The story itself picks up where the first book left off. Katniss is home from the Hunger Games, only things are not at all better as she expected them to be. Gale is working in the mines and on Sundays when she's able to meet up with him, he barely talks to her. She and Peeta are avoiding each other, and even worse, President Snow seems to hold Katniss personally responsible for the whispers of rebellion sweeping through the districts.
I can't say anything else about the plot because it just wouldn't be right to give anything away in this book. But I can say without a doubt, Suzanne Collins is a genius. She's freaking brilliant! First of all, the post-apocalyptic setting has been done before, but Collins manages to bring a completely different angle to her series, which is layered with meaning. Sure on the surface, this is a suspenseful science fiction thriller, but the underlying themes of oppression vs. freedom and inherent goodness vs. inherent evil cannot be overlooked for an instant. Katniss is overwhelmed multiple times by an inner struggle between the basest of animal instincts: to survive, and her human morals: to do the right thing.
The beginning of the book is less suspenseful than the first one, however that is not to say it is not as good. There is still a threat at every turn for Katniss, however they are often more political than physical, and each chapter ends with some sort of compelling revelation to keep you turning the page. And there are plenty of shocks.
One comes on page 173, and the action and suspense multiply threefold until the breathless end of the novel. And twice after that, I found myself completely shocked at a turn of events. (And that doesn't happen to me often).
This second installment of The Hunger Games did not disappoint, and I have to say if anyone has not yet read the first book, you should head out right now to get yourself a copy. The series is definitely the best YA series I've read and should appeal to girls, guys, kids, and adults.