Mockingjay

I am in shock. I have finally reached the end of a series that I never thought I would read. This third and final book in the saga is easily the most violent, the most emotional, and the most fast-paced of the bunch. There were twists and turns that I never saw coming, and I can say as others have that the book ended the way it needed to. I know some have complained about the ending, but I felt as though I had closure after finishing the epilogue. This entire series is something that everyone is talking about, and I do not want to give away anything. I would say that the author has given each character their proper voice and told a tale that will give one pause to think about the future. Could it happen? I do not know, but I can hope and pray this book is not prophetic. All I can say is it is not improbable. One of the sweetest points in the whole series was that of Buttercup, the cat. I was quite touched with this part of the story though it was a small s,ene. If you have not read this series, I can recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone over the age of 12.show more

Originally reviewed on my blog: http://sikbookreviews.blogspot.ca Mockingjay is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy. It is now time for District 13 to really make themselves known to the world and to the Capitol. With the help of their mockingjay (Katniss), the people of District 13 intend to take down the Capitol and change the world as they know it. Gale is also there to help with the uprising alongside Katniss, but Peeta is not able to help for reasons that will become clear when you read the book. You will absolutely hate the Capitol more than ever in this book, but will you like District 13 any better? It begins to become clear that the government and president of District 13 might not be much better than that of the Capitol. The book is filled with action, shocking twists and turns, and will make you want to kill the Capitol yourself! I gave Mockingjay a rating of 3 because I was, surprisingly, very disappointed with it. I absolutely LOVED the first two books of this trilogy, but this one was extremely disappointing. In the previous books, Katniss was always right in the middle of the action and kicking butt. But, in this book, it seemed as though Katniss was always messed up and in the hospital instead of helping the battle towards the Capitol. She is involved in some action, of course, but not at the more important times. Collins also did not show some of the action that the reader is anticipating, such as the rescue of Peeta or a lot of the actual destruction of the Capitol. I was also EXTREMELY disappointed with the ending. What is the point in reading two fantastic books and then ending the third one in such a disappointing fashion? In my opinion, the last book should be the best book, otherwise you are just left with an incomplete, depressing feeling...or is that just me? The ending of this book felt very rushed. It did not seem complete. It did not describe as much as it should have in order to give a complete feeling. I'm not sure what was happening with Collins during this ending, since she has demonstrated her wonderful writing skills in the first two books. Maybe it was the pressure of a deadline. Maybe because the first two were so successful, she felt the need to rush through this one to satisfy fans? However, rushing through the writing will not satisfy fans!!! I still suggest that you read the trilogy, as the first two are well worth reading. Just don't get your hopes up for a thrilling, satisfying completion.show more

Mockingjay continues right after the events of Catching Fire and does not reduce the suspense level for a single second. Katniss and Peeta are separated, she is in District 13 with the rebels, Peeta is with the opponents. Due to their separation and the horrible consequences connected to it, Mockingjay is different to The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Where the first two novels take their time to focus on the exceptional love between Peeta and Katniss, Mockingjay is mostly about war. Where the previous battles were concentrated on a small area and left room for love, Mockingjay has almost no time to feature it, which shows the extensions and seriousness of this very last war. The fight against the capitol is determining, absolute and decides about life or death of everyone. I would have loved to read more about the relationship between Katniss and Peeta and the love triangle with Gale, but I can really understand the legitimate lack of love in times of war. Collins invented an authentic storyline, with characters you would be glad to call your friends, and characters you would fear to call your enemies with a bet and a goal that couldn't be more absolute. Characters like Katniss, Peeta and Gale grow to their fullest possibilities, experience their worst nightmares and need to make decisions that can change their lives and the future of the whole country forever. Collins' writing style is as qualitative as before, but something in her arrangement of the story and actions changed. She applies a faster pace and doesn't give as many details or time to adjust to shocking incidents and unexpected turns. Her writing and pace strengthen the feeling of witnessing a terrible war. In war there is no time for love, no time for details, sometimes not even time for life itself. Mockingjay has a very abrupt ending, so that I really appreciated the short glimpse into Panem's future, that gives us a hint of how life goes on after the incidents of Mockingjay. In the end some would say Katniss' sacrifice was worthless, but an act of compassion and courage, the one second you stand up against a totalitarian system is always worth the movement! In conclusion I must say that this novel should be two. Mockingjay captures so many characters, actions and feelings that I was sometimes just overwhelmed by their brutality and vastness. Another reason is of course, that I already miss (almost) every single character of The Hunger Games series. Real or not real? The story might be fictional, but the effects it has on my literary life are true. I'm in love with The Hunger Games series! THE VERDICT I give it 4,5/5 stars. A former game has become reality. How can you survive when the whole world has become the arena of a deadly war? Mockingjay is the utterly sad and touching final instalment of The Hunger Games. If you loved The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you shouldn't hesitate to pick up this novel, it will stagger you!show more

I literally just finished this book. And honestly...I'm practically speechless. I normally keep a little notebook with me while I read a book I'm going to review and I write down random points that I want to make in my reviews. Then, when I'm ready to write the review, I get my notebook, and I start to write about the different points I had picked. Things I liked and disliked about the book, or quotes that really stood out to me. When I finished Mockingjay, I started to go downstairs to retrieve my notebook from where I left it the night before. And then I stopped. I turned around and headed straight for my computer. I didn't even need the notebook. After turning that last page, everything I felt about the book was in my head and weighing on my heart. I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me how I felt about the last book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. This book...Oh gosh. This book caught my attention and held it just as the previous two had. But with it being the third, I was even more eager to read faster and to learn and to see how these characters and the world around them was going to end up. There were moments in this book where I was giggling to myself, blinking rapidly because I could feel the sting of tears coming on, or cursing out loud because I was so angry with a situation that occuring or because a character had truly pissed me off. But don't get me wrong. That I was feeling such anger and frustration was not a bad thing. In reverse, it was very good. Because it was not the writing or the author that pissed me off, it was the story and the situation because I was so deeply involved in it that I felt like I was a part of it. Not many books can get that big of a reaction out of me. I stayed up late reading this book, I disappeared into my bedroom in solitary confinement for hours, and when I wasn't reading Mockingjay, I was dying to get back to it. By the time I finished, I walked into the kitchen, laid the book on the table, and with a pouting face and teary eyes, I told my husband to go finish reading it. The Hunger Games will forever be a trilogy that I will come back to. When I finish a series, I judge how great it was by my reaction when I finish the words on the very last page and sit the book down. If I'm still thinking about it thirty minutes to an hour later, wishing it didn't end, then it was amazing. Harry Potter was the only series that has made me feel this way. Until I finished The Hunger Games. This series will forever be on of my all time favorites and I cannot wait to delve right back in to Panem.show more

Also reviewed on my blog, the Vintage Bookworm. (http://www.vintagebookworm.blogspot.com) Oh. My. God. I don't even know what to say about this book. I'm very heart-broken that this series has ended. I tried to read it slow, to savor every last detail of the book, but it was just too good and I had to devour it! Even though a lot has changed and it wasn't as good as The Hunger Games (Of course!) it was amazing! I finished it hours ago and I can't stop thinking about it, and I doubt I will for a while. Each book has continued to haunt me. Katniss has grown so much since volunteering to take her sister's place in The Hunger Games. She's been forced to grow up. She never gets a break! Just when it seems like she can try and calm down a bit and just try and face the nightmares she already has to deal with, something else happens to bring on more nightmares. But she isn't the only one. A lot of other characters is thrown into the category as well. Namely Gale, Peeta, Prim, Finnick. I think this might of been the more emotional one out of the trilogy. But I can't completely set my mind on one because all of them set you on an emotional roller coaster ride. Just like the first two books, I was never able to guess at what would happen next. I could try and guess, but would always fail. I am very happy with the Epilogue, and I'm going to leave it at that because I don't want to give anything away. I canNOT wait for the freaking Hunger Games movie. I am counting down and hoping and praying they don't screw it up too much. Hopefully it will follow Harry Potters lead and be as close to the book they can get it! I recommend this to everyone. This series should definitely be on your to read list! It's worth every bit of the hype it is getting!show more

First of all, I have been DYING to read this book. It?s the final book of the trilogy and of course I needed to know how it would end. Before I started reading I had so many thoughts on my head like: 1. Please God, don?t let Katniss pick Gale over Peeta! 2. I don?t want Peeta to die!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3. You are not going to read the final pages to find out who Katniss ends up with! 4. I have to read those last few pages! 5. My reaction to the last pages: Well, I?m not going to tell you because it would pretty much tell you who she picks xD Ok, now to the actual review. I can?t believe this trilogy has come to end. I already miss the characters =/ If I had to rate the first two books, I would probably give The Hunger Games a 4.5 and a well deserved 5 to Catching Fire?rating Mockingjay, well not that easy. Mockingjay is definitely the darkest and most emotional book of all three; I was completely stunned and emotionally drained when I finished reading it. While the previous books focused mainly on the Hunger Games, this one focused on Katniss?s emotions. You can?t help but feel sorry for her and admire her for staying strong when there's so much going on around her and for dealing with all the responsibilities that lay now on her shoulders. Shes the Mockingjay, the symbol of freedom and hope during the war between the Capitol and District 13, and then of course there is Gale and Peeta. Katniss needs to sort out her feelings towards the boys, but that task becomes even more complicated because Peeta is a prisoner in the Capitol and endures constant torture to keep Katniss alive (what's not to love about Peeta). This book has it all: love, joy, hope but, mostly, sadness and pain. The characters were in the middle of war the entire time, after all. I knew I couldn?t expect a picture perfect ending and I love that Collins gives us realistic characters and endings. There is no happily ever after for anyone, but, still, I wasn?t prepared to read about all those tragic and heartbreaking deaths. Before this book was released, a lot of fans said that this one character was going to die and I thought, There's no way Suzanne Collins can kill that character!? Well, she did and it was so so sad! Still, I have to be honest and say that though the ending of Mockingjay was kind of rushed, the way Katniss ends up with the boy who I shall not name was..I don't know, weird maybe, it just happened all top quick and then there were some other characters who all of the sudden were MIA for no decent reason! Besides that, those last few pages were amazing. Reading Katniss's last thoughts made it all so much harder to say good bye to such an amazing story and all the characters. It's seriously impossible to ever forget this trilogy. I'm still mourning its end and the deaths as we speak. Overall, there are only two words to describe this trilogy: incredibly epic. My Rating: 4 (I would give it a five, but like I said before, there were some things about the ending that I didn't like very much. Honestly it didn't live up to my expectations. Other than that: READ THIS TRILOGY!!)show more