This was my least favorite book out of the series. So much killing and suffering. Although I know some of it was needed for the book to function, the last blast that kills all the kids was a little upsetting. In all, this was a great series and I would recommend it to anyone.
Review by millett23 (LibraryThing), December 2, 2010 I couldn't wait to read the final in the trilogy of this captivating series. I must admit however that I was disappointed. It seemed a bit disjointed at times and didn't have the same pacing as the first two books.
Review by Buella2140 (LibraryThing), November 30, 2010 I had wanted to do separate reviews for the second and third book for the Hunger Games trilogy, but I simply couldn’t pause in my reading long enough to do so. There will be spoilers in the below, so be advised.I’m a self-professed history fanatic. When I hit the first book in the series, I was immediately able to see the allusions to Ancient Rome and the Punic Wars. When I came to “Catching Fire,” I interpreted it as a transistor in the analogy. In the second installment in the series, Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, learn that for the third quarter quell, the Hunger Games roster will be filled by victors from previous years. Immediately, Katniss realizes that her win from the year before has resulted her being a target for the Capitol, and that Peeta is just as determined as before to ensure her survival, even at the cost of his own. The attendance of victors from across the years, from Katniss and Peeta as the youngest, to the oldest being estimated in her eighties, appeared to me as a reference to the European states heading into World War II. Collins is not the first to make the connection between the wars of the later Roman Republic/Early Empire and WWII. However, she makes it personal on a level at which historical texts often fail.As the Quarter Quell kicks into action, Katniss is again unable to comprehend the intensity of Peeta’s love for her. Tribute-Victors begin to fall left and right in the new arena, a tropical rain forest environment which is designed to look and function as a time piece. (Again, I see this as Collins informing the reader that, while our alluded era is shifting, so much remains the same.) When Peeta is nearly killed by walking into an electrified force field, Katniss begins to connect with her own burgeoning emotions, and realizes that she, too, is falling for him. However, Katniss has never been a romantic, and she remains focused on her goal. By allying with several tribute-victors, including the dashing Finnick, the inventive Beetee, and the no-nonsense, Katnisslike Johanna, the band is able to out-maneuver the Capitol’s best attempts to rid themselves of the growing threat their survival poses. In a confusing, high-action series of events (the confusion here stemming not from any fault in the quality of writing but, on the contrary, to a very crafty and concisely penned reflection of Katniss’ own bewilderment), Katniss is able to out-smart the workings of the Capitol’s force field device, and is rendered unconscious by Johanna. Feeling she’s failed and giving herself over to death, an amazed and jaded Katniss awakes to learn that her elder, allied victors were part of resistance group determined to overthrow the Capitol, that she was kept in the dark so she couldn’t be interrogated for knowledge of the workings of the group if their escape from the arena failed, and that in retaliation for their actions, Katniss’ home district, District 12, has been destroyed. Though her mother, sister and best friend/suitor, Gale, have escaped to the once-thought-destroyed District 13, Peeta was not successfully rescued from the HG arena, and is being held prisoner by the Capitol.“Mockingjay” opens several months after the events of “Catching Fire.” Now harbored in relative safety in District 13, Katniss is on the edge of sanity, her mind warped by injury and circumstance. District 13′s survival comes as a surprise, and provides a refuge for the survivors of District 12, but isn’t above using Katniss as a pawn in their war against the Capitol. Asking her to serve as the symbolic leaders of their cause, she’s disappointed but not shocked to see that she would be used as tool by them just as she was by the Capitol in the first HG. Gale, having professed his love for her, is nonetheless separated by his need to rebel against the Capitol’s power, and even in moments where Katniss softens and lets him nearer, he finds himself again immediately sidelined by either her use of him as a diversion, or in her difference of goal in the upcoming war. Several Capitol defectors, District 13 citizens, and former HG Victors become Katniss’ friends, supporters and allies. Most of these parties are in turn symbolic references to various players in WWII (Gale=France, Pollux= Poland, the Capitol=Germany, District 2=Italy, Haymitch may be a general characterization of Churchill, Coin, FDR, and Snow, Hitler). Peeta is being used as a propaganda device under the Captiol’s control, appearing on Panem TV to beg the rebels and Katniss to give up the fight before it destroys them all. The rebels volley with a series of propos on hijacked Capitol airwaves, showing the damage the Capitol has wreaked and their disregard for the value of the slave labor districts they control. However, Katniss finally agrees to serve as the Mockingjay symbol, which inspires the revolution in the districts. Leading ever closer to the Capitol, Peeta is eventually rescued in a covert mission, though he has been brainwashed to believe that Katniss is his enemy. Having become aware of her love for Peeta, she soldiers on nonetheless, determined that her personal vengeance for Peeta’s love’s corruption and the loss of her home district can only be manifested against the Capitol by personally assassinating President Snow. In a tragic turn, outside the gates of presidential mansion, with her goal in sight, Prim falls victim to the cause. The loss leads Katniss, betrayed and sober, to see District 13 in the same light as the Capitol, and when her chance to dispatch Snow finally arrives, she instead kills President Coin. Declared insane, Katniss is sent back to District 12, where only the victor’s village remains, to live out her life in alienation from the New Republic. Eventually, a reprogrammed Peeta returns to her, and the two are slowly able to build a life together. A rather brief, a-little-too-sugary epilogue references the birth of Peeta and Katniss’ two children, and despite the excitement of the events leading to the fall of the Capitol, the final few chapters seem rushed, convenient and lacking resolution.Over all, the HG trilogy is one of the best YA series I have ever read. It respects the intelligence and emotional maturity of the target audience while not oversimplifying the consequence of decisions, actions and fortune the way many other members of this genre do. Though its anti-big brother message and warning of the evil of totalitarian societies and analogy of the communist/fascist paradigm is sometimes a little too heavy in the subtext, it is still spun over an engaging-enough tale that one doesn’t mind taking a little medicine with the sugar. Katniss’ struggles are realistic and her actions sincere. Peeta’s devotion sometimes comes off as a little too intense for someone asked to sacrifice so much at such a young age, but then again, if not for the innocence and romantic blindness, his character could never have played the role required of it. The violence in some passages is extremely graphic, and I would advise readers sensitive to accurate portrayal of war and death to shy away, but I highly recommend this without reserve to readers ages 14 .
Review by killianmcrae (LibraryThing), November 30, 2010 Katniss Everdeen should be dead. She managed to survive two brutal and bloody trips to the Hunger Games arena, but now she is faced with her biggest challenge yet. Taking on the role of the Mockingjay. Can Katniss be the face of the rebellion and lead the troops on their quest to overthrow the Capitol? Does she even want to? An amazing ending to the Hunger Games trilogy, many mysteries are solved (District 13!) and many questions are answered (Gale or Peeta?). Fans of the series cannot miss this one.
Review by ReadingVirgo (LibraryThing), November 29, 2010 Mockingjay is the final installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy. The first two books were a disturbing picture of a failed future with a totalitarian Capitol City cruelly ruling 12 districts. In the first two books, we experienced children killing children to survive for the amusement of the citizens of the Capitol. In this 3rd book, the reader is as relieved as the children and members of the districts to finally be able to rise up in revolution against the Capitol. The book begins a few months after the last one and takes place in District 13, an entirely new society for us to learn about. Collins continues to surprise and distress throughout this emotional novel, delving into the psyche of the characters more deeply than ever before. It will not disappoint.
Review by ark76 (LibraryThing), November 28, 2010 Sh*t, guys.I’ve been putting off writing this review. I suspected it wouldn’t be a fun one to write about halfway in, when I realized I’d been skimming for sixty pages and hadn’t even noticed. Reading through to the conclusion of this best-selling trilogy bore that suspicion out, but I feel no fiendish glee in saying so. The truth is, I’d like to be over there with so many of you, nodding my head and musing about how deep and dark this is and talking about how Collins has penned a kid’s classic that tops even The Giver for its unrelenting intensity.But I have to say it. Because it’s the truth and because you’ve come to expect nothing less from me:This was a steaming pile of tragedy porn if I’ve ever stepped in one.I suspect that you’ll tell me that I missed the point. That war is terrible, you know? And that only someone like Collins could capture the numbing, soul-crushing intensity of the horrible horror of it. That I should see how the flattened character of our narrator, the formerly imperious Katniss Everdeen, and the soulless, affectless behavior of those around her, is just an honest portrayal of how war destroys people.Christ, no. Don’t start. I get it. I just don’t find it all that interesting.“Disinterested” is how I’d characterize most of my reading. I found little that was emotionally compelling in Mockingjay, a problem that really started somewhere in the previous book, Catching Fire, and here reached a sort of crescendo of deafening silence. But early in Catching Fire there was the promise of emotional connection with the events of the story—I can’t help but think of that scene in Rue’s district, the only one I clearly recall from the whole book, which made me weep in the bathtub as I read it. Here, beyond a very mild and shallow interest in the cat that appears in the book’s beginning (and really, Collins, do you need to throw in an animal to tug on our heartstrings? Wait, no, you probably do), there was nothing. I read, and read, and read, never once connecting to Katniss or any of the people around her. This was particularly true of the “romantic” exchanges between Katniss and Gale. These characters have never had any particular chemistry, mostly due to the woeful underdevelopment of Gale. Here, we finally get to know him a bit better—but what we learn isn’t particularly endearing. In fact, his brand of blood-thirstiness, combined with his weirdly proprietary attitude towards our intrepid narrator, was pretty gross.But no worries, because it’s clear through every single scene where he’s featured that Collins is totally Team Peeta, too. Peeta’s appearances (too late in the narrative, if you ask me) were the only scenes with any emotional resonance, and Katniss’ reactions to him hit, if not deep, than at least deeper. But unfortunately, for the sake of drawing out the really lame love triangle, and in order to provide some sort of overarching conflict, Collins keeps our lovers largely apart. Her methods for doing so were extremely contrived—of course, Peeta couldn’t just have PTSD; of course, there’s some sort of ridiculous pseudo-scientific reason and he’s been tortured and don’t you know war is just terrible so of course we get nearly four hundred pages of Katniss waffling. Pointlessly. Waffling.Sigh.It’s all like this—contrived. For instance, Collins wants to show us that the leaders of the rebellion are just as evil as the leaders of Panam, so she makes them evil in a painfully obvious, waxed moustache sort of way. And she decides that Katniss needs to hate Gale, and so he kills her sister in a manner that’s likewise convoluted. Nothing seems to happen naturally or organically. I never got the feeling that characters were acting a certain way because that’s who they really were, but rather because Collins needed them to act a certain way to make a point—a point that, again, is pretty facile. War is terrible. She wants us—young Americans, presumably, who have never experienced it—to cluck our tongues and shake our heads at the sad horror of it.I guess if I bought the whole message, it would be cathartic. Yes, people really are terrible! I see it! So I’m not awful! Down with war! Up with flowers growing over graves!But I felt no catharsis. In fact, I hardly felt anything.Until the final pages. Until the epilogue.The end (combined with the fact that Collins can write compelling prose even if I didn’t like the story*) is pretty much what saves this from being a one-star book. It’s as if Collins, for the first time, was emotionally engaged in what she was writing. The gradual cobbling together of two lives rang very true to me—there was a tenderness and affection there that was wholly absent in the rest of the novel. Unlike some readers, I didn’t find it particularly problematic that Katniss didn’t make an active “choice”—but perhaps this was true for me only because I thought it so preposterously obvious that Ms. Everdeen, or at least Ms. Collins, had long since chosen. But a fitting ending does not a worthwhile read make. Or something. I wish, not for the first time, that publishers didn’t have such a hunger (heh) for trilogies these days, not to mention love triangles. Had Collins been allowed to create a self-contained story in the first book, tying back the lingering romantic tensions by its conclusion, it would have been a pretty much perfect read. Instead, we got a second book that was a very redundant retread of the first, and a third that was kind of like those sexual harassment seminars they make you take at work—blatantly obvious, and not quite didactic**, but certainly tiresome.*I like Collins’ prose, but I did find that she has a really grating way of tip-toeing around what she’s saying so that it’s not clear until several paragraphs in what she’s even talking about, even when it’s just a straight-forward description of action. I think this was meant to be poetic and yadda yadda evidence of Katniss’ emotional detachment, but it caused me to have to reread passages I didn’t really enjoy that much the first time. So that sucked.**Speaking of didactic, did you guys like when Katniss practically broke the fourth wall to tell us how insulting it is that people care who she ended up with because YOU GUYS WAR IS HARD AND TERRIBLE AND SHE HAS BIGGER PROBLEMS? Sheesh.
Review by PhoebeReading (LibraryThing), November 24, 2010 The first book in the series was amazing, but the ending left a lot to be desired. Katniss, the main character, didn't evolve as much as I wanted her to, and the epilogue really disappointed me. The writing seemed a bit rushed, and it kind of felt like the author was just trying to end things.
One of the supporting characters, Katniss' long time friend and possible romantic interest, changed a lot throughout the book, but I really didn't like what he changed into, however, I can understand why he did so.
All in all, it's worth reading, but I wouldn't reread it.
Review by snowyowl (LibraryThing), November 23, 2010 nothing much to say... other than ITS FINALLY OVER! or is it....
Review by AxelleDarkleigh (LibraryThing), November 22, 2010 A great end to a great series. However, it did seem to be rushed at times toward the end but that could be because I didn't want it to end. This is a series that I'm sure to find myself reaching for again and again...I can't wait to see what Ms. Collins has up her sleeve next!
Review by Pickle115 (LibraryThing), November 20, 2010 The final book in Collins' popular Hunger Games trilogy doesn't disappoint. The suspenseful build up of the first two books in the trilogy continues in Mockingjay where Catness and the rebels continue their fight to take over the capitol. Catness must also cope with her confusing feelings for both Peta and Gael. Collins ties up the loose ends neatly, but there are surprises, which keeps readers going up to the very last page.
Review by lrobe190 (LibraryThing), November 19, 2010 This book moves along at breakneck speed, just like the first two. I especially loved how it slowly dawns on Katniss that she is a slave to the needs of the rebellion just as she was to the Capitol. She realizes that no matter their intentions, both leaders can be ruthless. Although I was sad to have a great series end, the ending was just how it had to be. It made total sense in the context of the changes and growth Katniss has been through over the course of these books. I am enthusiastically recommending it to everyone over 14 or so, that I know.
Review by ealaindraoi (LibraryThing), November 19, 2010 I don't know what to make of this series in the end--I enjoyed it, but can't recommend it. It's as if the hero of Toy Story were the toy-tormenting kid next door--the story is engaging, the world well-imagined, if thin in places, the motivations interesting, but must there be so very much mayhem? This is not a book for kids, at least not mine, which I suppose is why I try to read them first.
Review by randalrh (LibraryThing), November 19, 2010 "Mockingjay" is the third and final installment in Suzanne Collins' wonderfully human thriller "The Hunger Games". While the series is targeted at young adults, I found them all to be terrific stories. They read fast, they're full of action, and thematically the books are more 'adult', than they are 'young'. Normally, the conclusion to a series is not the highlight, but that might just be the case with "Mockingjay". This is the most adult of the three books, carrying heavy themes of teenage angst, love, and deep emotional turmoil. The root of the plot revolves around Katniss Everdeen (codename "Mockingjay"), who unwittingly ignites a cult of personality around which a rebellion burns. The heavy themes of this dystopic world and the brewing rebellion are energetic and violent and oftentimes emotionally raw. There are numerous battle scenes which are vividly written and abrupt. There is only the barest of nods to a "Hollywood ending", so squeemish and emotional readers should beware. Not all of the major characters survive. Collins does a terrific job of fleshing out her characters. Key characters have great impact on the drama despite having little interaction at the forefront of the story. I can't say enough good things about this book - it's my favorite of the series. I'd highly recommend a shared reading experience for parents and their young adults.
Review by JGolomb (LibraryThing), November 19, 2010 Well worth the wait this conclusion is perfect! Emotions are at the forefront as Katniss struggles with her decision and the memories of her days in the Hunger Games. McComick's voice is perfect as her tone and pacing match the action and emotion in the story. Fans and those new to the audio format will not be disappointed.
Review by kreierso (LibraryThing), November 18, 2010 Although book 3 was a little less (some of the fizz had left) than the previous two, it was a very good book in a really good series. The ending was somewhat anticlimatic, but it didn't leave one hanging. READ THE SERIES.
Review by LamSon (LibraryThing), November 18, 2010 Great ending to the series.
Review by mccark (LibraryThing), November 18, 2010 Mockingjay is the final installment in the Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen has survived two hunger games and now finds her self in the hands of the rebels in District 13.Yet, even here she is not safe, or at rest. Peeta is kept being held captive in the angry Capitol by President Snow; The rebels wish to make Katniss their 'Mockingjay', the face of the rebel resistance; Gale has become more vengeful than ever; and new plots are being hatched everywhere. Katniss must struggle and determine what is real and not real in order to survive both physically and mentally. This book was a terrifying yet, enthralling and kept me turning the pages to find out what happened. I did not enjoy this book as much as The Hunger Games and Catching Fire but, still found it a great read.
Review by radical_rachel (LibraryThing), November 18, 2010 With the Hunger Games over, Katniss is now living underground in District 13 with her family. War has broken out in most of the Districts; there are new leaders and rebels everywhere. The leaders of District 13 are preparing for war with the Capitol, plans are made, a rescue undertaken, and training begins, but Katniss is left out. Her plan is to kill President Snow, no matter the cost. But Coin entices Katniss to be part of the rebel course, to become the Mockingjay. Although fast moving and well written like the first 2 books, I found that Mockingjay was not a page-turner. I eager to find out what happened and when I did it was not the ‘OMG’ ending I expected. A slightly disappointing ending to a fabulously wonderful trilogy.
Review by Bellydancer (LibraryThing), November 17, 2010 “Mockingjay” is the final installation in Suzanne Collins’ immensely popular “Hunger Games” trilogy. This book picks up shortly after where “Catching Fire” left off, with Katniss and her family safe underground in District 13, but with Peeta the prisoner of the Capitol. The new regime in 13 makes Katniss into the Mockingjay – the face of the rebellion. Despite her place of power in the eyes of the rebels, she struggle to control her own life. The third book is not as in-your-face, action-packed as the first two books, but Katniss’s introspectiveness gives a new depth to the series. Finnick also has a bigger role here than in the previous book, which lends a sense of humor to the scenes in which he appears. Anyone who has already read “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” should be sure to pick up a copy of “Mockingjay” as soon as possible. The final book, as well as the bittersweet ending, will not disappoint fans of this trilogy. Grades 8 and up.
Review by VandyGirl (LibraryThing), November 14, 2010 I loved the first two books. This one was boring, and I struggled to finish it. Took me twice as long as the previous 2 books to finish. Why did it fail for me? Not sure really. I like stories that progress but this progression was slow, predictable, and felt padded. But it would make a great film. Heaps of action. I suspect what I liked about the first 2 books is that even though they had lots of action, it was second place to the strategy and the development of the story. This story was very simple and felt more like Aliens or Rambo once the action got going. I hate to say it, but I'm glad the series is finished.
Review by daveted (LibraryThing), November 13, 2010 Not as good as the others and it took a while to get rolling, butstill compelling.By halkway throught, I couldn't put it down.
Review by GaylDasherSmith (LibraryThing), November 12, 2010 Katniss Everdeen has survived in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and now the final book in her series, Mockingjay, determines if she survives from President Snow and the Capitol's threats. The intense, powerful, and haunting novel starts off with the protagonist and her introduction of her new life in District 13, a district known to have been obliterated by the capitol years ago. Towards the middle of the novel, Katniss Everdeen, her family and loved ones, and all of Disctrict 13 are in risk of being disintegrated again from being bombed by the capitol. One by one, bombs drop on 13 where everyone lives deep underground hidden from the fresh air, but still feeling the vibrations of the ticking bombs digging deep into the ground and exploding like KABOOM. How does the third and final novel of The Hunger Games, Mocking Jay, end? Dive into this book and find out for yourself. (293/400)
Review by Vuong (LibraryThing), November 12, 2010 In the final installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy, the battle between the twelve Districts and the Capital still goes on. Katniss accepts her role as the rebel Mockingjay, but struggles with the title. Her obsession with killing President Snow leads to the deaths of many comrades and loved ones. In the end, the Capital is finally overthrown, and now Katniss must pick between Peeta and Gale. Honestly, I expected much more from this book. I waited anxiously for the release, and I thought it would blow me away, but it didn't. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were so much better. The plot of Mockingjay was very splotchy and underdeveloped. It was still a good book though, but not my favorite. (390/390)
Review by veronica17 (LibraryThing), November 12, 2010 I started reading this with great anticipation and I know a lot of people really enjoyed it. For me, however, the story just didn't hang together very well - there were a lot of potentially really interesting plot and thematic strands, and had a select few of these been developed more fully, this had the potential to be a book that I really enjoyed. Instead, it felt like a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and I couldn't see it as anything more than superficial and mediocre.
Review by seekingflight (LibraryThing), November 10, 2010 This is the final book in a three part series. After reading Katniss experiences both inside the arena and out, one anxiously wishes to read this last installment. There is an uprising occuring that requires Katniss' at first, reluctant help. You are hooked from the beginning not knowing where Peeta is or how he is doing. Furthermore, a war has begun and the future is uncertain.
Review by beccaevaldez (LibraryThing), November 8, 2010 Weitere Rezensionen: Seite 1 | Seite 2 | Seite 3 | Seite 4 | Seite 5 | Seite 6 | Seite 7 | Seite 8 | Seite 9 | Seite 10 | Seite 11 | Seite 12 | Seite 13 | Seite 14 | Seite 15 | Seite 16 | Seite 17 | Seite 18 | Seite 19 | Seite 20 | Seite 21 | Seite 22 | Seite 23 | Seite 24 | Seite 25 | Seite 26 | Seite 27 | Seite 28 | Seite 29 | Seite 30 | Seite 31 | Seite 32 | Seite 33 | Seite 34 | Seite 35 | Seite 36 | [Seite 37] | Seite 38 | Seite 39 | Seite 40 | Seite 41 | Seite 42 | Seite 43 | Seite 44