Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Spoilers ahead.

I have heard and read many reviews about the second book accusing it be a “repeat” of book one, or “duller in comparison,” and even the worst, “falls into the second-of-every-trilogy-sucks category.”

Let me just say that I completely disagree. The seconds in trilogies, I’ve noticed, build tension and anticipation, leaving the reader hanging at the end, anxiously awaiting the next and final installment. As I type this, I would much rather begin Mockingjay than wait till tomorrow when the book is in my presence! So as far as an unresolved plot, as many suggest, yes it’s there but we should keep in mind this is a trilogy, not a stand-alone.

Also, it most certainly is not a repeat. If anything, the only concept that’s a repeat is that Peeta and Katniss are back in the Games. We’re introduced to the day-to-day life after the first Games, the suffering that comes with the success within a starving District. In Hunger Games, the brief glimpse of District 12 life is enough for us to sympathize and root for Katniss to win. Changes occur, rebellions begin, knowing who to trust and who to talk to (and where!) threatens Katniss’s life.

The Games are entirely different as well – new characters (among them is a favorite of mine, Finnick Odair) bond with Katniss and Peeta and form alliances that have never happened before. The second book truly reveals the heightened sensations of rebellion, anger, madness, struggle, love, and hate – each a step up from the game of survival that encompassed the first book.

Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: 4.38 of 5