Catching Fire Book Review

After my previous review of The Hunger Games, I took a few days to gather my thoughts about the next book in the series, Catching Fire.  Catching Fire in the middle of an obvious trilogy, and, as I find common with trilogies, is probably the weakest of the three.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a good, enjoyable read.  But it falls decidedly short of the first book.  As with my last review, this will be spoiler free if you've read the first book.


Catching Fire comes to us in three distinct parts: the Victory Tour, the preparation for the 75th Hunger Games, and the Games themselves.  Katniss is still adjusting to her life back in District 12 when President Snow shows up.  His creepyness is palpable, and his rosy bloodstained scent makes him that much worse.  He knows things he shouldn't be able to know about Katniss, specific things that happened in the woods outside of District 12.  He makes it very clear that the only reason her and Peeta have been allowed to live is because the people love them.  With some unsettling comments about conditions in other districts, Katniss and Peeta are off to relive their whirlwind love and remind the citizens of Panem that the Hunger Games are still alive and well.

After leaving District 12, the first location the duo visit (team in tow, of course), is District 11, Rue's home.  Katniss doesn't know what to say to the families of the dead tributes, but winds up making a very moving speech.  Instead of placating the crowd, Katniss only manages to embolden the people.  Members of the gathering are shot by several peacekeepers, showing that the game here is not the same as it is in District 12.  After returning to District 12, Katniss goes out to hunt, meeting mysterious refugees from District 8.  They say that they are headed to District 13 and share the rumors they have heard.  In news reels from the Capitol, the footage of District 13 never changes.  Katniss dismisses some of their talk, but she still questions whether a secret district could actually exist.

The second part of the book follows the preparations for the third Quarter Quell.  Although I loved the idea of a Quarter Quell, I felt like it was an afterthought added after the first Hunger Games book.  Collins has said that she always intended it to be a trilogy, but if the Quarter Quell were mentioned in the first book, I would have felt it would be more believable.  Special punishment is included in the Hunger Games every 25 years, to remind the citizens of Panem just how lucky they are to still be alive.  The 25th Hunger Games had citizens of the districts vote on children as tributes instead of the usual lottery, while the 50th had twice the tributes.  It seems as though the mandate for the 3rd Quarter Quell comes at too fortunate a time for the politics of the capitol to be coincidence.

I don't want to go more into the plot, as I feel that'd give too much away.  However, I will say this: this book sets up the final novel, the conclusion.  This Games, the last third of the novel, is not as shocking as the first, possibly because the reader knows what to expect.  There are clever terrors invented, but the real payoff does not come until the end.  Katniss has grown in some ways; she has decided to throw all of herself at one cause, but she still allows herself to be manipulated and a pawn.  Secondary characters are much more interesting in this book, with the exceptions of Katniss's mother and Prim, who remain blandly flat. 

I missed a few thing from this book.  I wanted the Victory Tour to go on longer, and I wanted to know more about the other districts.  Katniss goes numb on the trip, and while Peeta says all the right things, she seems to say all the wrong.  The idea that Katniss should be choosing between Peeta and Gale seems contrived as well.  Peeta, the boy who will always love her, who supports Katniss, is apparently not the yin to her yang, but Gale doesn't seem to fit either.

Although the book is good, the only reason I would consider it a rereadable book is because it is stuck between two stronger ones.  The first book is wonderful: suspenseful, well-written, and gory.  The second has slightly less of each.  Mockingjay is good too, and really does need the setup from Catching Fire, but some of the best parts seemed to get lost.