Catching Fire

At some point during a six-hour round trip to and from Northern Vermont, I finished this book, the middle piece of the Hunger Games trilogy. It's hard to even talk about this story without spoiling certain aspects of the first one, so I won't even do so. Suffice it to say, the book was partially what I had hoped and expected it would be, but still managed to completely and utterly surprise me at points. And not always in a good way. Things started out slow; while it only took me three or four sittings to finish the first book, this one has been an ongoing project for two weeks now, with roughly two thirds of the effort coming today. In fact, it really wasn't until almost exactly halfway through the book that a distinct relegation occurred, allowing the second half of the book to have a very interesting (and familiar) feel. Loose ends abound, and certain questions and plot points remain wide open for a number of possible conclusions in the third and final book of the trilogy, the recently release Mockingjay. All in all, I'd call this book slightly weaker than it's precedent, if only because of a general lack of focus and direction this time around. Still, you'll be sure to hear my thoughts on the series' conclusion soon enough. And you'll be hearing from Webber on the subject too, I'm sure, as he has just started into Mockingjay as well. Not that it's a race or anything. (But if it was, I'd totally call foul on Webber's head start.)