The Hunger Games Catching Fire

Hunger Games is a success because of its plot, twists, and strong female lead. The female protagonist is much more than just a sixteen-year-old girl trying to get through her teenage years. She's a warrior, a female warrior who is not ready to accept the injustice of society. She becomes hope for the people of Panem, a beacon of light that can help them end their misery.

Here's the first book: The Hunger Games

THE HUNGER GAMES CATCHING FIRE SUMMARY:

Hunger games ended on a note that no one expected. The Capital would betray? that was pretty obvious but what Katniss would do was not. If you take a look at Katniss's life, you'll realize that it was always rebellious. That's what you have to do when you want to survive. If she had not learned how to survive, she would have died and so would her sister.

At every announcement, the reader wonders how inhumane the Capital can get just for the sake of entertainment of the people of the Capital. The 74th Hunger games were a little different.

For the first time, a district like 12 had a volunteer. They had a good makeup team who represented their district so well. People liked the tributes from district 12 after a very long time. People loved Katniss in the games and rooted for her. Basically, it revolved around Katniss Everdeen.

But Katniss was not someone that could live up to the hopes of the Capitals citizens. She just wanted to save herself for her sister and her heart bled for the people of the districts receiving the cruelest treatment any human could get. 

She sold an act to survive without knowing that she would have to continue that act for the rest of her life. Catching Fire starts with President Snow paying a visit to Katniss out of nowhere. He tells her that he does not want any trouble but what she did in the games is causing trouble. People have started a rebellion. He asks Katniss to convince him that she won't cause any trouble by doing good on Victor's tour or she'll have to suffer an eternity of agony.

But Victor's tour gets out of hand at the very first stop which was District 11. Katniss had lost someone that got as close to her as her little sister; Rue. She pours her heart out to the people of District 11 and Peeta announces that they'll donate one month of their winning to Rue and Thresh's family for the rest of their lives.

Someone in the crowd from district 11 shows the "Three finger salute" that district 12 uses and receives an end to his life. Haymitch tells them that this tour is going to continue for the rest of their lives and if they want to survive, they have to live up to the dream couple that they are now, who would rather die then to live without each other. They figured if they had to continue doing that for the rest of their lives anyway, why not use it to convince President Snow. At the end of the tour, Peeta proposes to Katniss.

The Head Gamemaker also gets changed and now it's Plutarch Heavensbee who congratulates them on their engagement at their final event of the victor tour and acts sketchy.

A psychological thriller for you to read: The Silent Patient

Rules change at District 12 too. Head Peacekeeper usually let people get away with things for their own benefit but the Capital changes the Head which is all about rules and discipline. On the very first day, he raided all the workshops and the market and got rid of everything illegal, set up new rules, and beat gale to make a fairly dark impression. 

The 75th Hunger games are the Quarter Quell that happens after completing another 25 years of the games. Every Quarter Quell is different from the usual games, it has some miserable twists and this year was; "The tributes would be chosen from the existing Victors of every District". There were only three winners from District 12 in the 75 years: Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, and Peeta Mellark. It meant only one thing, Katniss was going back to the arena. Once again to kill people to survive and increase the number of horrible visions and nightmares after the first games.

Katniss had to go to the arena. It was inevitable. But what Katniss could do was save Peeta, she had betrayed him once by acting like she was in love with him, and the least she could do was save his life and try and compensate for the trauma she gave him.

She goes to Haymitch and asks him for a favor. She tells him to volunteer if Peeta's name came up. He agrees but warns her that there is nothing he can do if his name gets picked and Peeta volunteers. Like every year, Reaping Day took place at the Hall of Justice. But it was a lot sadder. Even the escort, the ever so enthusiastic, beautiful, and unique in her own way, Effie Trinket was upset too. Katniss was chosen as the female tribute and Haymitch's name came up as the male tribute. You've all made a guess of what happened... Peeta volunteers!

This year everything happens a little differently. Katniss had already gotten an idea about it. To start, they were not allowed to say goodbye to their families. They got on the train and to the Capital, Katniss noticed some distress in the control rooms too. 

Haymitch explains to them the tributes they'll be facing would be much sharper and more experienced than them. He makes them watch tapes of all of the winners they will be facing. In those tapes, they also found the tape of the hunger games in which Haymitch won and they get to know about his past too and why is he the way he is.

Haymitch tells them that they would have to form some alliance this year to get through the first few days when most of the killing happens. During the training days, Katniss only gets attached to three people; Mags an elderly woman who volunteered from District 4, Wiress, and Beetee from District 3 all the people that others hated because they were lame. 

In the interview, Katniss wears the wedding dress because Snow made her wear it, and Cinna made a few changes that she didn't know about. When she was asked to twirl like last year she does and her dress changes into a Mockingjay; something that was once just a pin that she gave to her sister became her identity, the face of rebellion.

It all ends and Katniss gets ready to enter the arena and as last year Cinna says goodbye to her. What happens next makes her lose her senses completely and she's in the arena. 

CATCHING FIRE QUOTES:

1. 'Isn't it thrilling?' 'Don't you feel so lucky?' 'In your very first year of being a victor, you get to be a mentor in a Quarter Quell!' 'Oh yes,' I say neutrally.

(Chapter 3; Page 36) (The way Capital people view the games!)

2. He takes a deep breath. 'Look, Katniss, I've been wanting to talk to you about the way I acted on the train. I mean, the last train. The one that brought us home. I knew you had something with Gale. I was jealous of him before I even officially met you. And it wasn't fair to hold you to anything that happened in the Games, I'm sorry.' His apology takes me by surprise.

(Chapter 4; Page 51)

3. 'He's right, Haymitch,' I say. 'We were wrong not to tell him, even back in the Capital.' 'Even in the arena, you two had some sort of system worked out, didn't you?' asks Peeta. His voice was quieter now. 'Something I wasn't a part of.'

(Chapter 5; Page 66)

4. 'I saw something on the mayor's television that I wasn't supposed to. There was a crowd and fires and Peacekeepers were gunning people down but they were fighting back...'

(Chapter 7; Page 99) (The uproar)

5. I gave a grunt of disbelief. 'You're going to District Thirteen based on that? A shot of a bird? Do you think you're going to find some new city with people strolling around in it? And that's just fine with the Capital?' 'No' Twill said earnestly.

(Chapter 10; Page 147) 

A quote to remember:

"At some point, you have to stop running and turn around and face whoever wants you dead. The hard thing is finding the courage to do it."

Done reading this? Here's the final book:

Mockingjay