The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

She goes back into the Hunger Games? What? How is Collins going to pull that off?
Agreed, the best part of the first book was the excitement of the Games, but was it really necessary to do it all over again? The reader is just recuperating after a traumatic experience with mutts ripping a young boy to shreds when it is revealed that Katniss and Peeta will go back into the arena.
The first part of this book was a little bit whiny on Katniss's part. Of course, the trauma of the Games would haunt you, but the reason we liked Katniss was because she wasn't like other wimpy girls. She was tough and she could handle it. Maybe I just want her to be the Mockingjay like all the other rebels.
Anyway, the first half shows the start of the fall of the Capitol's regime, which is a little repetitive and old news, but still made me turn pages. Then we have the re-entry into the Games and all that lark of costumes and waving and interviews. Peeta is lovely again, but Katniss is unresponsive and just doesn't get him most of the time, which is more than frustrating. But that's all fun, keeps the reader hooked.
Then they're back in the arena and it feels very different this time. There is less of a threat and, even though Katniss has accepted that she will die to save Peeta, we still don't believe her. They join up with Finnick and Johanna and Beetee and Wiress. (The names are fantastic throughout.) The character of Johanna is brilliant and I found myself wanting to read her story.
They work out how the arena works very quickly, which saves time and confusion, but seemed a little too simple.
In the end the bigger picture is revealed and we know they were all working together as rebels to overthrow the Games and the Capitol, but keeping this from Peeta and Katniss to save them. Splendid. It's an age old story that will be told over and over, but with these new characters and this new world we accept it and love it.