If you haven't read book 1, please go back to the first step and repeat. There is no point starting here. Else, carry on...
Book 2 is interesting. The battle was over, the heroine is alive, the love interest had declared his love and sacrificed himself countless times for her. She even saved him a few times and found herself falling in love. The Plucky Young Things have defied the evil regime.
Except it's not as simple as that is it? The first part of the book is explaining how despite all this, the girl can't ignore the other person in her life before the love interest, she can't defy a regime and remain unpunished, although the games are over she's still fighting for her life.
We begin to see that Katniss' attempt to stay alive has began to disgruntle people, suggest that maybe it isn't right they should live as slaves only to be forced to celebrate as their children die. But Katniss is survivor and she still isn't interested than this, any problem she will still only boil down to the small bit of innocence she can see and protect, her sister. So whilst her family could be taken away any minute she'll play ball and do anything she can, just like in the first book.
But then comes the second reveal, it isn't enough, she hasn't suffered enough and she will have to enter the Hunger Games again.
This is where the book excels. We've seen the hunger games now, we've seen what they do and the affect they've already had on her. There is real dread as you realise she's got to go back. And the book capitalises on it and makes you fear with every page that this is where she goes back in. It's also fulfilling our desire to see familiar faces again and learn more about the questions the first book asked. This is top-quality story-telling.
The Hunger Games themselves feel about weaker this time round. We've seen this before, what's more the situation has changed, people know this is wrong, so there is less urge to see Katniss survive and more to see the killing stop, the Hunger Games stop. But a slight weakness in the end can't stop the tension that the start was created and we just realise that even more that the Hunger Games aren't a bedtime story and we're going to have see something special if we want Katniss' world to improve. It practically ends on a cliff-hanger and by now you should have no choice but to go onto the end.
Book 2
If you haven't read book 1, please go back to the first step and repeat. There is no point starting here. Else, carry on...
Book 2 is interesting. The battle was over, the heroine is alive, the love interest had declared his love and sacrificed himself countless times for her. She even saved him a few times and found herself falling in love. The Plucky Young Things have defied the evil regime.
Except it's not as simple as that is it? The first part of the book is explaining how despite all this, the girl can't ignore the other person in her life before the love interest, she can't defy a regime and remain unpunished, although the games are over she's still fighting for her life.
We begin to see that Katniss' attempt to stay alive has began to disgruntle people, suggest that maybe it isn't right they should live as slaves only to be forced to celebrate as their children die. But Katniss is survivor and she still isn't interested than this, any problem she will still only boil down to the small bit of innocence she can see and protect, her sister. So whilst her family could be taken away any minute she'll play ball and do anything she can, just like in the first book.
But then comes the second reveal, it isn't enough, she hasn't suffered enough and she will have to enter the Hunger Games again.
This is where the book excels. We've seen the hunger games now, we've seen what they do and the affect they've already had on her. There is real dread as you realise she's got to go back. And the book capitalises on it and makes you fear with every page that this is where she goes back in. It's also fulfilling our desire to see familiar faces again and learn more about the questions the first book asked. This is top-quality story-telling.
The Hunger Games themselves feel about weaker this time round. We've seen this before, what's more the situation has changed, people know this is wrong, so there is less urge to see Katniss survive and more to see the killing stop, the Hunger Games stop. But a slight weakness in the end can't stop the tension that the start was created and we just realise that even more that the Hunger Games aren't a bedtime story and we're going to have see something special if we want Katniss' world to improve. It practically ends on a cliff-hanger and by now you should have no choice but to go onto the end.