Earlier this year, I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I loved it.  I’m talking 5 out of 5 stars, must tell everyone I know about this book LOVED it.  It had everything I wanted in a story – action, adventure, kick-ass heroine, well-developed side characters, and a hint of relationship stuff (but not so much that I started to gag). 

Last month, the sequel was released – Catching Fire.

I am not going to post any spoilers because the thing that made reading Hunger Games and Catching Fire so great was how little I knew about them before I started.  But let’s just say that Catching Fire has everything Hunger Games had, but kicked up a notch.  It picks up right where we left off… 

That being said, I give Catching Fire 4 out of 5 stars because of the usual reasons with middle books – this book is more about setting things up for the grand finale than anything else so the ending is a lot rougher than Hunger Games, which felt like the first Star Wars movie – yeah, there was more to do, but it had a satisfying ending for the biggest story. 

With Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins knows that she owns us, that we are invested in these characters, and that we’ll be expecting that cliffhanger.  And she gives it to us.  I read the last page several times, trying to figure out exactly what it all meant because I know I have another year before I found out what happens. 

Seriously, why are you reading this post?  You should be reading Hunger Games or Catching Fire RIGHT NOW!