Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, Book 2) (original 2009; edition 2009)

Catching Fire is a worthy sequel that lives up to all of the hype surrounding the first book, The Hunger Games. As with many second books of a series, Catching Fire is filled with transitional information that is important for carrying the plot forward to the third installment. Fortunately the plot does not become bogged down in these details, and is still quite entertaining.

The first two-thirds of the book is a little bit slower in pace than The Hunger Games, but it gives the reader a chance to get to know more about what the characters have been doing since the end of the last book, and the stance of their relationships to each other. The last third of the book takes the reader back to the quick and exciting pace that was found in The Hunger Games, and is filled with action and a cliffhanger ending.

As for the relationship problems between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, I stand firmly in the team Peeta camp. I think that both boys have shown selfless love for Katniss, but I think that only Peeta can truly understand what it is that Katniss has gone through, and in the end I think that will make all the difference in the world. If I had to make a prediction though, I would guess that the only way that Katniss survives the third book is through the selfless sacrifices of both Peeta and Gale. (I'm not saying that they'll die or anything, just that they'll sacrifice a lot for her.) I have my own ideas about who I think Gale should end up with, and I can't wait to see if I'm right.

One thing that I forget about these books until I pick them up to read them is that they are written in present tense. Usually that annoys me and distracts me from the story, but in the case of this series the present tense works perfectly to convey a sense of immediacy, and really puts the reader in the middle of the action.

Those of you who have read The Hunger Games should love this book. If you haven't read these fabulous young adult books yet, be sure to start with The Hunger Games first. You really need to read these books in order if you want to know what is going on in the second book. ( )

When I reviewed The Hunger Games I likened it to the Tomorrow Series by John Marsden which is one of my all time favorite book series. Reading this second book in The Hunger Games trilogy I still feel the same way.

Read more of my review here: http://abshepherdsreinventedreader.blogspot.com.au/ ( )

At the end of The Hunger Games, I was surprised to learn that both Katniss and Peeta would be victors of the Games. Of course, I was dying to know what happened next!

A visit from the President makes Katniss uneasy, and she fears that she may be the public face of a rebellious uprising, whether she likes it or not. Nevertheless, she must put on a happy face and go on a Victory Tour with Peeta. WIth all of this going on, Katniss is also sorting through her feelings for two different boys and wondering if romance even has a place in a world like the one they live in. What's the point? Why grow up, get married, and have children if your children risk being tributes every year? Why bring children into a world so cruel as the one they live in?

When it comes time to pick the tributes for the 75th annual Hunger Games, called "The Quarter Quell," the Capitol makes a decision that I never saw coming. This surprise twist combined with the cliffhanger ending left me wanting more, yet again. I can't wait until this fall when we find out what happens to Katniss and Panem in the third installment of the trilogy, [b:Mockingjay|7260188|Mockingjay (Hunger Games, #3)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1282388315s/7260188.jpg|8812783]. ( )

Catching Fire is an awesome book. It had me crying out loud and laughing out loud. In it Katniss is trying to figure out her feelings for Peeta and Gail while trying to stay alive. I just couldn't put it down. I finished it within a day.

This went way downhill from Hunger Games 1, as it really seemed like an obligatory middle book of a trilogy. The plot is way too drawn out, first with explication and recap of book 1, then with a variation of the Games (ok, in a different "arena" and with a whole set of differnet dangers to overcome, but who cares).
1) The heroine seemed a lot stupider--why doesn't she realise right away that the tributes should all band together, strength in numbers etc etc to defeat the evil powers that be, especially since the evil President actually TELLS her directly what a danger she is as a symbolic and actual rebel, and exactly how a rebellion could happen? the answer: because there must be a volume 3, to sell more books
2) the whole confused-about-which-boy-she-loves is labored and unconvincing (both from the heroine's POV, and also because the 2 boys are wan, vaguely formed characters
3) Some editing would have been beneficial, to correct grammatical errors ("a woods"?), overuse of the word literally, and others.
I got to the end by skimming, and will probably read book 3 to see it the final gets better again.
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