Catching Fire: Illustrated Edition (the Hunger Games #2)

Description

Catching Fire: Illustrated Edition (the Hunger Games #2) Review: GORGEOUS! - The illustrations arr absolutely beautiful 😍 Review: Superb Edition of a YA Classic: Scholastic Is on Fire - In contrast to popular opinion, which tends to rave about the book, I find Catching Fire the least enjoyable of the original trilogy. To me, it’s a very good bridge between The Hunger Games and Mockingjay - both of which I consider Hugo‑worthy (and no, Collins didn’t receive the award; she wasn’t even nominated). Still, that “least enjoyable” verdict translates to 4.5 stars from me, compared with the 4 stars I give The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the 3 stars for the recently released Sunrise on the Reaping. I found the latter utterly unimaginative. Do we really need to see the Games yet again from a District 12 perspective rather than, say, from District 1 or 2? Frankly, the strategy of the Districts that train “careers” seems almost humane toward their non‑career youth (who don’t have to dread the annual reaping and are essentially guaranteed survival), while simultaneously dehumanising the volunteers themselves. Now that is a moral conflict worth exploring. What is spectacular here is the edition itself. Forget Katniss for a second - Scholastic, the publisher, is on fire. Just like its predecessor, The illustrated Hunger Games released in 2024, this new illustrated Catching Fire rivals the quality of the Folio Society. The book has sewn binding, thick and wonderfully tactile high‑quality paper (printed in China), a large font, and breathtaking woodblock‑style black‑and‑white illustrations by Nico Delort. The attached photos show how the illustrated edition compares to the standard hardcover. The illustrations deserve special attention. They are done in the Appalachian tradition of relief/block printing, which fits the book really well. I was not sure how I felt about them at first - until someone pointed out that they echo the scrapbook Peeta and Katniss create at the very end of the series. That hit home. Hard. Should you buy this illustrated edition even if you already own a standard one? Absolutely. And then pick up Mockingjay, which will be released in October 2026. My own standard edition has now found a new home at Royal Trinity Hospice charity in London, UK. That way - unlike in the series - everyone wins. (desertcart shipping did not handle this order well. damaging the book. In fact, both the illustrated Hunger Game and the illustrated Catching Fire arrived damaged. However, desertcart customer service fixed everything expertly, so five stars goes to them as well).