Book | Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games #2
Published By: Scholastic
Published On: September 1, 2009
Genres: Adventure, Dystopian
Pages: 391
Format: eBook
Rating: 5

Against all odds, Katniss 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.


My favourite book of the much loved Hunger Games series, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second instalment in the series. Catching Fire begins around six months after the end of the 74th Annual Hunger Games as Katniss prepares for the Victory Tour in which the victor of the previous Hunger Games visits each District as a reminder of the games. It follows the journey through the Victory Tour, the threat of rebellion in the Districts and the 75th Annual Hunger Games, which takes the form of a Quarter Quell.

With so much happening in this book, you would expect it to be very confusing and quite predictable. However, it is neither of these things. The way in which the book is written makes it easy to follow, even with so much going on, and all of the happenings are cleverly linked together so all seem relevant to the story. There are also several plot twists, which often left me shocked, leaving little predictability. The love triangle storyline is still featured in the second book, which is another enjoyable, well written addition.

The characters are, as in the first book, very well written. The various events within the book are written about in a way that makes you build a connection with each character and feel for them when in distress. The relationships between the characters are also well written and well developed.

As someone who is usually disappointed by the ending of books, I was glad not to be. The ending was unpredictable and so left me quite shocked. It also ended things on a bit of a cliff-hanger, to encourage the reader to read the final book in the series, but not in a confusing or abrupt way.

Overall, I really love this book. Like I mentioned, this is my favourite of the Hunger Games Trilogy and one of few books I have read more than once.

(PS This is an old review that I thought I would use anyway, they will get better!)