But Katniss' mind is far from easy. The survival of two tributes in the games is unprecedented. When Katniss threw down the challenge that both she and Peta would kill themselves in the arena rather than one being forced to kill the other, the head gamekeeper had allowed them both to live. Katniss challenged Panem in her actions and a visit from President Snow lets her know just how much danger she is in as a result. She must go on the victor's tour through all the districts with Peta. She must convince the people that her love for Peta was the reason for her decisions. She must do nothing to spark a rebellion. But is it already too late? And will either she or Peta survive when they are sent into the games for the Quarter Quell?

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. More than just a girl's story of survival in a bleak future world, Catching Fire poses many moral questions in a simple, intelligent way. While the pacing of this book is slower, we, along with Katniss, are given a closer look at Panem and learn more about its politics and violent history. Our young narrator takes us along on the victor's tour through the districts and even back into the arena itself. As danger closes in around the characters, the reader comes to realize that while there is not as much action here as in the first book, there is so much more at stake. The emotional investment is so much greater. The reader feels Katniss' every emotion and they run the gamut from fear to anger to guilt. The author weaves her story so well that the reader is lost on the journey with her amazing characters in the world she has created. The ending of this middle segment of the series shouldn't have come as a surprise but with the abruptness of its presentation, it really was startling and it really worked. This reviewer can't wait to see how the trilogy concludes in Mockingjay.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Sweet

Reviewer: Roxanne
January 28, 2011