Katniss Everdeen has survived the first Hunger Games, and after winning the battle to the death in a dystopian science-fiction future, she finds herself in a situation that compromises the shreds that remain of her life: her family, friends, home, and her teammate in the games, Peeta, whatever he is—love interest, ally, or something else entirely different. When these are threatened, Katniss is forced to resort to extreme measures in order to save the world as she knows it. As she tries to save those close to her, the world outside is rising into turmoil, and Katniss may be the only one who can stop it. That is when she needs to make the gravest decision of all; should she even try?

I enjoyed this book greatly, mostly because of the writing style, and the fast-paced adventure. In this sequel to The Hunger Games, the characters develop in the face of difficulty, and not to be cheesy, but the plot thickens. The narrative takes a darker turn than that of its prequel, with politics mixing into the novel, making it more realistic, but subsequently less of an enjoyable escape, which I preferred in The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins weaves a riveting story, with strong and diverse characters, intriguing themes, and many twists and turns.

I would recommend this to readers of Suzanne Collins’ first novel, and to any avid reader of the science fiction genre. I also believe that a small interest in simple politics would greatly contribute to their enjoyment of the book. Action and adventure lovers would enjoy Catching Fire, and there is also a small survivalist component in the book that I particularly enjoyed. To conclude, I think that lots of readers could enjoy this book, or sections of this book at least, since there are a lot of elements to the novel. I can’t say that readers would enjoy the whole book however. The book was well written over all and will not let the fans of The Hunger Games down, although the book is very clearly written for another sequel.

For similar reads, I would recommend all Hunger Games novels, the Maze Runner series, the Divergent series, and John Green novels. Other novels with strong female leads include Circe by Madeline Miller, as well as Alias Grace and The Handmaid’s Tale, both by Margaret Atwood.