As the second installment of the “Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” is the exciting follow-up novel to the stories of both Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark after their successful yet sacrificial wins at the 74th annual Hunger Games. Defying every obstacle, difficulty, and painstaking decision, both Peeta and Katniss were able to make it through the deadly yet life-changing experience of participating in the Hunger Games.
The outcome of the last Hunger Games had been significantly distinct from the others; this is the first-ever Hunger Games where two victors were crowned instead of one. Like every previous victor, Katniss and Peeta expected their lives to be peaceful and unbothered after the traumatic events of the Games. As a result of their victories, they received the gifts, new housing, wealth, and accolades they were promised, with a dark side to their newfound fame that they were never warned about.
Amid recent rebellions across Panem and uprisings against the capitol due to Katniss and Peeta’s controversial victory, President Snow is holding The Quarter Quell. This is an event held every twenty-five years in which the anniversary of when the districts were overtaken by the Capitol is celebrated. In short, the Quarter Quell is a more extravagant version of the Hunger Games, with a special custom-built arena that makes the competition more difficult, and the reality of winning much more scarce — especially this year, with a specialized theme that would get rid of both Katniss and Peeta. On top of this, the Quarter Quell requires every living previous victor from the past Hunger Games to be thrown back into the arena, no matter their age. What could this mean for both Katniss and Peeta, at just about 17 years old, as they are thrown back into the arena as the main targets?
“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins is an incredible read with perfect descriptive details and imagery that brings the arena to life in more ways than you could imagine. As new characters – and foes – are introduced to the story, it deepens the complexity of the original characters and adds new rising conflicts to the novel, both inside and outside the arena.
I personally think that this novel is so far the best novel in the Hunger Games series. Out of five stars, I would give this novel five stars. It is exciting, action-packed, has the perfect mix of emotion and humor, and has jaw-dropping cliff-hangers at every turn in the novel. I found this book so hard to stop reading, and I honestly don’t think there was a single page that I didn’t have to reread because of how shocking the novels’ events were in every chapter. I also enjoyed how the author decided to go more in-depth about the characters’ relationships with each other, and how their flaws in this novel became their greatest strengths. This is in contrast to the first novel, where their flaws depicted every make-or-break moment of the characters.
The overall length of this novel is twenty-seven chapters divided up into 391 pages and three parts. There are some parts of this novel that can be a bit violent or gruesome in description. Similarly to “The Hunger Games,” I would say this is a young-adult novel.
“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins will surely keep you intrigued and leave you wanting more from this fantastical dystopian series.
