Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just earned for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules, and now there are rumors of rebellion in the districts. Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.[1]
Catching Fire, in my opinoin, is an amazing novel; it shows the beginning of the gradual process of revolution, which is explored more deeply in the next novel, Mockingjay. Catching Fire is my favorite book of this series, and probably my all-time favorite book also. There is so much going on throughout this novel, and I loved reading all of the short character-development scenes that add depth to the story.
After Peeta finds out Katniss was acting in the 74th arena at the end of the last book, they are on bad terms. In the beginning of Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are still not talking to each other, and whenever they have an encounter, it is very tense. This is not the fault of either of them; it was just a misunderstanding of intentions. They eventually make up during the Victory Tour, agreeing that being friends would make the whole situation easier than if they were not. After touring a few districts, however, Katniss sees that just reciting speeches is not going to help subdue the districts, and she suggests getting married to Peeta. Peeta, understandably, is not happy about this. He has actually been in love with Katniss since he was a child, and being able to be with her under these circumstances of necessity hurts him more than not being able to be with Katniss in the first place. He wants to be with her for real, and doesn’t want Katniss to feel like she has no choice other than being with him. Katniss doesn’t understand this, as she has never been in love nor understands what it feels like. She is just thinking objectively while trying to save her and her family’s lives, and is not thinking about the idea of the future with Peeta.
Throughout this whole novel, we see Katniss having many different nightmares and flashbacks to the 74th games. This shows how traumatized Katniss is from the games, and how it affects her daily life, even after she has won. This is also one thing that helps Katniss and Peeta bond throughout this book. They talk about their nightmares a few times, and even when they don’t feel like talking about them, they mutually understand each other when they talk about their experiences and how the games affected them. During the Victory Tour, they started sharing beds to comfort each other whenever they inevitably woke up from terrifying nightmares. This makes the adults around them nervous for completely different reasons, which Katniss thinks is completely ridiculous.
After they return from the Victory Tour, Katniss is scared for the lives of her family. On the train ride home from the Capitol, she sees live footage of a rebellion in District 8 that erupted after she left. She failed to smother the rebellion in the districts, and Snow said there will be consequences for that. She tries to convince Gale to leave with both their families while hunting in the woods, but as soon as she mentions bringing Peeta and Haymitch to save their lives, Gale refuses. He is jealous of Peeta, which is childish in this situation, but he also believes that they should not just leave the district, because many people are still being hurt under this government, and, especially with all of the rebel actions lately, there could be a real chance at changing things. Katniss does not fully understand this, and is just thinking about the safety and well-being of her family.
After peacekeepers militarize 12, however, Katniss’ perspective changes. Before, she wanted to escape into the woods to protect her family, but now, she is going to stay in 12, and hopefully incite a rebellion. Her internal monologue throughout this book is very juvenile; she constantly changes her mind about things and is very confused about what she wants from life and the reasons behind her own actions.
The whole part of the book about Bonnie and Twill is lost in the movie adaptation, which leaves out a large plot point and makes the twist at the end of the novel of District 13 being involved in the rebellion seem spontaneous and random. The militarization of 12 really adds tension to the story; it almost squashes Katniss’ idea of starting an uprising in 12, and demonstrates the Capitol’s control over their districts. Bonnie and Twill are also a very impactful addition to the story, giving Katniss and the reader more information about other districts, as well as introducing the idea that District 13 might not be a desolate wasteland..
One of my favorite scenes of this book is when she goes to return home from the woods to find the fence suddenly electrified, injuring herself as she jumps over it. When she returns home, she calmly handles questioning from peacekeepers before they leave. This scene is one of my favorites, mainly because it’s just enjoyable to read. The playful banter between Katniss, Haymitch and Peeta about candy is nice, and we don’t get many scenes of the characters just existing in peace. It’s refreshing to see the characters having a good time, even if it’s not fully authentic.
The Quarter Quell is also a very interesting part of the novel; the victors outright going against the Capitol and the Capitol citizens yelling for the games to be cancelled is a very significant part of the story, and it shows how the Capitol is losing grip on even their own citizens, as they can now see the inhuman aspects of the games. The games themselves are also very interesting, with the arena being a clock with different stages of horror being especially well-thought-out. The panic at the end of the novel after the wire is snapped is very disorienting, mirroring Katniss’ own perspective of events, and the plot twist at the end of District 12 being destroyed is very unexpected and leaves readers wanting more.
- Collins, Suzanne. “The Hunger Games #2: Catching Fire.” Scholastic, Scholastic Inc., 2009, scholastic.com. Accessed 8 June 2026.
