Over the weekend, I finished Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. From Amazon:
Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Katniss deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.
Similar to The Hunger Games, I read the majority of this book in one day because once I got going, I couldn't put it down. My friend Amanda read these as they came out & she was telling me how awful it was when she finished Catching Fire & then had to wait almost a year for Mockingjay to come out. I usually save books like these & read them as a sort of palette cleanser between heavier books, but my friend was right. The minute I finished Catching Fire, I dove right into Mockingjay & am now almost through with that.
This trilogy is marketed in a way that's possibly not grabbing your attention: they're for tweens, they're sci fi, futuristic, etc., but trust me, these books are good! Highly recommend them. Plus, you'll read them in a day or two, so no major time lost if you hate them, which you totally won't.