Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 391 pages

"Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Pellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying." -Cover

Oh. My. Goodness. This sequel to The Hunger Games was possibly even better than the first book which was amazing!! It's a good thing I told myself before I started it that I had to get up after each chapter and do something productive. Even still, I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. (My house is now very clean.)

Suzanne Collins is a gifted storyteller and a master of suspense. She takes you places you never expected to go. The Capitol and president are so twisted and evil. At one point in this book my jaw dropped when I read what was about to happen to Katniss. I did not even see it coming. I love when that happens! Not only do you get tons of action you also get two equally lovable male characters which leads to a great love triangle. I'm still torn as to who Katniss should choose. I'd take them both!

Catching Fire and The Hunger Games are probably my favorite books of the year. They are so much fun - definitely for at least age 13 and up though. My only complaint is that they left me hanging in a major way and I'm dreading the fact that I'll probably have to wait a year for book 3. In the mean time, I'll be reading this over and over again.