Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
(The Hunger Games #2)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Scholastic Press
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

The sequel of the extremely popular The Hunger Games, Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss and Peeta, two teenagers that try to survive in a world ruled by those in the Capitol.

When they both won the Hunger Games, they defied the Capitol, and they're going to have to pay for that. Neither them or their families are safe. I can't say more about the plot without spoiling it, but expect there to be a lot of hardship. Decisions will have to be made that can either save their loved ones or sentence them to death.

The Hunger Games was so absolutely awesome, I expected Catching Fire to at least be its equal, if not even better. I guess I'm quite disappointed now. Catching Fire didn't have the same lightning fast pace, the suspense. Especially the first part of the book was terribly slow. There was a lot of switching back and forth between past and present that was so confusing and unlike this series that I caught myself wishing for an editor to clean this part up.

When the pace did pick up, 'bout halfway in the book, the story resembled the one described in The Hunger Games a little too closely for my taste. And while the one in THG was so frightening and thrilling that I was sitting on the edge of my chair, urging myself on to read quicker, the plot in CF felt a bit old. You can only kill off so much characters before it stops to be scary.

What I did enjoy in this book is that there is a lot more attention to the world of Panem, where rebellion is starting in several Districts. I liked that we got more insight into how the Capitol oppress the general masses. We also get some glimpses into several other Districts, how people live there, which was pretty awesome.

I'd also like to give another cliffhanger warning. The end of Catching Fire gives no closure at all. Expect to be gasping and panicking when you come to the final pages. Make sure to have a copy of Mockingjay nearby before finishing this book.

This was by no means a bad book, yet it's not as awesome as its prequel. It's a decent continuation of the story, but I was expecting something that would leave more of an impression. Still, this trilogy is definitely worth continuing.

Blurb

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1)
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (Gods & Monsters #1)