Review: Catching Fire

 Catching Fire (Hunger Games 2) by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.


My Review:
I was so excited to read this book!  I absolutely loved the first one and wondered how the story would continue.  I was not disappointed! In this sequel, Katniss finds herself in the center of a growing unrest in the country.  She begins to realize she has unwittingly fueled a rebellion against the Capitol and although she whole-heartedly believes in it, the stakes are high.  She finds herself confused about her feelings for both Gale and Peeta.  This year's Games are the 3rd Quarter Quell, meaning the 75th anniversary of the start of the Hunger Games.  Every 25 years is a big "celebration" and a new surprise of sorts for the Games, this time is no different and comes as a huge shock to much of the country.  To top it all off, Katniss has to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she is truly in love with Peeta, and soon realizes nothing she does will be enough.
This book is full of danger, suspense and surprises.  I can actually feel the emotions Katniss goes through and feel for her predicament between the two young men in her life.  When the book was finished, I had to force myself to go to bed and not just continue reading the next book!  
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!