Picture this: surviving a horrible, brutal fight to the death with your allie, and almost killing yourself to keep both of them together. You think it’s over, but then you have to do it all over again. This is just the beginning. This is what’s happening in Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. The genre of this book is adventure and science fiction. The book takes place in a nation called Panem, which is North America in the future in 2084. Panem has a wealthy Capitol, surrounded by 12 poor, suffering districts. There was a 13th district who tried to rebel against the Capitol, and nobody really knows what happened to them. Each year every district has to sacrifice a boy and a girl to in a fight to death until only one is standing, called the Hunger Games. But, in Katniss and Peeta’s case, there were two winners.

The major character in this book is Katniss Everdeen. In the first book she was 16, but in this book she’s 17 years old. She is very brave and fierce. She is willing to do anything for the people that she loves. She is an average height girl with olive skin. She has long black hair and grey eyes. She lives with her sister, Primrose, and her mother. Her best friend is Gale Hawthorne. By the second book she becomes very close to Peeta, but is still confused about her feelings. In Catching Fire, she becomes the symbol of rebellion in the Capitol. She does what she wants and doesn’t stop for anything. She gets this from her dad, who died in a mine explosion when she was little.

One other important minor character is Peeta Mellark. He lives in District 12 and is the baker’s son. He begins to start having feelings for Katniss during the games, but isn’t sure what to do. He is Katniss’ partner in the Hunger Games. Another important character is Primrose. She is Katniss’ sister and is very sensitive. She’s sweet and kind. In the first book she gets selected as tribute for the game but Katniss volunteered. Another important character is Gale Hawthorne. Gale is Katniss’ best friend from District 12. He’s very strong and brave. Finnick Odair is another important character. He’s in the 75th Hunger Games with Katniss and Peeta and are a good ally to them. Lastly, an important character is President Snow. He’s the antagonist of the novel and rules the Capitol. He’s coming after Katniss because he believes she is the start of a rebellion against the Capitol.

The plot starts when Katniss and Peeta win the 74th Hunger Games together. They then go home back to their district. They think their troubles are over, but they’ve only just started. They still have to go on their Victory Tour, and President Snow has been watching Katniss because of what she did at the Games. He thinks she’s a sign of rebellion. They go on the victory tour and their first stop is District 11, where Katniss’ allie from the first games, Rue, died. They get back from the tour and they hear an announcement that will change their lives. Plutarch, the new gamemaker announced that the 75th Hunger Games, or the Quarter Quell, will have a twist. The tributes will be previous winners. This means Peeta and Katniss have to go into the games again. They go, and they’re surrounded by water. It’s like a jungle. They realized something vital about the arena that helps them win. They meet some new allies, like Finnick and Wiress, and another one, Beetee, has an important weapon. Katniss puts this on her arrow and shoots it up at the arena, which was a forcefield, and the whole thing shakes. There’s chaos and they all think they’re going to die. Suddenly, Katniss is taken up in a plane with some of her allies. Who was flying the plane? Where was Peeta? She had so many questions but suddenly she sees Gale, who breaks the news to her that District 12 is gone forever.

This book is a really good book. All together, it’s a really well made book. The book has a great balance of adventure, suspense, and love. The ending leaves you wondering,and wanting to read the next book. No part of it is boring and it’s so interesting you won’t want to stop reading until the last page. The audience I recommend reading this is young adults. It might be scary for younger kids, but teens could handle it. They would enjoy this book because it teaches you about being a leader, staying strong, and how love overpowers everything. Overall,I give this book a high rating and recommend you reading it. It’ll keep you guessing until the end and having you taken to another world.