Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Audiobook Review) The Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 2

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Audiobook)

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.