June 7, 2011

Fire and Freedom • Mockingjay

Mockingjay book cover
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #3
Previous Books: The Hunger Games + Catching Fire
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 24, 2010
Source: Bought || Hardcover

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding. 


Mockingjay is a haunting, thrilling, perfect conclusion to The Hunger Games trilogy. It picks up right where we left off in Catching Fire, but the familiarity lasts only for a moment - instead, almost right off the bat, we are tossed into the maelstrom of a world that Katniss now finds herself in.

Again, there's just something magical about this series, and I don't mean the Harry Potter kind. I'm referring to the kind of magic that keeps the reader eagerly poring through the pages, hooked entirely and unable to stop until they reach the conclusion. Mockingjay did exactly that, as well as taking me on an emotional journey worthy of any hardcore battle veteran.

It's hard to explain, really, what is just so wonderful about Mockingjay in particular. A few of my favorite points:

- Collins adds an entirely new dimension to the world we thought we knew. It's an intriguing, yet disturbing addition and I found myself both wondering about it and feeling disturbed at the same time.

- She also introduces us to a new, more emotional part of Katniss that we have never encountered before. And what we do discover there, well, it's scary and heartbreaking and I found that I was really, truly feeling for her. Peeta and Gale take similar journeys, although I find that Peeta's was more accessible than Gale's.

- Honestly, Mockingjay was riveting up until the perfect conclusion. It was a realistic way to end things (well, as realistic as you can be writing dystopian fiction) and definitely played off the characters and events in the previous book. I found myself satisfied with how it ended, even though it wasn't a happily ever after ending.

Whether you're Team Gale, Team Peeta (as I am) or even Team Katniss (as I also am), it is notable that the characters can inspire that much devotion from fans of series. The Hunger Games trilogy, as a whole and with this final kickass conclusion, is worthy of all the hype it's been receiving.

2 Comments:

  1. What was your favorite book out of the three? And I agree with you about the ending - it's not as happy and fluffy as we're used to - and what I hoped for - but it fits the tone of the series. It's realistic, as you said.

    Here's my Mockingjay review in case you're curious.

    Annie @ CandleLitLibrary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think my favorite is Catching Fire. I liked the fact that we are kind of familiar with everything in that world already, but also get a new adventure at the same time. The ending of CF killed me though!

      Delete

Thanks for leaving a comment! I love seeing what you have to say, and will try to reply (here or on Twitter) as soon as I can :)