This is the third, and final, book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. If you read the first two books, you will read this one. All I can say is to be prepared for one heck of a ride. A lot happens in this book and Collins doesn't hold off on killing off a lot of people. The book starts where Catching Fire left off. Katniss is in District 13 with Gale, her mom, and her sister Prim. The Rebel group based in District 13 is trying to get Katniss to take up the Mockingjay symbol and become the face of their revolution. Katniss is unsure if she wants to go this route or not. Peeta is still missing and presumed captured by President Snow and being held in the Capital. Katniss's journey eventually leads to the capital itself and a final face-off with President Snow. This is a hard book to review without spoilers but I will give it my best shot. The pace of this book is relentless. Collins does not pull punches when it comes to killing off large groups of people, as well as people we love and care about. This is a dark book, and that is putting it mildly. As far as characterization goes we begin to see even more of what defines Katniss as a character; she is not sentimental, she is a survivor foremost and that it what sets her apart from others. A lot of the decisions made by Katniss in this book are driven by that personality trait. In fact at one point Gale and Peeta are discussing Katniss and who she will "choose". Gale sums it up perfectly when he says something to the effect of "Katniss will choose whoever she can't survive without." On to other characters. The ruthlessness we saw in Gale at the end of the Catching Fire is built upon in this book. Gale is ruthless and practical to the point of dislike at times. He begins to look like a character that likes what Katniss stands for, rather than who she is. At the end of book two I was Team Gale all the way. I thought that Gale and Katniss had more in common in survival instincts and could pull off a good relationship based on those characteristics. As this book starts and continues, we see a side of Gale that is more ruthless and dispassionate than ever before. In order to avoid spoilers I won't say much about Peeta, except that he is back in the story for the second half of the book. Collins does an excellent job at showing both sides of the story. You get to see both the good the rebel forces do, and the harm they cause in rebelling against the Capital. As Katniss and team enter the capital, Collins relates the Capital takeover as yet another type of dome just like previous "Hunger Games" this is an interesting idea and ties the three novels together well. In each of them we see our teams of characters struggling to stay alive, doing things no one should have to do. In each book there are brutal deaths. There's quite the twist at the end of this book. People may be surprised at who Katniss kills. All I have to say about this is that I was satisfied with the choice Katniss made, and had actually been hoping that Collins would have it play out that way. Katniss's actions at the end seemed like the best way to follow Katniss's beliefs, while trying to ensure the best ending for humanity as a whole. The epilogue was interesting. It was kind of nice to get a definitive ending to everything that played out before. It wrapped things up nicely. Still, I didn't think the epilogue was necessary and I think the book would have actually been a bit better and more thought-provoking without it. As with the previous books the writing style of this book was incredibly readable and engaging; no matter people think of the plot, you have to admit Collins is one heck of a great writer. Overall I thought this was an excellent conclusion to the series. Readers may not like how some of things play-out; but I thought they played out realistically and I liked the decisions Katniss made at the end...I thought her decisions really stayed true to the core personality trait of her character, which was to survive. I am eagerly awaiting whatever Collins comes up with next.
Review by krau0098 (LibraryThing), August 30, 2010 Mockingjay suffers as all sequels to excellent books do: the previous books are SO good that you end up with expectations that almost cannot be met. As I was reading Mockingjay, I found myself slightly disappointed: who knew Katniss would have so much downtime (she's spearheading a revolution, after all), or that we, the reader, would have so little idea of what is happening. But then the book began to barrel towards its surprising conclusion, full of action and jaw-dropping choices, and I realized the book rose up to the occasion superbly. War is slow-moving; people get hurt, sacrifices are made, and information is scarce. It is also life-changing, and our Katniss certainly does not escape the revolution's impact. All in all, I found Mockingjay to be an excellent conclusion to an amazing series.
Review by stephaniechase (LibraryThing), August 30, 2010 Not as riveting or suspenseful as the other two books in the trilogy. Of course I loved it, but I may have built it up too much in the long span of time between reading "Catching Fire" and the release of "Mockingjay." Throughout these three books, I admired Collins' incorporation of current political, environmental, and social issues. Also, I enjoyed her masterful use of varying sentence structures (alternating between straight to the point and very detailed), and the way she put me in Katniss' mind, allowing me to feel her mixed emotions and guess her next move. I have a hard time believing any movie can give these books justice.
Review by KWROLSEN (LibraryThing), August 29, 2010 I absolutely loved the first book in this series, seriously one of the best books ever written, but this one didn't have the same "greatness" as the others. It ended the series nicely, though I had some questions about the new government, so while I didn't love this book, the series is worth reading!
Review by rvolenti (LibraryThing), August 29, 2010 If you haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, this is a **spoiler warning** for those titles. **Some spoilers for Mockingjay ahead** - I tried to limit spoilers in my discussion of Mockingjay, but I am talking about themes and some events that come later on, so read at your own risk. Katniss is adjusting to life in District 13. With its strict schedules, rules about food, and careful procedures for life underground, she's finding it rather restricting. The rebels of District 13, in waging a propaganda war against the Capitol to provoke uprising, want to make Katniss into their symbol as the Mockingjay. She isn't sure if she wants to be a piece in their games anymore than a participant in the Hunger Games - but in this situation, how much choice does she have? In many ways, the tone of this book surprised me. The first surprise was that Katniss has been living in District 13 for a month and we learn about some of the changes to her life, and her reaction to the destruction of District 12, retrospectively. The other surprise is how much of the war is occurring elsewhere. Katniss is a symbol rather than a major player for much of the story, so the main focal point is not the plot but her character. What do you compromise in war, and who loses? What do you do when you don't fully agree with either side, and what are you personally responsible for as a result of others' choices and use of power? All in all, this wasn't what I was expecting, but I continued to be interested in the characters and their choices to the end.
Review by bell7 (LibraryThing), August 29, 2010 What can I say, the final chapter of The Hunger Games. More than I could ask for. No, spoilers or hiints. Just read it already.
Review by TheLibraryhag (LibraryThing), August 29, 2010 I loved it! A satisfying end to the Hunger Games trilogy, like the other books action packed from cover to cover! I was very stressed for Katniss, but was happy with how things turned out in the end.
Review by tahoegirl (LibraryThing), August 28, 2010 An excellent end to the Hunger Games trilogy. It addresses the horror of war without cheapening the story. I highly recommend this series.
Review by stafinois (LibraryThing), August 28, 2010 Great final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.
Review by The_Librain (LibraryThing), August 28, 2010 This was an excellent way to end the trilogy begun with The Hunger Games. It was realistic and presented war as a heartbreaking experience for all involved. Wonderful!
Review by RABooktalker (LibraryThing), August 28, 2010 I'll try to make this spoiler free, since there are some details that can be assumed since this is the third and final book of the series. Katniss lives. President Snow and the Capital are not happy. Katniss has become the unwilling mockingjay, the symbol of a rebellion that has spread to every district of Panem. Battles must be fought, prisoners must be freed, and Snow must be destroyed... but at what cost? Some reviews have emphasized the amount of violence in Mockingjay. Yes, it is violent, going into graphic detail on torture and various unpleasant ways to die, but Collins did a masterful job showing the psychological damage. Katniss must kill to stay alive, and every death kills part of her as well. The book is as intense as its predecessors and then it reaches the ending and... it felt rather like the book fell of a cliff. A few major elements were way too contrived. Ultimately, though, the ending worked, but no one could ever say it's cliche and happy.
Review by ladycato (LibraryThing), August 28, 2010 Everything I thought it would be!
Review by asomers (LibraryThing), August 27, 2010 The first hundred pages were very disappointing and depressing. Katniss seem to dissolve in the background, I almost forgot she was the main character. If the intention was for her to look helpless, all I felt was her being useless. Personalities of old characters were developed in the book and that is about the best thing about the story. We learned more about Finnick, Johanna, Haymitch, Peeta, Gale, Prim, the citizens of the Capitol, even a little about the Avox girl mentioned elsewhere in the series. Unfortunately, Suzanne Collins seem to really like killing off her characters - to the point that some deaths felt unecessary - even corny, at best. I know that this is supposed to be a war story but the tone is just too depressing. By the end of the book I was almost hoping Katniss had succeeded in killing herself. But the thing that really bothered me is how the author totally turned Peeta's and Gale's personalities around. Whereas in the two previous books we were led to believe that Peeta was romantic and unconditionally in love with Katniss, and Gale was this strong-willed but level-headed person, here we saw both their personality flaws. Peeta's affection towards Katniss was overcome by hatred while Gale turned out to be a younger version of Snow. There was too much drama, too many deaths, too many make-overs (ridiculous, by the way, given the war plot), too little happiness, and too many loose ends (whatever happened to Katniss's mother?) The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are among my favorite books. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for Mockingjay.
Review by kimiko_ako (LibraryThing), August 27, 2010 Depressing. Horrific. Brutalizing. Death and destruction. Still processing. Leaning towards "OK" book, but don't love it. Sort of hate it; what happens to people. Especially Peeta. I cried. A lot.
Review by goodbekah27 (LibraryThing), August 26, 2010 This is the way to end a series. I think this is one of the best series put to print in quite some time. I am a big fan, and will be recommending this series to all.
Review by irunsjh (LibraryThing), August 26, 2010 *SPOILERS BELOW* This was my favorite in the trilogy. The first was great, the second was good, but this one is amazing. Unlike in the other two novels I feel like more of the motivations of the charachters was revealed. I understand Gale, Plutark, Coin, Haymitch, and others much better. Yes, it is dark, bloody, sad, and depressing, but it is real. I also LOVED the ending, because I thought it fit so well with the end to the series. Yes, Peeta and Katniss wind up together with a family. But this is no "happily-ever-after" it is (again) real. Peeta and Katniss will never be the same, but they are survivors, and they hope their children do not have to go through what they did, but there is no assurance of that. I cannot help but compare it to the epilouge in Harry Potter, which one critic described as the first scene in "Hogwarts: The Cartoon" which follows the offspring on funny but not dangerous adventures. My one criticism is that I was bit disoriented about time. The revolution in the districts seemed to take days, possibly weeks, but no more than that. It would have been nice to know more about the different rebel forces in the district. And how long did the "trial" last? (In a side note, having a trial without the defendent does not speak highly of their justice system or it's ability to survive for long). My one main criticism of the series remains that it NEEDS A MAP of the Districts and possibly a seperate one of District 12. This would enhance the series and help us to understand the Panem world much better.
Review by rlb0616 (LibraryThing), August 26, 2010 An amazing finale for my favorite trilogy! I loved the side we saw of all the characters in this installment. Suzanne Collins managed to break and melt my heart during the course of this novel. The ending was more satisfying than I could have hoped. If you haven’t read these books please do. Even if you aren’t a fan of sci-fi and dystopia novels. This is a story for all readers.
Review by C.Ibarra (LibraryThing), August 26, 2010 Disturbing, violent, and riveting.
Review by spincerely (LibraryThing), August 25, 2010 As with my other immediate reaction posts, this will probably not be the most organized, coherent blog I write. This is because I literally just finished reading Mockingjay, and it was sufficiently mindblowing. Congratulations, Suzanne Collins, for successfully making my brain explode. Obviously, my thoughts were all over the place while reading, and are in no better state at this moment. The suspense of this book kept up throughout the entire read, down to the very final pages. I found myself sitting here, grasping the last few pages in hand, completely clueless as to how Collins could successfully wrap everything up so quickly. She did. She freaking DID. The book starts with a one month time jump since the events of Catching Fire. Everything that happened there is explained, which, by the way, put Catching Fire in a new (and better) light in my mind. There's a lot of preparation and build up for all the big battles, and trust me, big battles there are, literal combat and raging inner psychological wars. All the while, Katniss' every move is still being filmed, a move I didn't quite appreciate (and, well, neither did Katniss!). Both Katniss and I really wanted to see more of her in combat rather than on camera. I was really glad to see the romance toned down. Very early on, Collins makes it clear that Katniss is in no state to be choosing her "Team", at one point blankly making a statement through Katniss: "The very notion that I'm devoting any thought to who I want presented as my lover, given the current circumstances, is demeaning." This isn't to say that her inner struggle between Gale and Peeta doesn't exist, just that there are obviously bigger issues at stake. She does eventually (very eventually, it's not until the last page, plus the epilogue) make her choice, and while I am not at all a fan of the choice she makes, it's still written in an incredibly powerful emotional (or, as the case is, emotion-less) way. The way her castoff "Team" is treated, though, just slightly enrages me, as it is a character plenty of fans were very emotionally invested in. Anyway, to more important things. I do not like the epilogue. I do not think Katniss going back to District 12, popping out babies and living a normalish life with Peeta is in-character at all. There is so much effective foreshadowing done in this book, as well as throughout the first two books in the series as well. It's still extraordinarily difficult to tell exactly where the plot will take the reader, but ohh, after finishing the book, it's amazing how well all the pieces, laid out from the very beginning, all fit together. There's nothing I like better than a book that sets up an intricate mythology and mysteries surrounding that set-up, and then resolves all of the plot threads. For the longest time, I was convinced that Gale would flat out sacrifice himself so that Katniss could end up with Peeta. Guess I was looking at this book and its author incorrectly. They would never dumb themselves down to that level of desperate romantic plot, and I'm so thankful I was proven wrong. I came to a big realization while reading this series. It is very rare for me to like a main protagonist in a book or series, and for once, I do. I love Katniss. She was, surprisingly enough to me, my favorite character. Such a complex girl (and that complexity is fully fleshed out in this book, as is...well, pretty much the complexity of everything), with so much to face. Her realizations throughout this book about herself, her place in the world she inhabits, are emotionally raw in their realism, and her end emotional state left me paralyzed in its intensity. The story is darker than the first two, darker than most books I've read, and the progression of Katniss's emotional state is the most compelling and, in a twisted way, beautiful, part of the series for me. Rating: A much deserved 5/5
Review by Runa (LibraryThing), August 24, 2010 Heart wrenching, engrossing, action packed and wonderful. Enjoyed it immensely!
Review by dancingstarfish (LibraryThing), August 23, 2010 The past years have been really hard on Katniss, but she has managed to hang in there, for now.
Review by Twilight123 (LibraryThing), March 28, 2010 This book was pretty good. But book 1 and 2 could WAY beat this book.It`s pretty much same with when I read the last book of Twilight (Breaking Dawn). Twilight`s last book was TERRIBLE. Pretty much same with this book, except I would NOT call Mockingjay terrible.
Review by katniss777 (Hayward Public Library (CA) ), November 9, 2010 Mockingjay, the final book in the epic Hunger Games trilogy, lives up to potential. I personally feel that the ending is very rushed, yet still a great way to end the readers thirst for more. Mockingjay is filled with twists and turns, keeping you on your toes until the very end. Of course, Katniss still has her flip-flopping love life with Gale and Peeta. Enjoy!
Review by bookworm7199 (Suffolk County Public Libraries ), March 2, 2011 A terrific ending to a terrific trilogy. While other YA authors tend to go for simplistic endings, there is no sugarcoating here. Collins leaves you with more questions than answers and does not spare her characters, or her readers, with emotional distress. The nuances of the characters and the greater themes of the book will intrigue even the most sci-fi-adverse adults (teens: you already know this book is great). One note: read them in order!!
Review by JainaLewis (Westport Library), January 24, 2011 Mockingjay surprises readers through all of its twists and turns
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