By the end of the week, odds are that most people will have read the first book in the Hunger Games series, or watched the movie, so there's not much to tell people about that. They can all now make their own opinions. However, the second book hasn't gotten nearly as much credit as it deserves. While it's far from the best book in the series (if you ask me, that's the third book, but that's just my two cents) the second book in the series is vitally important. It serves as a bridge between the first and the third book, setting up and fully describing all the conflicts created in the first book that will then be explored, and hopefully resolved in the third. Let's start with the summary that can be found in the inner flap of the book jacket of the hardcover edition of the book, shall we?
"Sparks are igniting. Flames are spreading. And the capitol wants revenge. Against all odds, Katniss won the Hunger games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to their shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scared 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."The first thing I'd like to point out is, Peeta has turned his back on her completely. I have to say, after the events of the first book, I had no sympathy for Katniss whatsoever. I was absolutely on Peeta's side because as far as I was concerned, he got the short end of the stick in the previos book. And poor Peeta's luck only gets worse when he's electrocuted, and then captured. But Katniss prove her worth as well.
And the "cruel Victory Tour"? Yeah, that tour was only cruel for Katniss. For everyone else, it was the start of something bigger. It was the start of everything. Or, no, more like the start of the alliance, the...message.
This book brings in a ton of new characters that will make you laugh, cry, and occasionally feel like tossing the book at the wall (Finnick being just one of the most memorable ones). And each character has their own part to play, each important. As the saying goes, there are no small parts, just small actors.
Surprising readers at every turn. No lie. There are many pitfalls and twists. Many things that make you think, "Oh, my god! I never saw that coming, but I totally should have!" Even more that make you shout, "I hate you!" and "No, no, no!" This book has the ability to bring out emotion in the reader, an ability only the best books have. That's why this book get's five stars from me.
And maybe an extra star for there being so much Peeta. (He just happens to be my favorite character, but maybe that's not as important as the reason for the other five stars)
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