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Sep
01
Big Release Day: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2009 at 9am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published today, September 1, 2009 by Scholastic
Before I read The Hunger Games back in July, all I really knew about this series was that people couldn’t get enough of it. My coworkers loved it. My teacher clients couldn’t stop talking about it. A sixth grade teacher at a nearby school read the first two chapters to her class, and that afternoon, FIFTEEN of her students came in desperate to find the book and read the rest of the story. That is a bookseller’s dream.
So I took The Hunger Games on vacation and devoured it in pretty much one sitting. I loved it for the balance of character development and fast-paced plot. I loved it for having a strong female main character who I think stands as the perfect antidote to certain whiny teenage heroines who fall in love with certain sparkly vampires. I loved the internal conflict Katniss experiences as she does whatever it takes to survive while struggling to make sense of her experience and do what she feels is right.
And of course, I loved all that angsty romantic tension, wondering if she would actually fall for Peeta or return to Gale.
When I handsell this book to customers (and let me tell you, this is one of those books that lends itself perfectly to handselling), I talk about how it has a little bit of everything: solid writing, a compelling storyline, action, adventure, a little romance, and multiple layers of conflict. Reluctant readers like it because it moves along quickly, and seasoned pros appreciate how thoroughly Collins creates Katniss’s world and fills in the gaps about how it got that way in the first place.
And did I mention that it’s impossible to put down?
So what about Catching Fire? I thought it was even better than The Hunger Games! No sophomore slump or middle-of-the-trilogy boredom here! Catching Fire picks up a few months after Katniss and Peeta return from the Games, and it jumps right into the action. Uprisings are happening, and Katniss isn’t totally out of danger, and there’s still all that “will they, won’t they” stuff with Peeta….and Gale.
I’m not going to give away anything about the plot, but I have to say that there was a whole lot I didn’t see coming. And I love it when that happens. Catching Fire moves at a faster pace because it doesn’t have all of the backstory that was necessary in The Hunger Games, and Collins does a nice job of reminding the reader of important details we learned in the first book. This book is a bit more nuanced than the first, with more foreshadowing and little hints that turn out to be very important, and I am so excited to finally be able to put it in readers’ hands today.
So ignore the poorly done Entertainment Weekly review. No one really wants Katniss and Peeta (or Katniss and Gale) to have the so-called “erotic energy” of Twilight that I thought was certainly creepy but far from alluring. That’s not what these books are about.
Catching Fire is part fantasy, part dystopian novel, part adventure, and a tiny part romance, but it is 100% awesome.
Visit Suzanne Collins’s website to learn more about her writing and The Hunger Games Trilogy, and head over to GalleySmith to grab a badge showing your support for Peeta or Gale. Me? I like Gale better, but when it comes down to it, I just want to see Katniss do well.
So I preordered this AND put it on hold at the library. Basically I’m determined to read it ASAP. In the next few hours I’ll find out if I’m getting it today, I guess. Their 10 copies at the library were all ‘in processing’ yesterday, so I’m hoping that means they’ll be ready first thing this morning, just in case my copy doesn’t get here today.
Oh those reluctant readers! My son is one of them. I wish I could get him excited over a book. I will try to read him some of The Hunger Games and see if it clicks.
I’m seeing Catching Fire everywhere today and I just hope my Amazon order ships ASAP! It’s not officially out until the 7th here but I think they’re shipping early.
you’re the second blog on which I’ve seen this (these) book(s) mentioned and so am scribbling the titles into my book list “journal.” And, I enjoyed this review as well – thanks!
Sounds like EW was looking for a Twilight clone. And I’m sorry, but Renesmee is a WAY dopier name than Peeta.
When I picked up my copy yesterday–almost as soon as the store opened–I think I may have talked three more people into checking out The Hunger Games. (I declared to the whole store–well, anyone within earshot–that I intended to have read Catching Fire twice by the time my family arrives on Saturday.)
I’ve read it now (once), and it has met my every expectation and thensome. I am, though, looking forward to more character development of the guys in the third book. (How long do we have to wait?)
Catching Fire definitely didn’t disappoint me, but I was a little surprised by the transformations in Katniss’s character! Without spoiling anything here, I thought she was being… pretty naive about certain issues happening elsewhere in Panem! And that surprised me.
Still, it was impossible to put down… I had to stay up late to finish it and am so feeling it right now! But I’m definitely glad to have rejoined Katniss on her journey… can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
I couldn’t agree more, this book was even better than The Hunger Games and that says a LOT. Particularly given my love of that book. I also agree that the main big twist caught me totally off guard. I was already in the “waiting for the other shoe to drop” mode but honestly that wasn’t at all what I thought would happen. What a great twist to bring to the book and what a wonderful writer Collins is for doing it so unexpectedly. I totally *heart* her!
Seriously….waiting a year for the next book will be excruciating.
Better than The Hunger Games? Wow!
I can’t wait for my copy to get here.
[...] 56. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins [...]
As i read this book until 12 AM in my bed i couldnt stop The hunger games and Catching fire has been one of my first books i have liked for over 5 years i cant wait to see if a third one comes out…
LOVED this book. You are so right that it is better than the first. I just read Hunger Games for our book club, and by chance found the new book at costco a few days later. Devoured both books each in one sitting. Great reading. Can’t wait for the next.
Simply amazing!!!! I cant wait for the third book