#2 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)

by Suzanne Collins

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her 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.

• ISBN13: 9780439023498
• Publish Date: 1 September 2009 (first published 15 August 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 23 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Edition: First Edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leigha]

Katniss Everdeen ends back up in the arena in this heart pounding young adult dystopian sequel to The Hunger Games.

Catching Fire is my favorite of the entire series. It’s quick paced and character driven story propels the plot forward without too much need for exposition or world development. I’m not going to lie, part of the appeal is the growing alliance (and friendship and romance) between Peeta and Katniss. They may start off uneasy with each other, but their time in the arena makes up for it. Peeta loves Katniss, and you see her coming to terms with his feelings along with the developing feelings of her own. I’m not a fan of the triangle – it was an unnecessary side plot to an otherwise engaging story. 

Collins excels at creating memorable characters, and this book did not disappoint. Who else could give us the iconic Johanna Mason, the charismatic Finnick Odair, and the genius Beetee Latier? All of them bring something unique to the story – you’re rooting for them all to survive to the end. Katniss may be the heart of the story, but these characters are just as vital. I’d read entire books or series based on any of them (although, I will admit, Johanna is my absolute fav).

tl;dr A memorable cast of characters mixed with a quick pace makes this an excellent sequel.

[pamela]

I enjoyed this just as much on my second read. The Hunger Games series is the perfect blend of simplicity, social commentary, and entertainment.

[shannonmiz]

This time, I read the UK neon edition, which was fun, because I'd never heard Katniss talk about "metres" before.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

RE-READ TIME!

[kiracanread]

Not quite as good as it's predecessor but definitely a fantastic sequel to the Hunger Games, incredibly emotional and moving.

[Nessa Luna]

Oof the end of this book still gets me EVERY TIME. The new audiobooks, narrated by Tatiana Maslany are amazing and I highly recommend you try them out.

[moraa]

Remembered all the reasons I loved it when I read it the first time.
By far the best book in the series.

[CrowNoYami]

I loved this book, now things are getting interesting. I can't wait to see what else happens.

"This is no place for a girl on fire."

Catching Fire destroyed every single piece of my heart and soul and I don't know if I'll ever be able to put the pieces back together again.

The beginning of Catching Fire is quite slow, but it shows just how much Katniss's life and opinions have changed since the Games. However, when the Quarter Quell starts, Catching Fire is gripping and difficult to put down. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping that the characters would make it out alive - and this is my second read - so I knew exactly how things were going to end. The stakes in Catching Fire are so high.

In Catching Fire, more emphasis is placed on the characters - their emotions, their personalities and their growth. Catching Fire has extremely complex characters who continue evolving and who go through so much. There are characters who seem so shallow at first glance, but later show a surprising amount of depth.

Katniss is still one of my favourite protagonists. In Catching Fire she's even more moody, short-tempered and anti-social, but she also shows more vulnerability. She's a brave, loyal and defiant badass, but she's also kind and compassionate and she'd do anything to protect the people she cares about. All she wanted to do was protect her sister and survive the Hunger Games, but she ends up becoming the spark that lights discontent in the districts.

Peeta is such a unique character. He's a good guy who is kind, gentle, strong and sacrificial, but he is no Gary-Stu. He's witty, perceptive and he lies so easily. We also learn more about Haymitch and I understand his character so much more. Effie, Cinna (whose outfit designs are LEGENDARY), and even Katniss's Prep Team show different sides of their personalities. Also, I am in love with Finnick.

The love triangle is side-lined by everything else that's going on in Katniss's life, but her feelings and confusion are so real. We see a little more of Gale in Catching Fire, who represent friendship becoming something more. There's also Peeta - a fake relationship borne out of survival and necessity that could become something real. I'm on Team Peeta because he is a sweetheart who understands Katniss and supports her decisions.

Catching Fire is an emotional read. It brought out feelings of anger, heartache and pain, but there are also moments that brought out feelings of happiness and hopefulness. Catching Fire surpassed my expectations, even after a reread. I'm so ready to witness fire catching and burning in Mockingjay.

"Katniss, the girl on fire, has left behind her flickering flames and bejeweled gowns and soft candlelight frocks. She is as deadly as fire itself."

[Jane]

There were a few grammatical errors and possibly some word choice errors, too (e.g. "revenge her death" instead of "avenge her death"). I'm not too big on a plethora of fragments, as they give me a headache -- even in first person POV; books I read in middle school were high school level and never included fragments when in first person POV, so I don't understand what all the rage is about these days with them. There were also many instances wherein colons could have been used in place of commas; the same goes for semicolons.

The formatting of the book was...weirder than I'm used to. I felt like the page numbers were going to fall off the page, and they were also harder to read. Sometimes, I couldn't tell whether something was an 8 or a 0.

However, I did enjoy the overall story of the book. It's slow until you reach Part II: The Games, but then finally begins to pick up. I think I would have liked it a little more than I did had I not seen the movie first, but that may also be my distaste in numerous fragments talking.