Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
Pub. Date: September 2009
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult, Science Fiction
400pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
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.

Why I Picked It:
At Stephanie Meyer's recommendation, I picked up The Hunger Games. That book was so action packed, suspenseful, with a romantic twist, I couldn't resist. I don't even want to get into how mad I was to get to the last page and see "End of Book One."

My Review:
Finally! It arrived! But.... There's something I always find that happens when reading the second book in a series... I never seem to like it as much as the first. Twilight, I loved. New Moon, not so much. But they always make me soooo anxious for the third. I got this book the week it came out, eagerly started reading, plowed through the first half, and then it just sat there. I would read a chapter or two when I got around to it, but I lacked a voracious passion to get back to it.

Still love the characters. Still love their solidarity and unresolved love triangles. Hate the Capitol and all that it stands for. Wish I had more time to delve into how this book could be related to our society. Is Suzanne Collins making a statement? Hmmm.... I will have to find time to write up an afterthought post on that topic.

The first half of the book dragged. It felt forced, repetitive of the first in some ways, but then... the second half. Wow. Now there's the pacing that hooked me in The Hunger Games! And forget Edward and Jacob (okay, really, who am I kidding? I can't forget Edward and Jacob....), Gale and Peeta... Now there's a love triangle. There's always one who truly has the girl's heart and the the other who the girl thinks she should give her heart to. Frustratingly, this one also ends on a cliffhanger stating only "End of Book Two." Grrrr.

Okay, so my review sucks. I just wanted to get something posted so I can take it off my list. Two more reviews to go. More sucky write ups to come....