Catching Fire

Ok, I thought it was fantastic and Suzanne Collins is officially my hero.
What did you guys think?

It just came in the post today! I cant tear my eyes away so far...

Please finish quickly! I need to babble about it to someone!

I'm just going to quote my blog post about this one.

The love hate relationship. I totally get it now

I like reading the trilogy, exploring the world Suzanne Collins creates, and increasing my vocabulary by reading, but the plot in book two kind of... repeated.

They're in the Hunger Games, again. My sister, who is still reading book one, already guessed that there's another Hunger Games in book two. And I can just about bet that these uprisings will lead to revolution, it's just a matter of who dies, who lives, and how they get there now (in book three.)

It's hard to talk about book two, but I can say that it was mostly a information we need to know for book three. I skimmed through a lot of parts, the info-dumps, and the ending, after Katniss found Beetee trying to attack the force field, was confusing. I had to read it several times to decide if Beetee was the enemy, or if she was referring to the Capitol.

The conflict was the same: Peeta and Katniss, to be or not to be; districts vs. Capitol; and surviving in the arena.

The plot followed the same lines: Normal-ish life, Reaping, Hunger Game Prep, Hunger Games, Surviving the Hunger Games, and defiance.

I was hoping for something different, not the same thing with different words and a new time period. But I liked it, and I want to read book 3 when it comes out. Turns out that Catching Fire is flooding the bookstores because there are plenty of copies out.

-Shina

I agree with you completely, Shina. I was so confused by the ending that I had to read it quite a few times, which totally threw any momentum it had. Being a skim reader, I kept trying to miss the info dumps and then discovering that I really needed to have read them. Plus, the ending was just like "everything you know is WRONG!11!1!!!"

I only liked the love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta, as I think I mentioned in another thread. But then, I loved that before. It was a little like reading the Hunger Games again, but then, the Hunger Games pwned, so it couldn't be all bad.

I completely agree... It was almost exactly like The Hunger Games, thus I think ruining what could have a been a huge series right up there with the dreaded Twilight series... (I didn't hate them but I did not like them...) It could have been so popular. Luckily however the plot is so good, that I didn't mind reading it a second time in a different setting. I still really liked it. I just wish it was different.... I was able to predict a lot...

Spoiler

I want to know what happened to Cinna, and I loved the whole clock idea.

Still a great book, can't wait for book three!

okay...i am reading catching fire at the moment and to be honest for me personally...there was not a bit of action on the book...

and maybe becasue that i am a boy, the relationship between Katniss and Peeta and Gale is a little bit squirm and weird. But i like the characters especcially Johanna...

the only thing that is interested with the games is that before the actual games, Katniss became friends with other of the tributes but when the games started these friendship broke off and they kill each other. It seemed a little weird for a friend being an enemy at one moment. It would be good if the Capitol manipulated the tributes to get any emotions for a good fight...but that is just me...

overall...its a good series

Actually, I agree. I completely adored the first one, and then the second one was out early and I was so excited! But then, it didn't quite feel... right. Something about the plotline when I was reading was like "Is this the actual book?" Surreal - I think that's the best word.
Even worse, I lent my copy to somebody (and I'm pretty sure that even if I forgot to tell them about my strict rules on book care, they know me well enough to know that's how I am) and they gave it back with damp damage in one corner, and they'd bent the spine. Not just once, several times. Not impressed.

I agree with you all about the repetative plot part, but I still thought it was a great book all the same.

Oh no absolutely! I know I'm being annoyingly contrite, but even though it felt a bit odd to me - probably because it was the sequel to a book I knew quite well and really enjoyed, and I always get that feeling of "is this where the story's supposed to be going?" - it was still exciting, although not as action-packed as the first, and it was still very, very clever and well written. It's one of those books that I reckon kids in fifty years' time or so will be studying in English, talking about metaphors and all that stuff.

True, it was an awesome book, but the plot did kind of repeat. I would've liked to see something more about the other districts when they went to visit. She managed the emotional consequences of the Games really well though, and I liked the idea that Johanna and Finnick were in on the revolution.

I think that the author herself kinda forgot about the supposed baby as much as Peeta and Katniss did. Maybe I'm weird, but I felt they could've put a bit more into that deception after she spent so long on the old one.

Also, my Madge and Gale theory persists. Madge's family helped Gale escape. When the mayor got that Update from District 8 it was part of the revolution. Madge gave Katniss the badge deliberately that it would start something off- then played dumb when her and Katniss talked about it. Their family had been working on the revolution underground ever since Maysilee got killed. And so forth.

I also gained affection for Haymitch during this book, weirdly enough.

It did repeat, I would've liked to see something a bit different, and the ending read like the ending of a chapter rather than a book but still, I enjoyed it.

I think that the author herself kinda forgot about the supposed baby as much as Peeta and Katniss did.

I had to read that part in the book so many times to even get that it was a deception. It was all dealt with so quickly, aside from a few references during the Games themselves. Then again, skim reading doesn't help. Regardless, I agree that it could have been developed a bit more.

I LOVED it!!! I think it's possibly even better than Twilight(which in my opinion was phenominal). I am really upset though that the 3rd book doesn't come out for a year.

Spoiler

The book just ends with "Katniss, there is no District 12." and that's it! You don't know where Peeta is or what happened to him or where katniss' family is or anything! I do agree that it did skim over things a little, but it was awesome. Not as good as the first book, i think, but very good. Can't wait for the 3rd book or upcoming movie!

Did you say upcoming movie? Why oh why do I never hear about these things? xD

Yes they are making a movie of The Hunger Games! It won't be out until late 2010 or early 2011 though