Monday, August 8, 2011

Praise for The Hunger Games Book 2: Catching Fire

In the second book of Suzanne Collin's post-apocalyptic trilogy, The Hunger Games, we dig deeper into our heroine Katniss' psyche and the lasting affect President Snow has on her cognizance. 

As Panem greets Katniss and Peeta on their victory tour, tensions rise between Katniss' defiance of Capitol law, the few individuals showing subtle signs of camaraderie with Katniss, and the Capitol who, more than anything else, wants her to pay for her defiance.  In the midst of all this tension is the anticipation of the Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games occurring every twenty-five years, where rules are altered and the game is changed significantly.  The 75th Annual Hunger Games promises to send Katniss back into the arena where she'll once again have to fight for her life and for Peeta's.  But strange things occur in this arena - tick, tock, this is a clock - leaving Katniss bridged between loyalty and paranoia, and without any clear distinction between the two.  After already surviving one Hunger Games, her mind is consumed with night terrors and images she can never erase; a second may prove to be Katniss' demise.

At the tip of her mind always is the sneaking suspicion that President Snow wants her dead.  She can sense his presence everywhere and continues to smell roses, which haunt her mind and send her reeling.  As she mentions at the beginning of the book, President Snow smells of blood and roses and, for Katniss, the two are inseparable. 

Pros:  readability; addicting plot; suspense

Cons:  Katniss' whining and paranoia bridge on annoying; large gap of logic in choosing District 12 tributes for 75th Annual Hunger Games

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