Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I doubt I will be able to touch on anything that hasn't already been said in other reviews, but I think this book is worth the read. I have read the trilogy over a decade ago, now, and have NOT read Ballad. But Haymitch has always been my favourite character, and I had always wondered what exactly brought him to the very grim temperament he had at the start of the 74th games.
To say this book is sad is putting it mildly. It isn't even that the deaths are more profound than any other death in Suzanne Collins repertoire of breaking our hearts, but rather it feels worse to us, the reader, because of the heavy dramatic irony. We know how each of those characters is going to end up 25 years from now, but what we didn't know was how everything could come together almost seamlessly for Catching Fire. It's unclear how much of Haymitch's story Collins knew of when writing the trilogy, but regardless it fits well together. It made me - as well as many others - itch to read the main series again to piece everything together with fresh eyes.
The theme from the book is propaganda, and it's very clear within the first five pages of the book. The use of media and how it is used to manipulate the masses whether it be for government control or as protest. As someone who majored in politics in university, I couldn't help but apply my studies to the material. Collins clearly does her research. From a sociological standpoint that book will surely be the subject material for many uni/high school students dissertations. From a literary standpoint it's also fascinating. I know many people will pour over those pages for the never-ending references to one of the most studied poems of all time, 'The Raven' by Poe. I feel like this would be even more important in my mind if i had read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as I know the Covey use music to pass down tradition and it's seen as the most dangerous form of protest (in Snow's eyes, I would argue).
Speaking of the Covey, I know everyone jokes that the people of Panem suffered because of Snow's failed not-much-of-a-situationship, but really it is absolutely fascinating how the reminder of his own obsession controls him. He is, as always, a terrible person but of a very interesting mind.
I can't imagine reading this as a standalone, but I'm curious to the effect it would have on the reader to read as that, or to read all books for the first time in chronological order. That would change the experience of the whole storyline because, again, dramatic irony. However, I don't believe they would find it as heart wrenching as those of us who read them in the order of publication. I wonder this book would just seem more pretentious that way, considering the times we are in as of Sunrise on the Reaping's release. I will also say, if you are expecting this to be YA... while it technically is YA... the first audience grew up, and Collins knows that. The book is mature in the sense that it is told by an adult to adults after several years of traumatic revolutionary events. Even though the characters in the story themselves are children, it is told exactly as it happened. When I read the word 'rape' in this book I was floored. I think it's the first time Collins explicitly said that was a torture option, even though we all knew it already, had been told of and seen the Capitol murdering and bio-engineering people and animals alike... to hear that explicitly said was indicative that Collins, while still mindful of the age group she primarily writes for, is done coddling us readers. That to me, was her own poster. (IYKYK.)
All in all, if anyone liked reading the main trilogy even a little, this book is HIGHLY recommended. And I feel that now I will have to read Snow's prequel, to further see how his psyche breaks everything down. Because if there's one thing Hunger Games fans know about Suzanne Collins works, is that the private thoughts of the characters are what make the book that much more rich, and the films simply cannot capture that.
To say this book is sad is putting it mildly. It isn't even that the deaths are more profound than any other death in Suzanne Collins repertoire of breaking our hearts, but rather it feels worse to us, the reader, because of the heavy dramatic irony. We know how each of those characters is going to end up 25 years from now, but what we didn't know was how everything could come together almost seamlessly for Catching Fire. It's unclear how much of Haymitch's story Collins knew of when writing the trilogy, but regardless it fits well together. It made me - as well as many others - itch to read the main series again to piece everything together with fresh eyes.
The theme from the book is propaganda, and it's very clear within the first five pages of the book. The use of media and how it is used to manipulate the masses whether it be for government control or as protest. As someone who majored in politics in university, I couldn't help but apply my studies to the material. Collins clearly does her research. From a sociological standpoint that book will surely be the subject material for many uni/high school students dissertations. From a literary standpoint it's also fascinating. I know many people will pour over those pages for the never-ending references to one of the most studied poems of all time, 'The Raven' by Poe. I feel like this would be even more important in my mind if i had read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as I know the Covey use music to pass down tradition and it's seen as the most dangerous form of protest (in Snow's eyes, I would argue).
Speaking of the Covey, I know everyone jokes that the people of Panem suffered because of Snow's failed not-much-of-a-situationship, but really it is absolutely fascinating how the reminder of his own obsession controls him. He is, as always, a terrible person but of a very interesting mind.
I can't imagine reading this as a standalone, but I'm curious to the effect it would have on the reader to read as that, or to read all books for the first time in chronological order. That would change the experience of the whole storyline because, again, dramatic irony. However, I don't believe they would find it as heart wrenching as those of us who read them in the order of publication. I wonder this book would just seem more pretentious that way, considering the times we are in as of Sunrise on the Reaping's release. I will also say, if you are expecting this to be YA... while it technically is YA... the first audience grew up, and Collins knows that. The book is mature in the sense that it is told by an adult to adults after several years of traumatic revolutionary events. Even though the characters in the story themselves are children, it is told exactly as it happened. When I read the word 'rape' in this book I was floored. I think it's the first time Collins explicitly said that was a torture option, even though we all knew it already, had been told of and seen the Capitol murdering and bio-engineering people and animals alike... to hear that explicitly said was indicative that Collins, while still mindful of the age group she primarily writes for, is done coddling us readers. That to me, was her own poster. (IYKYK.)
All in all, if anyone liked reading the main trilogy even a little, this book is HIGHLY recommended. And I feel that now I will have to read Snow's prequel, to further see how his psyche breaks everything down. Because if there's one thing Hunger Games fans know about Suzanne Collins works, is that the private thoughts of the characters are what make the book that much more rich, and the films simply cannot capture that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Gun violence, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think ballad of songbirds and snakes might still be my favourite in the series but barely. This one still has me sobbing at the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Oooomf poor Haymitch. The entire time you're reading this book you know it's not going to end well, and even then, I still held out hope that it wasn't going to be a devastating ending (spoiler alert: it was)
I wish they would've showed just a bit more to the fallout after the games, him returning to 12 and grappling with what happened to him. That part felt rushed. I would've even loved to read more about that first year after his games, the 51st games and how he coped.
I really enjoyed the characters, all the kids in the games were all very unique. It was nice to see characters we already knew and how they were connected to Haymitch/these games.
I honestly didn't feel a strong connection to Lenore Dove, and it may be for the fact that I love his little relationship with Effie so much that I didn't warm up towards Lenore. She was a recycled Lucy Gray.
We didn't get to spend enough time with her character to feel invested.
The most shocking bit though was the fact that Haymitch unknowingly gave her the gumdrop that leads to her death. It seemed extremely naïve on his part to think Snow would've killed his family but spared his girlfriend? He let his guard down too early, and I would've expected him to be a bit more cautious but, with the grief of the games and his family, seeing a glimpse of happiness and a life he could have with Lenore took over. It does make total sense as to why he becomes an alcoholic, and I don't even blame him.
Call me crazy but I do wish Haymitch would've had a last moment with his mother and brother. Even if it turned into a Cinna moment, I just wish he had that last goodbye.
Also, bringing it forward to Catching Fire, hella wild that they allowed Beete to be in the games AGAIN, knowing he was a genius and could possibly work with Katniss to highjack the games.
I actually haven't read all the Hunger Games books (as a teen I read The Hunger Games, and the beginning of Catching Fire, but for whatever reason never got invested all those years ago) but I obviously love the films and am excited for this one. I hope it's done justice.
I wish they would've showed just a bit more to the fallout after the games, him returning to 12 and grappling with what happened to him. That part felt rushed. I would've even loved to read more about that first year after his games, the 51st games and how he coped.
I really enjoyed the characters, all the kids in the games were all very unique. It was nice to see characters we already knew and how they were connected to Haymitch/these games.
I honestly didn't feel a strong connection to Lenore Dove, and it may be for the fact that I love his little relationship with Effie so much that I didn't warm up towards Lenore. She was a recycled Lucy Gray.
The most shocking bit though was the fact that Haymitch unknowingly gave her the gumdrop that leads to her death. It seemed extremely naïve on his part to think Snow would've killed his family but spared his girlfriend? He let his guard down too early, and I would've expected him to be a bit more cautious but, with the grief of the games and his family, seeing a glimpse of happiness and a life he could have with Lenore took over. It does make total sense as to why he becomes an alcoholic, and I don't even blame him.
Call me crazy but I do wish Haymitch would've had a last moment with his mother and brother. Even if it turned into a Cinna moment, I just wish he had that last goodbye.
Also, bringing it forward to Catching Fire, hella wild that they allowed Beete to be in the games AGAIN, knowing he was a genius and could possibly work with Katniss to highjack the games.
I actually haven't read all the Hunger Games books (as a teen I read The Hunger Games, and the beginning of Catching Fire, but for whatever reason never got invested all those years ago) but I obviously love the films and am excited for this one. I hope it's done justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book but at the same time I was hoping for a bit more. It felt like Collins took the easy way out writing another book about the reaping and games without any new nuanced commentary, twists, or even many new characters. Keeping to a limited cast of new characters and the same premise of the games really limited any expansion of the world of Panem. Lenore was basically the same panic pixie dream girl that Lucy was in Songbirds, and there were many characters from the original trilogy that seemed a bit forced into the book for fans to get excited. I really liked Maysilee but that’s about it for new characters with strong development. Also, since we know Haymitch survives, it was hard to feel a lot of tension in the games. Overall it was a “fun” read but doesn’t expand on the original trilogy in the way I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I’m sort of conflicted about how to rate this. It’s a good book, but it really pales in comparison to the other books in the series. It kind of felt like Suzanne Collins was clearing her throat and saying “Since y’all didn’t get it the first time, I’ll be extra clear.” It didn’t add anything new to the world in the same way that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes did, and a lot of the ground was already covered in the summary of Haymitch’s games. Obviously the was more that the Capitol edited out but I thought that went without being said. Because almost the entirety of the book was focused on the games, in some ways I think it says more about Katniss in the original trilogy than it says about Haymitch. I wish more had been said about the resistance efforts outside of the arena.
As a fan though, I was eating this up. Which feels weird. I kind of felt like a Capitolite watching the third quarter quell. All my favorite character are back! The emotions are running high! Kids are dying sure, but doesn’t Haymitch really just play on everyone’s heartstrings? I liked having the lore but this is the weakest book in the series imo.
As a fan though, I was eating this up. Which feels weird. I kind of felt like a Capitolite watching the third quarter quell. All my favorite character are back! The emotions are running high! Kids are dying sure, but doesn’t Haymitch really just play on everyone’s heartstrings? I liked having the lore but this is the weakest book in the series imo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
you know what? i’d be drunk all the time too if i was him. i bawled my eyes out so many times reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Mental illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Abandonment, War