Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book Two)

Couldn't put the book down. My second time reading it and the feelings are all the same as reading it the first time.

I read this for the first time when I was 14 and it absolutely stands up years later!

I bought these BEAUTIFUL copies for my two best friends and annotated them so they could take them to college with them and have a reminder of home. They were super high quality, minimal outer damage, super floppy (which i always love with paperbacks), and I didn’t notice any other issues with it! They came on time and in great condition!In the case of the book, my FAVORITE book in the series! Super entertaining, developed, and adds to the story so well!

Excellent pacing, great expansion of the world and characters and of course I love seeing that there is a whole team of people working against the Capitol now!

This story is very much about the cost of political speech End what it It takes Actually Make Political change

Since this book was over 70% less than other copies of the same book from other vendors, we were expecting some minor flaws, but it is in perfect condition!! One of the best purchases I've made in quite a while. Hopefully they will be offering other books with similar pricing'

I have goosebumps. I knew it was coming. I have seen the movies even then I cried multiple times reading this the movie don’t do this book justice. There was so many heartfelt moments that they cut out for the movie. I am seriously so glad. I finally decided to read these. Young me would’ve made this my entire personality. This was a freaking masterpiece. Why did I wait so many years to read this? What is wrong with me? I need the next one immediately.

Where to start on this book... Emotions are a good place. Katniss just accepting that she'll die to keep Peeta alive is tragic, and Peeta trying and failing to convince her otherwise is even worse. The ending line of "There is no district twelve" is horrific, and Katniss just giving up at the end is heartbreaking.The setup is super well written too. From the start the setup of Katniss becoming the symbol of rebellion is amazing. The gamemaker flashing the symbol on his watch is a good setup for him being with the rebellion, and all the district uprisings slowly ramping up throughout the book is amazingly done!Adding on to that, the tension is amazingly written! Watching as Katniss slowly realizes more and more information has been kept from her and struggling to figure it out is amazing. Her processing as the remaining tributes in the game thinned out more and more was amazing to go through, and every encounter with the rest of the tributes was amazingly written. Either tense physically or tense psychologically, and it was amazingly done both ways!

All too often, I find that sequels just don't provide a worthy follow up to the original or that sometimes the original story is just so incomplete that I hardly have any desire to move forward for fear of never receiving a satisfying conclusion. For this reason, I often stay away from sequels and even series in general, at least in terms of books. I think this is part of the reason it took me so long to pick up Suzanne Collins' CATCHING FIRE (The Hunger Games Book 2) despite having read the original and seen both of the respective movies a long while ago. The CATCHING FIRE movie adaptation was one of the few movie sequels that I ever thought to be drastically better than the previous film in every way possible. That's not to say that it made me like the first any less, just that I felt it had improved in all aspects. And so I went into this book with timid excitement, hoping I would feel the same way.The book version of this story impressed me exactly as I hoped it would. It is an improvement on Collin's already fantastic narrative that feels fresh and more mature while also allowing readers to spend more time with her fantastic characters, world, and story.CHARACTERSKatniss and Peeta are back for another adventure. They've done the impossible together and now they have returned home, but things will never be the same. They are locked into a false romance where Peeta now realizes that his affections towards Katniss are only reciprocated when the pair are in front of a camera. He is made to feel even more alone than he did at the start of the games while Katniss deals with her own set of issues. Gale is now referred to as her cousin despite that being far from the truth. On one hand, this makes it easier for Katniss to be seen with him, but it also means they will never be together since it is ultimately her destiny to marry Peeta, whether her feelings for him are true or not. She and Gale come to the realization that there is something between them and Katniss realizes that Gale is another boy in her life that she has been hurting.Then there's the fractured relationship between the Capitol and the Districts which she is also forced to acknowledge when President snow appears in her home and threatens her loved ones if she doesn't play along with what he wants. Despite her surviving the Hunger Games tournament, the "games" aren't really over at all. She's still fighting for her and Peeta's lives, but now she has the lives of her mother, Prim, Gale, Gale's family, Haymich, and probably Peeta's family to worry about. She may also very well be fighting for the lives of every District in Panem. President Snow's role is quite big here which is a nice change of pace since he remained largely unseen in the first book. Then there's Plutarch Heavensbee, the new head gamemaker who is a bit more removed, but what parts he is in are quite good. Katniss also meets up with a variety of previous victors like the flamboyantly handsome Finnick, the aggressive Joanna, the clever Beetee, and deranged Wirress. Those who have already seen the movie know what circumstances Katniss meets these other victors under, but I won't spoil that part of the story since it is far more of a surprise in the book. The only other thing that can really be said is that each of these new faces is a wonderful addition to the cast and that they all have a lot to add to the story as a whole.WORLD/SETTINGThe world that Katniss returns to is not the same one that she left. She's a victor now which means she gets a fancy new home in a special section of District 12 and she must be part of the victory tour where the victor of the games visits each district and honors the fallen tributes before attending a lavish dinner party. It also means she will have to become a mentor to the future tributes of District 12. At least those are all of the things that would happen to a typical victor.This year is different, this year there are two victors because of Katniss's defiance to the Capitol. Her refusal to play by their rules means that she has Peeta to go through all of this with, but it has also sets into motion events beyond what she would ever be able to predict. Uprisings have sprung up in several districts in the spirit of following Katniss's example. District 12 sees a stronger security presence which imposes brutal restrictions upon the citizen's way of life. Nothing Katniss does seems to be right and nothing she says can quell the anger that builds up against the Capitol. She finds herself in an impossible situation where the world of the games and the real world are now largely one in the same. Katniss never escaped the arena, only set it loose upon the world and now she is the symbol of a rebellion that threatens to bring end to Panem.Although everything is different now, this book brings readers to a variety of places within Panem and introduces us to locations that were previously only mentioned. Collins paints each with simple, yet vibrant desc...

I read The Hunger Games series before I had a book review blog, so I never wrote a formal review for any of the books while they were fresh in my mind. But this series, especially this book, affected me so much that I'm glad I had the opportunity to re-read it upon the release of the movie and share my review with you today (I literally finished this book an hour before we left to the midnight showing of the film, which is why this review is posting late today! P.S. I'm sleepy.).The second book in Suzanne Collins' dystopian young adult series, Catching Fire takes place a few months after The Hunger Games ends, finding Katniss Everdeen back in District 12, this time living comfortably in The Victor's Village. Her relationship with fellow victor, Peeta Mellark, is strained at best and she's fighting feelings for her best friend Gale after he's kissed her, exposing something that's been building between them long before The Games. But choosing which boy with whom to invest her time is the least of this seventeen year-old girl's problems. When President Snow visits her and threatens the lives of everyone she loves if Katniss doesn't play along with the Capitol's agenda to sweep her act of defiance under the table, Katniss realizes that she'll be playing The Games her whole life and must decide if she's brave enough to stand up for the things she believes in.When I began reading this book, I had no idea what to expect, but Collins delivered everything I could have anticipated and more. For one, I started this book completely Team Gale, but Collins did an excellent job of taking Katniss and Peeta and allowing them to organically grow together as friends and companions that I didn't know which guy to love more by the end of the book. Katniss, while obviously selfless in her decision to initially volunteer for her sister, has acquired a strong sense of survival which she tends to misconstrue (in my opinion) as selfishness. In comparison, Peeta is completely selfless, thinking only of Katniss, even when it means helping Gale. I love to see how Katniss grows by learning from Peeta. I think the only reason Katniss is ever identified as "selfish" (even if selfish means only thinking of her loved ones versus the whole country) is because this story is told from her point of view making her transparent; but I think she is better able to decipher her values because of her relationship with Peeta and his value system. This adds a new dynamic to their relationship and uncovers a lot of who Peeta is (and why we love him! ;)).But as I mentioned in my synopsis, Katniss' boy dilemma is the least of her problems. Her struggle with her value system is what brings this supernatural story down to a human level. The inconceivable is processed by a teenage girl like a teenage girl. I hate complaints that Katniss is too whiny, too insensitive to everyone's feelings, too pre-occupied with herself; if I were in her shoes I would have eaten the berries on day one of the 74th Hunger Games! I think she's allowed to struggle and her struggle uncovers her heart and her drive.To keep my book review blog spoiler-free (as is always my goal), I have to refrain from discussing some of my favorite parts of this book, especially regarding Katniss and Peeta's public relationship and the premise of the Quarter Quell. In short, I loved the way this book had so many powerful little punches that kept me on my toes and at the edge of my seat. The pacing is incredible, especially coupled with how much emotion is compacted into each forward-moving segment. There are so many details I had forgotten about in the 2 years since I first read Catching Fire, and I'm so glad I was able to refresh my brain before seeing the movie.Speaking of the movie, like the book it was everything I expected and more! I think the Catching Fire movie is so much better than The Hunger Games, especially because it didn't try to be artsy (i.e. shaky cameras and super close ups!! Who else HATED that?!). It put out the story (cutting most of what I expected) but it didn't change much. My only complaint is that, similar to the first movie, Katniss and Peeta's relationship didn't translate to the screen as well as I had hoped for. I guess what can I expect in such a short time frame, but that was my only disappointment nonetheless. I mean, I didn't even believe they were romantic, why would the Panem public? They did make Peeta so much more of an alpha-male than he is in the book, which I loved!! Sometimes I question Josh Hutcherson as Peeta when I see him in the media, but then when I'm watching the movie I just love him. Also, bonus fact about the movie: I noticed in the credits that a guy my mom used to date before she was married was in the stunts! HOW COOL, RIGHT?! I am trying to convince my mom to get back in touch with him muahaha! ;)Bottom Line: This series changed my reading life and if you haven't read it, my biggest recommendation on this blog is that you read it NOW. And ...

Suzanne Collins has done it again; after writing her smash-hit novel The Hunger Games, she's released the second book of the trilogy, Catching Fire. Hundreds of thousands of Hunger Games enthusiasts have rushed to the second book after finishing the first, in hopes for more of the life of Katniss Everdeen. After the intensity and enthrall the Hunger Games held, I didn't think the second book would impress me nearly as much as the first. After reading it, I felt that I was right; the second book was wonderful, but it seemed tremendously more slow paced, less intense, and I found myself simply rushing through some parts that seemed lacking. Overall, a good read, but don't expect the same kind of intensity as The Hunger Games. After surviving the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta return to District 12 in a blaze of glory, being the first District 12 victors in years. Katniss finds Peeta avoiding her after revealing that she was simply pretending to love him, and Gale seems to be holding her at a distance as well. She doesn't have much time to worry about this though, because she and Peeta have to work together again on the Victory Tour, and pretend they're star-crossed lovers as they visit each of the 12 Districts to convince everyone that they weren't trying to undermine the Capitol, especially President Snow. But things take a horrible turn as the 75th Hunger Games arrive, and with them the Quarter Quell, which will turn the lives of Katniss and Peeta upside down. At the same time, tiny sparks of an uprising are beginning to catch, and even though Katniss unintentionally helped create them, she doesn't truly know if she should try to stop them. Katniss has to figure out how to outwit the Capitol yet again in a game of life and death, but this time, if she makes so much as one mistake, everyone she loves could be hurt. When I was reading Catching Fire, I was reminded of The Giver. Both novels take place in a futuristic society that it extremely different from society today. Both novels are also under the rule of an extremely strict government that is trying to deprive its people of something (In Catching Fire, there's no freedom, in The Giver, no one really has any of their own emotions). The Games aspect of the book reminded me strongly of a manga, Mirai Nikki (which means Future Diary), in which 12 people are competing against each other to become God. They all have to try to kill off other diary owners and stay alive, and the last person left alive becomes God. Slightly similar to how 12 Districts are fighting against each other, and the last person alive gets a great deal of glory and riches to live off of, is it not? The reason that I didn't find Catching Fire nearly as good as The Hunger Games was because of the difference in the pacing of both books. In The Hunger Games, everything seems so much more fast-paced, and the novel progressed with a sort of momentum, similar to that of a train. Overall, everything seemed more detailed and more exciting. However, when it comes to Catching Fire, the metaphorical train seems to slam into a wall. During about the first half of the book, everything that happened seemed to lack extensive detail and to me just seemed incredibly boring. When Suzanne Collins told her readers about Katniss reuniting with Gale for the first time since the Games, I was expecting a much more detailed scene than "...my mother said "Your cousins can hardly wait to see you!" Then I turned and saw Gale and Hazelle and all the kids waiting for me, so what could I do but go along?" Collins could have definitely made that more descriptive and more than two sentences long. Up until about the Quarter Quell, I found myself reading simply to get through the book, and I kept thinking to myself, "When is something exciting going to happen?" I just felt that too few events in the novel were given the attention and detail they deserved, and were written off to be more minor things. Catching Fire also seemed to be lacking in detail on the characters. It didn't seem like any new information about the main characters was revealed, and some important characters seemed to be missing from a great deal of the story. Many new characters were introduced because of the Games aspect of this novel, but it didn't seem like many of them were heavily detailed, aside from appearance. For example, when Collins describes Katniss' first meeting with Finnick, she describes his appearance to be "Tall, athletic, with golden skin and bronze-colored hair and those incredible eyes." She also brings up how he won the games, and that he was loved by many girls in the Capitol, but to me it doesn't feel like she's trying to show the readers his depth as a person. If a reader were to read on into Mockingjay, the third book of The Hunger Games trilogy, they would find that there's much more to Finnick than his appearance and the fact that girls adore him. All the details about a character don't need to be...

This is the first sequel in a very long time that I immediately picked up after finishing the previous installment. Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games completely took me by surprise with its brilliantly fast paced narrative, heart-wrenching plot and incredible protagonist that didn't follow the typical teen novel cliches. Catching Fire is a great sequel that doesn't fall into the usual second entry pitfall that many authors stumble into.With her desperate final attempt for salvation at the end of the Hunger Games, Katniss has become much more than the simple tribute from District 12. Her courageous showing of defiance has made her the seed of hope for the oppressed populace of Panem. One that if left unchecked could unravel the Capitol's curtain of fear from the frightened masses and replace it with rebellion. She's become the spark that could ignite a revolution, an appropriate metaphor that correlates with her title: the girl on fire. With the threat to their social order, the Capitol has made Katniss into a political target. Not believing her actions were derived from a desperate act of love but rather a instigation for rebellion, they issue her an ultimatum: convince the Capitol her relationship with Peeta is legitimate and not a folly, or else.If the Hunger Games characterized the nightmare of absolute totalitarian control, than Catching Fire represents Katniss's will to defy such a regime. Defiance by loving whomever she desires through her own will, the right to not live as an image the Capitol deems appropriate, and ultimately keeping her loved ones safe from their wrath. The will to stand defiant is the dilemma that has consumed her thoughts and dominates the book's tone. Should she lead an uprising against a government regime that deserves to be overthrown, but at the dire cost of making everyone she loves targets? But is life truly worth living if it means an existence of absolute docility to evil? It's a very thought-provoking question that Collins illustrates very well.Catching Fire's narrative doesn't share the same break-neck pace that The Hunger Games possessed. It's by no means a slow book, but this allows the narrative to catch its breath and elaborate more on the dystopian future of Panem, such as delving even further into Panem's ignorant upper class which helps reinforce the theme of poverty vs wealth from the last entry. But more importantly, it gives the characters that had merely a brief introduction in the last installment some much needed attention. Collins really surprised me in the last book with the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. It completely forwent the traditional contrived romances that I find teen novels are infamous for. Yet when Gale entered the story as a more predominant figure, I expected the worst. Fortunately Collins still managed to keep the relationships between these characters from feeling like a cliché Hollywood soap opera. Simply put, does she go with Gale, the boy who understands her views and feelings on life better than anyone? Or does she choose Peeta? One who has already publicly confessed his feelings towards her, and who has been to hell and back with her during the Hunger Games. Yet choosing Peeta would also mean becoming the very image the Capitol requires her to be, a harmless and controllable one that would inspire no further thoughts of rebellion.Without spoiling the plot, let's just say that Katniss once again finds herself in a dangerous predicament later in the story. While it was entertaining, I didn't feel the same sense of absolute desperation and paranoia that made the first book's second half so engaging. The reasoning for this is that unlike last time Katniss isn't alone in her struggle. It follows the "keep your enemies close and your friends closer" mentality of deception. This changes the feel just enough to not feel like a complete retread of the last book, but it didn't have nearly the same amount of tension that had me glued to the pages like before.While it may not have the same amount of emotional investment that The Hunger Games had for me, Catching Fire still manages to create a very grim dystopian future that the reader wants to see overthrown due to their emotional connection they share with the protagonist. It's a very entertaining, thought-provoking, science fiction novel with a lot of heart that feels like the natural evolution from its predecessor.

The second book or movie in a trilogy is usually the weakest of the three. This is true for almost every trilogy except for the original Star Wars, where Empire Strikes Back is the best of all the movies. After a perfectly average opening to The Hunger Games I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of the rest of the series. The only reason I kept reading was because I bought a kindle. This book was only seven bucks and near the top of the list in the kindle store so I figured "why not."Now I can think of two trilogies where the second book is the best of the series, Star Wars and The Hunger Games.Catching Fire kind of cheats though because it has two climaxes. For some reason that escapes me, the book one climax is in the beginning of book two. The book one climax occurs when Snow is talking to Katniss in her new house. It's a solid scene and made me excited to read the rest of the book. It's the scene that needed to end off the first book so that I would have been more eager to read the rest of these kid killing stories.The plot of the second book starts out with Katniss and Peeta (still the worst character names of all time, especially Pita Pit Peeta as I call him) going around to all the districts on a victory tour after winning the Hunger Games. I loved where it was going with this. They started at district 11 and what happened there was the most solid story telling in the trilogy. The only other comparable scene was at the beginning of this book with Katniss and Snow. If this is what happened at the first district then I couldn't wait to see what happened in the other districts. Too bad they don't really talk about it too much. Everything gets skimmed over.This is the beginning of a trend that plagues the rest of the books. Skimming. Instead of saying what goes on she just sums things up so that you know all the important parts and she can spend some unnecessary time trying to make me care if Katniss ends up with Peeta or the other guy. I'm sure he has a name but his role in the books is "the other guy." The skimming isn't as bad in Catching Fire but in the third book it is beyond an acceptable level.Despite this there are still lots of things to love about this book. Of course Katniss and Peeta end up back in the games fighting for their lives. I knew this would happen before I read the book. It's on the back cover isn't it? So I wasn't excited because I wasn't sure how the stakes could be raised any higher than they were the first time.The author was able to do that by, surprise surprise, being creative with the arena the game was being played in. The arena was amazingly entertaining compared to the first book where the location barely had a factor in how the game was played.She also raised the stakes by complicating the relationships between the people playing the game. Using the old victors as the tributes raised the stakes because they all knew each other and some were even good friends, but the added factor was that some of them weren't playing the game the way the Capital thought they were playing. It's all a little complicated. I don't expect you to understand what's going on. The protagonist doesn't even understand what's going on half the time.I love the very last line of the book. It sets up a massive cliff hanger which was absolutely perfect and ended the book on just the right level of hopelessness that the second part of any three part story needs.The Hunger Games in Catching Fire are the best of the series. The climax at the end of the book is the best of the series. The characters are the least annoying in this book. The settings are the most interesting, and finally, and most importantly the story is the most entertaining.

Warning: There could quite well be some spoilers in this review.This of course is the second book in what now has become a pretty well known trilogy. The book pretty much begins where the first book,

The Hunger Games

stopped. It would be difficult to consider this work a stand alone read and I certainly would not recommend starting the series here, but rather with the first book.This particular story (And I am referring to all three books) is one that most certainly can be classified as a "crossover" read. It was obviously meant for the YA group but it seems to have captivated adult readers as much as it has the younger set. I must include myself in this category as I found these books to be absolutely fascinating, haunting and I will tell you, almost impossible to put down once I started reading them. There are reasons for this, but more about that later.With over 800 reviews on this work so far it would be difficult to add any truly original thought; I can only add my opinion and attempt to pass on my pleasure in reading these things.Since the plot has been beat to death here I will not go into any depth at all in this review. Do be aware that the world of Katniss and Petta and the rest of the characters is pretty much the same here as in the first book but as the reader will soon discover, there is change in the breeze; their world is changing and it is obvious that these changes will be quite profound. The author does take us through another secession of The Hunger Games as played out in the first book, and it is even more twisted and evil than the first...so very much more cruel. There are a number of new characters introduced in this work and we get to learn much more about some of the originals as we read. Characters become more fleshed out and much more complex. Relationships take strange turns and not ever thing is as it seems.As has been pointed out in a number of very fine reviews here, this is the second novel in a trilogy. If you are a novel, that is a horrid place to be. Like all such works, this is a sort of transition book; one that takes us from the beginning and sets us up for the grand ending. Not an easy task for any writer (Even Tolkien had a few problems with "The Two Towers," in this aspect). This author pulls it off better than most though and I must say that while I may not have enjoyed this second offering quite as much as the first, I never the less loved it and it was absolutely necessary to read in order to get to the conclusion of the story.Now these books are popular...there are a lot of people who have read them and a lot of people who are still reading them. To begin with, this author is a very natural story teller and a very good writer when you consider the genre she is working with. Her story is believable and in a strange sort of way, logical. You can fully sympathize with all the "good guys" and really dislike the bad ones. The book is extremely entertaining (at least I thought so) and at the same time gives you some good food for thought on several levels. It is an easy read in a technical sense, yet the subject matter can (as it should and as the author meant it to be) quite emotional and troubling.I started this book immediately after I finished the first and when I finished this one I immediately read the last. I must say I enjoyed the entire trip and this will be a series of books that I will give a reread in the very near future.Don BlankenshipThe Ozarks

*Note: There are spoilers in this reviewCatching Fire is the second in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series. I reviewed the first book, The Hunger Games, a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I was not disappointed by this book. The writing is as fast-paced and exciting as the first novel, and my heroine is the same in all her imperfect, defiant, and gutsy glory. I couldn't put Catching Fire down (and stayed up until 2:30am to finish it in a 3 hour stretch).In summary, once more we meet up with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, only this time they are victors of the Hunger Games and back in District 12. They live in new houses, have plenty of money, and don't want for much of anything. But with the Hunger Games over and her very public relationship with Peeta in limbo, Katniss finds herself falling for Gale, her best friend, in secret. A best friend who is also in love with her. Unfortunately, it is a secret that is known by her enemies, particularly President Snow. To make matters worse, President Snow hasn't forgotten their stunt with the berries (forcing the Capitol to proclaim two victors in the last Hunger Games), and now he has warned Katniss that she must quell any inkling that the berries were any kind of symbolic act of rebellion against the Capitol, and instead only a simple wish of someone desperately in love. But the spark has been made, and Katniss can no longer contain the fire that results. She is unable to convince anyone otherwise, including the president. To regain control and squash any rebellion, President Snow forces Katniss and Peeta back into the Games, where they learn that they are part of something greater - a far-reaching plan to unseat the Capitol, and one that has its fingers not only in the defunct District 13, but also in the Capitol itself. Fighting for survival, Katniss manages to escape the Games with the help of other District allies but in the end, is separated from Peeta who is captured by the enemy. Book 2 ends with Katniss unwillingly becoming the symbol of the rebellion (headquartered in District 13), and its figurehead...she is the mockingjay.Catching Fire was thrilling from beginning to end. It was great to reconnect with the familiar characters from The Hunger Games and get to meet some new ones that were just as interesting as the old or even more so. While everything feels familiar, like the same style of narration, the novel is never boring or predictable. It does take a little adjustment and effort to work in the personalities and the ages of the new Hunger Games competitors but that in no means detracts from the pacing or the story itself. I did find that I wasn't as interested in the mechanics of the arena this time but wasn't sure that was due to the complicated nature of its clock structure or whether I was more interested in what was happening with the characters themselves (which is a big compliment to the author).This book also seemed to be a lot more violent than the first. Death is an accepted casualty, as is walking on skulls or seeing piles of dead decomposing bodies. It didn't offend me at all, it was just something I noticed. That said, I enjoyed the authenticity that it gave to the book - it felt real, like it was a darker and uglier world. Or maybe it was reflective that Katniss was growing up, and she herself was harder and viewing the world differently. I still retained the connection with Katniss in this book - she stayed true to herself (as well as to her personality the previous novel) and while she does seem older and wiser, at the core, she doesn't change. She is still headstrong and compassionate and just as awesome.Catching Fire was a great second installment of the series! Well worth the read, I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I already have Mockingjay in hand so stay tuned for my final review. Hopefully it will measure up to its predecessors.Check out my profile info for my website and more reviews.