Chapter Six: Catching Fire (Hunger Games II)

Once I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of this book (at first the college and town libraries' copies were out), I burned right through it!  While the writing itself remained a bit wimpy, the plot thickened deliciously.  Politics take much more of a role in this book than in The Hunger Games, and this added a really interesting dimension to the book, especially given the vitriolic election season that was gripping the nation as I was reading it.  Katniss is allowed to mature nicely, by no means overcoming all of her flaws, but having another chance to face up to them.  But beware--the ending's a real cliffhanger!  It was all I could do to restrain myself from forgoing my homework and starting the next book immediately upon finishing Catching Fire.