Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
3 journalers for this copy...
The second book in The Hunger Games series is just as thrilling and riveting as the first. A very quick, but exciting read about the happenings of Panem and a deeper look at the history behind the districts and the politics of the Capitol, without getting mired in it. Instead we are made aware of how the system works through a masterfully crafted story that doesn't patronize (it's marketed towards teens) and moves at a breakneck speed.
Through the eyes of our heroine, we are presented with a fascinating world and the choices of a young woman who is fighting for her life and the ones she loves.
Can't wait for Book 3 or the movie.
Through the eyes of our heroine, we are presented with a fascinating world and the choices of a young woman who is fighting for her life and the ones she loves.
Can't wait for Book 3 or the movie.
Given to my friend who loaned me the first book.
"Catching Fire" is the sequel to "The Hunger Games," and though I found it a little pallid by comparison to the first, it is still an excellent read. Suzanne Collins is really masterful at getting inside the mind of her main character, telling a very relevant story from the perspective of a mature, guarded, observant young woman.
In this volume, we understand more of the history of Panem, the reasons for the Hunger Games, and the mindset of a controlling Capitol government in a time of increasing unrest and desperation. The protagonist finds herself as the catalyst for a movement of sorts, without knowing exactly what's going on or why. There's a devilishly difficult balance here, yet Collins juggles the players and the games deftly; she is clearly an author of rich imagination and skill, writing within a carefully-considered world. As with the first book, I read the novel in one sitting, unwilling to put it down until I had discovered it all.
My only complaint is the uneven pacing of the story. The book moves along slowly and steadily in the first half, taking the time for careful description. Suddenly, a tense central conflict erupts, and the book goes faster and faster, until the dénouement takes place in just a few terse paragraphs. The main character is overloaded with information in the format of, "right, here's what happened, how, and why, and here's what we're doing next," and there the book ends. While it's certainly realistic - accelerating events leave little time for long explanations - it also felt a little rushed, as if a deadline began to loom midway through.
"Breaking Fire" is still a phenomenal read and, while the entire trilogy is written for young adult audiences, it is neither trite nor pandering, addressing important and timely social issues with courage.
In this volume, we understand more of the history of Panem, the reasons for the Hunger Games, and the mindset of a controlling Capitol government in a time of increasing unrest and desperation. The protagonist finds herself as the catalyst for a movement of sorts, without knowing exactly what's going on or why. There's a devilishly difficult balance here, yet Collins juggles the players and the games deftly; she is clearly an author of rich imagination and skill, writing within a carefully-considered world. As with the first book, I read the novel in one sitting, unwilling to put it down until I had discovered it all.
My only complaint is the uneven pacing of the story. The book moves along slowly and steadily in the first half, taking the time for careful description. Suddenly, a tense central conflict erupts, and the book goes faster and faster, until the dénouement takes place in just a few terse paragraphs. The main character is overloaded with information in the format of, "right, here's what happened, how, and why, and here's what we're doing next," and there the book ends. While it's certainly realistic - accelerating events leave little time for long explanations - it also felt a little rushed, as if a deadline began to loom midway through.
"Breaking Fire" is still a phenomenal read and, while the entire trilogy is written for young adult audiences, it is neither trite nor pandering, addressing important and timely social issues with courage.
Loaned to my roommate to read.
Are you going to the midnight premiere of "The Hunger Games" tomorrow night, at IMAX Polo Park? Planning to get in line a few hours before the doors open, to get your favourite film-watching spot and enjoy the atmosphere beforehand?
So am I!!
So, if you'd like this book, look for a girl in a curly dark-red wig, wearing a black-and-silver skirt suit and black heels...and the first BookCrosser to ask me, gets the book! Otherwise, I'll release it at the theatre right before the movie starts. :)
So am I!!
So, if you'd like this book, look for a girl in a curly dark-red wig, wearing a black-and-silver skirt suit and black heels...and the first BookCrosser to ask me, gets the book! Otherwise, I'll release it at the theatre right before the movie starts. :)
found it after the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games. So glad I did because I have yet to read the series (friend wanted to see how someone who hasn't read the books would see how much I could figure out whether it was to confusing or it seemed like a complete movie) so now today I am going to start reading the Hunger Games trilogy and once I am done I shall release this book back into the wild!
