Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

ISBN-13: 9781407109367
Publisher: Scholastic Ltd
Published: 2009
472 pgs
Hunger Games Series #2

I am not suppose to read this book, after all I am already reading two books at that time and I have this silly reading policy that I would not read more than two books at a time. So what did I do? I stopped reading the other books and succumb to the temptation of reading this, since Catching Fire is one of the most eagerly anticipated books on my reading list and the fact that I want to know what happened to Katniss and Peeta after reading what they had gone through in the first installment.

Catching Fire begins a while later after The Hunger Games end. After what Katniss and Peeta had done in the Hunger Games event, the Capitol is not at all pleased with them and President Snow definitely wants more convictions from them, in which Katniss is not even sure if her feelings towards Peeta is true or just an act to the audience. But that is not all, she has her own issues and that include her long-time childhood friend, Gale and how she deals seeing other tributes' families as they will remind her of the Hunger Game all over again. She terribly missed her carefree days where she would spend the days hunting with Gale and deep in her heart she knew life would be never be the same again no matter if she has won or lose the game.

Katniss had been hurt both physically and emotionally in the Hunger Games after fighting with fellow tributes and seeing a few of them died after getting closer to them, and she is definitely not prepared when more challenging routes are being thrown into her way. However, the goal she had set during the game is very different from this time round, and this is where I find the emotional level exceeds the previous installment but there are also more mind-boggling challenges that Katniss, Peeta as well as the other tributes have to meet.

I wish I could say more about this book but I guess I should stop here as I fear the more I write, the more I would say something that I shouldn't. Let's put it this way that some sacrifices are inevitable and Katniss has a tough choice to make.

As much as I enjoyed reading this second installment, I wish the author has written more about District 13 as it has definitely leave many of us readers intrigued after reading a brief mention of it.

Without saying, Catching Fire is a page-turner (and an emotionally-charged book in my opinion) and I am hoping the final book in the trilogy would be released sooner!


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(I am sure there are many more reviews of this book. Please let me know if I missed yours.)