Week ? / 2017 - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

So I just finished reading Catching Fire. I know it has taken me a while, but honestly im not a big reader, and sometimes it takes me a little while to finish books. Honestly its not the fault of Catching Fire for taking me so long to read it, it just falls under the same problems sequels always do they slow down. The first book had you hooked from the beginning. Everything from experiencing all these new "wonders" that Katniss discovers when she goes to the capital for the first time, to the intensity of her surviving in her first hunger games. It made for a pretty easy read for me (if you dont trust me, just go read my review). Unfortunately the second book starts off pretty slow, and we dont even get to the hunger games portion until the last chapters of the book.

  I have been thinking a lot about how to write these reviews. Mostly its been about how to review the book without giving too much detail away, or spoiling any of the big moments in the book. I thought that maybe deciding on some categories and using those categories to rate the book.

1 - Story:
The story is what you would expect from a young-adult book. Plenty of action and plenty of romance combine for a very interesting story. A lot of people like to compare the Hunger Games and the Divergent series, but to be honest they are nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is the young adult genre (that and a strong female lead character). I would say if you have not read this book or the series, then to definitely give them a read. They can be read relatively quickly (if you are not lazy), and the stories are generally pretty good. Definitely will not be dissapointed here.

2 - Characters:
Another strong point of the series is its characters. I dont think I have come across a character that I do not like in this series of books, besides any of the antagonists. As you read you learn new things about each characters personality and the way they think, and that is something I really enjoy that about this book series. You definitely get a deeper connection to the characters especially after the announcement of the quarter quell. You get to meet a few new faces, such as; Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, Beete and Wiress, and Plutarch Havensbee just to name a few.

3 - Readability:
This is something that I take very seriously when it comes to books. I find that if a book is hard to read, no matter the story, it makes it unpleasant and I just dont want to read it. The beginning was a little hard to get through, but after I made it over the hump I really started to enjoy the story. I think that knowing at least somewhat what happens from watching the movies makes these earlier books a little more difficult to read, but still enjoy all the extra detail you get with the books. Overall I would say that just get through the first 10 chapters before deciding whether or not you want to continue reading.

4 - Action:
This series is most definitely know for is action. From killer fog, to trident throwing, to Katnisss' killer shot, there is plenty of action to go around. Seriously though, the beginning doesnt have a whole lot (beisdes a whipping), but the second half of the book will quench your action thirst.

Welp thats about all I could think of on categories. As an overall, I enjoyed the book but I probably wont ever read it again. I just unfortunately did not like the beginning of the book, even though the second half and end were really good. Give it a read and see if you like it.

As always,
Andrew