390 pg (Trade Paperback) Fiction
Mockingjay is the
3rd and final book in the Hunger Games series. There will be
spoilers for the earlier books in this post.
At the end of Catching Fire Katniss has
been taken out of the arena only to find that there resistance against the
Capitol is real and strong. District 13 is a large population living mostly underground.
She is soon made into a media spectacle
and used as the face of the rebellion. She is involved in covert missions that
become little more than photo shoots to show the power of the rebellion. The
capitol responds with harsh bombings of the 13th District, but the underground
bunkers protect most of the inhabitants. Peeta has been captured by the capitol
and after a heroic mission to save him
it is reveled that he has been brainwashed into thinking Katniss, The
Mockingjay, is his enemy. At this point the book becomes a account of a war between
the rebels and the Capitol. Eventually leading to an all out attack on the
Capitol which, of course, Katniss participates in.
I have to take into consideration that the book was written
from young adults. As this series has gone on I became less
interested in it. The Hunger Games is destined to be a classic book for young
readers and it is sad that the series doesn’t hold up to the original book.
This isn’t to say it isn’t worth reading, it just felt like the first book was
fantastic and the second book really slowed things down. Mockingjay brings back the excitement, but not to the extent of the
original.
3 Emotional/Intellectual -
I really had a hard time liking Katniss as the books went on. I cared
about the plight of the districts and that is what kept me reading.
3 Style/ Readability- Although some things were unexpected, over all
the books become fairly predictable towards the end. The writing is fine, but
not outstanding.
4 Long Term Impact – These books won’t make it to Harry
Potter popularity, but I think they will be a part of main stream reading for a
long time.
10 out of 13 – The Hunger Games book is well worth the read.
Because of this you will get sucked into reading the rest of the series. That
is fine just don’t expect it to end as well as it began.