Catching Fire
Yesterday I read Catching Fire.
My thoughts don't feel as clear cut as after The Hunger Games, but I'mma try to get some out before I start Mockingjay.
Mockingjay, in the edition I went out of my way to buy, has my favourite cover. So beautiful. I didn't let myself read the blurb until I'd finished Catching Fire, but I have gazed at it for long time. Longer than I've wanted to read the books. It's so lovely.
And now, to read it.
My thoughts don't feel as clear cut as after The Hunger Games, but I'mma try to get some out before I start Mockingjay.
- I thought Catching Fire was better than The Hunger Games.
- Which is understandable, since the first book had to put stuff down in broad brushstrokes, and Catching Fire had the chance to develop and elaborate.
- The pacing felt different. Well, it was different. I was surprised that we didn't get a close tour of the other districts, but unlike The Hunger Games which spans what, 3 weeks to a month? Catching Fire covers, um, 6 months I think? Maybe 9 months? A much longer time period. I read Part 1 and 2 in one go, then I had a break before reading Part 3.
- Once again, I found the outer Panem bits much more scary than the in Arena bits. Which actually made me feel like an idiot, because I fell into the same narrative assumption as first time round - that it would get worse and worse. The end of Part 2 - with the attack on Cinna, and Katniss going up into the watery arena - was the most horrible bit for me, and I needed some time to process, but then again afterwards I was surprised at how easy and matter f fact the arena stuff was to cope with.
- OH MY GOD THOUGH I really, really, really didn't expect Katniss and Peeta to have to go back into the arena, Jesus. Like seriously, that was SUCH A SHOCK and I was just like, screaming WHAT WHAT WHAT
- Oh dear, I am getting at of order.
- GALE. Ohmigod, Gale. There wasn't enough Gale in The Hunger Games to really come to any conclusion about his character, but omg Gale you wonderful wonderful person. I totally understand why people ship Katniss/Gale. He is so excellent, he really won me over in a big way which I was definitely not expecting ebcause I love Peeta so much. I do still love Peeta, hugely, and I do still think I ship Katniss/Peeta more than Katniss/Gale, but basically, that makes more sense to me now.
- The scene where Katniss (and Peeta and Haymitch) come upon Gale being whipped, oh my god, my throat seized up, and genuinely thought he was dead. I was so freaked out and I wanted to cry because I had only just started really liking and appreciating this character and understanding why Katniss has mixed up feelings and then I thought he was dead and oh mi god EMOTIOINS.
- And the nursing bit, where Katniss is screaming for medicines. And touching his face. Oh my god.
- MADGE I GOT MORE MADGE YESSSSSSS you have NO IDEA how massively happy and excited I was to get more Madge! *fistpump* I. I have no idea whether she is dead now. Gale didn't mention her getting out of District 12. So I suppose that means she is dead. Oh god Madge, I love you. You and Katniss, the girls with mothers with difficulties, whose friend died in The Hunger Games. Madge, who it's difficult to tell whether she's just trying to be nice or whether she really cares for Katniss, and for Gale (I vote cares A LOT) who hasn't had many chances to help but really wants to. OMG Madge, I love you. Please don't be dead :___;
- god THE CHARACTERISATION IN THIS BOOK
- I JUST CARE SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYONE
- HAYMITCH. Aargh I don't know how to express my love for Haymitch he is brilliant. So happy we got a lot more Haymitch backstory and insight.
- CINNA. I wanted a Capitol character to cross over properly, and damn boy. Did I get it. CINNA <3 Oh god, I keep changing my mind about whether he's dead now or whether he might come back somehow. Oh god, Cinna. Cinna is like, the only one that rivals Katniss and Peeta in my heart.
- FINNICK WAS AWESOME I HEARTILY APPROVE OF YOU FINNICK except I did hope you were gay for a while there and was a bit sad you weren't but whatever, him being in love with a slightly broken girl back home is also pretty amazing, so.
- JOHANNA MASON YOU EXCELLENT AWESOMENESS. LOVE YOU. Please be ok.
- Oh man, this District 13 stuff is so interesting, and the idea that there has been a simmering resistance that Katniss sparked into going mainstream into full on rebellion is brilliant. I still want to know WTF is outside of Panem, maybe District 13 will explain that some in the next book. But Katniss' reaction, of if there are people there, why aren't they helping? was so heartbreaking, it cut to the bone. I wondered that, if there is still a rest of the world, are they just letting this happen? Do they not know? Are they helpless, are they similar? BASICALLY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON
- I'm so excited to find out omg
- If Mockingjay doesn't tell me I will be :(
- I FELT SO VINDICATED AT THE DEVELOPING OF HOW KATNISS CAN'T DO LONG TERM STRATEGY THING that I noted before. Yes character development. Yes me reading it properly. Yes yes yes. I suppose it made the final scene a touch exposition-y but fuck it, it makes sense that Katniss was kept in the dark, and that she therefore really needed a bit of exposition to catch her up.
- It was massively obviously that whatshisface, Plutarch Heavensbee (christ what a name) was a rebel, I thought it was hilarious that Katniss didn't pick up on that - but again, girl has trust issues. She's so used to only being able to rely on herself, and Gale a bit, and its not just that she isn't used to trusting other people, it's also that because she isn't used to it she's not terribly good at judging who she can trust. She hasn't had much practice. And also, Katniss is fairly straightforward herself, and it's always interesting seeing straightforward people and massively twisty-turny complex people trying to figure each other out. Because most of the time, you basically assume people are like you. So twisty-turny people tie themselves in knots trying to figure out some hidden strategy that straightforward people would never think to do.
- Oh PEETA. I don't know how I can express my love for you anymore. Seriously. I love you so much. He's so good. And talented. And devoted to Katniss, even when he thinks/understands that she wants Gale, that she'll never properly be his the way he wants her he doesn't waver in his love. That's so wonderful. The bit when she got off the train and he went to be with her, ohmigosh. And the dancing.
- The electricity stuff was so cool. Weird to understand exactly how little Katniss and the District people are taught - basically only information they might need to keep living and producing coal, and not even about the other districts, left alone any history or science that might empower them some how.
- Um, what else.
- Eh, I think that's everything I can think of.
- SOME FREAKING ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON
- For Cinna and Madge to be alive. I don't have all that much hope. But still. That's what I want.
- More kisses. Preferably sex too.
- A hopeful ending.
Mockingjay, in the edition I went out of my way to buy, has my favourite cover. So beautiful. I didn't let myself read the blurb until I'd finished Catching Fire, but I have gazed at it for long time. Longer than I've wanted to read the books. It's so lovely.
And now, to read it.