing with it

Oh and I love how BOLD Peeta was in this novel. So good and eloquent too. He most certainly was sharp at pulling the rug out from everyone. Laying down some serious ground work for more & weaving a web of Katniss and Peeta's story of “love”... or so as they need to keep doing to prove to every district and the capitol.

I do have to say, the way Katniss keeps describing her kisses with Peeta, it felt like she was falling in love with him or at least falling into lust from her intense physical feeling of burning passion she would get. At one point she didn't want to stop and couldn't get enough, kind of like two teenagers in love with the hand all over themselves groping.

As for Gale and Katniss, it became increasingly clear of how confused Katniss was starting to feel for him and Peeta. She is still confused by the end of the book, so her decision will be finally made in Mockingjay. I'm very curious to see how that plays out.

Overall, I've enjoyed the book. It is something worth reading if 1) you may not have enjoyed the first book or 2) need a new series to pick up and read. I'd highly recommend the first two books to read. And I normally don't endorse such a things!

I was worried that this was going to be a retread of the first book, and thankfully it wasn't - instead, we get to see a revelation of how vicious the Capitol can be in their attempts to maintain control, and

I'd say that I enjoyed the Games part of this book more than the last; seeing the land be manipulated against the participants was very entertaining, and I imagine it will make great spectacle in the eventual film. The pre-Games section dragged, though, and the ending was very much the definition of a dues ex machina. Overall, though, it was a fun second chapter that serves as a good bridge between the first novel and the last.

Pacing is ridiculous, especially the ending. Could make a great movie but I don't trust Gary Ross et al to do it competently.

It's a quick fun read. Nothing entirely earth shattering, just a nice amalgamation of popular trends in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres. The plots good and filled with a few unanticipated twists which is really what made the story particularly appealing.

The story it self was good, but the writing in parts felt like it descended into badly written fan fiction. It felt as if the author still wanted to include sections that she clearly didn't feel were important or parts that were not the main section of the story, but the way in which she rushed over them made me wish they would have just been left out all together

Much preferred to the first.

The second in a series by [a:Suzanne Collins 153394 Suzanne Collins http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1285984570p2/153394.jpg] and this book brings up even more of the politics of the land. While book one was more about survival and on a micro scale this book brings in the under-riding politics and is more sinister on the macro scale. You really start to see how manipulative the government is and what they are willing to do maintain power. This book widens its focus and one starts to really understand the true scope of how everything is controlled.

Goodreads Says: Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.

I totally loved this book from page one! It was definitely different from book one for me. I felt like book one obviously started the ball rolling and it just picked up momentum WITHOUT stopping in this book. Catching Fire, book two of the Hunger Games series, is the book that made me a fan!

We get a quick catch me/you/everyone up on the last few months since the 74th Hunger Games have ended. Right after that catch me/you/everyone up we are quickly transported on the tour that is to take place about six months after the Hunger Games where Katniss and Peeta visit each of the districts but not before President Snow happens! President Snow is ticked to say the least that Katniss pulled one over on the capital, out gaming the game when she and Peeta threatened to eat Nightlock. Katniss has to prove to everyone that she truly was crazy in love with Peeta and that's what caused her to contemplate double suicide. OOOOH then there is this crazy twist that sends EVERYONE spinning!!!

I really enjoyed this book! Like I mentioned before it was just non stop. Suzanne Collins is consistent in her writing style not letting anything slip up and being clear as day with the visions she weaves in the reader's head. My impressions of the book while I was reading it was that Suzanne Collins really thought this entire series out. Whether that is true or not it played out as if it was all intricately planned from the beginning. That is how smooth and put together it read. The twists and turns that this particular book takes will leave you with your mouth open.

THE ENDING! OMG! THE ENDING! Not once did I expect it to end the way it did and when the book did end I quickly opened up the other book because I had to read what was next. Needless to say it was a rough couple of days with 0 sleep at all. Ha! Just like in the book...

Go read this book. It will not disappoint!

Not sure how this series is going to end... Hoping for the best. I have liked the writing a lot, worth reading as a whole.

I can't wait to read the next book. My only complaint about this book is that Katniss is entirely to stubborn for my liking.

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.