Catching Fire

Synopsis
Katniss won the Hunger Games, but now the Capitol is out to get her.

My thoughts
I just realized I never posted a review of Catching Fire even though I read it almost a year ago. I flew threw The Hunger Games on vacation and snatched Catching Fire off my bookshelf as soon as I walked in the door. And I flew through Catching Fire, too. It was a page-turner, although it was considerably weaker than Hunger Games (but not weak enough to dissuade me from picking up the final book in the series).

My main problem with the book is that it makes Katniss too important. Even if Katniss won the Hunger Games and embarrassed those in charge, it's too flimsy to support or even spark a revolution.

The love triangle gets fleshed out a little better, but the damage is already done. There's no conceivable way Katniss can end up with Gale even though he's a decent guy and he's probably a better match for Katniss than Peeta is. And speaking of Peeta ... he becomes too perfect and one-dimensional.

Finally, I think I might have actually groaned aloud when Katniss finds out she has to compete in the Hunger Games: All-Star Season. I wanted something new, not a rehash of the first book. But ... I was wrong. Suzanne Collins is really good at writing about the Hunger Games. The action is always riveting and unpredictable, and she pulls out all the stops to come up with new horrors for the characters. And that's why I ended up enjoying the book.

Bottom line
Not as good as the first book but good enough - and fast enough - to read.

Fine print
Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA fiction, dystopian fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I own this book.