New Book

So I started the second Hunger Games this week, and I really enjoy it already.  The intense action of the first book has yet to come, but has been foreshadowed many a time so far in the novel.  The President is very angry with Katniss for "thwarting" and "rebelling" against the Capitol with her and Peeta's romantic end to the Games.  Now she lives a victor in Victor's Village, confused about the life she now needs to lead.  Her relationships are deteriating: Gale is distant and Peeta will not speak to her or look her in the eye.  Katniss and Gale, I believe, belong together.  They have known each other for a long time, and have relied on each other for food and safety in the illegal boundaries of the woods.  Gale made a move, kissing Katniss, but both of them acted like it had never happened and went their separate ways.  Also, during the Games, a rumor was spread that Gale and Katniss were cousins, further complicating their relationship even further.  They were able to share secrets to each other before the Games, but now everything is mainly work between them. 

The President visited Katniss smelling of "roses and blood".  I felt that this was a weird combination of smells, giving the fact that they can be conceived as polar opposites.  Roses symbolize a blossoming love, while the blood symbolizes death and pain and suffering.  I believe the author inserted this into the novel because she wants to emphasize the importance that Katniss and Peeta continue their blossoming romance, but with the fear of numerous deaths if they do not succeed.  The Districts are beginning to rise in an uproar and defiance toward the Capitol.  The president threatens Gale's life if she does not do as he says.  He even knows about Gale and Katniss's kiss and their hunting together...I thought that was kinda creepy.