Lips of fire | Suzanne Collins

Once again, the American novelist Suzanne Collins returns with a second novel from the trilogy The Hunger Games, this time titled Catching Fire, where we will go through harsh tests and trials with her brave heroine Katniss Everdeen in a competition in which participants must fight to the death. As for the winner, according to the rules of the game, he is the last survivor remaining alive. In Catching Fire, Collins presents us with the themes of rebellion and revolution, as the novel apparently condemns the authority of the supposed country, which issues binding decisions to its citizens to participate in brutal games imposed by the Capitol. "... If it were up to me, I would try to forget everything related to The Hunger Games (...) but Vicotry Tour makes that impossible. The Capitol has kept the horror alive and ongoing in our minds through its clever decision regarding the timing of the trip, which falls between the annual game dates (...) This year, I am one of the stars of this spectacle, and I will have to move from district to district to stand before the cheering crowds who secretly hate me, and I will be forced to look at the faces of the families I killed their children...". Here, Katniss finds herself facing a tough test, and if she wants to save her life, she will have to consider options balancing between survival and human feelings, as well as between life and love. "... My only defense was pretending I had lost my mind due to the intense love I felt for Peeta. They allowed us both to stay alive for that reason, and they allowed us to be crowned winners and return to our homeland to celebrate and wave to the cameras before they leave us alone. I mean, even now...". Then Katniss felt "... responsible for the unrest that ignited sparks and caused the flames to spread, which prompted the Capitol to seek revenge. Her life has turned into a whirlwind because she cannot stop this revolution, even though she feels deep down that it must continue. As the stakes rise to maximum levels with the upcoming Victory Tour in the suburbs as part of the harsh victory march with Peeta, if they cannot prove that they are lost in their love without any doubt, the consequences will be catastrophic...". An amazing novel, as much as it carries imagination, horror, and suspense, it also contains a strong resemblance to our troubling present, where rebellion, revolution, and the Capitol's iron grip over the districts mean that we are facing control of a seemingly legitimate nature — "The punishment of the weak and hungry has now become governed by laws and death matches."