‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Book Review

Author: Suzanne Collins

Plot: Katniss Everdeen is restless after emerging alive from The Hunger Games, only wanting to get back to her life as a hunter in spite of the luxuries she’s been awarded. When President Snow starts making threats in retaliation to her actions in the games it sets her on a new path as a potential revolutionary and a new Tribute.

Review: As stated in my review of the first book it’s difficult to put down ‘The Hunger Games’ once you’ve started. Jumping right into the follow up can mean that the recap spotted throughout the opening chapters leads to a feeling of impatience. This is a pretty minor complaint though, as it carries on the engaging story and well-imagined world of the future established in the first book.

All the strong points of the first book are carried across into this volume. Katniss is a powerful character who doesn’t rest on her laurels following the events in The Hunger Games, instead her instincts to return to hunting and caring for her family drive her forwards. When the new dangers brought about by the Capitol see her friends and family put at risk she steps up her game and becomes even more interesting to read about. The character grows and develops, something many authors of ongoing series’ seem to forget to include. With the greater risks and more characters it feels like a richer story.

This greater risks really come into play when the characters are thrust back into a new Hunger Games tournament. A sequel to a story such as this runs the risk of repetition when the characters enter the rather rigid formula of the Games themselves. Collins manages to keep things interesting with a mysterious new factor to the game as well as stronger bonds between those competing. The result is just as thrilling as before.

‘Catching Fire’ does suffer for being the middle part of a planned trilogy towards the end. The story essentially ends on the climatic moment with many plot threads unresolved. This is the one benefit to getting into the series so late – the final volume is ready to go.