The Hunger Games

Collins continues her all-out assault on everything she finds wrong with Western culture by putting Katniss through more hell on Earth.

There are fewer irritating little flaws in this volume (though some carry over from The Hunger Games) but, as if to compensate there is one big flaw; Katniss goes back into the arena. With Peeta. Again. This makes the latter-most two thirds or so of the book so closely a repeat of the first volume that it leaves one thinking, couldn't you come up with a more interesting idea?

It's still utterly gripping, though.

Okay, I'm a bit hooked on the storyline here, but I just want to slap Kat for not knowing what's going on. The foreshadowing is incredibly heavy handed, which essentially made the end anticlimactic.

A thrilling read - and it's not just about the Hunger Games anymore. As good or better than the first book. Maybe it's just my cold heart, but I'm glad this one wasn't as cheesy sentimental as the first one - why do I not care about Rue's death?

[guessing at the star rating / mining my old FB notes now that they are almost impossible to find]

there's a danger in the second book of a trilogy: trying to keep the momentum of the first, while saving the real action for the last. at first i thought this book was going to be too predictable: oh look, another games. and instead of rue, an infirm old lady impossible to protect. and another lie/secret for katniss to keep throughout the games.

but i didn't expect peeta's latest declaration; that was good. and then the plot didn't even revolve around this latest lie - instead the hunger games switched in tone as the tributes found solidarity. that was a nice touch. of course the ending wasn't a real ending at all; just a set-up for the next book. i'll be devouring that soon :)

"We victors staged our own uprising, and maybe, just maybe, the Capitol won't be able to contain this one."

A thrilling second instalment of what's shaping up to be a very enjoyable series indeed. The first book stood alone quite well, but the end of this one leaves us in no doubt that there's more on the way. Almost up until the very end, there's this great feeling of domination by the Capitol, so much that it's hard to see what our rebels can hope to accomplish. Still, there's bound to be something, and hopefully the third and final book will reveal all.