Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy, Dystopian

Summary (from book flap - SPOILERS FOR THE HUNGER GAMES): Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned hsi back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely conivnced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Review: The wait for this book was almost unbearable. September 1st could not come soon enough. I was horrified when I realized that the closest bookstore to my house did not open until 9am, meaning I'd have to wait until I got out of work to hold a copy of the book in my hands! But the wait was worth every single second.

Catching Fire does not disappoint and is just as engrossing as The Hunger Games, with a mix of action and violence that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the novel. Collins does a great job at fleshing out her characters and giving them depth. I felt like I knew Katniss and Peeta and the residents of District 12. It's as if they were my own friends and family. There's nothing I love more than being so completely invested in such a vast set of characters. There are certain characters to whom I become emotionally attached. I've tried to explain this to other people but so far all I've gotten is a bunch of "Are you crazy?" looks. But this is one of those books.

I love the strength of these characters. Katniss is independent, strong-willed and has such a sense of compassion for those around her. It is characters like this that I am thankful for; because I hope that when I have children, they will have great characters in books to look up to.

If you have not read The Hunger Games please run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore/library to get a copy. If you have read The Hunger Games, well, what are you waiting for? Go pick up Catching Fire!

Now if I could just be patient for the third book in the Trilogy...a feat I don't think I'll be able to accomplish ;)