Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

So a couple of hours later and I've finished the second book in the trilogy.  Still a fast engaging read, but I don't think that I liked it as much as the first one.

I found the love triangle thing to be a bit overplayed so that I was starting to get tired of it.  Oh, be quiet Katniss - it's not all about you.  And I was a bit disappointed that time rushed forward until we were back in the Hunger Games again - a bit of a recycled plot point.  And they weren't as brilliantly written as in the first book where the suspense was really getting to me - a little ho hum and let me wait for the ending.

But what I did really like about this book was some of the background into the dystopian world that it takes place in.  There were hints of it in the first book, but much more of the back story was given in this book.  A little bit Margaret Atwood-ian at times - think of the world of The Handmaid's Tale or the MaddAdam books (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and the book yet to be released).  The author has taken things that are happening today and spinning them out of control into the future.  Genetic engineering, nuclear technology, climate change, reality television, increasing gap between rich/poor and powerful/powerless.

And given the ending of this book (which I'm not going to give away here!), I have hopes that the third book will continue to explore this dystopian world.  Now on to Mockingjay - I'm not sure that I will get it done by bedtime though - that post may need to wait a day or two.  I do love long weekends!