The characters are wonderful and I could relate to them. The new characters pulled me in, and the old characters surprised me and made me fall more in love with them all. The story was incredible and took a turn I did not expect. "Catching Fire" was a wonderful second book that set up a whole third story to take place.
If you have not read the Hunger Games, I suggest reading it asap and buying the second one at the same time. But remember, the third book doesn't come out until August 2010!