Catching Fire
By Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, Inc.
September 2009
400pp
The Short of It:
Catching Fire packs more action than book one and includes all of the characters you love plus a few others. A worthy follow-up.
The Rest of It:
I can’t talk about plot at all because doing so would give away the story but as far as series go, this one is pretty exciting. I liked The Hunger Games quite a bit, but felt that it was a bit familiar. I didn’t feel that so much with Catching Fire. Maybe because I was already familiar with the characters and in this book, the rules of the game and how it works is not as heavily emphasized as book one. In my opinion, this allowed the reader to focus more on the action and not so much the logistics of how it all works.
I plopped down to read this and pretty much read it in one day. I had hoped to drag it out a bit but I couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of book that you cart around the house. I read it in between cooking, in between the Olympics and misplaced it several times throughout the day since I took it everywhere I went. That said, you must read it, but make sure you read The Hunger Games first. Catching Fire could stand alone but you’ll want to read book one to get the full experience.
Oh, and for those of you that are worried about its Young Adult classification, don’t worry. This series may be geared towards young adults but there’s a lot for an adult to enjoy here. As for young adults, there is some violence, since they are fighting to the death but it’s “survival type” violence which to me is a bit easier to digest than just killing for fun.
If you’ve been in a bit of a reading rut, pick up book one and then book two and you’ll remember what it feels like to read books for fun.
Now I am all ready for book three! Mockingjay hits the shelves on August 24, 2010. That’s a long time to wait!
Source: Purchased
Book Chatter 
I haven’t started this series yet, but my husband has and he did like you – once he started this book, he didn’t stop until he was through.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It is kinda touch and go with the reviews…some liked this one and some were lukewarm. The kids and I just loved it. The twists, the action…you are right…the focus was less on the game and more on the politics and action. We can’t wait for the next one!
I was wondering when the third book was coming out. I finished this not too long ago … I thought Katniss was a bit of a ditz in this one though! I’ll be working on my review later this week. Love the cover for the new one!
She was a bit ditzy. It’s a bit over the top but still entertaining as heck.
I liked this one but thought that Hunger Games was better. So much of it was similar to the first book and there was barely enough written about Gale. I liked it though and can’t wait for the third book.
My husband’s not much of a reader, but he read both of these books quickly. We both enjoyed them and can’t wait for the third. He’s recommended these books to pretty much everyone he knows (it’s cute to see him so excited about books) and one of his co-workers bought them for her son who doesn’t like to read, and he couldn’t put them down.
–Anna