I feel like there’s no real way I can do this book justice, particularly as my mind has been very distracted lately, but here’s my impressions anyways. Catching Fire takes off directly where The Hunger Games left off. Having survived the brutal Games, Katniss should have a life of ease now, with a house of her own, more money than she knows what to do with, friends right next door. But of course since she blatantly thwarted the Capitol in her move to win the Games, they’ve got their eyes on her. Unwittingly she finds herself mixed up in the throes of a rebellion, and thrown into danger when she least expects it. Once again forced into the arena of the Games, she must depend on her wits to survive, hopefully to pull her friends through as well. Things are in turmoil, danger is looming, the government is seething with corruption, people have hidden agendas etc etc. It’s always hard for me to write about sequels without giving too much away so I think I’ll just stop there. Honestly I was quite surprised at the turn this book took, I wasn’t expecting the events that rose up, at all. And even though it was my escape-read of the moment, which meant I didn’t really get lost in a gripping story but instead used it to distract myself before going back into the real (lately often unpleasant) world, the last page had me immediately wanting to pick up Mockingjay to see what happens next. It’s got that kind of cliffhanger, to grab my attention even when I wasn’t really trying to give it. Yeah, I’ve been a pretty lame reader of late. And still I can tell you this is a good read. It’s got angst, rebellion, love, action, suspense, intellectual challenges, survivalist moves, futuristic weirdness (which always intrigues me)…. I just wasn’t in the mood to give it all my appreciation. For that reason probably going to wait awhile until I read the third in this series. So I can give it its due. Properly.
Do the book a favor and read a few of the reviews linked below.
