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Mockingjay

MockingjayMockingjay By Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games #3

Source Purchased

Published by Scholastic Press on August 24, 2010

Rating: four-half-stars

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

I have now joined the rest of the world in reading The Hunger Games series. Apparently they’re going to make them into movies, so I’m very interested in seeing those when they come out.

The second book in the series, Catching Fire, ended onΒ a major cliff-hanger, so I was really eager to read this book. Overall, it was very good, and if you’ve read the first two books in the series, you must read this one.

Having been rescued by the rebels working to take down the Capitol, KatnissΒ agrees to become the Mockingjay, the symbol of the revolution, at the request of District 13’s President Coin. We learn that PeetaΒ and other Victors who were in the arena when Katniss was rescued have been taken by the Capitol, and their fate is unknown.

Gale and Katniss’sΒ family are in District 13 with her, where they learn a lot about how the people have survived over the years. With plans for a revolution in full swing, Katniss begins to see that being a symbol of the revolution gives her some power – but not enough, at times, and she struggles with issues of trust, following orders, and the realization that no matter which side she’s on, innocent lives will be lost in the ensuing battles.

There was a lot of action in this book, which I liked. It was very suspenseful and exciting and bloody, but sad at the same time because no characters were safe from the violence – a number of characters that I really liked, and hoped would somehow survive, died. Although that made me sad, Β at the same time, I appreciated that Collins wasn’t afraid to do that. The themes of war and violence and the tragic, senseless losses that can result really hit home when it results in the death of characters that I’d become attached to and cared for.

This book was a major page-turner. There wereΒ  a lot of events that took me by surprise, and I really liked that I could never be sure about what would happen next.

The love triangle between KatnissΒ and Peeta and Gale gets very, very complicated here, and while it is eventually resolved, once again I couldn’t predict what the resolution was. I certainly had my thoughts on what I wanted it to be, but I won’t give anything away there. You’ll have to read for yourself!

Events took place on a much largerΒ scale in this book than in the previous ones. Whereas things had mainly focussed on the Games, and Katniss’sΒ participation inΒ and rebellion from them, the events in this book concerned all of Panem. We learn what has been happening in the other districts this whole time, and how the lives of citizens in not just the districts but the Capitol have been effected, all negatively. The terrible impact of war and violence is spelled out very clearly here.

My one complaint would be that the book seemed to end too abruptly for me. After caring for these characters so much and eagerly reading to see how things turned out, I really would have appreciated more of a wrap-up to the series. Although that’s the only negative thing I have to say, for me, it’s a big one. I was left feeling a bit disappointed. Perhaps, though, that was the author’s intention. After all, there are not always perfectly wrapped-up, happy endings for all involved in war in real life.

This book was very bittersweet. Perhaps because it’s a young adult book, I had been expecting something a bit more sugar-coated, and I am really happy that Collins tackles the themes of war, poverty,Β and violence so unflinchingly. Although I felt real sadness at the deaths of a number of characters,Β I appreciated that I was feeling something. I don’t like to feel as though I’m merely observing events when I read something – I want to feel drawn in and attached to the people, and I definitely felt that in this book, and the series as a whole.

This is definitely a book – and aΒ series – that I recommend.

four-half-stars

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