I kind of see why I had zero memory of this book compared to the first. There are two standout scenes I really, really love, but the rest of it has already turned into brain soup.

The Katniss vs. Snow scene at the beginning is great. I love the tension, the intense rose/blood imagery that Snow gets. He’s a fun villain!

I will be forever chasing that bombshell weight of that Peeta interview reveal line as well. That hit like a truck.

But everything else is just kinda… eh? I don’t like Gale. I couldn’t tell you why. He just sort of annoys me, so the love triangle between him and Katniss and Peeta doesn’t really give me much other than a dull yawn.

However, for a YA? The pro-direct action messaging is really nice.