Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book Two)

· The Hunger Games Book 2 · Sold by Scholastic Inc.
4.3
18.4K reviews
Ebook
400
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The second book in Suzanne Collins's phenomenal and worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Ratings and reviews

4.3
18.4K reviews
Shacoria Robinson
August 1, 2023
This book was good but not as good as Hunger Games. I think that the ending of this book makes up for the beginning of it though.Throughout the beginning of the book you keep hoping for Katniss to jump on board with the rebellion but she hesitates for so long that it almost become unbearable. Katniss is very disappointing in her inaction. I also think the whole 'love triangle' plot of the story is a little old and frankly reminds me too much of Twilight.
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A Google user
“May the odds be ever in your favor”, if you don’t recognize this quote by now than this book will recall your memory. Catching fire, by Suzanne Collins, is the second book out of the trilogy and picks up right where Hunger Games left off. When Katniss Everdeen’s and Peeta Mellark’s victory of the 74th annual hunger games is viewed as rebellion against the capitol many challenges arise. When the quarter quell comes, the capitol seeks revenge and everyone is surprised by the tests that are forced into Katniss’s and Peeta’s way. Catching Fire shows us that even when the odds are against you, you should fight for what you believe in and the end results will surprise you. This author’s reason for writing the book is the try to analyze the effects of war and violence on those coming to age. The first book, Hunger games, shows us that when it wasn’t possible for Katniss and Peeta to both win the games she fought for what she believed and the end results surprised us all. Catching Fire as stated before picks up right where Hunger Games left off and when ending the second book no persuasion is needed for you to say that the book was unbelievable. When getting to the end of the book Suzanne provides many examples of information that support her thesis. This book provides a good argument, which leads us to believe while reading that a society like this could actually exist in the future. This author makes us think about what ma happen in 40 years or so with our now existing government. When comparing this dystopian novel to other dystopian or utopian novels this novel provides evidence that makes us believe that civilization like this one could actually exist. Other novels provide little evidence for the background of the story.This book includes elements of violence, romantic aspects, and all together many different concepts. Since there is an element of violence, this book would be enjoyed by the age group of 14+. Overall Catching Fire left me wanting more and kept me on my toes during the whole story.
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A Google user
June 8, 2012
Set in the not so far off post-apocalyptic world, Panem, a country divided into an oppressive Capitol with twelve subordinate districts, replaces the United States of America. Annually, each district must contribute two random representatives to participate in the Hunger Games in which all the chosen, dubbed the “tributes”, serve as gladiators who fight for survival and are forced to brutally eliminate all their competitors-- while the rest of the citizens are required to watch helplessly from their television screens. Initially, amidst all of this, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark, the tributes from the destitute district twelve, manage to momentarily break free of the ever-present grip of the Capitol by forcing the Gamemakers to let them both survive. However, in Collins's Catching Fire, it starts off with both of them enjoying briefly the luxuries of “victory” before having to go on a tour during which the “star crossed lovers” are trapped in the reality they have dangerously created. Angered by how Katniss did not play his “game” to perfection, President Snow hates all that she stands for and seeks to destroy her influence of another uprising by tossing both her and Peeta into the 75th Hunger Games. Also called the Quarter Quell, this surprisingly more grotesque and twisted edition of the Hunger Games is meant to serve as a reminder to the districts that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol. Catching Fire focuses on the dangers of totalitarian governments that are willing to, through whatever means possible, ensure that they maintain absolute control over the public as well as the power of the individual. Catching Fire serves as a sort of transitory bridge connecting the first book of the trilogy (Hunger Games) to the last (Mockingjay) by developing the reader's interest through introducing us to a new world and conflict. While Hunger Games establishes the idea of a possibility of change, Catching Fire is based on igniting that possibility. Katniss Everdeen, nearly in spite of herself , provides the “spark that, left unattended, may grow to an inferno that destroys Panem” (Collins 23). Collins's purpose in Catching Fire is to emphasize themes such as the corruptness of government control as well as absolute power. Because Catching Fire is a set in a dystopian world, the government, in this case the Capitol, plays a central role; the Hunger Games takes place as a form of sick entertainment and brutal intimidation. In this world, control is enacted through brutal tyranny and suppression of the public and the annual murder of tributes from each district. Power, in the case of Collins's words, is shown to be built on fear and utmost terror. Besides oppressive regimes, this novel also delves into the theme of how one person can rise up and make a difference. Katniss's reaction to the power of the Capitol is inspiring in a profound way-- she attempts to assert her independence in the face of the Capitol and the machinations of President Snow. In keeping with the theme that one person is enough to resist a nearly omnipotent power, Collins also connects this book to the previous book. With Peeta comments on how they are “just a piece of their games,” Katniss consciously gambles both of their lives to show that they are not pawns in a chess game; rather they are individuals not entirely powerless to resist the confines of a ruthless regime (Collins 236). As compared with Hunger Games, Catching Fire strikes as match, and even exceeds the original. Catching Fire, while in the same setting, holds a darker impact on the entire mood of the novel and has a engrossing storyline with both old and new characters that used in a unique way to make novel more gut-wrenchingly realistic. Katniss in the second book is a more independent individual as evidenced with by her sophistication and acute observational skills. Her transition to a more cynical person comes to light when she realizes that it is rather difficult to kill others once you meet them
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About the author

Suzanne Collins is the author of the bestselling Underland Chronicles series, which started with Gregor the Overlander. Her groundbreaking young adult novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, were New York Times bestsellers, received wide praise, and were the basis for four popular films. She returned to the world of Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Year of the Jungle, her picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Vietnam, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim. To date, her books have been published in fifty-three languages around the world.

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