Catching Fire

Katniss survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge. It's payback time, and her chance of survival is even slimmer than ever... After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12, hoping for a peaceful future. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out - and the Capitol has decided that someone must pay. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the other districts on the Capitol's Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless they can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. Then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the next Hunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced into the arena once more... 

August has been a bad month for blogging so far but you will just have to forgive me! I read an article today about how the Hunger Games trilogy has suddenly made archery cool. I've got to say, though, that it's a little disappointing watching the Olympics archery events without fun robin hood outfits... Turns out there are no feathers involved...

Anyway, this last week I have whizzed through a different Games altogether: the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. Following in the path of the Twilight and Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games seem to have drawn in people of all ages with adults trying to hide the eye-catching covers on the train or cheating altogether by reading on Kindle.
 
While I can't help cringe at some of the writing, once again I've got to ignore it. It is, after all, first and foremost, a book for children. Once again Katniss is taking on the Capitol and gets herself into a few more scrapes. If you liked the twists and turns of the first in the series, Catching Fire doesn't disappoint. The twists in this one are, in my view, slightly more sophisticated. The 'clock', for instance, was pretty awesome.

This book is fast-paced, provides plenty of action and there is again a hint of romance running throughout. Nothing like a few smooches to get a plot going.

I would say my only disappointment really was the fact that they go back into the Games again. The blurb tells you before you even open the book, though, so I can't say I wasn't warned.

I don't warm to Katniss - she certainly has flaws - but who wants a protagonist who's perfect? Harry Potter certainly wasn't, nor Bella Swan. All I ask is that some time she stops trying to act like she is the mother figure, where all responsibilities are hers. Sometimes it would be nice to see her being a little reckless because she's a kid and she has different drives than an adult who might have a job or children to feed etc. That said, she does have the whole world on her shoulders in this one... not helped by the Capitol, Haymitch or the Districts...

Anyway, if you liked the first one, you'll get on well with this. I really liked it. In fact, probably a little more than the first one which was a surprise. It's a guilty pleasure that everyone should be able to enjoy.

7/10

See my review for Hunger Games here.