Review: Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

From Goodreads

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

My Review

Ok, ok so yes I'm probably the last person to read this one (I was the last one to read The Hunger Games too!), but I kept putting it off.  I knew it was going to drag me back into Katniss's world and part of me wasn't ready for it because I knew it would be a force of action, sadness, suspense, terror and so on.  And yes it was.  I loved The Hunger Games and I loved this one too.  What I really loved about it is I felt like I got to know the world they lived in better - I felt like I got to understand it better.  This book takes you into more of the districts, so you really see what life beyond the Area, Capital and District 12 is like.  That was good - it helped me develop a sense of what was really happening.  You also got to know some of the people from the district better - they weren't just enemies to fight in the arena - they became real people that lived under the control of the government as well.  Speaking of that control - WOW could you see it even more throughout the whole story.  It became even clearer how powerful the government is and how far they'll go to keep that power.  A few times I gasped when I read what they did!  In all the story not only made me love Peeta, Gale and of course Katniss more, but it made me know their world more - it rounded out their whole story. 

My one teeny tiny complaint- it did drag a bit in the middle.  That may have been just because I knew what was coming and wanted to get to it!  It wasn't horrible by any means, just a little bit so.

Final thought: Um, don't be like me and wait forever to read it - just READ IT!
Best stick-with-you image: Katniss's wedding gown during the interview
Best for readers who: like action, suspense and strong characters
Best for ages: 12+ (well into adulthood) although my 11 year old read it and loved it.

Parent note:  There is definitely some graphic scenes that might bother some younger readers.  I will say it could have been way more graphic, so it's not as bad as it could be.

Now bring on Mockingjay!!!!!!!