There's more to life than reading, but it's a good place to start

I guess I didn't feel the impact of the cliffhanger as I already had Mockingjay sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read, the minute I had read the final page of Catching Fire I just picked up where it left off and started reading the final part of this awesome trilogy!

I will agree with other reviewers and say that the first act of this book isn't going to inspire you particularly but keep going, it gets a whole lot better.

Before I read this book I was aware that Katniss would face a second Hunger Games. I thought how boring, how unimaginative ... I was wrong. The plot fits together, makes perfect sense and is just brilliantly woven. The whole book just has a sense of urgency about it, a building momentum that you just can't leave until you find you have read the entire book in two days. It's so much more raw and feeling than the first book. The characters are much better developed and with a depth that makes you feel like you're right there, fighting alongside them. I even found myself warming up to Peta this time round which I just couldn't during reading the first book.

I am not a fan of love triangles, all that comes to mind when I imagine a love triangle is deathly boredom ... Not so during Catching Fire as it doesn't read as a standard love triangle. There are much greater forces driving it. This is a love triangle which must occur to maintain peace in Panem, not just to satisfy the whims of a starry eyed teenage girl. And for this reason it was easier to swallow. I'll admit, some of it was a little unbelievable and at times I just felt like Katniss needed a good shake, and an insistence to make up her mind, however the tension throughout the book makes it reasonable to believe she has other things on her mind!

If you even enjoyed The Hunger Games only somewhat, I would strongly suggest you continue reading this next instalment as it only gets better. The writing style is more focused, the characters only improve with time and the plot sucks you right in. I don't like to hear of people's instance to read between the lines of this trilogy .... Just take it for what it is, a darn good story to get lost in. That is a job it does very well.

x