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A review by analenegrace
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Catching Fire truly lives up to its name as the sequel to The Hunger Games. I read these books initially as a fourth and fifth grader, reading the first two back to back and then waiting for the third's release. During this reread, I chose to pay attention to the extreme foreshadowing in the book, that you genuinely do not notice on read where you don't know the twist. Collins writes with such mastery that it can often be hard to find places to stop; she puts a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter, just daring you to stop.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, starting off as one thing with a shocking twist that finally gets us, as the reader, to what we've been craving: revolution. The book also brings Gale up to more of a main character, while perfectly showcasing what I think this series is actually about: does anger or empathy win a revolution? The love triangle is representative of this, with Gale being so angry and Peeta choosing words and empathy to revolt. Collins, unlike other writers of this time and in this genre, clearly understands revolution and is willing to write about the more complicated side.
Katniss, as a character, really develops in this book, as her dedication to survival becomes even more focused on the survival of others, and eventually just Peeta. We also really see her develop into the unintended symbol of revolution, something she never wanted and something she is actually trying to stop. Her inner monologue is so hard to read at times, but also impossible to look away from; Katniss is such a tragic hero, in that she isn't trying to be a hero. This trope of tragic/unwanted hero is common, (I never wanted to be a half-blood as an example), but in this book, Collins exemplifies and supersedes the trope. And the cliffhanger comes so smoothly, you almost don't see it coming...
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, starting off as one thing with a shocking twist that finally gets us, as the reader, to what we've been craving: revolution. The book also brings Gale up to more of a main character, while perfectly showcasing what I think this series is actually about: does anger or empathy win a revolution? The love triangle is representative of this, with Gale being so angry and Peeta choosing words and empathy to revolt. Collins, unlike other writers of this time and in this genre, clearly understands revolution and is willing to write about the more complicated side.
Katniss, as a character, really develops in this book, as her dedication to survival becomes even more focused on the survival of others, and eventually just Peeta. We also really see her develop into the unintended symbol of revolution, something she never wanted and something she is actually trying to stop. Her inner monologue is so hard to read at times, but also impossible to look away from; Katniss is such a tragic hero, in that she isn't trying to be a hero. This trope of tragic/unwanted hero is common, (I never wanted to be a half-blood as an example), but in this book, Collins exemplifies and supersedes the trope. And the cliffhanger comes so smoothly, you almost don't see it coming...