Review - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Paperback, 472 pages

Published September 7th 2009 by Scholastic (first published January 1st 2009)

Source: Own Copy

Synopsis:
'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 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.'

My Thoughts:
Wow, I don't know what else to say but how amazing this series is and how much this book and the first one have captured my attention. I haven't felt this way about a series in a very long time and this is one that I still find myself thinking about long after I finished reading it.

The world created by Suzanne Collins is so brutal and realistic that I found myself constantly wondering if our government could ever get in a position where they would have the same amount of power and influence over the way we live our lives. In this instalment, you get to see a lot more about how the Capitol controls all the districts and the lives of all the residents and it's a scary reminder of how well we actually have it with the amount of freedom we get to have in our daily lives.

When Katniss and Peeta are being prepared to go back into the arena, I really felt for them and the injustice that they were going through to be forced to participate in the Games again. Once the Games began, I was finding myself cheering Katniss and Peeta on for the majority of the time and there may also have been a bit of breath holding in certain parts as well.

The love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta gets a lot of attention in this book and that was probably the only element that I was a little disappointed in. As far as I'm concerned Katniss needs to realise that Peeta is definitely the one for her (in my humble opinion) and move on from Gale. I just don't get much personality from what we have seen of Gale so far and I'm not sure if this has been done on purpose or if this is just the way he really is. This is something that I can't wait to see resolved when I read the third book.

Overall, I cannot say enough good things about this book and the first Hunger Games novel. If you love a lot of action, twists and turns as well as a storyline that really makes you think then these are the books for you.

Purchase Links:
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