Kelcie Moseley — rawr reviews
“Catching Fire,” the second book of “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins, can only be described as a bumpy ride.
This novel is too chock full of spoilers to even begin to try to describe the plot, but it starts a short time after where “The Hunger Games” left off. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have returned to their family and friends in District 12 against all predictions, but life there isn’t quite how Katniss left it. As the victor of the games, she and her family have all the money they need and more, and a beautiful house in the Victor’s Village. She no longer has reason to hunt or worry about her family’s survival, but that fact has caused her to feel useless, so instead she hunts for Gale’s family.
However, Katniss and Gale, her best friend, are not as close as they were before the Games. Her on-screen romance with Peeta created a rift between them, and he spends most of his days working in the mines.
Not only that, but Katniss and Peeta aren’t on friendly terms either. Things are awkward and tense between them, and they only come together again when they are about to take their Victory Tour around the country.
While she prepares for the Tour, Katniss receives an unpleasant visit from the president of Panem. He informs her that riots are breaking out because of her act of defiance to the Capitol that allowed two victors from the Hunger Games rather than one, and he threatens to destroy everything she loves if she can’t prove her love for Peeta is real.
“Catching Fire” is full of plot twists and shocks that will keep the reader turning page after page. The main difference in the experience of reading “Catching Fire” versus “The Hunger Games” is the feeling throughout the entire novel that the reader is being left out of some larger plot, just as Katniss feels. Though she doesn’t expressly say it often, something feels wrong and she seems to be the only one who doesn’t know what it is. It builds the suspense and tension throughout the story, making the reader wonder how much power the Capitol actually possesses.
“Catching Fire” is every bit as interesting as its predecessor, though the beginning does start more slowly than the first book. But once it gets going, it’s impossible to put down.