Even when you win, you lose.

Or, at least that is what President Snow would like to drill into Katniss, who spends a good portion of the book trying to convince him that she and Peeta are indeed a couple, and happy, and ... wait, what? Another fight to the death? Are you KIDDING me? Can't a girl catch a break?!

At first I was a little eye-rolling at the idea of her having to go back into the ring. It just seemed like a very ... a very sequel thing to do. Take all the things everyone liked from the first book (young love! a fight to the death! conflict!) and play that out again, exactly, in the second book.

However, it certainly didn't turn out the way I expected, and I was glad I'd bought all three books at the same time, so that I could go right into the last installment.