Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is the second book of a trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Generally I don't like spoiling a book for a reader. So in this case if you haven't read Hunger Games don't read this review. Unless, of course, you want to be spoiled.

Katniss has accomplished an almost impossible feat. She won the Hunger Games, and with such a victory should come a life of wealth. Katniss and her family will never want again. Katniss will never have to worry that her mother or sister will starve. But Katniss is now something she never thought she would become. When President Snow visits Katniss one morning she becomes aware that she has become a symbol for a rebellion that has been brewing in other districts. Now Katniss must decide just how she will play her cards to keep her family from disappearing.

When I first started Catching Fire I had no idea just how Collins was going to move this story forward. I had read reviews and heard rumors, and still I had no idea how the second book would unfold. That same guessing continued even as I began to read the continuation of Katniss's story. Up until the very last page. This truly was a story I could not predict. I can't wait for the third and final novel.

Something that surprised me even more was the relationship between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. I don't really know how anyone could choose a side! Of course there are the Team Gale and Team Peeta's out there, but honestly? Who has time for a romance when the world as you know it is changing at such a rapid pace? Katniss may wonder herself about the possibilities of futures and relationships with both Peeta and Gale, and the situation that she had been put in warrants it. For Katniss, though, she cannot see a future where she must watch her children stand in line every year to be chosen. Or be forced to watch them compete in the Games. For Katniss that is the same scale as being able to watch Prim be selected for the games. And we all know how that went.

I really loved the way that Collins handled the whole romance dynamic. How even if Katniss could love Peeta or Gale in a way that would lead to marriage and children Katniss knows just what she would be asking of her future children. To have a character be that mature was a real breath of fresh air. I could write more, but do yourself a favor and read this book. Check it out at your local library. I promise you won't be disappointed.