Jessica Steiner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jessicasteiner) wrote2012-04-28 11:34 am
jessicasteiner) wrote2012-04-28 11:34 am
Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
In Catching Fire, Katniss, Peeta and the others have to deal with the fallout of giving the Capital a general 'fuck you' at the end of the first book. They are forced back into the games again, as the Capital attempts to contain the growing flames of a new District rebellion.
I read the ebook version of this book, as well. The ebook title can be purchased for around $10.00, so I guess the sale I mentioned in my review of The Hunger Games is now over. The audiobook is available on Audible for about $20.00, narrated by Carolyn McCormick.
This review may get a little spoilery about character motivations, but not so much about plot points.
Catching Fire is definitely my favourite of the three books (which I can say with certainty now that I've finished Mockingjay). It definitely doesn't suffer from "middle book syndrome" in my opinion, and is a solid story in itself that carries the overarching plot forward rather than simply forming a bridge between the beginning book and the ending book, as many second books do.
The new characters introduced in this book are strong and interesting, receiving good development. I especially liked Finnick, and the way one's perception of his character changes over course of the novel. Katniss also deepens her relationship with many characters that were in the first book, such as Haymitch and Gale. I also liked how her relationship with Peeta developed, as she struggled with her feelings.
Katniss has a really hard time trusting and loving others (except for Prim), and the reasons for this are understandable on many different levels. I like that her romance isn't simple. It's not just a stereotypical love triangle between her, Peeta and Gale, where she must choose between the two men in her life - there's every chance that she will be unable to choose either of them. This is something that I found interesting and compelling to read.
One of the things I love best about this trilogy is the realistic way that Collins portrays the horrors of being thrust into a war, especially its effect children, but on adults as well. The characters have dealt with trauma in a variety of different ways, and this is an important part of the plot. While it's not just unrelenting doom and gloom, the horror of not just having been selected to participate in the games once, and having to carry that memory forever, but to know that she will have to go back in, is sharply felt. This is not only something that Katniss has to deal with, but also most of the other characters as well, and they all react in different ways.
I really don't have anything bad to say about this book, so I'll round off the review there!
In Catching Fire, Katniss, Peeta and the others have to deal with the fallout of giving the Capital a general 'fuck you' at the end of the first book. They are forced back into the games again, as the Capital attempts to contain the growing flames of a new District rebellion.
I read the ebook version of this book, as well. The ebook title can be purchased for around $10.00, so I guess the sale I mentioned in my review of The Hunger Games is now over. The audiobook is available on Audible for about $20.00, narrated by Carolyn McCormick.
This review may get a little spoilery about character motivations, but not so much about plot points.
Catching Fire is definitely my favourite of the three books (which I can say with certainty now that I've finished Mockingjay). It definitely doesn't suffer from "middle book syndrome" in my opinion, and is a solid story in itself that carries the overarching plot forward rather than simply forming a bridge between the beginning book and the ending book, as many second books do.
The new characters introduced in this book are strong and interesting, receiving good development. I especially liked Finnick, and the way one's perception of his character changes over course of the novel. Katniss also deepens her relationship with many characters that were in the first book, such as Haymitch and Gale. I also liked how her relationship with Peeta developed, as she struggled with her feelings.
Katniss has a really hard time trusting and loving others (except for Prim), and the reasons for this are understandable on many different levels. I like that her romance isn't simple. It's not just a stereotypical love triangle between her, Peeta and Gale, where she must choose between the two men in her life - there's every chance that she will be unable to choose either of them. This is something that I found interesting and compelling to read.
One of the things I love best about this trilogy is the realistic way that Collins portrays the horrors of being thrust into a war, especially its effect children, but on adults as well. The characters have dealt with trauma in a variety of different ways, and this is an important part of the plot. While it's not just unrelenting doom and gloom, the horror of not just having been selected to participate in the games once, and having to carry that memory forever, but to know that she will have to go back in, is sharply felt. This is not only something that Katniss has to deal with, but also most of the other characters as well, and they all react in different ways.
I really don't have anything bad to say about this book, so I'll round off the review there!