Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

5 Stars!
Amazon- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

To sum it up: 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 longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his 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 convinced 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...


Wow.

Yet again, there are no words. The sequel to The Hunger Games is the kind of novel that literally leaves you breathless. I didn't think anything could top book one, yet Suzanne Collins surprised me with Catching Fire. Everything that I loved about The Hunger Games, is present in this book- it has action, romance, and so much more. This book grabbed me from the first page, and was near impossible to put down.

Every turn of the page, I felt a different emotion... Horror. Despair. Hope. And so much more. The character development was also so very gratifying, and I truly felt like I got to know each and every character I was introduced to. And before I go on, I absolutely must take a moment and gush about Peeta. *sigh* ...oh Peeta... I literally become a blathering teenage girl when that name's mentioned! ♥

This book is INTENSE, with a capitol "I"... everything about this story was riveting, and had me on my toes throughout every turn of the page. What I loved most about Catching Fire, was that everything seemed to be felt on a much deeper and stronger level- everything is explored in much more detail, and this was so much more than just a re-hashing of book one. Suzanne Collins managed to pull off this book with refinement and fluidity, and I once again found myself in a non-stop whirlwind of constant page turning and need for more... you can just never have enough when it comes to this series. In Catching Fire, questions will be answered, and new characters will be loved.

And speaking of love... this book spends quite a bit more time looking at the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. Could it be love? ...Peeta knows exactly how he feels, while Katniss on the other hand is less certain. She knows she doesn't want to get married or have children, because let's face it- who wants to take the chance on their future children having to suffer through The Hunger Games? What she does know is, she wants to do everything in her power to keep Peeta safe- (My own personal thoughts on the matter? It's love... the kind of love you don't ever want to go through this life without having- and if Suzanne Collins doesn't agree with that, so help me...)

Once again, I know I can't do this book justice with my review- there's just too much to say, and yet not enough. I've been completely captivated with these books, and this sequel was everything that I hoped for, and much more than I expected.

...Now, I'm off to book three! *SQUEEEEEEE!*

(FYI:this book ends on a definite cliffhanger- you've been warned!)

Also... I would absolutely recommend reading this series in order- I wouldn't say these books could be read as a stand-alone at all... but come to think of it, you definitely don't want to miss out on any of the books in this series. Trust me.

And... Who wants to enjoy another picture? For all you Gale lovers out there, that's too bad... Peeta's the only one going up on this review... *sigh* ♥