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 of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.
My review: I loved Hunger Games. As soon as I finished, I left to go see the movie. That night, I opened Catching Fire on my Nook. I read it just as quickly as I did the first book. I absolutely loved Hunger Games, and I thoroughly enjoyed Catching Fire although I thought it was a little slow in the beginning but when it picked up, boy did it pick up!
I loved how Katniss and Peeta and Gale remained true to their characters throughout the story At reading Hunger Games, I was Team Peeta. During different parts of Catching Fire, I kept switching teams. I also loved one of the new characters - Finnick. I even liked Johanna.
I wasn't sure that Suzanne Collins would be able to keep up the fast-paced action and the thrilling roller coaster ride but she definitely succeeded with this volume. I loved that we got to see the different districts. And Rue's poor family...
One thing that irked me? The ending. Or wait, I should say the non-ending. Because the book doesn't end. It just...stops. If there's one thing I hate, it's reading stories in a series that aren't complete books. The overarching storyline obviously isn't going to be tied up in the first or second book in a trilogy but they should still have a legit ending. I thoroughly enjoyed The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong but the ending ruined it. She just stopped the book in the middle of the story. That's not an ending. I haven't picked up the rest of the books in the trilogy because I was so annoyed by the non-ending.
What did you think of Catching Fire? I already can't wait for the movie to come out!
Do you realizing you've called it Chasing Fire instead of Catching Fire a few times here, Nicole? lol
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the book, but was bummed like everyone else with the cliffhanger ending. I hate non endings. But at least those books you mentioned had a sequel. I recently read a YA novel that I love until I got to the last line. At first I wasn't overly concern because the ending meant there was a sequel. So I looked up on Goodreads when the sequel was coming out. Nothing was mentioned. So I checked out the author's blog. Turns out there wasn't going to be a sequel. It's a standalone novel. It was like Suzanne Collins writing Catching Fire and then deciding not to publish Mockingjay. I've talked to a number of people who read the YA book. They all loved the book until the last line, and all are pissed at the author for the ending. Or rather, for the non-ending.
Sheesh Nicole! First I was resigned into not reading the rest of the books just because I was annoyed with all the hype of the movie. I thought the books was 'okay' and I was not really sure if I wanted to devote my time to reading a second book that did not grab me from the get go, BUT NOW you have ruined it! I'm interested now to see just what the characters get themselves into and how Katniss gets herself out of it :) Great Review!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole. Most people loathe the second two in the trilogy. But I always say the author had a lot of time to craft Hunger Games and probably had editors breathing down her neck for the others.
ReplyDeleteDenise
I haven't read the second two books yet. They are high on my list. I loved the movie!
ReplyDeleteI've got this on my reading list but have yet to read it. Too many books and not enough time.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I can definitely relate to the frustration at the "ending". Though it was even more frustrating to me because I read it a few months before Mockingjay came out so I didn't even have the option of finding out what happened next.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to hear how you like the conclusion in book three.