The premise established in The Hunger Games turned hokey for me in Catching Fire. I was able to suspend reality and enjoy the unique storyline of The Hunger Games, but Catching Fire pushed my willingness to indulge the fantasy. Like a typical blockbuster movie, events unfold that stress, but never break the protagonist. The rationale for characters’ actions (particularly the Government’s actions, or lack thereof) was weak, convenient for the author and/or just too unbelievable. The only reason the main character is not flat out killed in this novel is that it would be too hard to continue the storyline for a third book. That said, I liked the tempo of the book and there were a few surprisingly clever developments. This book series reminds me of the TV show Prison Break. The show had an intriguing premise in Season One that was extended too far in subsequent seasons. I kept watching each season just to see how the writers would laboriously continue the Prison Break storyline. As history repeats itself, I find I am a sucker again, as I have already committed myself to reading Mockingjay.