“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book in the Hunger Games series, and yes, the series doesn’t end with this one. I’m only saying this because I got all the way to the last page before I realized that there would have to be a third book, and I was really mad!

Katniss has been trying to deal with the aftermath of the horror in the Arena – her family is safe, they have food and money, and things with Gale have (almost) gone back to normal. She hasn’t seen Peeta much in the past 6 months since the Games, but that’s about to change, as they have to go on the Victory Tour, another reminder to the Districts that the Capital owns them. The Victor of the previous Game is paraded around in each of the Districts, rubbing their life in the faces of the dead tributes’ families. Katniss and Peeta are under extreme pressure to defuse the rebellious undercurrent of the nation, but they don’t succeed. When a sick twist of fate puts Katniss and Peeta back in the Arena for the next Games, she has decided to keep Peeta alive at all costs – even if it means the loss of her own life.

This one was a little slow in the beginning/middle when Katniss is still in District 12 and trying to work out her feelings for both Gale and Peeta. Once the Games began, however, it’s non-stop action, with fresh new horrors for the tributes. I give this one an 8.5 and I can’t wait for the next in the series (whenever that may be).