Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publishing Date: September 1rst, 2009
ISBN: 9780439023498
Pages: 391 pages

My Rating: 5 stars

Review from GoodReads:
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch.

My Review:
**This review contains SPOILERS****
I can't even begin to explain my feeings for this book. From the beginning of the book I felt irritated for Peeta and Katniss. I couldn't even fathom "winning" a game like that and then having to travel around to every district on parade. What are you supposed to say "Hi, sorry I had a part in killing your children."? They have to relive their trauma in the games over and over and over again over the years. Then they throw a twist at them and throw them both back in the games with seasoned vets of the games. I was actually getting extremely angry with the Capitol while reading this book. At points I just wanted to yell at them "If you don't want people to rebel don't do things to anger everyone!!!" Of course people are going to rebel if you send their children/loved ones into the games not once but twice. Some people say that the second book was a little slow in the beginning but I didn't find that at all. I really liked reading about Katniss' difficulty trying to readjust to life in District 12. I also liked seeing the dynamic of Katniss' relationships with Gale, her mother, and Prim. I have to say I was a little shocked at the ending but I felt like something like this might be coming. There were too many things that happened in the book that were unexplained (like all the tributes who allied themselves with Peeta and Katniss). Collins really knows how to tell a story that draws people in. She has created vivid characters that leave a lasting impression. Even her minor characters left me wanting to know more about them. She has so many ideas that I don't think I would ever think of. The idea of the arena being like a deadly clock was so amazing. I couldn't believe all the ways someone could think of to kill someone. Amazing! Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to read the last book in this series.