By Susan Collins

The second book in the Hunger Games series and for anyone who has read my previous review. I had to read the first book for Uni, and then I went through the rest of the trilogy.

Here is the back of the book.

“Katniss Everdeen survived the Hunger Games. Now, the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the capital- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher that ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.”

My spoiler-free review. This is a perfect way to ramp up the intrigue from the first book. Turns out the fear from the end of the first book has not gone away. Readers beware: this book will pull on your heartstrings and make you scared and excited to turn the page.

Now for the spoiled review

I have three things I would like to talk about.

The first thing is about President Snow telling Katniss that she needs to convince him that she is madly in love with Peeta. Only for it not to be enough. I believe that there was nothing Katniss could have done, and this was all to keep Katniss’s focus on stopping a rebellion rather than fanning the flames. Because all it would take was Katniss saying the wrong thing in the wrong place, that could destroy the Capital much faster. After all, if Katniss was executed she would become a martyr for the rebels. Even knowing it now, it’s still heartbreaking when she “fails”.

The second thing is the crack down on District 12 from the new Peace Keepers. What the Capital does to District 12 is laser pointed to prevent Katniss from getting her district to rebel. To the new whipping post which punishes the District for things they hadn’t worried about for decades. The mines are closed for 2 weeks, meaning that the poorest citizens living in the seam will not get paid. Then we had the delay of package day, so all the food was spoiled and rotten. All of this is to break the spirit of anyone who would have wanted to rebel. This all comes to a district that is starving, and they know who to blame. After all, if Katniss is the reason this is happening, why would you go with her? It is terrifying how perfect it is.

My third and final thought is the Quarter Quell. That is bringing the victors back to fight in another Hunger Games. Outside of the horror, you can get to see what the other victors look like. Many times, you can see those who, like Hamish, have tried to drown their emotions with drink or other substances to handle what they saw and did. Others seemed to have a better handle on things, but that may be because some of the Districts have therapists to deal with the PTSD. After all, I they are training children to win the Hunger Games, why wouldn’t they help them deal with the consequences?

And when we get to the actual Game, it seems that the Game Makers want to kill off the victors as fast as possible. From the fact that the cornucopia has only weapons to lack of water naturally available. Along with the difference that unlike in any other Hunger Games, every tribute has been a victor, this means that they are better at killing each other. Then we get to all the nastiness around the clock. This Game was a lot deadlier than the last one. This all suggests that the game makers are trying to find anyone who will be the best at fighting back. If things went the way the Capital wanted, the Districts would lose many people they could fight behind.

But that is all I have for you. I hope you stick around for next week’s review. Until next time.

Happy reading to all, and to all a good night.