Book info

• Title Catching Fire
• Author Suzanne Collins
• Year 2009
• Genre Young Adult

After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta return to their district, hoping for a peaceful future. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out... and the Capitol has decided that someone must pay. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol's Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless they can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. Then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the next Hunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced into the arena once more.

Thoughts

The Hunger Games was one of the first books I read via the Kindle Apps, and I bought it through the US store. When I switched to the UK store, the sequels were not available, so I have been waiting and waiting… and waiting! Finally, here they are, and I snapped it up as soon as I saw it.

It took me a while to get back into it, remember the characters and who did what in the previous book, but the story gets off to quite a slow start, allowing you time to get your head back in the Panem world. I wasn’t totally sold on the first half, the emphasis on the fake love was too much - I never believed it would solve anything, I’m confused why a smart girl like Katniss would think that.

However, when the second Hunger Games gets underway, things get really interesting. I actually had one of those moments, where I couldn’t put it down, even though it was way past my bedtime.

I didn’t love it quite as much as I did the first one, but it’s certainly not a bad sequel at all. Just one more book to read, but then the movies will come out and I can relive it all over again.

Rating: 4 / 5