9/5/09

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Form: Book
Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Sparks are Igniting.
Flames are Spreading.
And the Capitol wants Revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Millark 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 Katnis and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are even 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.
Source: Flap of Book


One word summary: AMAZING!

I think that of all the books that I have read this year (and it's been a lot), this was probably the best. I was surprised more than once at the turn of events that Suzanne Collins took me on in this book. This being said, when I picked up the book earlier this week I was a little leery, due to a review I read in Entertainment Weekly which wasn't bad nor that great. Looking back on it now, I wonder if the author of the article even read beyond the 3rd chapter. Oh well, we all can't like the same things.

Katniss is a strong teenage girl. She's practical. She aims to survive, and protect those that she loves. But she finds herself stuck in an awkward love triangle that a little more than a year ago would never have existed, seeing as how she had no intentions of marrying or having children. Now she's got Peeta who revealed his love for her during the previous year's Hunger Games, a confession that helped them to win the hearts of all the inhabitants of the Capitol as well as helped them to win the games in the end. Then there is Gale, her best friend, hunting partner and confidant since their fathers died in a mining accident. They have relied on each other to live, to keep each others families alive. Gale, who is forced out of the picture because of Peeta, and the fact that everyone outside of District 12 believes they are cousins.

President Snow reveals that Katniss best convince EVERYONE of her and Peeta's love, and that she/they had no intention of starting the sparks of rebellion that have seemingly arose in many of the other district. Unintentionally, Peeta and Katniss seem to add fuel to the flame instead of calming the crowds down, and before they know it - they are off on an another "adventure."

I cannot to express to you how much I love these books, these characters. There are surprises, tender moments, and love. There is hope, fear, and pain. I will be pinning for the 3rd book all year, because I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens next.

2 comments :

MARY IN SCOTLAND said...

OH MY GOSH!! I CAN'T WAIT!

Catching Fire comes out on Monday here in the UK! I've got the day off work, and my hubby knows he's not getting dinner! All I'm doing is reading on Monday! I'm so excited!

TEAM PEETA!!

Anita said...

You're going to like this book if you like Peeta...he pulls some dousies. (I can't decide between him and Gale, both are wonderful!)