Catching Fire

85/100
Catching Fire is a definite improvement on the first book. While The Hunger Games had a lot of general appeal, I felt that Catching Fire was much more human in its presentation of what was happening to the characters. The victory tour portion near the beginning did drag a little, but it really wasn't long, I mostly just think that the things that Suzanne Collins thought would make things interesting during that part didn't work because we already knew the Capital sucks. Everything past this good, though; whereas the human elements of the first book felt slightly manufactured, this did not because it more closely relates to real world situations. (I understand that the existence of the hunger games is supposed to mirror the iraq war and how it was portrayed in the media, but the concept still doesn't closely relate to what happens to real people in practice.) This book has depictions of fear and violence that mirror real life in ways that the drama-focused angle of the first book can't. I'll say that there is a thematic reason for this, in that you realize over time that the threats she's been dealing with do show up in some form in our own world, but the credit still goes to books 2 and 3 for conveying that theme. The Games portion of this book is very well done, but I find the middle area more compelling, all the way from Gale's whipping to Katniss' preparation to enter the Games. The drama is just extremely well done and captivating. The Games portion is smart, much more smartly written than anything in the first book, and the twist at the end is something I did NOT expect, that had me rereading the ending to really realize the magnitude of what it meant. It explained some things that I initially was weary about and was just a good way to wrap things up and make the stage for the finale. I do want to say that there are a couple parts I don't like. this applies to the first book arguably more than it does here, but I mention it here and not in my The Hunger Games review because it has a much better reason not to exist here, and it's the convenient life-saving that happens during the Games. I understand that there was a need to keep Peeta and Katniss alive that was understood by the ally group, but it got a bit eye-rolling, especially at the part where she's about to be eaten by monkeys and suddenly they all die. Like wow, cool way to solve the problem Katniss, you did absolutely nothing and just got away. That's not frustrating, predictable or contrived at all. The reason I say this has a much better reason not to be present in this book is because to me, its lense is supposed to be less manufactured and more raw, exploring the real, grounded consequences of the superficial nature of Panem's government. This scene, while still kind of sucking, would be excusable in the first book because it's still in the “fight to the death + drama” era of the series. Shit like this shouldn't be happening 3/4 into the second book. Overall though, it's a great read. I admire its structure, presentation of character drama, its depiction of the warning signs of the revolution and the shining personality as well as emotion that Katniss' narration brings.