Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Say one thing for Suzanne Collins, she writes incredibly addictive stuff. Much like the Hunger Games before it, this book was down-right un-put-down-able. And frankly, after some of the crap I've been reading lately, that alone is a relief and enough to guarantee this book a positive review.
Apart from the pace and quality of the writing, though, everything about Catching Fire is weaker than the Hunger Games. The plot is down right stupid. The following contains massive spoilers: Really Snow, you decide that the 75th hunger games is going to feature winners from previous games and you don't expect either that the populace is going to turn against you or that the tributes (most of whom have known each other for years) are going to plot something against you? How did you get to be president again? cause it wasn't brains, buddy...
Likewise, the actual hunger games in the book are kind of weak. They don't take up all that many pages of the book, which is good, because I was bored with the whole idea by the time we get there (and I think maybe Ms. Collins was too). But on the other hand, since so little time is spent in the arena we don't get nearly the same emotional attachment to the other tributes and hence their gruesome deaths are much less affecting.
As for the climax, I'm fine with the book ending abruptly. It sets up good momentum to carry the reader into the next book, but the leadup to the dramatic ending could have used 10 more good pages of set up. I knew I was coming to the end of the book from the dwindling number of pages remaining, but from the text, there was seemingly no change of momentum until SUDDENLY BIG FINISH!
Still, the resting momentum of these books is beyond breathless, so count this one as recommended.
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