Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

5 Stars. Highly recommended.

Suzanne Collins has done it again. Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, is just as emotionally charged as the first book. It quickly grips the reader by the heart and squeezes. Raw emotions are ever present. Survival is number one on the hierarchy of need but big surprises await Katniss, Peeta and Gale, ones they could never have predicted. The dark and powerful Capitol looms large over the lives of everyone in the 12 districts, and President Snow wants revenge...

I don't read book jackets because they contain a certain measure of spoileriness and I like to be surprised, so I'll never write a review that gives anything away. Suffice to say, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are intense must read books about a future dystopian North America. (Lots of big words in that sentence but I'm not but a humble pirate. Argh!)

Suzanne Collin's active writing style pulls the reader in. There's nothing passive or extraneous in the writing, not a single verb or adjective is out of place. Every word, every sentence, every dialogue propels the story forward and all we can do is hold on. Just enough back story is layered in to remind the reader of important events from book one. Descriptions are brief but distinct. The reader knows the characters and the environment -very much a character in its own right- without being hammered over the head with details. The author leaves room for readers to use their imaginations and personalize everything. Deep point of view allows us to know and love Catniss Everdeen. She's strong yet vulnerable, but never evokes pity. She's our girl on fire.

Book three can't come soon enough! The book is brilliant and I'll read the series again, which for me, is really saying something.

Let me know what you think. Happy Reading!