Catching Fire (The Hunger Games)

by Suzanne Collins

Hardcover, 2009

Status

Available

Publication

Scholastic Press (2009), Edition: 1st, 391 pages

Description

By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion.

Rating

(15718 ratings; 4.2)

Media reviews

Collins has done that rare thing. She has written a sequel that improves upon the first book. As a reader, I felt excited and even hopeful: could it be that this series and its characters were actually going somewhere?

User reviews

LibraryThing member amwhitsett
I was a blabbering, foam-flecked, crazy-eyed fan of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I literally walked around the bookstore where I work carrying a stack of copies with me, challenging myself to sell every copy in my arms before I had to set them down. I carried them to the registers with me
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and snuck them on every display I could find (they looked funny in Gardening). I accosted fellow booksellers with it, demanding they read it rightthissecond. I pressed that book to people’s chests and told them, “Trust me. Just. Trust. Me.”

I waited for the sequel. I waited patiently, albeit with a hollowness inside, as if I was quietly starving for more from this series. So, when my advance copy of Catching Fire arrived, you can imagine my histrionics as I opened the envelope.

Oh, Suzanne Collins. Your Highness. May I call you Highness? We’ve never met, but if we ever do, I will fall to my knees and wrap my arms tight around your ankle, never letting you leave the room. At least until you’ve coughed up the third book in the trilogy. As much as I loved The Hunger Games, did I have doubts that Catching Fire could possibly live up to my lofty expectations? Yes, I admit it. I wondered how it was possible to keep up such a frenzied pace—such a delicate dance of character and action, tenderness and terror—all balanced on a needle’s point of pitch-perfect world building. Where could Catching Fire possibly take us?

I never could have imagined. Fears of a sophomore slump need not apply. Where Book One conjured images of The Giver sprinkled liberally with reality TV ala Survivor, Catching Fire hit me a little differently. While those elements are certainly still there, I was reminded more of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and George Orwell’s 1984. This volume ventures deeper into post-apocalyptic territory and has more emphasis on the Capitol, where its citizens are little more than sheep, pacified by shiny objects and rich foods, while the leaders slam down their fattened fists on the Districts, like a cruel child smashing ants with his thumb. Like Ender’s Game, things are not always as they seem, and the people of Panem need a hero, even a reluctant, confused, damaged one. The embers of unrest are quickly smothered by omnipresent face of the Capitol—like 1984, “Big Brother is watching.” This novel defies its pages—there is way more story than the number of pages would seem to allow. It just keeps getting better, and I can’t imagine what Ms. Collins has in store for us in Book Three. I think I’ll be holding my breath until then.
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LibraryThing member ncgraham
I tore through this book at an even greater speed than that at which I read its predecessor. But I suppose that’s to be expected: this is exactly the sort of escapist fluff that catches one’s attention and holds it without letting one ever ask the question why. Maybe I speak too harshly: in
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truth, Collins’ characters are too complex and the world she created too interesting for it to qualify as fluff. These two elements (along with the driving pace of the action) carry over from The Hunger Games and help make the best of what I see as a middling sequel.

Be forewarned that in the course of the review I will divulge certain plot details that led up to the events of this book, so if you haven’t read The Hunger Games I suggest you stop reading here.

After Katniss and Peeta, the joint victors of the last Hunger Games, return home to Panem, they find that their stunt with the berries has not gone unnoticed by the powers that be in the Capitol, who now plan to keep them under close watch and on a short leash. But the various Districts have also latched on to this act of defiance, and a full-scale revolution seems to be on the horizon, which of course only increases the Capitol’s vigilance when it comes to our heroes. Meanwhile, Katniss is forced to question the nature of her relationships with Peeta and Gale respectively.

As with the first book, my reactions to Catching Fire varied greatly during my reading, but overall they tended to be more critical and less positive. The stakes are certainly higher this time around, and I appreciate both the widened scope and the social commentary it occasions; however, as a whole the book is severely lacking the basic centrality of its predecessor’s concept. So much is going on here that it is easy to get lost, and my basic impression of the structure is that it could have been better organized.

And then there is the romance. Ugh. I knew that Peeta and Katniss’ “performance” during the Games was going to have repercussions when it came to her friendship with Gale, but I really don’t care for where Collins took the three of them. I was in the minority by liking Katniss/Gale better than Katniss/Peeta in the last book, but I lost most of the respect I had for them during the course of the sequel, especially Katniss herself, who flip-flops between them in the most annoying way. One moment she’s thinking about running off with Gale and the next she’s admiring Peeta’s eyelashes! I have a high tolerance for romance in literature (although perhaps not for love triangles), but this one irked me greatly. A friend pointed out that he liked the fact that the relationships in the book are so complicated, and not fairy-tale romances. I suppose that’s true, but again, it irked me.

I do think things improved about halfway through the book, when Collins throws in one of her biggest and most horrifying twists. For a while it looks as though the plot will be a virtual rehash of The Hunger Games, but again, the stakes are higher and the characters’ actions have much greater effects this time around. Additionally, the upped action in this section of the book means there is less time for love. (Thank goodness!) Unfortunately, the ending is a bit rushed and unclear, and there’s a cliffhanger yet again, so that we will be left wondering what happened for another whole year.

I hope I do not sound too negative in my appraisal of this book. I enjoyed reading it, and only score it a little lower than the first, but I do not think it is the best thing since sliced bread and I certainly don’t think it improved upon its predecessor. It will be interesting to see where Collins goes with the third book, and how exactly she works her characters out of the romantic mess she’s stuck them in.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I found out the hard way that there's no way to review this book without giving away serious spoilers to someone who hasn't already completed Book 1 of The Hunger Games trilogy. NO spoilers however if you haven't read this 2nd book yet, and that's a promise! CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!

It's fair to
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say that I more or less could not take my eyes away from this book. I'm trying hard to figure out whether the violence in the Hunger Games in gratuitous, or whether it is, as it were, a vital reminder of the fact that we humans are still only another animal form and that in desperate situations, we are all potential predators. I tend to lean on that side of the argument, and what I think makes this reading so compelling is that Katniss, while she is still just a young girl trying to come to grips with her own identity and her place in the world, is a profoundly good person at heart and while she often misreads cues around her, she is a keen observer who sometimes makes us smile with her naiveté and firm belief that she's nothing special after all. This quality becomes all the more important in this second book. Now that she is a victor, Katniss and her family have been moved to a large house in the Victor's Village and they are wanting for nothing. But serious trouble is brewing. The president of Panem has paid her a visit and warned her that she must make her love affair with Peeta believable since there are signs of potential uprisings in the various districts. He expects her to tone down her spunky flair for flouting the rules which might be just the kind of attitude to encourage rebellious elements to act up.

But then, a special Hunger Games is declared for the 75th anniversary of the games, and the rule for that year is that the Tributes will be chosen among past victors. Katniss and Peeta are once again forced to enter the arena with others who have already proved themselves to be adept and vicious killers, and this time, while she and her would-be lover have each other's back, there seems to be another plot underfoot, and Katniss is the last one to find out where that plot is leading to...
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LibraryThing member beserene
'Catching Fire', the second book in the 'Hunger Games' trilogy, may actually be better than the first. It's hard to say. Once again, the reader is carried along by the power of Collins' story, and the fact that we are quite attached to our primary characters right from the beginning only adds to
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the intensity. Granted, some readers will be a bit frustrated by Katniss' waffling regarding her feelings (and the way those feelings are expressed in the novel, especially in the internal monologue, is perhaps the weakest part of Collins' writing), but we must particularly remember that she is still a teenage girl. Amidst the violence and turmoil of the novel's plot, it is strangely easy in this volume to forget the youth of Katniss and Peeta, in particular.

But Collins maintains the dystopic vision of her corrupt society, as well as increasing our sympathy for the young people who are caught in it. Tangled in things she cannot understand, Katniss rebels against everything and simply tries to survive. The astute reader is frequently ahead of our young narrator in terms of comprehension and that adds to the emotional pitch; we see some of the threads that Katniss fights and recognize them for what they are, which adds an element of frustration to enhance the fear, pity, love, and other vivid emotions that roll into us from this book.

This middle installment ends with an even more severe cliffhanger than the first. You will want to read this, and then you will want to read more.
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LibraryThing member atimco
In the second book of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, Katniss is dealing with the aftermath of winning the Games with her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. President Snow has made it very clear to Katniss that the Capitol views her with an unfriendly eye since she outmaneuvered them in the arena.
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To convince the watching world that their near-suicide was motivated by romance rather than rebellion against the Capitol, Katniss must pretend to be utterly in love with Peeta—a front she finds grinding despite Peeta's sincere love for her. When Peeta learns that Katniss's displays of affection were just a strategy to improve their chances of survival, he's crestfallen. But their story isn't over yet. Every 25 years the Capitol invents some new twist on the Games, and for this Quarter Quell, the demand is unthinkable: that each District's tributes be reaped from its existing pool of victors. In short, as the only living female victor from District 12, Katniss is headed back to the arena. And Peeta's going with her.

Overall I enjoyed this installment, though in many ways it's the same plot as the first book. The arena is different, of course, and the existing relationships among the tributes give extra interest to the events of the Games. But the basic idea—fight, stay alive, keep Peeta alive—is the same. It's true that the political undertones, especially the new menace of President Snow, gives the story a different spin. Things are heating up in the Districts as rumors surface of unrest and even open rebellion, and the whole of Panem is now the arena, not just the Gamemakers' sadistic death trap. For the first time the tributes are fighting more than just one another. It's an interesting idea.

I'm not a fan of the love triangle, which is further developed here, but at least its participants behave like real people. And I was a little underwhelmed by the idea that Katniss HAS to pretend to be in love with Peeta to save their lives. It was a little too much like Bella HAVING to cuddle up in a sleeping bag with Jacob while Edward watched. Gah. The forced love affair between Katniss and Peeta didn't strain my credulity too much in the arena, where it's all about entertainment and getting the audience on your side. But now that it's become a political maneuver it's much less believable. And I wish Collins had developed some of her characters more (Gale and Prim especially).

This wasn't as good as the first book, lacking its freshness and tight-lens focus, but it's a decent middle-of-the-series novel and I flew through it as quickly as the first. Which is to say, in one sitting. Yep.
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LibraryThing member stephmo
No one sits around saying, "you know what, I think I'll start a rebellion...what little thing can I do that will spark the whole thing and get the ball rolling?" At the end of Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss weren't thinking of anything that big when they wanted to survive their time in the Arena,
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but there's no telling anything like that to President Snow. The Victor's tour is all about making it clear that the only thing Peeta and Katniss have on their minds is getting married...nevermind that the reality of being home and unresolved feelings for Gale make this even more pressure than it was when they were in the arena together. Have we mentioned the difficulty of trying to stop the thirst for rebellion in general?

Catching Fire ends up touring more of the districts and giving some more insight into how the Capitol has managed to keep everyone under control for so many years without coming across as a dry history lesson. While there are times that Katniss's whining seems a bit over the top, it's all forgiven when the lessons of rebellion come so well and so creatively. I'll admit it - I can't wait for the third volume!
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LibraryThing member jshillingford
Yes, the middle book of a trilogy is usually the weakest and this one is no different. In fact, I deliberately set the book aside until I also had the final book in hand. However, as “the middle,” this was stronger than is usually the case and though not as good as the first book, it was a real
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pager-turner.

Some reviewers have made legitimate points about how this has a lot of summary as Katniss recounts the fallout after the games, and the Victory Tour. However, the tour gives readers (and Katniss) a chance to connect with the other districts making the revolution more than just District 12 vs the Capitol. And, the book does feel a bit like a retread of the first after Katniss learns that she must return to the arena. President Snow uses the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games as an excuse to kill her by decreeing that all the tributes this year will be culled from previous victors. Though this could easily have been “Hunger Games the Remake”, I found it was actually a clever way to segue into the upcoming rebellion. I thought the best parts of the first book took place in the arena, and that is the case here. This time her opponents are skilled killers who each won before. Plus, Haymitch begins pushing her to forge an alliance with some of them, who actively protect her and Peeta , so how will she be able to kill them? Throughout the book, Collins lays down breadcrumbs for the development of the revolution – each mention of the Mockingjay carries significance – and the ending is explosive with some surprises.

Catching Fire also develops the love triangle between Gale, Katniss and Peeta better than other series, such as Twilight. I never found Jacob to be a real contender because it was so obvious Bella would end up with Edward. Not so here. Even though readers don’t spend much time with Gale, he has a history with Katniss and her memories evoke this. On the other hand is Peeta, who is so obviously in love with her, has fought by her side, and protects her as only he can. Halfway through the final book, and it’s still not obvious who she will choose, which keeps the suspense high.

Though a cliffhanger is practically expected here, I never-the-less found the conclusion to be very satisfying. The book ends at a staging point; there is resolution in that all the pieces are in place and readers can move to the next stage - war. Overall, I could not put this book down and have already begun the finale. Highly recommended series!
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Four hours. I opened the package from Stephanie, knew enough to wait until the kids went to bed and dived right in. It took me four hours from start to finish. If that is not enough of a glowing endorsement, I don't know what is!

Still, I found myself having to wait a bit before I could write my
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review. There is SO much to like about this book, and yet, I found myself slightly disappointed. Katniss, in my opinion, does not appear to be as strong, as decisive as she is in the first book. She waffles and appears weak, which I did not like. In other words, she appears like a normal sixteen-year-old girl, and that (after much reflection), I think is the point. What happened to her in The Hunger Games was extraordinary, but Katniss is still a girl. Ms. Collins does well to remind us of this fact throughout the book. Not only does this help make Katniss more sympathetic, but it also frames the action of the novel and the consequences of her actions in the Games.

Speaking of consequences, they are definitely unexpected. Waiting to see the Capitol's reactions to Peeta and Katniss was like peering through your fingers during a horror film. You want to know what happens but know you aren't going to like it once you do. What happens to Katniss and Peeta is no different. Completely unpredicted, gut-wrenching, and heart-pounding, Catching Fire is another page turner.

As with the first book, this one ends in a cliffhanger. Frustrating to the reader but at the same rate, I enjoy these books so much that I'm not certain I want them to end quickly. As with Katniss' behavior throughout this book, Ms. Collins gives the audience enough food for thought about government and society that we need to take the time to think through her commentary and form opinions about what she is trying to tell us. If we rushed to the end of the story, we would never do that.

This is a definitely must-read! (I also think that in the right hands, this could become a fabulous movie as well.) I feel so privileged to have been able to temporarily get my hands on a copy of this. I will assuredly be picking up my own copy in September and will be reading it again to savor more of Katniss' dilemmas.

A HUGE shout-out to Stephanie at Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-A-Holic for sending me a traveling copy of this ARC. Love ya, girl!!
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LibraryThing member ipomoea911
Katniss has survived the Hunger Games, an all-out battle to the death, and must now survive something even more dangerous: the totalitarian government of Panem, the post-apocalyptic country that was once the United States.

I love Katniss. She's such a strong female character, a counterpart to She
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Who Will Go Unnamed In That Vampire Series, a girl who has been dropped into any number of awful situations and survived using her wits and her strength. Furthermore, I love that Katniss' ethnicity is never explicitly stated, we only know that she has olive skin and dark hair, making her a character more identifiable to readers who may be used to reading about only Caucasian protagonists.

That being said, I got bored of the romantic subplot being constantly played up. Both Peeta and Gale come off as "better" people than Katniss, but she's far more interesting than either of them could ever be. However, I understand that at the age these characters are supposed to be (mid to late teens), the development of the self in regards to love/romance/relationships is being explored and deserves to have its place in the story. I just wish Katniss wasn't exploring it with guys who were so boring.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
In my review of the first book in this trilogy, I said that even if the second book was only half as good, it would still keep my attention. And I was right. [Catching Fire] is the middle entry of The Hunger Games series and while not quite as good as the first, it is still a compelling read and
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one I stayed up late to finish. I liked the glimpses into other districts that we are given, as well as hints of the coming rebellion. Katniss is a very believable teenage character – she is tortured and angsty on one hand and defiant and self-assured on the other; she is capable of great brutality but falls apart at the thought of her little sister; she is dismissive of her “weak” mother and yearns for her at the same time. All of this internal turmoil (which doesn’t even touch on her conflicting feelings over two boys) is raging at the same time she finds herself once again in the Arena fighting other tributes from other districts. The ending was a little too neat, though I expect it will be explained more fully in the final book, which I can’t wait to get to!
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LibraryThing member dekan
The Huner Games series is one of the best i've read in a very lng time. Not since i finished the last Vampire Chronicles was i sad the series was over. Which i'm referring to Menoch the Devil. I was happy with the others but those that have read them all understand my point. Once i finished this
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series my thought was, i need more!
Another perk to this series is if you happened on to any one of them you could read it and not feel lost. You would have some questions but they are very complete, each, in themselves. My favorite was the first one of the series; The Hunger Games.
This is book two of a trilogy about a teenage girl living in a futuristic dystopian society. Although not as much of a hummanities study it still touches on some critical points. It really gets you thinking and visualizing their world. It makes you feel strongly about the outcome and where it's going. Definently pulled some strong feelings and reactions out of you. It got me thinking and trying to figure out where in the United States the different districts were. Trying to place them by what i was reading and the different jobs and resources were. I talked with others after and we seemed to agree on what district was where. To me that means some good writing; when multiple readers end up in the same place with out it geing given to you directly.
It ended in a good spot and like i said it didn't need a third book. It was needed but not essential. It could've been a draw your own conclusion kind of ending. I kept trying to figure out how it was going to conclude. It was giving so much information. The pages were thining, what were they going to do?! It sets you up for the end but the specific ending did suprise me (which is usually hard to do. I knew what it had to do with but didn't expect where it landed.) Also the games in this one were quite inventive. So different from the first, it was enjoyable. Although this was my least favorite in the series.
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LibraryThing member the_awesome_opossum
"Catching fire" is really an interesting phrase, when one thinks about it: different from lighting a fire, but an implication that the fire is already burning and now only needs to be spread. The same goes for the brewing social disrest that has come to a head in Catching Fire, sequel to the Hunger
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Games. People have become increasingly unhappy with the totalitarian government and its rule, and Katniss's defiance of their Hunger Game rules has become iconic for a looming revolution on the horizon.

However, my biggest problem with the book was how Suzanne Collins undermines the strength of Katniss, and the complexity of the social dynamics she has set up, in favor of making it more...YA? Or something. I loved the Hunger Games because it was YA that didn't patronize its audience, but Catching Fire didn't have the same quick-paced intelligence. Instead of exploring the politics and rebellion breaking out, so much of this book is devoted to the love triangle with Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. Ick - if I wanted to read Twilight, I would read Twilight (or not).

Collins doesn't take enough risk with the plot; while I understand much of Catching Fire was putting things in place for the next book, too much felt like filler. Just like the Hunger Games, it was devourable, but I finished it underwhelmed by how little had actually happened.
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LibraryThing member bragan
Book two of the Hunger Games trilogy. This one picks up on some of the political and social elements that were brought up in the first book but not fully developed there, as signs of rebellion begin to appear among the population. This is exactly the direction I'd expected and hoped things would go
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in, and I wasn't disappointed; I'd say the political aspect is actually more stirring than the survival games action here. I particularly like the fact that Collins never steps up onto a soapbox or adopts the kind of satirical voice that would be very easy in a story like this but still manages to produce some good thematic food for thought. The attitudes the decadent populace of the Capitol have toward the Games are particularly well done, I think. There's something uncomfortably familiar about their celebrity worship of the victors, and about their ability to empathize with injustices done to the contestants in a way that often seems more how one might empathize with a favorite soap opera character than with a real human being facing a real death. It's got me asking myself some interesting questions about the way people relate to the media and to other groups of people, and about what exactly "entertainment" is and what kind of lines it can cross, for good or ill. Not bad for a YA series.

The plot has some interesting twists, too, and I'm still finding the character interactions rather nicely done. The main character and her emotions and love life (such as it is) feel believably teenager-y without being at all stereotypical or shallow.

I'm rating this one four and a half stars, not because I think it's significantly better than the first book (which I gave four), but because, cumulatively, I feel the story has reached the point where it deserves that extra half a point. Here's hoping that book three follows through!
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LibraryThing member booksandwine
Down with the Capitol! I read Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins with baited breath. You know that anxiety that you get when you have to flip ahead to confirm that the characters are going to be okay. Well, I got that this entire book. President Snow aka President Asshole would say something to
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Katniss and I would have to peek ahead. I couldn't handle the anxiety.

I'm not sure if I should do a plot summary, because chances are you've already read Catching Fire. So here goes: Katniss and Peeta deal with the fall out of winning the Hunger Games and pissing the Capitol off. There is risk. Your heart will race as you see Snow squeeze his iron fist. Be prepared. Vive la rebellion! Vague, I know, but going too in-depth takes the fun away.

I enjoyed Catching Fire way more than The Hunger Games, even though I read this book in a state of dread the entire time. I legit would say NO! out loud while reading. I felt as though my emotions were put through the ringer. I am seriously attached to these characters. The character development was much stronger in this book. Peeta's love is much more clear. (How can you not love a sensitive, artistic, baker soul?) Also, OMG Cinna. It's amazing how for a character who barely shows up, I am so attached/riveted. I love Cinna. He is fierce personified. I picture him being like Miss J on America's Next Top Model, only awesome. ALSO, we got to see more Gale, who I like but don't think is right for Katniss. Personally, I prefer Peeta, but if she ends up single, that's cool too. ALSO, omg Finnick. Yes, moar plz. So, I suppose this is more of a review for people who have already read Catching Fire, as I'm gushing way more than analyzing. I will say, if you haven't already read this book, wait until the week before Mockingjay to read it. Your pain will be more bearable.

Quotes I enjoyed:

"My time in the arena made me realize how I needed to stop punishing here for something she couldn't help, specifically the crushing depression she fell into after my father's death. Because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them." pg. 31-32

I liked this because it legitimizes mental health problems. Depression is not pretend. People who do have these problems deserve love and understanding. So, although this is a dystopian novel, I like that this statement is made.

"Don't worry. I always channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself." pg. 253

Cinna FTW!
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LibraryThing member RachaRolla
Another great installment of the hunger games series. I was hooked by the first one and started this one immediately. The start of the novel was somewhat slow compared with "The hunger Games", however the cruel twists and turns and the suspenseful ending completely make up for it.

In catching fire
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you learn more of the working of Katniss Everdeen's mind and her motives, and it made me like her more and more. It is good to see a leading lady in a YA novel know how to have their wits about them.

The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter and each book could be said to be a cheap gimmick or easy or even lazy writing style however I think they work in these books, it sure keeps me reading on.

It is a YA novel, yes there is romance, and a love triangle but not in the classic sense. It isn't sappy or boring, Katniss' relationships with Gale and Peeta are often motivated by friendship and a common goal of survival.

Cannot wait to read the final book Mockingjay.
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LibraryThing member FishHeaven
Suzanne Collins has done it once again. She has written a book that not only leaves the reader wanting more, but also can stand alone even though it is part of three part series. Katniss is a wonderful heroine who remains naive to the ways of the world and is a confused as any other seventeen year
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old girl can be. Her only wish in the world is to keep Peeta alive even if it never means seeing her sister, mom or Gale again. She finds herself being used as a pawn in a game that has been in motion since it was announced that tributes for the games will be past victors. Her only comfort is the thought of keeping Peeta alive since he is a natural leader and true of heart. She feels as though she owes it to him from the past year's games in which their mentor choose her over him to keep alive.

Catching Fire continues on with Katniss and Peeta after they have returned home from the capitol from winning the hunger games. As they are on their victory tour they learn that a rebellion has started throughout the districts in Panem. An uprising that Katniss started by taking a handful of berries and threatening to use them and forcing the capitol to allow two people to win the hunger games (something that has never ever happened before).

There are rumors that uprisings are starting all over and that district 13 really does exist, but the capitol hides this from the citizens of Panem. Katniss is once again kept in the dark as Haymitch schemes with other tributes who have once again been forced into the games, a thing that has never happened before. The only advice given to her by her mentor is to "remember who the real enemy is."
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LibraryThing member Laila_Blake
Very difficult to rate - I feel like I need one of those enjoyment trackers because my feelings about the book varied so vastly through-out.

1. I think most of the things I disliked could have been solved by writing the series in third person. Katniss is a great character and I LIKE that she isn't
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always likeable, that she's a hypocrite and very self-centred etc. -- but her constant stream of consciousness about how she felt really got on my nerves, whether it was her stuff between Gale and Peeta (and just for the record, I'm with Haymitch, not in a hundred years could she deserve Peeta) and about the other tributes and about the dresses (please don't get me started) and actually worst of all at the end. She kept things from people all the time and when she was in on dangerous secrets, she complained about it constantly -- but when people actually did keep things from her to keep her safe and because she's a bad actress, she completely freaks. Everything has to be about her and through her and if it isn't, she shuts down. That's not very likable... and I feel like her constant constant complaining in first person makes her just annoying instead of the realistic, traumatised teenager that she is.

And I honestly think this is where the movies are just so much more successful in transporting that story because they can't do that super-close and narrow point of view anymore. I wish it would have been written that way from the start.

2. I also kind of feel like as though Collins had this great idea for the Quarter Quell and those games and then she tried to patch the plot holes in getting there a little too hastily. Because yes, that was a great idea - I LOVED the second games, the games layout was awesome, but even better was all the tributes who are grown up and don't give a shit about the capital and all that. It was awesome and I couldn't stop at all once I got there.
But... yeah, I hated the beginning, starting with President Snow in her house talking about her love life, to the idea that the capital is so stupid they can't find a better way to discredit here as a spark of the uprisings than to show her love story around even more. I just didn't find that credible -- and while towards the middle and end, these questions come up, too, I still felt like that was very late.

3. Thirdly I loved, loved LOVED that resolution - that it was the intelligent grown ups all the time who have been planning the revolution and have been using her. I feel like far too often YA falls flat at that point where suddenly the teenagers grow just too far out of their natural abilities. And like Haymitch said - nobody would let Katniss make decisions and plans because she's smart about some things but not about that.
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
Certainly a middle book where you want to have read the first (and in my opinion, better) story and certainly want to have the third lined up and ready to go thanks to the cliffhanger ending.

In this story Kantiss' adventures seem a little less dire, although this is mostly as a result of a
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legitimate plot twist. I really think Peeta is quite a guy with regard to his feelings for Katniss. I would think that most men when faced with her attitude would have given up right at the beginning of the book.

The increasingly intense matter of politics and the future of the districts is probably the most compelling theme of these stories IMHO and I'm looking forward to finding out how it all ends.
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LibraryThing member Chandra-of-Red
As with Hunger Games, this book will leave you salivating for more. Clearly, you can see beautiful costumes and glorious colors on the characters in the book. Two young men that are attracted to one young female. One of those young men, her protector. Outstanding
LibraryThing member eduscapes
Reading the middle book in a trilogy often feels like a slow trek on the way to the final book. However [Catching Fire] by [[Suzanne Collins]] is an exception to the rule. The fast-paced approach and well-developed characters keep the action going from start to finish.

The young adult novel begins
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with a victory tour for Katniss and Peeta that quickly goes awry. The victors begin to realize that their actions at The Hunger Games have set a rebellion into motion. In a cruel and carefully planned government operation, the District 12 tributes are once again thrown into the lethal game. The conditions have changed, but the game remains a fight to the death.

This second book in The Hunger Games trilogy is just as engaging as the first. I'll be looking for the final book in the series sometime next year. I highly recommend [Catching Fire] for anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction.
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LibraryThing member ReadingWithMartinis
After reading The Hunger Games, I didn’t think Suzanne Collins could blow me away anymore than she already had. Turns out, I was completely wrong. The Hunger Games are far from over for Katniss and Peeta. President Snow and other individuals in the Capitol are extremely angry that Katniss was
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able to outsmart them and force them to declare two winners of the Games when there should have only been one. President Snow puts the blame for the uprisings in the Districts on Katniss’s shoulders and threatens her and her family, and Peeta too, if she isn’t somehow able to squelch the rebellion on their victor’s tour.

What proceeds from there is non-stop, unputdownable awesomeness. I could not put this book down. The drama and suspense of Katniss and Peeta’s predicament and how they will manage to get out of it this time was positively riveting.

Aside from the amazing plot, Collins continued to develop and grow the characters. The Katniss we know at the end of Catching Fire is a very different girl from the one we met in The Hunger Games, and that’s a good thing. If the action of the story doesn’t keep you interested, the fantastic characters definitely will.

This book was amazing. I 100% recommend it.
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LibraryThing member kaionvin
Well that was... bland.

Catching Fire returns to Katniss sixth months after The Hunger Games, in which she not only survived the titular made-for-tv deathmatch, but also finagled the survival of her fellow District Twelve tribute Peeta via a fake romance for the cameras. Now reaping the salary of a
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winner, Katniss no longer has to worry about feeding her sister and her mother. But the Capitol hasn’t forgetten the defiance she showed by outsmarting their rules. And Katniss is forced to see how far she can carry the charade, especially when rumors of revolt in the Districts start surfacing.

I found the world-building in Hunger Games to be the weakest aspect of the book by far, but the focus on the Games themselves kept that weakness from distracting from the tight survival tale as whole. Unfortunately, Catching Fire mostly lacks the structure and the driving force the Games provided, and Collins’s world-building doesn’t step up to the challenge of filling in the need. The various Districts don’t get fleshed beyond their initial one-word economic descriptors, and there’s no specificity that lends the (oft spoken-of, but mostly unseen) groundswelling of revolutionary feeling any real weight.

Even more problematically, the central characters aren’t given much to do. I like the expansion from Katniss and Peeta wrestling with the double-edged power of reality stardom to the power of being symbols of the rebellion, but they seem to go from manipulating to mostly being manipulated between the two books. Katniss seems to spend much of Catching Fire angsting about her relationship with Gale, who despite greater importance, is still two-dimensional boring. Other side characters face the same fate to be mostly plot devices, in particular her mother and sister retain status as The-People-Katniss-Must-Protect rather than acting out of any independence of their own. Peeta fares slightly better in regards of having things to do, but still his motivation remains limited to his intense devotion to Katniss… For instance, it’s more narratively convenient than believable or interesting when faced with an unbelievable request by Katniss, he dismisses any loyalty to other friends or family.

The books are still breezy reads, and I’ve invested enough that I’m willing to see how the end plays out in Mockingjay. I’m just frustrated by the seemingly unnecessary nature of the majority of Catching Fire, the content of which could have better consisted of the first third of a more definitive sequel. As it is, it’s mostly aimless filler.
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LibraryThing member Courtneydanielle
THIS IS A MUST READ! I dont think anyone could read this book and give it less than 4 stars. This book pulled at my heart strings. =P Poor Katnis, she is so strong! I love all of Suzanne Collins books! Catching Fire left me crying for MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!
LibraryThing member luciefuentes
CATCHING FIRE BY SUZANNE COLLINS
THE HUNGER GAMES
VOL 2

Back Cover.
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all,
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they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.


Summary:
Katniss has won the hunger game with Peeta and has regained her daily routine inside the District 12. But her new status has changed the rules, the look of the town's people and cost her her freedom. Departing for the victory tour in the other districts, Katniss discovered the reality dissimilated by the Capitol and the possible impacts of her act of rebellion on the population. To contain the growing unrest and to punish the girl on fire, the Capitol organize a new and deadly game that Peeta and Katniss will have no choice but to participate and find new strategies to survive.

Reactions:
After devouring "The Hunger Game" in one day, I threw myself on "Catching Fire" to continue to follow the adventures of Katniss and Peeta. I was again pleasantly surprised. Suzanne Collins has managed to renew herself while maintaining a degree of suspense and intensity in her plot.

If in the first, it was more a critique of the TV reality, in this book, the author focuses on the political aspect. We see the excesses of power, the manipulation of the leaders and the repression of tough crowds. It reminded me of the riots and the crisis of recent years. The picture is painted with many black and gray shades, but Suzanne Collins also manages to offset the heavy atmosphere of "Germinal" with touches of humor and emotions. I've continued to be touched by Peeta who shows dedication and that puts Katniss interests before his own.
The relationship between the two winners moving towards stronger feelings which the young woman is still struggling to decode.

The reader also meets new characters including Finnick, which made me think of the "Man from Atlantis". But mostly the author explores betrayal, lies, courage and strength of convictions in "Catching Fire". A serie brilliantly mixing political conspiracy, romance, and a critic of our society. A beautiful read! I intend to devour the last book as soon as possible. I recommend this amazing trilogy with wonderful cliffhanger ending in « Catching Fire » who let you want a lot more...
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LibraryThing member VivalaErin
Another excellent read, especially for the middle book of a trilogy. There was still plenty of action, and some great twists in the games. I still really like Katniss and Peeta together, even if she can be a bit abrasive and dense at times. I want to see even more of Gale.
On to book 3 now!

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2009-09-01

Physical description

391 p.; 6 inches

ISBN

0439023491 / 9780439023498

UPC

352010002070
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