Tuesday 31 December 2013

CATCHING FIRE

                                                                                                                  So you have just finished Hunger games and you want to know what happens next. The first half of the story is slow paced without any action, but still you would be intrigued to know about what is going on in Katniss life.
So Katniss and Peeta have won the hunger games and they now stay in the victor’s village. Now you’d think that they will live happily ever after in the victors village with all the comfort and luxuries provided by the capital  Wow wonderful right …wait wait just hold that thought until you hear what happens next..
Unfortunately it’s the year of Quarter Quell. Every 25 years there is a Quarter Quell edition to the Hunger games. It happens to mark the anniversary of the districts defeat by the capital. This game involves serious twist which make it all the more difficult to compete. The quarter quells are games that is said to have been planned way ahead of time by the creators of the Games.
It is the announcement of the quarter quell that stirs up your brain and you jaws open automatically when president snow announces-
“On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder of the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victor.”
Yes..it blew my mind too , so ultimately Katniss being the only female victor of district 12 along with Peeta is forced back to the arena. Everyone suspects that this decision of the games was not preplanned by the creators of the games but by President Snow itself because there are silent rebellion going on in some districts and Katniss has become a martyr “The Girl on Fire”.

The characters of this book are great, apart from Katniss, Peeta and Gale there are side characters who plays very important roles respectively like Haymitch, Cinna and a new character Finnick Odair.                     Finnick is the male tribute from district 4, he won the 65th hunger games by using a net he wove himself and a trident he received from the sponsors. In the games, Katniss doesn’t trust him to make him her ally, but he proved to be strong and valuable when he saved Peeta. He has a very important part that is revealed at the end of the story.
Cinna’s costumes are wonderful they reflect Katniss traits. He is captured in the beginning of the games by the capitol in offense disobeying President Snow by turning Katniss wedding gown to a mocking jay’s outfit.
Back in the arena, Peeta is separated from Katniss and is captured by the capitol and Katniss is rescued from the arena, where she comes to know that District 12 is bombed into ashes and that District 13 does exist.
 And ….yeah you are sitting at the edge of the chair to know what happens next and whoosh…The End
 It is by far the worst cliffhanger I have ever come through in my reading days.


You would have so many questions. What happened to Peeta? Will they get him back? Where will Katniss her family gale and the rest of them live?  You’ll know about all this in the final book of the series i.e. Mockingjay. Ok now I gotta rush over to watch the movie… have fun reading

Sentence :“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.” 

Sunday 8 December 2013

HUNGER GAMES

Friend: I cant just wait to read Catching Fire
Me: what?
Friend:  Don’t tell me you didn't read hunger games. OMG you didn't, you got to read it, it’s awesome its    like the next big thing after twilight.
Me: Ok, I’ll check it out.

Next day, in the bookstore when I get hold of the book my first impressions were urrghh the cover is not appealing at all, and I remember then that I did see the book many times during my usual visits to the bookstore but I really didn't  get intrigued to even check  the book out.
Anyways that’s how I got to read this book some years back and trust me guys when I say this cliché ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’
The Hunger game by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel .So it takes place in the future when North America has been destroyed and its run by the rich and powerful people of the capital and there are 12 other districts.                                                                                                                                                              
The story is about Katniss who stays in district 12 which is the miners district (mining is their main occupation). District 12 is a very poor district.
Hunger games is basically an event which takes place every year and one girl and one boy as tributes are randomly chosen to compete each other and others from different districts in the arena, and interestingly all this takes place in a reality T.V Format and the capital just loves it, it’s their way to show dominance and power to the people.

So it starts with the reaping day where the tributes are chosen. Prim is Katniss sister and when she is picked, Katniss opts for volunteering for the games. Along with Katniss there is also Peeta who is the male tribute.
I absolutely loved the book it was fast paced, compact and the female protagonist was so strong and determined and it touched many themes like love, poverty, dominance, teenage angst and more.

The world that Suzanne Collins created was phenomenal and totally believable. The characters were really fun to read about. Even the side characters were great the dialogue exchange between Katniss and the other characters were wonderful and filled with humor.

The book was action paced, I couldn’t put it down it was a page turner. I was so immersed in the world of Panem and the arena. I was hooked with how Katniss was able to survive the games and her fights for her survival.

I loved Peeta and Gale both, yeah…yeah you can call me unfair but I like them both. Peeta is a natural charmer, loves Katniss and he is adorable, no doubt on why people of panem loved this star crossed lovers, but Gale also loves Katniss and they both have been friends from childhood ..There is a special bond between them.

If you haven’t read this book…then go pick it up, it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and totally worth its hype. No, you won’t regret it and I assure you the moment you finish the book you would want to know what happens next…….


❤ SENTENCE- “Destroying things is much easier than making them.”