Genre: YA FantasyPublication Date: August 2010
One Word Review: Unexpected
Author Website: www.suzannecollinsbooks.com
First Line: “I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather.”
GoodReads Synopsis: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.
Kathy’s Review ****SPOILER WARNING****: Well I’m not really sure where to begin with this one. I read it yesterday and knew I had to sleep on it before I wrote my review. First, it must be hard being an author and writing a final book in a trilogy. You’d want to write a book that lives up to the first two, and that ends in a way that would make fans want to re-read the series. For me, I will definitely re-read the series. I loved the first book and I admit, I think I loved the first so much it has influenced what I’ve thought of books two and three.
Anyway, on to the review…I enjoyed this one, like the first two I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen. If you liked the first two books then you will of course want to read this one and will probably end up liking this one, despite some of the drawbacks. I think what drew me in to the first two books; besides the original story and action was the love-triangle. As much as love-triangles frustrate me, it really was a big part in the story, especially the relationship between Peeta and Katniss (in my opinion). This installment focused more on the revolution and way less on the love-triangle. For me, an important element was left out and it made me like the story a little less. Peeta and Katniss had always had great chemistry, they balanced each other out and were so loyal to each other. Gale and Katniss also had a little something, for me it felt less romantic, but there was always enough there to make me a little torn. In this last installment I almost didn’t care who she ended up with, at times thinking it might be better if Katniss were to choose neither. There were some good opportunities for some romantic tension, but they were overshadowed by the revolution and drama going on. For me, that was a big miss.
As for Katniss, she didn’t seem like herself (actually, neither did Peeta or Gale, they all seemed really out of character). She spent a lot of time in the hospital or recovering from some ailment, and most people around her thought she was mentally ill. There would be a great scene and then BAM, she wakes up in the hospital and we miss out on what happened. At one point Katniss finally realizes the power she has, how the Rebels really look up to her. I was hoping from that point on she would step into the leadership roll, but she doesn’t. I know war is awful and she had experienced some horrible things, BUT I was hoping she would rise above and show courage, strength and be more aggressive. Instead it felt like she was still a puppet.
I was a little disappointed in the ending, it was wrapped up rather quickly and Katniss played a really small role in how everything turns out. I again was hoping that with all the experiences she’s had she would want to play a more influential role in the building up of the new country, or at least played a bigger role in deciding what happens with her life, instead of having it chosen for her and becoming kind of a recluse. And even when one of the guys shows up at the end, it felt rushed and unsatisfactory. The romance part had been left out so much, that I just didn’t feel that much by the end. I was also disappointed in how things ended with the other guy, it just didn’t feel right and I didn’t get the closure I was hoping for.
Having said that, I was not mad at how the book ended, in fact I was pleased with everything. It wasn’t perfect, or exactly what I wanted, but it was still a good read (a little slow in parts), and definitely one of my favorite series!
Bookworm Rating: 4
I just finished Mockingjay a few days ago. Excellent review Kathy! I felt very much the same way! I enjoyed it but felt that we didn't get enough closure at the end. The ending did surprise me however, it did make sense after I gave it some thought. I think making sure the right person got into ruling Panem was Katniss' focus not necessarily being a leader of the revloution. She's a survivor and I think she just wanted to move on without any leadership attachments. Wasn't the imagery crazy in this book?! Definitely a keeper series!
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