Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) in Crazy Challenge Connection

May 12, 2012 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it really liked it

Shelves: permanent-library, good-fiction, spring-2012, young-adult, sci-fi-dystopia

SUMMARY

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark have survived the Hunger Games and are back home in the Seam. Katniss should be happy; the berries saved both District 12 tributes. But Peeta has turned away from her and Gale is very distant. Life in the Seam has become a little boring. She hates the house in Victors Village, preferring her old house. Hunting is reserved for Sundays. She is oblivious to the rumors of rebellions in other districts until President Snow visits. She must convince him

SUMMARY

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark have survived the Hunger Games and are back home in the Seam. Katniss should be happy; the berries saved both District 12 tributes. But Peeta has turned away from her and Gale is very distant. Life in the Seam has become a little boring. She hates the house in Victors Village, preferring her old house. Hunting is reserved for Sundays. She is oblivious to the rumors of rebellions in other districts until President Snow visits. She must convince him that she and Peeta are truly in love and quell the sparks of rebellion against the Capitol during her Victory Tour or face enormous consequences.

What she doesn’t know is that she’ll fail. President Snow has no intention to let her live as evident in the Quell Games. But she can make sure that Peeta survives, believing him to be the better leader to the rebels. But the spark has been lit and the flames of rebellion are spreading, and she is the face of the rebellion whether she likes it or not. She must survive not matter the cost.

MY THOUGHTS

1.) I screamed throughout the first third of Catching Fire! I get the teen angst, but Katniss’ anguish over her feelings for Peeta and Gale drove me crazy. I wanted to shake her saying “Sh** or get off the pot.” The love triangle plot line has run its course for me. And she came across as a whiny little girl rather than “the girl on fire” sparking rebellion throughout the districts of Panam. She is surprised to find herself as a leader and hopes of her people. Why? Collins really didn’t know or gives the reader a typical teen aged girl experiencing life through her own narrow prism. I was not impressed with this Katniss.

Thank goodness President Snow’s visit finally drowned Katniss’ whiny teen angst. She became the fighter again with the will to survive and protect everyone she cares about. This is the Katniss I like and care for. But our heroine still can’t discern friend from foe. She misses clues as to whom she can trust at the Capitol party and rarely heeds Haymitch’s advice. But he did get his way.

2.) I loved the duel between Katniss and President Snow. He wants her dead and Panam back to normal under his totalistic control. I had originally thought the Capitol was an oligarch but I was wrong. The people of the Capitol are shallow sheep that Snow uses for his pleasure. Even despots need courtesans. But trusted courtiers can be dangerous as many kings, queens, and czars fell.

3.) Collins’s writing is still top notch. Her vivid descriptions of Katniss and Peeta’s Quell Games opening ceremony blew me away. I felt chilled and worried for Cinna and Portia. The Capitol party disgusted me. The drug to induce vomiting so the partiers could endlessly eat was despicable given the starvation throughout the districts, but more importantly I questioned Collins use of it. Many young girls struggle with eating disorders. The twist ending had me pleasantly flummoxed; I never saw it coming.
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Nov 23, 2012 mussolet rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: g-dystopia, read-notmine-sff

Well.
This book improved its predecessor in one way, and in the other way took off in totally the wrong direction.

Good things first:
I love how the world expanded. The political interludes (what with the bread from District 11 and such) were my favourites in the last book, and here they were more important than ever, even if Katniss doesn't understand (or doesn't want to see) all of it. (Giving Prim more space would have been great here.) You do get the feeling that you're being set up for some ...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Diane ~Firefly~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya

I wasn't sure where this trilogy was going to go. The first book is almost self-contained. Just when you think Katniss' life can't get any worse... I was shocked at some of the twists and am impatiently waiting for the last book (I'm 12th in line at the library). ...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Rusty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, children-ya

Outstanding read. I think The Hunger Games can stand alone if one did not want to read the entire series. However, Catching Fire leaves one hanging so the reader is well aware that another book follows it. Excellent read with loads of action, romance and adventure. Who cannot empathize with Katniss and Peeta as they struggle through yet another series of brutal games, this time competing with previous winners? However, I do feel that this series is directed at an adult audience, if it be older y ...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Norma added it

Catching Fire was as good as Hungry Games and look forward to reading the third book Mockingjay.

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Mar 06, 2010 Susan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult, series, series-completed, fiction, dystopia

Sequel to The Hunger Games, which should certainly be read first. Same terrific protagonist Katniss, in the same impossible situation. She's now forced to realize she has more influence (and power?) than she ever wanted, and has to decide how to cope with it. More of a cliff-hangar ending than The Hunger Games -- it's going to be hard to wait until August for the 3rd, Mockingjay. ...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Arow rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, sci-fi, 2015, 2010

First Read: September 21st to 23rd, 2010 - 4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment of this trilogy. I can not wait to pick up the third book and dive right in.

Second Read: March 20th to 22nd, 2015 - 5 stars

Loved Catching Fire even more the second time around. Such a great story.

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Jul 05, 2010 Kristina Simon rated it it was amazing

OK, I liked this one even better than The Hunger Games. I'm definitely getting Mockingjay when it comes out. ...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Madge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, young-adult

This book was even better than the first. I can't think of what else to say without spoilers, except that some of the twists were absolutely genius and I found myself literally cheering, aloud, for the characters. ...more

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