Scholastic Inc. -- hc
New York -- ©2010 -- 278pp
ISBN: 0545227240
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.
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In my review of Book One (for which I've taken many pot shots from readers who feel my opinions are wrong) I said that I wouldn't be reading Book Two because I don't like being played for a sucker, and the cliffhanger ending played me big time.
Well, I'm eating those words. I just read Book Two, and of course this time I went in knowing that it was part of a series and OF COURSE it would end in a cliff-hanger moment, so I wasn't disappointed when I read it.
Why did I read it? Because my daughter read it and I wanted to stay tuned to what she's reading. And...I didn't dislike the first book. I thought it was quite well written, in fact, I just didn't like being surprised by the non-ending (I read it before all the hype and before it was ever printed anywhere that it was the first book in a series).
This book isn't quite as strong as the first book. There's plenty of the same old characters, and there are a few new ones tossed in. There's a plot that can be seen coming all the way from the far side of the game field, and there's still the main character who's like-able, but just doesn't seem to catch on to things until late. Still, it's fun to see what's happened to our favorite characters, and we want to cheer them on as if they really were stars of a game.
It is a quick, easy read, and I can't imagine any teenager NOT reading it if they'd read the first book. Fortunately, it can be picked up and read without having read the first book. It explains enough of the back story that a person could read this book first.
On to the third, which my daughter read in one afternoon....
