The anthem begins, but there are no faces in the sky tonight. The audience will be restless, thirsting for blood.

Sequel to the very impressive The Hunger Games, the second book in the series has our heroine Katniss once again forced to take to the combat arena for brutal contest with the champions of her world. I could see the end coming from about a quarter of the way into the book, so was a bit impatient with the characters who weren't expecting it, but the pace of the writing about short-term survival and loyalty to friends and potential lovers in extreme circumstances carries it. I went and bought the third book yesterday, so I hope it is a decent climax.