Catching Fire

WARNING: If you have not yet read The Hunger Games (Book 1 in The Hunger Games trilogy) then DO NOT READ FURTHER.

Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, begins as Katniss and Peeta return to District 12 from the Hunger Games as victors. The duo sparked controversy by rebelling against the capitol, threatening to kill themselves in the games. Because the games couldn't end without a victor, both Katniss and Peeta made history as the first pair to ever leave the arena alive. Now they must face the challenges that lie ahead. The Capitol, particularly President Snow, felt threatened by this act that overthrew their power over Panem.

Over the next 12 months, Katniss and Peeta began the tour around Panem. Katniss kept noticing people with the same mocking jay pin that she wore in the arena. Soon after, Katniss came to the realization that the mocking jay pin was a sign of rebellion from Panem citizens. Because of this, the Capitol decided to throw a Quarter Quell Hunger Games, where previous survivors fight to the deaths for the ultimate title. Peeta and Katniss begin their journey again as they re-enter the games.

The tributes for the Quarter Quell games are faced with some of the most challenging obstacles in Hunger Games history, which makes it that much harder to come out alive. Both Peeta and Katniss will both enter the arena again. But this time, only one can survive.

Suzanne Collins, author of Catching Fire, focuses on the insanity of the people at the Capitol. This can very well be related to our society today. Things like violence, drugs, and alcohol are advertised as good things in our modern-day world. T.V. and music producers make these things seem fun and enjoyable. They make something so awful, seem so great. In Catching Fire, the Capitol popularizes the Hunger Games and makes it some sort of crazy entertainment. What if Collins is trying to prove a point? That if we don't stop the direction our media is going now, we never know where we'll end up.

Personally, The Hunger Games still remains at the top of my "favorite books" list. While Catching Fire could possibly come in second. The intensity of the Hunger Games out shined Catching Fire, which was slow-moving at parts. But in the end, I've loved both books and would recommend them to anybody. A