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A review by berlinbibliophile
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think the Hunger Games series is the one Young Adult series that really gets its dystopia and resistance right. There are real, brutal stakes, and the book makes it clear over and over again that the real enemy is the Capitol, not the other Districts, who are being oppressed differently, but oppressed nonetheless. The ending of this book makes that perfectly clear, and I think it is the focus, not on the action and the pretty dresses, like in so many other YA dystopias, but on theories of oppression and resistance, and on the terrible consequences that can be the result, that sets this book apart.
The political situation in this book is so much more complicated than in the last book, and I think that this complicated political framework makes the book as good as it is. Again, I strongly recommend it.
2023 reread: God, I love the characterisation in this book. Knowing what's going to happen, seeing Finnick for example realising that his expectation of Katniss was quite wrong. Or seeing Haymitch, Peeta and Katniss all attempt to outmaneuvre each other in the attempt to save each other's lives. This book is so, so good.
2025 reread: If Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was a Hunger Games Prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping is a Catching Fire Prequel. There is so much to discover that is newly contextualised by that book. And the heartbreak is even worse, knowing some of the victors better.
The political situation in this book is so much more complicated than in the last book, and I think that this complicated political framework makes the book as good as it is. Again, I strongly recommend it.
2023 reread: God, I love the characterisation in this book. Knowing what's going to happen, seeing Finnick for example realising that his expectation of Katniss was quite wrong. Or seeing Haymitch, Peeta and Katniss all attempt to outmaneuvre each other in the attempt to save each other's lives. This book is so, so good.
2025 reread: If Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was a Hunger Games Prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping is a Catching Fire Prequel. There is so much to discover that is newly contextualised by that book. And the heartbreak is even worse, knowing some of the victors better.