A review by kenzieburns
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was my favorite installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. When reading, I was surprised that the actual Games only made up the last third or so of the book - I had forgotten that there was such extensive discussion of the victory tour and events leading up to the next Games in the early parts of the novel. I feel that Collins did a great job balancing the action and character development in this book, unlike in the other two books in this series. We really got to see multiple sides of Katniss, from her fake in love with Peeta girlish persona to her fiercely protective of Gale to her stubbornness and anger when she realizes she's always just been a piece in everyone else's Games. Some characters did not get the same level of attention from the author when it came to character development, and I found myself wanting more discussion of the relationship between Haymitch and Katniss, as I think he is somewhat of a father figure to her, but in an "I hate that I love him" kind of way. I think Collins could have spent more time digging out their relationship and how they play off of each other in both good and bad ways. I also think, on this re-read and knowing how the story comes to an end, I picked up on a lot more foreshadowing than I would have if I didn't know the general storyline. For this reason, I was really able to appreciate some of the more intricate details and foreshadowing that Collins played with leading up to the Games. Overall, I really liked this book compared to the other ones in the series, but there was definitely room for improvement in writing style and relationship development.