This month we are going to dedicate most of our reviews and posts to the Fantasy Romance genre. We LURVE fantasy romance, and we really want to highlight upcoming books, mention old favourites of ours, and just share our love for the magical genre.

Fantasy Romance is not as prominent as Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, and we want to highlight it because it’s given us some of our favourite series and books.

Fantasy Romance, we believe, takes you further into the imagination. When you have whole new worlds created, new races that have different beliefs and morals, the genre can be explored deeper as it’s not restricted by the customs of the world we live in. Fantasy Romance also has an epic tone to it that makes it so exciting, which can heighten the love story between the hero and heroine to a higher level. It takes you on a unique journey, and it takes you much further into the fantastical.

We have exciting guest posts this month, and some super fantabulous giveaways. We hope you’ll enjoy.

Thanks,
The Book Pushers

Publisher: Spectra

Where did you get this book: ARC provided by author

Publishing date: 31st of August 2010

Blurb taken from Amazon

The year is 1876. In the small Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine, the town witch, Emily Edwards, is being run out of business by an influx of mail-order patent magics. Attempting to solve her problem with a love spell, Emily only makes things worse. But before she can undo the damage, an enchanted artifact falls into her possession—and suddenly Emily must flee for her life, pursued by evil warlocks who want the object for themselves.

Dreadnought Stanton, a warlock from New York City whose personality is as pompous and abrasive as his name, has been exiled to Lost Pine for mysterious reasons. Now he finds himself involuntarily allied with Emily in a race against time—and across the United States by horse, train, and biomechanical flying machine—in quest of the great Professor Mirabilis, who alone can unlock the secret of the coveted artifact. But along the way, Emily and Stanton will be forced to contend with the most powerful and unpredictable magic of all—the magic of the human heart.

Imagine a world where magic, instead of science, ruled and that it kick-started and fueled the industrial revolution. A world where rampaging mutated animals threaten the landscape and the people who lived there and where witches and warlocks are the masters behind spells that cause mayhem as well as a place of sanctuary. This is the world where The Native Star takes place. Within the first few pages of this book, I got well and truly sucked in, and I could not put it down because it was such a fantastic and imaginative joyride of a read!

Emily Edwards is a herbal witch whose magic is based on natural elements and herbs. Due to increasing competition from a mail order Hex company, she is forced to take drastic action so that she can support her ailing father. However, this plan goes horribly wrong when a travelling Warlock called Dreadnought Stanton finds out she miscasts a love spell to the richest man in her town so she can secure her family’s well-being. Emily and Stanton have had several run ins previously, and both find each other’s attitudes to magic as polar opposites – as well as their personalities. But Emily and Stanton soon find themselves in deeper trouble. After investigating zombie miners who have gotten loose,  Emily, while battling them, somehow gets her hand infused with a mysterious magical stone that was unearthed in the mines.

Stanton — who realises the stone is a Native star and is a source of untempered magic — offers Emily the help to get out of her predicament as she cannot cast spells. But they both find themselves on the run as dark magical groups are after the stone for their own agenda.

I loved the fact that there was a character called Dreadnought Stanton! That name alone for a hero would have perked my interest in a book, and like what the name implies, Dreadnought is a stickler for propriety and is very straight laced which annoys Emily to no end as she is the polar opposite to Stanton.

Emily is more intuitive and casual, and I loved how she would ruffle Stanton’s feathers. When they clash its very fun to see – especially since I am such a romance fan of bickering couples, and when first impressions go wrong.  I also think their relationship is a highlight of the book from their very first encounter. They have locked horns because of their views about magic as well as their personalities. Their exchanges were very entertaining, funny and witty which underlined the growing romantic tension between them. I have to quote this scene when they both checked into a hotel, because it really sums up their snarky and humorous relationship:

“Riding on a little farther up the street, they came to a hotel proudly dubbed the Nonpareil. At the polished oak reception desk, Stanton pulled out the small black silk purse Emily had seen before, again withdrawing coins to pay the clerk. He signed the ledger in a jagged angular script: “Mr.Dreadnought Stanton and sister.”
“That’s it? Sister?” Emily limped up the carpeted stairs on legs that had somehow turned to jelly during the course of the day’s ride. “Would it have killed you to come up with a name?”
“I have three sisters, Miss Edwards. I didn’t think you’d appreciate being burdened with any of their names“
“Try me,” Emily said.
“Euphemia, Ophidia, and Hortense.”
Emily wrinkled her nose. “What fool did the naming in your family?”
“My father is the fool in question. He is a man who feels the need to publicly memorialize his esoteric and obsessive passions—passions which have included the later history of Rome, reptiles, eighteenth century Flemish aristocracy, and clipper ships.” Pointing to a door, he handed Emily a key. “Early start in the morning. Downstairs by seven.”
Downstairs by seven, Emily mouthed in a snotty voice as she let herself into her room.

The world-building was so well thought out with each different type of magic having their own rules and precepts which I really liked. It made the premise really well structured but also full of imagination, and I loved how different types of magic would interact with people and the environment.

M.K Hobson also has a great eye for historical detail, from the rich language to the setting. It really felt like I were  ensconce in post civil war America, but with magic! There different types of magic, such as the mass produced Hex’s by Bough’s Patent Magicks, which is mail ordered spells and hexes. Then you have the more natural magic that Emily practices which added to the tapestry of different types of magic in the world-building. There were also elements of steampunk, such as a biochemical flying machines which Emily and Stanton use to escape from their enemies that was a very fun and awesome scene.

The Native Star also had a cast of memorable characters who were very well drawn out, from Emily and Stanton’s quirky and eccentric family and friends, to the creepy villains who just added to the rich  tone and atmosphere of the book. There were also a few surprises and twists that I did not expect but they helped drive the plot to a great pace and ending in the book.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. For me it’s definitely one of the best debuts I have read this year, and I absolutely adore the characters and the setting. If you are fan of Gail Carriger and Leanna Renee Hieber, then you will enjoy The Native Star as it shares similar elements with these authors books. Emily and Stanton’s romance was a joy to read, and although it had a slow buildup and it may not be as steamy as other romances, their snarky dialogue sparkles off each other  and adds to their great chemistry. But for me it was a unique take on Fantasy Romance with engaging, memorable characters, humour and spades of imagination! I cannot wait for the sequel, The Hidden Goddess, which will be released next year. But go and pick up this book! You wont regret it!

I give The Native Star 5 out 5

The entries were entered into a random sequence generator at random.org, and the two winners that were chosen by the generator are:

Tanya Riley who wins bag 1 of her choice

and

Bianca Gunn, who wins bag 2.

Congratulations! I’ve notified the winners via email.

But don’t despair for those who didn’t win. We have more bags to giveaway next week.

Thanks again everyone!

Publisher:  Ace
Where did you get this book: Book provided by publisher
Release date: 31st August 2010

TALK IS CHEAP WHEN LIVES ARE IN JEOPARDY

Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.

And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.

Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers—out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grimspace…

I have been eagerly awaiting for the next installment in the Grimspace series, and it was well worth the wait! The book starts off shortly after the last book, Doubleblind, with Jax resigning her role as ambassador to the Conglomerate after her stint on Ithiss Tor. But this does not mean the end of her troubles – far from it. War is building up in the galaxy with growing attacks by raiders and pirates on border worlds, and far worse, the Morgut who are increasing their attacks. Jax and her crew embark on training an Armada to combat the growing threat – even if they have to recruit raiders/pirates themselves.

Oh wow! I literally inhaled this book and I could not put it down. It really felt like the tension and pace of the series has really stepped up a notch, and it’s definitely heading towards a big confrontation. Jax has grown so much – although this was illustrated in the previous two books. Killbox really shows how far she has changed and instead of just reacting and defending herself to those who threaten her, Jax has become more proactive and is on the offense and she does it in style.

In many ways this feels like a transitional book for the next arc of the series, but that is not to say it’s a filler, far from it. So many important things happened in Killbox that I feel the need to do a reread because it was so fast paced. While the galaxy is heading towards a major war, Jax has to face her own personal problems. The crew she comes to love as her family are also involved in the Armada, and have to face being separated from each other due to their different responsibilities and duties.

In Killbox you can see how far Jax has come to love and support her friends who have become her family, and there is some wonderful and emotional scenes where they all have to cope with separation, and their fear about the encroaching war with the Morgut. I especially love the scenes Jax shares with Vel, the alien bounty hunter, and Dina, the crew’s mechanic that really heightens personal bonds she shares with them, but without crossing into sentimentalism.

However, the real heartache comes with March’s self imposed estrangement. And because he took command of training and heading the newly established Armada, he placed their relationship on a hiatus. I really felt Jax’s pain because she understood the reasoning due to the military confines of establishing the Armada, but I did feel like smacking him in the head. And Jax did too! Especially after they both went through hell to be together. But there was a scene that really reflects all this, and shows how much Jax loves him and highlights what their relationship is about.

“March acknowledges that with a nod. Mary, how he burns, as if kindled from within by love of me. I remember its loss. I remember how I navigated him on Ithiss-Tor, filtering my essence through the dark spots in his mind, as though he were a series of broken beacons. I did it to repair him, fuse the damaged connections, so he could remember what it was to feel and love. War killed that part of him. I brought it back. In doing so, I left some of myself behind, but I think I also took part of him with me. We are twined together inextricably now, and I wouldn’t have it otherwise.”

I also liked the new characters that were introduced, such as the scientist, Evelyn Derad, that Jax and her crew rescues from an ex Farwan space station. And there are older faces who reappear.  But I really enjoyed Evelyn’s introduction, and like Jax, has many similarities as she survives a Morgut attack, and realising she was also used by the Farwan Corporation. She also holds the key in helping Jax cope with the after-affects of Grimspace exposure, as well offering new possibilities to Jax’s affinity as a navigator. And in the meanwhile, political intrigue is added with secret communications from a mysterious agent (who I hope to see in latter books), and the leader of the Conglomerate whose messages were placed throughout the book which adds a level of political intrigue along with the action.

Unlike Doubleblind, which was more introspective and calmer in tone, Killbox is an epic Space Opera with lots of space battles and action that does not stop until the last few pages. Killbox also shows how much Jax has adapted and changed, and is also willing to sacrifice herself to those she has promised to protect.  There are several twists and surprises in Killbox, but also several story threads in previous books that have been tied up, but also sets up bigger ones that will certainly play out in the next two books. Killbox also ends on a humdinger of a cliffhanger, and I SO want the next book. Like. right.now!

Killbox is a great installment in the Grimspace series. It’s fast paced with lots of action that really illustrates how the endgame is coming to a head. But this is a book that shows how far Jax has grown from the brash, selfish navigator in the first book, to the brash and selfless navigator that she is now. And Jax’s scenes of shared poignancy and affinity with her friends, and lover, March, adds a multilayer of emotional intensity towards the characters.. If you have not picked up the series yet, I highly, highly recommend the series as it’s one of the best, if not, thee Best Sci-Fi romantic series that combines action and plot. I cannot wait for the 5th book of the series!

I give Killbox  5 out of 5 stars!

Publisher:  Berkely
Publish Date: 9/7/10
How I got this book: Won ARC from author

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the US government can’t…

It’s been one year since ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly last saw his wife Rachel alive. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over his failures as a husband, Ethan shuts himself off from everything and everyone.

His brothers have tried to bring Ethan into the KGI fold, tried to break through the barriers he’s built around himself, but Ethan refuses to respond… until he receives anonymous information claiming Rachel is alive.

To save her, Ethan will have to dodge bullets, cross a jungle, and risk falling captive to a deadly drug cartel that threatens his own demise. And even if he succeeds, he’ll have to force Rachel to recover memories she can’t and doesn’t want to relive—the minute by minute terror of her darkest hour—for their love, and their lives, may depend on it.

*blurb from author’s website*

Wow, just wow. This book is definitely on my list of Top Books to read for 2010!!  We start The Darkest Hour with Ethan as he mourns the death of his wife on the one year anniversary. He is overwhelmed with guilt, and does his best to shut out the world. When he receives a FedEx package with proof his wife is still alive, his life does a complete 180.

Ethan turns to his brothers who run a contract military like company for help in rescuing Rachel. Together they raid the jungle in search for her, only to find that she has been so doped up on drugs, she has lost most of her memory. The only thing she can remember is the face of an angel she knows as Ethan.

When they return home and begin weaning Rachel off the drugs, her memory slowly returns.  Together, Rachel and Ethan must rebuild their marriage, find their place amongst their family, and find out why a threat against Rachel still exists. But when her memories start to come back clearer and clearer, will they be able to move past some of the more ugly places in their marriage, or will they part ways forever?

I am a huge sucker for stories about couples who are married, or already share a past. And Maya Banks has taken the gold! The Darkest Hour is a perfect mix of action, romance, suspense, and passion.

I loved that the book was packed with action. The entire trip into the jungle to rescue Rachel was fast paced, fun to read, and great to imagine. It was like a Bourne movie playing in my mind; however it wasn’t too over the top. It was exactly what I image would take place in an isolated jungle camp overrun with cartel grunts.

The romance was perfect for me as well. I love that Ethan had to deal with both his guilt over the way he treated Rachel before she disappeared, his joy at having her back, and his fears of losing her all over again.  I love my alpha heroes full of angst, and Ethan does not disappoint. The small worries and gestures he showers on Rachel were enough to win even me over.

Having read a few books where a character was given amnesia, and having it fail miserably, I was a little hesitant about it. However, Banks scores again with having the perfect amount of confusion, frustration, and restoration with Rachel’s memory loss. It was done so well with Rachel having sporadic flashes of memory; working to both secure and alarm her about her past. I loved that she had insecurities about Ethan’s family, and that she struggled with overcoming them.

I don’t think there was one thing about this book I didn’t like, besides the fact that it had to end. I can’t wait for additional stories in the KGI world, and can only hope they are as awesome as this one was!

All in all I give The Darkest Hour 5 out of 5 salvaged marriages!

Where did you get this book from: e-ARC from Netgalley

Release date:  Out now

Contains some minor spoilers

Blurb taken from eHarlequin’s website:

Teen Genius (and Hermit) Carrie Pilby’s To-Do List:

1. List 10 things you love (and DO THEM!)

2. Join a club (and TALK TO PEOPLE!)

3. Go on a date (with someone you actually LIKE!)

4. Tell someone you care (your therapist DOESN’T COUNT!)

5. Celebrate New Year’s (with OTHER PEOPLE!)

Seriously? Carrie would rather stay in bed than deal with the immoral, sex-obsessed hypocrites who seem to overrun her hometown, New York City. She’s sick of trying to be like everybody else. She isn’t! But when her own therapist gives her a five-point plan to change her social-outcast status, Carrie takes a hard look at herself—and agrees to try.

Suddenly the world doesn’t seem so bad. But is prodigy Carrie really going to dumb things down just to fit in?

First thing I want to say is that the cover of this book doesn’t set the tone at all. This book does not feature a heroine who wears colourful clothes with stiletto heels. In fact this book features a very depressed and lonely 19 year old girl. And it’s not what you call a happy fun read.

Carrie is a 19 year old genius. She skipped 3 grades in grammar school, and went to Harvard when she was 15 years old. There was a big gap with the other kids being 6-7 years older than she.  And because of how smart she is, and not interacting with peers of her own age, she lost her social skills and became a loner because no matter how hard she tried to fit in, everyone else was more developed emotionally and sexually.

Carrie now lives in New York on her own after graduating college, doing odd jobs that her father finds for her.  Carrie has a distant, but at the same time loving relationship with her father, but it’s strained because of the ‘Big Lie’ Carrie’s Dad told her.  She also sees a therapist (on her father’s instructions) because she has no social skills whatsoever, and to put it bluntly, she is depressed. Carrie uses her intellect as an excuse for why she shouldn’t make friends, and a very bad experience with her college professor reinforces her belief that she should be alone. But her therapist, Dr Petrov, works with Carrie, and encourages her to slowly ease her way into society again by making friends, joining a member’s club, and having a date. Carrie uses sarcastic words and her intellect as a defence mechanism, and rubbishes the idea at first, but soon gets into things, and starts to work on her list. Carrie slowly realises that she’s not better off as she is, and gradually eases her way back into life.

I’m conflicted about this book. It’s definitely an interesting and likeable read, and I laughed at some of the comments Carrie made, but it’s also very sad. Carrie literally has no friends, she had an awful experience with her college professor who groomed her and took advantage of her when she was in college. Her favourite thing to do? Sleeping in her bed whilst listening to the rain.

So the simple blurb above, and the cover, definitely misleads. This book was previously printed in the Red Dress Ink line, and while it has a 19 year old heroine, and she discovers things that she missed previously in her teen years, I don’t know if I would classify it as a YA. If you’re looking for a book with character oriented descriptions, lots of interactions, and even romance, this is not the book for you. It’s told in first person, and the book centres on Carrie’s inner thoughts on life and the people around her. She does come across as judgemental, but the way she lived her life, she doesn’t know how to interact, so her way of thinking was skewed.

Carrie comes across as very funny with her inner workings and thoughts, but being funny whilst having no friends is not so much fun. Carrie’s story is a journey, and you go through each step with her, from Carrie putting an ad in the personal dates section, to making a friend at her workplace where she temps as a legal proofreader, and to wanting to rat out the cheater that answers her ad in the dating section. Each step that Carrie takes is accompanied by her thoughts, so you’re always in her mind, and to be truthful, I found it to be quite tiring sometimes whilst reading this book, because Carrie’s character wouldn’t just delve into things and simply stop. She would delve deeper and deeper, and there is a lot of philosophy that goes on inside Carrie’s head. She also questions other people’s motives, and the discussion of fidelity is very strong in this book. Callie questions the excuses people make for cheating.

So while I did find this to be an enjoyable read, I wasn’t expecting it be so heavy. I sometimes found myself skipping some of Carrie’s observations because they were so long winded. But Carrie is definitely a very unusual heroine, and when she started to live life again, I wished that the ending wasn’t so abrupt. I wanted to see how she carried on with her new lease on life, and how she would fare in her new found relationships.

I give Carrie Kirby 4 stars.

In the upcoming weeks, we have five bags from the lovely folks at Harlequin to giveaway. And inside each bag is some goodies that includes some of their  Big Summer Reads.

For this week, we’re giving away two bags to two lucky people to get the awesome train steaming ahead.

Bag One contains:

The bag (obviously)
Hat
Sunglasses
Beach Mat
Summer Brides anthology featuring Susan Wiggs, Sherryl Woods, and Susan Mallery. Click HERE to read the blurb.
Orchard Valley Brides by Debbie Macomber. Click HERE to read the blurb.

Bag Two contains:

The bag
Hat
Sunglasses
Beach Mat
All I Ever Wanted by Kristin Higgins. Click HERE to read the blurb.
Claimed by Vicki Lewis Thompson. Click HERE to read the blurb.

To enter for a chance to win the swag, share with us in the comments below your favourite summer romance stories.  Also, please make sure to tell us in your comments what bag you want.

Giveaway is open until 30th August and is open internationally for this week! But for the other bags in the upcoming weeks, the giveaways will be limited to UK/Euro/ US /Canada only due to shipping costs.

Good luck all!

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publish Date: 8/6/10

How I got this book: Requested review from the author

In a post-apocalyptic world, humans rebuild cities of technology and shape shifters restore the wilds of nature. Mackenzie runs to the jaguars of River Gap pride in order to learn to live as something she never wanted to be – a shape shifter – and for sanctuary from the stalker who brutally Changed her.

Adam, a River Gap Sentinel, is assigned as her guard and mentor. Even though she ignites flames of primal desire in him, he holds himself back, well aware of his strength and how new she is to the shape shifter world. To survive the stalker, though, they both need to first battle their pasts and learn what it means to truly be the sentinels of each other’s hearts.

*Blurb from author’s website*

Heart’s Sentinel is the first book in the Terra’s Guardians Series, and the debut novel of PJ Schnyder. In this post-apocalyptic world, shape shifters have moved outside of the cities and taken up to living in the wild. The humans who fear them have stayed in the cities they built. Mackenzie was happy living her life in the city when she meets and begins dating Van, a shape shifter living in the city. When he stalks and attacks her, changing her info a shifter, she moves herself out of the city and into the River Cap Pride.

Adam is a pack Sentinel and assigned to help Mac in her adjustment to the life as a shifter. When an instant attraction flames within him, he must fight both his desires and against Van to keep Mac safe. The two begin to form a bond as Adam helps Mac learn all about being a shape shifter, both the plus and the minuses.

In addition to the threat from Van, there is also the unknown threat of the “hunters.” These mysterious people have been stalking the shifters and humans alike. Their technology is advanced, their tactics are brutal, and their motives are unclear. The pack has been trying to gain more information about them, and both Mac and Adam encounter one looking for blood.

I really enjoyed this story. The world-building was great, the plot was fabulous, the characters well thought out, and the overall story was engaging. The world that Schnyder has built, with the humans living in fear in their closed off cities, the shifters doing everything they can to restore nature back into the world, and the questions surrounding the hunters is all incredible. This series reminds me a little of the super popular Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh. There are so many plot lines all interwoven together to make the story fun and keep the reader guessing the whole way through.  I only hope that we see more and more of the River Cap Pride as the series continues!

I loved the relationship between Mackenzie and Adam. Many times with shifter couples, they are mated and suddenly in love with no problems to work on in their relationship. This was totally not the case with Mac and Adam, and I loved them for it. They both had to deal with facing the fears of their pasts in order to move forward to a future together. Adam does everything in his power to give Mac time to adjust to the life as a shifter, and I enjoyed watching Mac struggle with both her desires and fears. I also liked that Mac didn’t put up with Adam’s BS. Although she worried about adjusting with her new life, she also refused to be treated as a child. She was strong when she needed to be, and at the same time was soft when appropriate. I absolutely loved her character. While Adam picked at my nerves a few times, especially when treating Mac like a child, he was the perfect Alpha Male Shifter I’ve come to love. He protects what is his, and is always putting others needs ahead of his own.

I can’t wait to read more in this series, and discover some of the secrets behind the hunters. While we only learn a little about them, I was hooked with what little information was given. Are they just killing shifters and humans outright? Are they studying them? Kidnapping them? Are they some kind of aliens from another planet? I can’t wait to find out more!

The dynamics of the pack were great as well. I love how close-knit everyone was, and again it reminded me so much of the Psy-Changeling series. The alpha with his sentinel soldiers, charged with protecting the pack at all costs. The value the pack places on its children and juvenile, the healers with their special brand of magical healing. I can only hope that we see more of Marcus the alpha, Chryssa the healer, and Mack another sentinel.

There were one or two editing mishaps that seemed somewhat obvious to me, and I hope were caught before the book went to print. As I had a review copy, I can only hope that the last round of edits fixed these small snafu’s.

Keep your eyes out for Red’s Wolf a short novella set in the Terra’s Guardians world, featuring Carri, a woman escaping the confines of the city with the Glacier Valley wolf pack, and Jason the lone wolf who has his sights set on claiming her. This short is set for release on August 30, 2010!

All in all, I give Heart’s Sentinel  4 out of 5 cat shifters!

Kthxbai.

Publisher: Scholastic

Where did you get this book: Purchased from bookstore

Release date: Available now

This review contains spoilers!

Blurb taken from Scholastic website:

.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge!

When I sat down to re-read the first two books in the trilogy prior to the release of Mockingjay next week, I’d planned to review both books then discovered Lou had already covered Hunger Games (http://thebookpushers.com/2009/05/07/review-the-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins/). So, we’re just going to focus on Catching Fire, the middle child of this particular trilogy.

It starts with Katniss home from the games and set up in her new home in Victor’s Village. After the events in the arena, Peeta is distant and Gale barely speaks to her other than on Sundays when they escape to the woods to hunt together. Though she no longer has to struggle to feed her family, Katniss is miserable in her new existence. Things get even worse when President Snow visits her prior to the victory tour he lets her know in no uncertain terms that she has to convince the uprising districts that her act at the end of the games was truly done out of love and not rebellion.

During the tour, she does her best to play happily in love, but Katniss can’t ignore the way Peacekeepers step in to murder those in the crowds showing the least defiance of the capitol or the way her mockingjay token shows up everywhere, even in the capitol itself. But when President Snow informs her she hasn’t done a good enough job, she knows things are about to get much, much worse.

And holy crap, do they. While Katniss struggles with her feelings for Peeta and Gale, she’s forced to watch people she cares about be beaten, robbed of their livelihood, stripped of their dignity, all while trying to hold together the illusion of a romance with Peeta. When it’s announced that the 75th Hunger Games will be a battle between former victors, she crumbles.

For me that was the first of a couple weak points in the story. While Collins let us know Katniss had been suffering from nightmares about the arena since the games, I needed to feel it more in order to really buy into Katniss’s initial reaction to the announcement. And later, in the games, when so many other tributes are teaming up with her and Peeta, she seems incredibly oblivious. Granted, she was focused on keeping Peeta alive, but in the first book, Katniss was not only brave, she was incredibly savvy, not so much this time around. Too many things raised questions in her mind, but she never really attempted to put two and two together properly. With all she’d seen outside the arena and how much support she had, I felt like getting rich had made her stupid.

Collins’ writing is still phenomenal and the plot once again moved at breakneck speed in her gritty, terrifying dystopian world, but I miss the smarter Katniss and I really hope she makes a return appearance in the next installment. Because no matter what my issues with Catching Fire, I’m still dying to get my hands on a copy of Mockingjay.

So, while the first book definitely got five stars from me, the best I can honestly do is give Catching Fire 4.5 stars (and I strongly considered 4.0).