It wasn’t me as a reader being duped that I objected to — it was Katniss being robbed of her empowered role in the Games and so the story. In the first book, though strings were attached to her situation… she refused to act like ‘a good little puppet’ except when it served her own purposes. In the second book — just about everyone pulled at strings and she just danced along (being duped). That’s what felt like a disservice to the savvy protagonist I’d become attached to. (And I’m sure it was all to set up BIG THINGS in the third book… but still.)

I think Suzanne Collins laid out enough “hints” throughout the book so that a reader shouldn’t have been too surprised to learn that Katniss had been “duped”. When she was first introduced to Plutarch . . . When Finnick and Johanna saved Peeta in the arena . . .

I don’t think Collins purposefully intended on tricking the reader in the end, thus ruining their reading experience, I think she gave the readers clues to figure out that something big was brewing that Katniss was not privy to.

I LOVED CATCHING FIRE. I just hope we’re not let down by how awesome the third installment COULD be . . .

An author-friend of mine enjoyed Catching Fire immensely. When we hashed over our differing opinions it became clear that she tends to take the ‘world view’ of the story and so was facinated by the handler’s choices, the political moves of the Game’s organizers, the public’s reactions, Katniss’ role in the mileau, etc. Whereas, I’m right in there with the protangonist, world-view-be-damned, and like to experience the book on a narrower, more personal level.

I can see how one’s prefered reading POV also leads to the very different takes.

Last year, I was happily pulled through the story by the enterprising Katniss as her unlucky background (premature family provider, illegal hunter) morphed into her lucky experience on the deadly playing field. Hers was a tortured but believable transformation. And the “love story as theater” rang true to me as well — given the reality show prevalence we live with.

This time round (SPOILER ALERT) in Catching Fire, since nearly everything Katniss did she was tricked into doing, her moral choices were completely muddy and the love story moved from Gladiator-like theater to more of a staged soap opera… Eh.

I dunno. Catching Fire pissed me off. Because one naturally identifies with the heroine — and she was being duped. I felt manipulated and robbed of the experience of surviving the games through smarts and will (as Katniss had survived the first time round).

It was like the second book was one huge, convoluted, drawn-out set-up for the REAL earnest battle coming in the third book. The handler ‘played her’ — and all Katniss’ inner dialogue (in retrospect — and you HAVE to replay everything in your head once you find out who the real good guys and bad guys are) her inner dialogue and logic was all actually for naught. It was wrongheaded. Her survival and triumph through self-reliance is illustionary. Not good for a heroine.

Consequently, Catching Fire was a much less compelling read for me.