Collins weaves in enough background for this novel to stand alone, but it will be a far richer experience for those who have read the first installment and come to love Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and the rest of the desperate residents of this dystopia. 'Beyond the expert world building, the acute social commentary and the large cast of fully realized characters, there's action, intrigue, romance and some amount of hope in a story readers will find completely engrossing. But the star remains Katniss, whose bravery, honesty and wry cynicism carry the narrative.Collins has also created an exquisitely tense romantic triangle for her book's end (and it's a cliffhanger), readers will be picking sides-Peeta or Gale?' Characters from the previous volume reappear to good effect: Katniss's stylist, Cinna, proves he's about more than fashion Haymitch becomes more dimensional. '.doesn't disappoint when it segues into the pulse-pounding action readers have come to expect. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer as a writer of children's books that adults are eager to read.'

'Gladiator' meets 'Project Runway' in Suzanne Collins's gripping dystopian novel 'The Hunger Games' and its new sequel, 'Catching Fire.' Collins has joined J.K.

What's really scary is when adults pretend that such things don't exist.' They know all about violence and power and raw emotions. Kids are physical creatures, and they're not stupid. But that just goes to show how much adults forget about what it's like to be a child. 'Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power.The Hunger Games and Catching Fire expose children to exactly the kind of violence we usually shield them from.

And if you were dying to find out what happens after the last book, get ready for pure torture awaiting the next.' Honestly, this book only needs to be good enough to satisfy its legions of fans. 'Again, Collins' crystalline, unadorned prose provides an open window to perfect pacing and electrifying world-building, but what's even more remarkable is that aside from being tremendously action-packed sf thrillers, these books are also brimming with potent themes of morality, obedience, sacrifice, redemption, love, law, and, above all, survival. She has written a sequel that improves upon the first book.'

The catching fire book