Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.
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.
In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.
What I thought about the book?
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Suzanne Collins |
Definitely, a fitting sequel to 'The Hunger Games'. After the terrific success of the first book. most authors tend to relax a little in the second book and then catch up in the third one. But in this case, the second book is even better than the first one and manages to keep the readers glued to their seats in anticipation of what is to come. In my personal experience, this is the first trilogy where I felt the second book had outdone the first one!
The first book ends with Katniss and Peeta winning the Hunger Games against the Capitol's rule that only one person can win. The second book narrates the aftermath of Katniss's bold move against the Capitol. Without her own knowledge, Katniss has started something that becomes far out of control for even her. She desperately tries to put an end to the uprising, but only manages to add fuel to the already fast-spreading fire.
The evolution of Katniss - the girl to Katniss - the woman is brought out beautifully in the initial chapters. Her inner turmoil on sensing that her family and closed ones are at danger due to her actions make her confused. She has two options: either to run from the Capitol or fight against the Capitol. The initial scenes at her village are a treat to read as Katniss slowly understands the magnitude of her actions and lets the revelations sink in. The love triange between Katniss, Gale and Peeta might get frustrating at times with Katniss acting unsure with both, but more exciting events tend to overshadow the temporary slump.
The Quarter Quell is a twist no one would have expected and I can clearly understand the sheer terror Katniss must have felt on learning that she had to go back to the arena - the place of all her haunting nightmares. How Katniss fares at the Quarter Quell with the other tributes forms the second half of the book. That's not it! The turn of events during the final pages swept me off my feet and I was crying in joy!
The cliffhanger at the end will leave you more than hanging! You'll desperately want the third book as soon as possible.
Overall, a grandslam of a sequel for an epic trilogy. You just can't wait to get hold of the third book once you finish this one! For information about the first book in the trilogy - 'The Hunger Games', click here .
Rating: 4.2/5
For information about the first book in the trilogy - 'The Hunger Games', click here .
About the author:
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award.
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