Mockingjay (the Hunger Games, Book Three)

It was a great book that followed along with the first two books very well and the author always puts a surprise in your way to keep the action going

I have really enjoyed these books. I agree that the third is the most controversial, the one that it was hardest for me to appreciate. There are parts that I am a little less happy with, such as Katniss’s leading her squad across the Capitol with her made-up mission. It does feel like a video game. She spends too much time in avox mode, either because she cannot speak due to near strangulation, or because she is simply too upset, or simply because she is in solitary confinement.Still, the book deserves five stars, and the whole series is amazing. Not only is it entertaining, but this last book manages to keep the same pattern as its predecessors – an initial section, followed by the messiest of the Hunger Games (an actual war) – while taking us to whole new levels and posing deeper questions. What is the point of revolution and war if nothing changes? And is Coin good? Collins makes that character extremely ambiguous, at least at first. Katniss is represented by the color black: her hair is black, and she comes from the coal district. President Snow is represented by the color white: white hair, white snow, and white roses. But Coin is gray: gray eyes, gray hair, and gray clothing. Is she good or evil?Many gems and motifs in this book show its extraordinary depth.Mockingjay divided into three different parts: The Ashes, The Assault and The Assassin. The titles of all three parts contain a word beginning with “As” which is a lovely approach.The word “the” is a little misleading, as it implies that each part is about just one of those items, whereas in each case it could apply to several different events, persons or conditions. Now I will get into some serious spoiling, so only read ahead if you don’t mind such things.The Ashes. Obviously, this continues the motif of all things related to fire. There are several literal instances of actual ashes, beginning with Katniss’s return to the bombed-out remains of District 12. She returns near the end with Gale, and they tour the ashes of their home. There are more literal ashes to be found in the bombing of District 8, and figurative ashes to be found in Katniss’s emotional life and her relationship with Gale.The Assault. This is the second part, and there are many examples of assaults within the part. At the end of Part 1, Peeta Mellark warns everyone in District 13 that they are about to be bombed. At the beginning of Part 2, Peeta himself is being assaulted for the defiance he showed by warning them. Katniss does not see the assault, but she hears his cries and sees drops of blood on the white tiles.Assaults continue. District 13 is subject to several days of bombing, in which Katniss and the others are forced to stay in their bunkers. (An interesting question is why the Capitol stops the bombing after only a few days, but that is not answered.) Peeta is then rescued – which could be considered an assault on the Capitol – and as soon as he sees Katniss, he tries to strangle her. This is because he has been brainwashed (“hijacked”) by people in the Capitol – an assault on his mind (which started in Part 1, but certainly continued during Part 2).In order to get away from the unexpectedly murderous Peeta, Katniss joins the rebels in District 2, where the rebels themselves perform a horrendous assault on the Nut, a mountain containing most of the weapons being used against them. Katniss, acting as a peacemaker, is assaulted again, this time with a bullet, but although she is injured she survives. The remaining chapters in this part are devoted to planning for the assault on the Capitol.Part 3 is called The Assassin. Again, the title can be applied to many people in these chapters. It begins with the still-unstable Peeta, programmed to kill Katniss, joining Katniss’s squad. He can be seen as an assassin sent by Coin – a view confirmed by Boggs, her commander. Katniss spends much of the time with the plan to assassinate President Snow. (She feels a little too guilty about blaming herself for the deaths of her comrades – after the initial incident, they had very little opportunity to go back – they were stuck behind enemy lines.) Of course, she does not carry out this particular deed of killing Snow but kills Coin instead. But we must remember that Coin herself is an assassin, and what is worse, a killer of kids. She tried to kill Katniss through Peeta (and at one point Katniss reminds readers that she is only 17, technically still a child). She is responsible for Prim’s death and the deaths of a whole bunch of Capitol kids. What is worse – what Katniss cannot bear – is that Coin is planning to continue with another set of Hunger Games (Nothing has changed!).I could go on and on but I am sure I have wearied most people. Enjoy and appreciate!

I may have been disappointed with "Catching Fire," but that didn't stop me from buying the final installment of the "Hunger Games" trilogy as soon as I'd finished the second book. However much the last book let me down, I was too invested in Katniss' world to not see how everything comes together. I had hoped "Mockingjay" would end the series with a bang and provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Once again, I found myself not only underwhelmed, but frustrated and angry by how much of a mess this book was. Spoilers follow.After being rescued from the Quarter Quell by the rebels at the end of the last book, Katniss learns that District 12 was destroyed and only a small portion of the population survived. She also discovers that District 13 still exists, but it isn't the safe haven that people had hoped it would be. Instead, it's an underground bunker where everything is strictly controlled and regimented, and ignoring or straying from the rules is a strongly punishable offense. Worse still, Peeta was not rescued and is being held captive by the Capital, his fate unknown. Still reeling from recent events, Katniss is expected to be the symbol of the rebellion, the Mockingjay, but she isn't sure if she can fill this role or if she even wants to. With the districts steadily falling to the rebels and the attacks from the Capital getting more brutal, Katniss realizes that she has to stop President Snow, no matter what it takes...no matter the costThis book should have been great. It has the framework to tell an empowering story of Katniss standing up for what she believes and becoming a symbol for the change she desires. The potential for action and wide reaching consequences is present, as is the possibility for a great deal of character growth and development as Katniss faces opposition not only from Panem, but also from District 13 and their plans. But "Mockingjay" doesn't deliver and instead falls tragically short on all fronts. It's a mess; everything that was done well in the first two books is mishandled here, the result being a book that is unsatisfying, frustrating, and oftentimes even boring! I've raved about Collins' ability to pace the last two novels; they were rarely boring and kept you turning the pages, desperately wanting to know what happens next. That sense of suspense and needing to read just one more page is gone here. A good seventy-five percent of this book is spent with Katniss milling about in District 13, either in a drugged daze or frantically trying to work things out in her head. When she finally gets to the Capital, the story picks up again and races to the climax, but it takes an incredibly long time to get there, and then ends on the same slow, disconnected note. Frankly, it's a chore to get through, and a book with this much promise simply should not be this boring. What happened?Like I said, very little happens in the novel. If you go through the list of events, it seems like there are a lot of big things going on: Katniss goes to District 12, Katniss begins her life in District 13 and agrees to be the Mockingjay, she shoots some promotional videos and ends up in a firefight in District 8, District 13 is attacked and later manages to rescue Peeta, Katniss is present when District 2 is conquered by the rebels, Katniss infiltrates the Capital, important characters die, and Katniss finally gets to kill Panem's leader (sort of). See? There's a lot that happens, but it feels like most of the book drudges along with very little in the way of important events taking place. This is because Katniss either isn't there for the big events (rescuing Peeta), they happen very quickly with little time to think about or enjoy them (District 8, District 2, the bombing of District 13, and the death of the leader), and because they're interspersed with long periods where Katniss just sits in District 13 and does nothing. The infiltration of the Capital provided a level of excitement similar to that present throughout the first novel, but it's such a small part of the book that it gets lost in the pages and pages of either flying through events or moping around District 13. I couldn't bear to put the first two books down...I had a hard time wanting to pick this one up.We don't even get a satisfying ending after slogging through page after page of Katniss lamenting over this or pondering that. I'm not the kind of reader that needs a happy ending. In fact, most "happily ever after" endings rub me the wrong way. I do, however, need a satisfying conclusion that brings closure, and that simply isn't provided here. Katniss has an intriguing discussion with President Snow about the death of her sister. Then, in a moment of apparent madness since Katniss' thoughts are too jumbled and rushed to make sense, she decides to kill President Coin, while Snow dies either as a result of his health or the mob that closed in after Coin's death. From here, Katniss spends days lo...

If you love the slow budding, complicated and raw relationship between Peeta and Katniss and you just can't wait to read the ending that Suzanne Collins would write, because you just KNOW that she'll do right by them and give them the kind of ending that two people who have been through so much hurt, and pain, and hardship deserve, well- you won't find it here! The ending of a three book series consists of a five page wrap up. WTF Suzanne Collins... WTF. I sincerely hope whatever writers get hired to do this movie have a better understanding of your own audience then you do! With a story this complicated a wrap up is NOT the kind of ending your audience was looking for.I wrote my own ending, if you'd like to read it go for it:Continuing from where Katniss says, she gave all her bacon to Buttercup….The days start to go by, somehow. Life continues. It's funny like that. Even when everything you love has disappeared from the face of the Earth, never to be seen again, their laughter never to be heard again, their smiles never to be seen again… life does go on in the cruel way that it does. What I had thought was impossible begins to happen without my knowledge- it crept up on me. I slowly started to accept the fact that the lives lost, the ones I cared for, are gone. I will have to continue my life without them here with me. At least not physically. Sometimes I would talk to them when I had no one else to turn to- after Greasy Sae left for her own makeshift home where the Hob used to be. It seems weird to admit it to myself, but I begin to crave human company. After being constantly surrounded by people, the solitude that I was used to before the madness of the Hunger Games seems so foreign to me now that I’m home. That's when I talk to Prim about random things that I see throughout the day, or to Cinna, describing to him the colors that I see around me, or to Finnick, telling him about how Annie was doing according to the letters she sends faithfully every month.One late afternoon I muster up the energy and set off to the meadow, place my bow down next to me and throw aside my shoes to try to find a grain of peace here that my home can never give. The grass and leaves are lush and green- soft under my feet, I try to recount the good things that once happened here gail, my father, even the crew members from 13. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, willing myself not to think of the staggering loss that threatens the corners of my mind. I recite in my head the phrases I so often replayed in my mind, my meager attempt to hold on to my sanity: my name is Katniss Everdeen. I am eighteen. I live in District Twelve. I am the Mockingjay. I was the Mockingjay. The Capitol is gone. Gale, my best friend, is now in District Two. He is safe. I don't know where I stand with Peeta but Peeta is safe. I'm back home in District Twelv., I am finally safe. I let out a deep breath as I open my eyes and stare at the sky, lying down in the Meadow where the new buds of life cushion my body from the soil underneath. The sun has just begun to set and the sky was magnificent, painted in shades of light pinks, dull yellows, brilliant reds, and soft hues of orange. Orange. Seeing his favorite color painted all across the endless sky triggers an influx of memories. Its so hard having him live so close and yet knowing how far away we really are. I find myself longing for the feeling of his hand in mine- the way his eyes used to light up just for me. The way he always double knotted his shoelaces, the relief and the surge of warmth that I felt when we kissed. Really kissed. That relief and surge of happiness that I was too afraid to admit to myself was present when he was finally safe, when he was finally near, back at district 12. The feeling of elation when he wrapped his arms around me as we fell into the soft pillow of snow as one. That seems so long ago.I closed my eyes, imagining his beautiful blue eyes which used to bring such warmth, trying not to forget them and the way they pierced into mine in the gentlest way possible, filled with undeniable love. The way he used to look at me never has fully returned since the Capitol hijacked his memories. Their plan did not prevail, but in some ways, the Capitol and Snow had their victory before their downfalls. Although Peeta was not successful in killing me physically, they took the only sure thing I knew. Peeta loved me, he loved the heartless girl who doesn't trust a soul in the world other than herself. It killed me to know that although he was pronounced "recovered" by Dr. Aurelius, he never truly will be. The light that always shined in his eyes is gone and replaced with something hollow. And that is how Snow and the Capitol took their final revenge.Peeta and I haven't spoken since he planted the primrose bushes. He somehow managed to finish planting the bushes before I woke up in the morning and as a result my house in the Victor's Village is now surrounded with primrose bushes...

I want to premise this review with a few things. First, Hunger Games is one of my favorite books. Catching Fire was just as good, if not better! Finally, Suzanne Collins must have made some kind of Faustian deal to be such an amazing writer, or at least have some special powers. When the third and final installment was released on Tuesday, I was thrilled! I have been waiting for this book for over a year! But when it came to actually reading the book, I knew something was wrong. Earlier in the week I had reread the first two books and found them just as captivating and engrossing as the first time I had read them. But Mockingjay? I kept putting it down! I had no problem setting it aside to do something else... This didn't bode well.Mockingjay picks up shortly after Catching Fire left off with the rebels from District 13 saving Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee from the arena in the 75th Hunger Games. Her family and Gale and his family have gotten out of District 12 with a handful of other refugees, but most of the people and all of the district (except Victor's Village) has been bombed and burned to the ground. Now Katniss is living with the other refugees and District 13 in their underground facilities that are basically a subterranean city. But Katniss isn't really "living" in the the realest sense. Mostly she hides, shirks her duties, and avoids all contact with people if possible.When President Coin, the leader of District 13, wants Katniss to agree to be the Mockingjay, a symbol of freedom and courage for the rebel movement against the Capitol, Katniss refuses at first. When she sees Peeta, who was captured by the Capitol, on TV and he has clearly been beaten and tortured, she agrees to be the Mockingjay with a few conditions- one being the immunity of all Hunger Games victors, including Peeta. District 13 then primps and preens Katniss into the Mockingjay and parades her through multiple propaganda videos (called propos) to keep the war effort motivated. Of course, this involves keeping her mostly out of danger, with the exception of a few surprise attacks by the Capitol.*Spoiler Alert*Once the Districts have been won over by the rebels, however, the Capitol is the final battle to be won. Coin creates a group of "Celebrity" soldiers that includes Katniss, Finnick, Gale, and Peeta, among others, and she sends them off to the Capitol. The carefully planned mission, however, goes horribly awry when the "pods" (easily triggered defensive weapons that carry everything from black tar waves, to shrapnel bombs, to tracker jackers) are too numerous to avoid. As the Capitol bombs their previous hiding place and assumes they are all dead, the group makes its way to President Snow's mansion on an assassination mission. It doesn't go as planned, however, and Katniss's greatest fears are quickly becoming realities.I wanted to love this book so much. In fact, it wouldn't have taken much for me to absolutely love it as much as the first two books in the series, but for some reason it fell short for me. It wasn't a huge disappointment, just not as amazing as the first two books were. I would love to hear how others felt about it, because I am worried maybe my own expectations negatively affected my opinion. The truth is I hated Katniss in this book. She was weak and damaged. Ok, I can accept that. But she was also whiny, petulant, and refused to take responsibility for the revolution she played a part in. I wanted so much more out of this older, more mature, and wiser Katniss. I didn't want her to hide in laundry rooms and broom closets for naps throughout the whole book. Even when she gets Peeta back (in bad shape, but away from the Capitol at least), she is still moping about. She does go on about killing Snow, but it almost seems like an afterthought.Another complaint was the rushed feeling of the deaths of major characters. I will admit, I was reading quickly at some points, but I would read a paragraph and a character would be gone with very little explanation or time to process. Just GONE! Now, I read quite a few apocalyptic stories and dystopias, and I am not surprised when important characters are killed. That is, after all, the nature of the genre. But why wouldn't you give those characters the respect they are due?I did like the guilt Katniss displayed at how many lives were at stake because of the revolution she was involved in. Every rebel life, every innocent civilian life, and every district that was affected by the war is like one more thing peeling away at Katniss's sanity. I know she was a reluctant face of this war, but is important to see her pain for each and every death her involvement is even loosely responsible for. This humility was one of the most endearing qualities in Katniss, from her first time in the arena with the loss of Rue and even Thresh, all the way to the loss of her friends, like Cinna, and the people of her district. Unfortunately, this guilt seemed to overwhelm the determined Katn...

I loved loved loved this book. I think this one was the best in the series. I love the first book because it introduced us to this new world, and we get to know Katniss and her family, Gale, Peeta, and her design team. And I liked Catching Fire because we really get a better sense of the type of evil Katniss faces and there's an entire new set of characters and complexities she has to deal with both within the arena and outside of it.But this book, Mockingjay takes the cake! I don't even know how to articulate how much this book affected me.*Warning- Spoiler Heavy Review*******First, I felt like Collins' writing in this book was much more visceral and imaginative. Not only does she put you in Katniss' shoes, but you actually are in her head in a way that makes you feel like you're one with the character. I had a problem trusting Katniss' judgment in the first two books, but in this book, I was there with her, empathizing with everything she did and said. Even when I didn't like her reactions, I understood them and they seemed completely reasonable to me. Towards the end, when Collins' is trying to really convey Katniss' feelings about what she's seen and felt, she uses really powerful images. Entire paragraphs read like poetry, but somehow they never feel purple or pretentious, they just take you to a deeper level of understanding what Katniss is going through. I thought the last three chapters were pretty brilliant.And I really loved the politics and turn of events involving Coin. The way the story played out rung so realistic to me. I also really LOVED Katniss' surprise act at the end. I was pumping my fist when she turned her arrow. Really, the entire conclusion unfolded in a very satisfying way for me. I haven't read any reviews for this book yet, but I know there's some dissatisfaction among fans. I'm very interested in reading what people don't like about this book. The only thing I wasn't particularly happy about was the lack of closure with Gale. I was sad and disappointed that they just stopped being friends and had no further contact, but at the same time, it also felt realistic considering his role in her sister's death.This isn't really a review but a list of things I noticed while reading this book:1. Like in the first two books, some of the violence, especially the pods that caused people's insides to explode and the mutts that clawed at each other to get at Katniss, seemed a bit extreme, and took me out the book a little. But for the most part, the action was really gripping and made me jump and flinch in places.2. I cried harder over Finnick's death than I did over Dumbledore! LOL. I don't know where that came from, but somehow Finnick really wormed his way into my heart, and it hurt so bad when I knew he wasn't gonna to make it. I think besides Katniss and Haymitch, he may be my favorite character.3. One thing felt forced to me: the conversation between Gale and Peeta towards the end where they're talking about who she would choose. It just didn't seem likely they'd actually voice those sort of things, but it wasn't so terribly forced that it took me completely out of the story.4. I figured out that the rebels had bombed the children before Katniss was told. I'm not sure why I suspected that, but it seemed illogical for the capitol to bomb it's own kids. Did anyone else figure this out as well?5. Despite that though, I was very surprised about Coin's ruthlessness. And I'm still a little baffled about Katniss and Haymitch supporting the proposal to have Capitol children participate in a Hunger Games. Was that just a ploy to placate Coin or did they really support the idea? I hope not, but I can't tell.6. I loved the ending, with Katniss confirming that she loves Peeta and that it's real, and the epilogue was so awesome. I'm glad she was able to have children, and the last line is brilliant.

The fact the Collins had the plot in mind from the beginning is evident by the end and is highly pleasing since many of my favorite epics and trilogies have not always been so clearly constructed (i.e., The Matrix, Lost). I disagree with the readers who think the characters fall flat in the end and that the story isn't satisfactorily concluded. I don't know if anyone writing a review of this book can even begin to relate to the horrors the characters experienced. The nightmare episodes and metal confusion some of the key players undergo is perfectly logical. Expecting them to be fierce heroes throughout the entire story is not only unrealistic; it also does not adhere to the formulas of classic fiction. The characters are dynamic and evolve or de-evolve in exactly the ways you expect if you read closely. Katniss and Peeta ending up together was inevitable and clear to me from the beginning, precisely for the reason Katniss gives: why would "the girl on fire" need the influence of rage and violence projected by Gail?I love that fact that while the story is told through Katniss's eyes and she is more obviously painted as the heroine, Peter is, in fact, the real hero, who understood and professed several of the book's themes (the importance of maintaining your own identity and dignity, the unabashed violence of war that destroys humanity). Peeta is the only character who sticks to his convictions throughout the book and has a genuine sense of self and purpose; thus, if any character would be able to overcome the mental tortures inflicted by the Capital, it would be him. The fact that the book ended happily at all attests to Collins' commitment to optimism on some level. The importance of family is highlighted as the major reason for existence, despite the cruel and imperfect nature of humans and the societies we build. I would suspect Katniss would have ended up wildly different were it not for Peeta's recovery. Gale and Peeta were right that Katniss would choose who she most needed to survive, and I am sure both Gail and Peeta were aware of this. Isn't that what most of us do?Some reviewers were disappointed that Collins did not give us more elaborate details concerning the fall of the Capital. Considering the book does not advocate the rebels as pure good and the Capital people as pure evil, the overthrow is not as significant as one might expect from the first or second book. The story is also unveiled through Katniss's eyes; consequently, we are given the details from her point of view. Collins suddenly shifting point of view this late in the book would require a distinct purpose. She chose to write the book in 1st person for a reason. I for one appreciate an author who knows how to plan a book and fully commit to the structure; otherwise, the book becomes sloppy and less precise.While I would have liked Katniss to explain her reasons for killing Coin, in the end, disseminating this information would have only caused more violence. This was probably Katniss's most heroic act where she sacrificed herself for the cause rather than for a specific person. The theme that a society is fragile cannot be forgotten, and Katniss becomes aware of this point. Keeping her knowledge of Coin's motives to herself further distinguishes her as a hero, as this knowledge would dismantle the not-even-yet constructed society that was emerging. It is her final act that authentically characterizes her as the mockingjay. I like the irony that she fully becomes the mockingjay by destroying the person who demanded she be it in the first place.The use of symbolism and foreshadowing throughout the book is inarguable and more proof that Collins was in control as a novelist. I give this book five stars for both its entertainment value and its literary merit.

[No Spoilers] If you were thirsting after a satisfying and riveting finale to the Hunger Games trilogy with Mockingjay, then be prepared to continue to go hungry. Quite frankly, in this third book, Ms. Collins is the one who appears to have been brainwashed and made to forget the true essence of her first books and painfully abandon the characters she made us fall in love with. Our beloved heroine, Katniss, was demoted to a frail victim of her circumstances. What made Hunger Games so great was it's consistent theme that although Katniss was a pawn and a victim of a totalitarian government, her intuitiveness and innate sense of justice always lead her to rise above it all. She was able to win, against all odds, and that's why all of Panem, along with us readers, rallied behind her. So it was a natural expectation that in Mockingjay those qualities would be further explored and lead her to rise even more, to gain confidence in her gift for knowing the right thing to do and to grow as a character. Instead she is made into a kill-joy and not only her but ALL of the other characters as well, the exception being Finnick and really the only reason this rating earned 2 stars and not one.I think the positive reviewers have rebutted that the Mockingjay was true to the reality of what happens to those exposed to War but have they forgotten that the Hunger Games was fake? It was a made up fantasy world and therefore the third installment of the trilogy did not HAVE to realistically depict the emotional consequences of a war-ravaged soul. Did Ms. Collins forget her audience was "Young Adult"? That means preteens, teens and adults willing to be whisked away into a world of fantasy, justice and young love. Perhaps some silly focus group along the way told her to write Book 3 to the Video Game addicted 13 year old boy and just blow up everything in sight...they don't really want to read about friendships, relationships, or rich characters with clever voices, make sure to write about weapons a lot!!Another one of Ms. Collin's failures of Mockingjay was the constant repetitiveness throughout. Catching Fire fell victim to this also but by Mockingjay, it was ridiculous. Exactly how many times did the author make use of the Copy and Paste commands because just so many details of the book were ones that had already been explained numerous times before. I practically have the words to the silly Hanging Tree song memorized! If your readers are loyal then they don't need to be told again and again basics about the world of the Hunger Games. A little echoing and reflection is acceptable but when the reader finds themselves skipping over lines to get back on track with the storyline then you have failed.Mockingjay was also a joke when it came to the "Reality TV" spin on things. In Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I bought the whole Reality-TV-to-the-Extreme storyline completely but in Mockingjay when a full on war is being waged, giving so much of the story to the behind the scenes camera nonsense seemed to actually be mocking the original book. I couldn't take the war seriously since I was trying to be convinced that Katniss was now a pseudo-actress! I'd sooner believe taking Paris Hilton and making her the face of Occupy Wall Street! It was soooo contrived, it actually made me winch while reading and it was more annoying that the cameras were such a star of the book well until the end.[SPOILERS AHEAD]Mockingjay Character fails:Katniss - as I mentioned above we fell in love with Katniss for a reason. We were given and inside view of how her mind worked, how she intuitively was able to survive based on her hunter's instincts that kept her one step ahead of the enemy. She was gutsy, beautiful yet humble. The Mockingjay version of Katniss made her wimpy, very self-absorbed with little regard for those she cared about and a whiny victim, to boot! Who'd want to be friends with her? Why not allow her to mature, time could have passed another year or two when an 18-19 yr old is truly coming to know themselves. Katniss could have realized that she really was capable of being a leader, she could have had more drive and instinct to successfully lead the rebels. Instead she was basically either a hospital patient, a depressed recluse, a failed actress or a Rambo warrior. Completely inconsistent with the Katniss we knew from Hunger Games. I miss the real Katniss and was annoyed at how she was changed so drastically in Mockingjay.Gale - Gale was never given a fair shot in any of the books. I fully expected Catching Fire to explore the Gale/Katniss relationship, and then Book 3 to have us on edge about the love triangle. Instead Gale was left in the peripheral of the entirety of the Hunger Games and only allowed to swoop in and save Katniss or her family from peril whenever Katniss failed or was unable to do it herself. Catching Fire hinted at their underlying love for each other but by Mockingjay it fizzled and no...it didn't "catch fire!" The...

Trilogies don't always end well. The story will almost never end in a manner that leaves everyone feeling satisfied. Whether it be the direction the author takes the story, the inevitable fates of beloved characters, or the conclusion that binds them all together. Fortunately, I found that Mockingjay succeeded in giving a proper conclusion to a incredibly emotional journey, although it isn't perfect in its execution.Upon being rescued from her second foray into the Hunger Games, Katniss has found herself among an army of rebels living in District 13, the same District 13 that was supposedly destroyed by the Capitol for their previous rebellion. Katniss has become the symbol of hope in Panem's fight for freedom: the Mockingjay. If the rebels are to stand a chance of defeating the seemingly unstoppable Capitol, Katniss must adopt the charismatic persona that District 13 deems necessary. All the while she must contend with her own psychological war with President Snow.The Hunger Games trilogy has had a very cohesive evolution in its storytelling that flowed perfectly from each book. The Hunger Games showcased the nightmare of living under a totalitarian government and the atrocities they can inflict. This led to Catching Fire, which was a subtle social commentary on the individual's will to defy an evil regime and how it can inspire other people to join their cause. This all culminates in Mockingjay, which focuses on the horrors of war through the eyes of children. It possesses a very different feel than its predecessors but fits perfectly well in the over-arching framework of the trilogy. Suzanne Collins once again demonstrates her astuteness as a writer, completely rejecting obvious cliches of cigar-chomping acts of bravado and instead focuses on the physical and psychological ramifications wars have on human beings. It's an incredibly powerful political statement on the many behind-the-scenes factors of war that may seem lost in today's mainstream perception. These themes never felt forced or shoved down the reader's throat, it's more than possible to simply enjoy it as the intended conclusion. Dig deeper though and you'll find a thought-provoking stance on conflict that exudes a strong sense of humanity.Despite the ever present Capitol's denial, District 13 wasn't destroyed during the Dark Days and is fortunately given a believable reason for its continued existence. District 13 itself has grown into a heavily militaristic society with aspects in the vain of communism. They're the enemy of the Capitol, but they aren't perfect either. Collins understands that war almost never has any perfectly good sides. Despite the honest nature of soldiers, politicians may possess hidden agendas that benefit their own personal sociological and political views. Wars are fought for inner held beliefs, ideologies, or a beacon of hope. Yet sometimes in the madness of war these ideals can be forgotten, or even worse, twisted into something grotesque. District 13 and its leaders perfectly summarize this morally grey tone of wartime politics. Katniss and the rebels share a common foe in which they are committed to destroy; but is the future they envision truly a better one? Who are the real villains in the masquerade of war?A predominant running theme the trilogy has encompassed is the use of propaganda to manipulate the perception of the masses, particularly through controlled mass media or transforming an individual's outward appearance and personality to reflect their views. The Capitol dressed and pampered Katniss for her supposed slaughter at the Hunger Games, tried to redefine her as a less inspiring figure in Catching Fire, and now District 13 wants to utilize her as their beacon of hope in their self-righteous war against a tyrannical regime. Collins really does an excellent job showcasing this running theme from both sides of the war, having Katniss's simple image pretentiously blown out of proportion for the rebel's war effort, only then to have it demonized by the Capitol's redundant attempts of maintaining control. A personal identity crisis such as this can have insurmountably negative affects on the individual's psyche; Katniss can't be herself, she must be the image the rebels require her to be. This in some ways makes District 13 no better than the totalitarianism they ever so valiantly fight to destroy.It pains me to say that Mockingjay is the only book in the trilogy that I feel suffers from an awkward pacing. The book definitely started off strong, showcasing the existence of the rebellion and the grieving sadness derived from the devastation of war. The problem falls in Katniss being sidelined when in the confines of District 13 for a very large chunk of the book. It makes sense in the context of the story since only a fool would send their symbol of morale into a potentially hazardous situation by choice. Her death would demoralize the rebels and give morale to the Capitol, completely turning the war eff...

Let the Games EndFiled under: Book Reviews, Mythology -- Leave a commentJanuary 13, 2012I recently finished the book Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins1, which is the last in a trilogy including both The Hunger Games2 and Catching Fire3. I was warned, by my sister, prior to starting the series, that she considered the series excellent, but she pretends that the last two books in the series don't exist. I'm still unsure why her hatred of Catching Fire and Mockingjay (this last one in particular) are so intense. I found that the books told an interesting story, albeit in a rather immature and unpolished writing style. This is a short review of each of the books in the series, ending with a review of the series as a whole.The Hunger GamesThis book introduces the characters that will tell the story of a revolution. Specifically, it's told from the perspective of one Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl from a place called District 12. District 12, we find out, is one of twelve (formerly 13) districts in a country called Panem. Panem exists as a country, ruled by a totalitarian government that is located in a separate district, called (unimaginatively) The Capitol. Each of the districts provides much needed food and supplies to citizens in the Capitol, which are essentially an aristocracy bend on doing nothing, but yet have an unsatisfying urge to be entertained. The Capitol pushes each of the districts to the brink of starvation, but keeps them subjugated with brutal enforcers known as Peacekeepers.We find out early in the story that there were previously 13 districts, but District 13 incited a rebellion against the Capitol, resulting in it being entirely obliterated. As another repercussion of the failed coup, each district must give two children (known as Tributes) to the Capitol each year for a sport they call, "The Hunger Games." In the Games, the children essentially fight to the death in a complicated arena for the entertainment of the Capitol's citizens (and horror of those parents and friends watching from the other districts). Each year, there is exactly one winner.The rationale for calling this bizarre circus "The Hunger Games" isn't immediately clear, until you find out that from each district, every child between the ages of 12 and 18 must sign up once per year from their twelfth birthday, to be chosen as a tribute. So, for example, if a child is twelve, they must enter their name once. If they are thirteen, twice. After that, you can put your name into the pool of potential tributes additional times for "tessera," which are basically additional rations, in the event your family is poor and cannot afford enough food.Now, I won't ruin the story for you in telling all of the dramatics, but suffice it to say that Katniss is chosen as a tribute (albeit through a roundabout way). Likewise, a male tribute is chosen from District 12 named Peeta Mellark. Peeta and Katniss have an interesting history, which basically entails a sort of "love from afar" idea, but you don't learn about this until later on in the novel. It's used as a plot device to springboard into the rebellion that comes in the later novels.All in all, the book is interesting. I enjoyed the concept of the arena, and how the Hunger Games are played out. The novel feels like you're watching a grisly reality TV show. It's a fascinating environment Katniss and Peeta exist within, and you're thrown into this world that is similar to our world, but in many ways, you're not sure what has been remembered from the time before Panem. I do thing it would have been interesting if more historical context were given. For example, a sub-story begins to develop when Katniss recalls a girl that was taken by the Capitol before her and her friend, Gale's eyes. We find out that the girl has been turned into an "Avox" - which essentially just means her tongue was cut out. But no connection is made between this and the rest of the story. It's as if the whole thing is simply a roundabout explanation of Avoxes in general. Instead, I think it would have been more interesting to have that part of the back-story lead somewhere, rather than simply being told and then dropped. I also had a number of questions like "Where did the hovercrafts come from?" and "How is an arena chosen and constructed?" which were left similarly unanswered.There were some great lines from the book. I especially liked the line "May the odds be ever in your favor." I find it exciting when an author can create a phrase, which, at first glance, seems uninteresting, but the more you read it and it rolls around in your mind, the better it seems4.The major criticism I have of the novel, and really of the entire series, is that there doesn't seem to be any character development. Every character is basically the same, personality-wise, from the beginning of this novel to the end of the last novel in the series. Especially Katniss Everdeen - she doesn't seem to change throughout the entire series, even thou...