Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins // 391 pgs

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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.

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This is my favorite installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. I think everything was executed almost flawlessly in this installment of the franchise, and it truly felt like the reader was witnessing a moment of history for this world. The pacing in this book was excellent, and I think Collins balanced the pre-Games and the Games well, to where I was constantly engaged.

One aspect I enjoyed was Peeta and Katniss’s dynamic, not even necessarily the romantic angle. I thought it was very fun that the two were not competing against each other in the games, but rather to save the other person. The dynamic emboldened the tone of rebellion that this book set up, while also allowing strong character development for Katniss. 

The side characters introduced were also very fun, and each death was somewhat surprising and emotional. The ending was also engaging and definitely made me want to read more; Katniss’s visceral reaction was heartbreaking.