Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

390 pg (Trade Paperback) Fiction

Mockingjay is the 3^rd 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 13^th 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.