Catching Fire

I actually finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy a while ago, but I was traveling a little bit and then with it being Christmas, I didn't get a chance to write my response right away. As it turns out, I'm about 3/4 of the way through Mockingjay at the moment, but I'm hoping I can keep the plots and events separate enough in my mind to have this be strictly Catching Fire. That being said, these are my thoughts: there was so much about this book that completely surprised me. I honestly didn't see so many of the twists and turns coming (spoiler alert: making the victors go back into the Games? Wow. I was literally blown away.) I loved the surprises and I loved the plot of this one; I became even more endeared to the characters and couldn't wait to keep reading and see what would happen to them in this new, elevated in government-control Panem. The "spark" created by Katniss at the end of The Hunger Games grows into a full-fledged Capitol problem that becomes an even bigger problem for Katniss, Peeta, and the residents of District 12. I think I can say that I loved this book just as much as the first one, despite the fact that it ends with a cliffhanger that stopped my heart momentarily....but more on that when I finish Mockingjay and write about that one.