Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Audiobook)
Narrated by Carolyn McCormick
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Narrated by Carolyn McCormick
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Category: Dystopian YA
After my amazing experience with the first audiobook from the Hunger Games series, a little doubt crept up in me that the second one couldn't possibly be as exciting. While Catching Fire lacked somewhat in action and suspense it had plenty of intrigue and teenage anger to keep things interesting.
Here's the situation after the events
in the previous audiobook. Katniss may have won the battle and
succeeded in getting herself and Peeta alive out of the Hunger games
but President Snow isn't going to let go that easily and wants
revenge. It’s not if he's going to go after them, it's a question
of when.
What I liked
I think I have already said something
like that in my review of the previous book but hey, Katniss is young
so naturally she isn't going to know ho to deal with her love towards
two guys properly. She's just a girl that tries to decide what she
actually feels while keeping up appearances with her games-lover. I
liked how she handled herself and managed her way out of the
difficult situation. It felt natural and authentic that made it feel
more realistic and took it beyond the usual adolescent angst which is
pretty irritating to be honest.
I don't want to spoil the plot for
anyone so I'm just going to say that you can expect a curious
development of the plot that will change everyone's plans and make
things a lot more interesting. I know that sounds quite generic but I
guess it's a good teaser. :) One things is for sure – Katniss
didn't imagine anything could be worse than the nightmare that the
Hunger Games were, but life got a lot more complicated and deadly for
our favorite girl on fire.
How was the narration
The Catching Fire audiobook has the
same narrator as the first book in the series which I liked quite a
bit, so the familiar voice was nice. Not having to get used to a new
narrator is always a plus but Carolyn McCormick has to get some
credit for her good performance. I've read some comments online that
say she's not very good at conveying emotions but I don't find that
to be the case. For me she literary makes Katniss come to live.
Here's an excerpt of the audiobook so you can hear for yourself:
Final thoughts
While there wasn't as much action as in
the first installment, Catching Fire kept me on the edge of my seat
the whole time and I enjoyed every minute of it. Keep in mind that it
ends with quite the cliffhanger but oh, well... I guess the wait for
the next audiobook is going to be worth it. This one was a great
second book for the series and while it felt different it still was
entertaining and exciting in its own way. Props to Ms. Collins for
her ability to tell a good story and keep it engaging and original.
With her imagination and judging by how good the books in the series
are so far, my guess is we're in for an awesome third and final
installment of the Hunger Games.