Date Finished: April 1
Summary: After the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are enjoying the fruits of their labor. However, the President of Panem has other plans. Katniss's actions from the games has left the country in a state of unrest and discontent. Now Katniss has to choose between saving herself and her future or protecting the future of her home and her family.
Likes: I liked all the twists and turns in the novel. I didn't feel like it was overly predictable and I was interested in seeing how things played out. There are a lot of questions that never got answered, but I presume will be answered in the next book. The twists and turns are really unexpected and leave a sense of uncertainty for the characters we've come to love, especially Peeta. Katniss isn't as kick ass in this one and Peeta has easily taken her place as my favorite character. He's almost too good to be true in his devotion to Katniss and to his District. He is smart and cunning and while Katniss is resourceful and determined, she was a little too emotional in this story for me. I can't wait to see how she is in the next book now that she has a new role to fulfill.
Dislikes: I didn't really like this one as much as the first one. I still enjoyed it, but not as much. It seems like a transition novel between the first and third. I wasn't really crazy about the emphasis on the relationships between Katniss and Peeta and Katniss and Gale, it seems like the story loses it's focus on that regard. I don't like the names, but they are minor irritations, not enough to make me stop reading or get overly upset. There's a lot of telling and not showing, but this also doesn't detract from the overall story from a entertainment standpoint as opposed to a craft standpoint.
Overall: Mockingjay, the next book in the series (I'm not sure if it's the last book) comes out later this year and I can tell you that I'm excited. While I really enjoyed the first one, the second seems to be leading up to something truly amazing and I can hardly wait.
