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Catching Fire
by Suzanne CollinsSeries: The Hunger Games #2
Published by Scholastic Press on September 1, 2009
SubGenres: Young Adult Dystopian, Young Adult Fiction
Format: AudioBook, eBook
Pages: 391
Source: Library - Libby
Audience: 12+/Young Adult
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Sparks are igniting.Flames are spreading.And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen 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 her 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 that 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 know I’m late to The Hunger Games Trilogy, but I’m finally catching up by reading all the books and the prequels. Catching Fire starts right where The Hunger Games ended, and since I’ve seen the movies, I thought I knew what to expect. But reading the book showed me how much was left out of the films, especially details about the story and characters. I noticed things in the book that made me want even more from the trilogy, and I’m glad Suzanne Collins gave us prequels to dive into next.
The story is told entirely from Katniss’s point of view, and I really felt what she was going through. She went through so much in the first book, and now even more in the second. Katniss never wanted to be chosen, but after what she and Peeta did at the end of the games, it’s clear why people support her, even some in the Capitol. President Snow hates this because it gives the districts hope for another rebellion. He’s determined not to let that happen and will do something that even Katniss isn’t ready for. I know I wasn’t even prepared, and I already knew what was going to happen.
This book really shows what Katniss is dealing with after book one. She’s struggling with PTSD and grief from what happened in the games. She also knows that what she did with Peeta at the end of the games has made her a target. At the same time, there are people who want to protect her. I enjoyed seeing her grow in this book, and I’m excited to see how she continues as the face of the rebellion, using her strength and determination to stand up to President Snow. Even he knows she’s a threat to his rule, which is why he’s after her and everyone she loves.
We don’t get to see Peeta’s point of view, but I can honestly say he’s my favorite character besides Katniss. He really is a sweetheart. He might not be a fighter in the usual sense, but he puts his heart and soul into everything, and that’s what counts. It’s clear how much he cares for Katniss. She broke my heart at the start of the book with how she treated him, but by the end, it’s clear she’s starting to care for him too.
I’m not a big fan of the love triangle, mostly because I don’t really like Gale, but I get that it adds drama. Gale has been Katniss’s friend for a long time, but Peeta has gone through so much with her and for her, and he’ll keep doing that, especially now that they have to face the games again. This time, they’re up against victors who have known each other for years, while Katniss and Peeta are still new to it all. It’s definitely a challenge.
This book was another emotional read for me, and I finished it quickly because I was so determined to read what happened. I already know the last book in the trilogy will be an even bigger tearjerker, so I’ll have tissues on hand for it.
Overall, this was a fantastic read that kept me hooked, and I give it five stars, and I wish I could give it more since it deserves it. If you haven’t read these books yet, you’re missing out. This trilogy (at least so far, since I haven’t finished the last book) is definitely worth reading. Even though it’s fiction, it shows how an oppressive government can turn against its own people, and how those people will eventually stand up and rebel. Sometimes, it just takes one person to start it. (In this case, not realizing they started the rebellion.)
About Suzanne Collins
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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