Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

Publication date/ Length: 2009 / 391 pages

Synopsis (from the jacket cover): 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.

First line: “I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air.”

Review:  So addictive!!  I read The Hunger Games out of curiosity and was immediately hooked — drawn into a vortex of action and suspense that forced me to abandon all other activities until I had finished.

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)was not quite as gripping, but still a great read.  The same cast of strong characters are back — as are The Games — but Katniss is now a bit more mature and much more selfless that her former self.  I would have enjoyed Catching Fire even more without a reprise of the The Games, honestly.  This was the part of the story that lost a bit of momentum.  But I am already anxiously awaiting the third release later this summer and have an idea that the reprised games were necessary to lead to the final installment of this trilogy.

So, do I recommend Catching Fire?  Yes — but not quite as wholeheartedly as I did The Hunger Games…  Any other perspectives on this fast-paced ride?

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