Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: September 1, 2009
Genre: young adult
Hardcover: 391 pages
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): 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.
My Thoughts: Picking up right where The Hunger Games left off, Suzanne Collins pulls you deeper into the world of Panem with the second novel in this trilogy. After a brief recap, you are back in Katniss's world of District 12, but everything has changed now. Not only has she won the games, but she has changed as a character. Collins makes you aware of this from the beginning, that there is something changing with in Katniss, that she is grappling with something that she might not ever be able to come to terms with. I loved that Collins lets this build throughout the novel, this angst that Katniss is dealing with.
I also loved that Collins keeps you guessing throughout the entire novel. Just when I think I know what will happen next, she throws a curveball and surprises you. The suspense continues to build and you are wondering, "What is going to happen next?!?" For me, this is a mark of a great action novel. You have no clue what's going to happen next, how Katniss will handle this, how Peeta will react, what Haymitch will do. I also liked that Haymitch was featured more prominently in this novel. Although Katniss doesn't always follow his advice, the reader is able to learn more about him and how he became a victor.
The other great thing about this book? The ending! Seriously, such a cliffhanger! I was just lucky that I was able to get both books from the library at the same time or I would have been a very unhappy reader! As I said in my last review, I don't read young adult novels, but this trilogy is something worth taking a look at. If you have wondered whether to read it or not, just give it a chance!
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