Catching Fire | by: Suzanne Collins

I fell into a deep infatuation with Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games at the end of last summer, and have been craving Catching Fire ever since!

Katniss has survived the Hunger Games along with Peeta, so anyone would assume that the nightmare of her life is over. But just as she begins the required tour to all of the districts in honor of winning the Games, she discovers that since both she and Peeta survived the Hunger Games, the Capitol is angry. For they have started a rebellion against it, without even realizing it. And the only way to prove their innocence in sparking it is to deny the rightness in what could finally overthrow the dictatorship of the Capitol.

Suzanne Collins really knows how to write a sequal. Wow.

If you're going to sit on the couch for hours reading Catching Fire, don't worry about leading a sedentary lifestyle, because this book will give you a cardiovascular workout. I had to stop reading for a couple of minutes, because I thought my heart was going to beat itself out of my chest. I'm not so sure if this is because of the twists and turns embedded througout the plot, or the consistent high-level action. Either way, I was totally blown away.

Catching Fire has the same great qualities as the first of the tirology, The Hunger Games. The writing is still superior and urgent, though maybe the sentences were too choppy for my comfort at times (probably to stress such urgency, so I'm greatful that this has a purpose), and Katniss is still a marvelous character. She's so strong and selfless that she puts today's typical sense of humanity to shame. And then there's Peeta... oh, the ever-loving and caring Peeta...

Speaking of which, despite the centeral focus of this novel is the action and revolution, we still have hints of a love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. Just hints. It's not like a Edward-Bella-Jacob type of thing. Part of Katniss' problem is that she loves them both to death, but not in a particularly romantic way. If anything, it's the way we as humans should all love each other. Honestly, I love both Gale and Peeta. A lot of times I favor Peeta, but whenever I read about Gale, I understand why Katniss will never stop caring about him. Then again, I find it hard to believe Katniss will ever stop caring about anybody: Her mother, Prim, Gale, Peeta, Haymitch, District 12. Despite she is protective and a strong hunter, Katniss, the greatest heroine I've ever read about, loves with all of her being.

Still, the Capitol, that wretched disgrace of a government, stunned me the most. What they do is unbelievable. Punishments are torturous, food is scarce, and the president is the core of it all. He, okay the whole government, is cruel in every extent. Do any of them care? No. I was in awe the entire time. I was teary-eyed because of this, and I am now giving endless thanks that my country isn't run like this. That my government isn't so brutal.

Throughout this compelling read, I was a complete mess because I didn't want to leave this book alone for a minute. This trilogy is an addiction like no other, heed the warning. I can never stop thinking about it! Catching Fire is the perfect sequal to The Hunger Games, and I can't wait to see what happens next in Mockingjay!

5/5 Stars


Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire
New York: Scholastic Press
2009