who thinks this was the greatest end ever

[American Wolf]

i was so happy and sad because happy for peeta and katinas and sad because it was over

[Kyle]

I think it is a great ending, but for completely different reasons.

I think it is great because it has an incredible grasp on reality, even though it is fictional. The deaths, although very sad, show a basic reality of war--people die. And the fact that I actually cried when Prim died, it as strong of a sign as an that the books had me hooked. The depression and debateably PTSD experienced by Katniss illustrate the effects of war and being forced into a position of active symbol for a war. It is a way of making a point that being in the limelight isn't the best thing that can happen to someone, espicially for an arguably introverted, teenage girl. Finally, it is a great ending because it really closes off the series. There could be more books written about the children and whatever, but they would either be relativel uneventful, or the tragedies would be stretched and probably do more harm than help to the series. So, while I was sad that I had finished the series, since I moved on, I now know that I don't have to wait for another book or worry about another story that would ruin the series.

[American Wolf]

Kyle wrote: "I think it is a great ending, but for completely different reasons.

I think it is great because it has an incredible grasp on reality, even though it is fictional. The deaths, although very sad, ..."

i agree too with that

[Sheila]

i read the whole 3 books over the weekend becuase I cant wait what will happen in the end. it was all worth it. The ending was so intense and unexpected except of course with the lovebirds. i like how they turned out.

[Gemma]

NO.
No no no no.
This was not a good ending.
I do NOT ship Katniss and Peeta.
WHY?

[American Wolf]

Sheila wrote: "i read the whole 3 books over the weekend becuase I cant wait what will happen in the end. it was all worth it. The ending was so intense and unexpected except of course with the lovebirds. i like ..."

my friends bugged me to read it and when i finshed the series it was worth it

[American Wolf]

Gemma wrote: "NO.
No no no no.
This was not a good ending.
I do NOT ship Katniss and Peeta.
WHY?"

you have to agree that it was unexpected:)

[[deleted user]]

Gemma wrote: "NO.
No no no no.
This was not a good ending.
I do NOT ship Katniss and Peeta.
WHY?"

NO, I DIDN'T? omg I can't believe there are people out there who LIKED the ending, you guys must be the first....

[Menna]

I hated it, cried while reading it, get depressed after that for many days, but I can't deny that it's great.
You started a book about killing teenagers and hatred, you don't expect it to be a happy ending.
The writer gave us the ending we want(Katniss and Peeta) but they lost at the same time a lot of good things and good people.

This ending is cruel like the life.

[American Wolf]

Menna wrote: "I hated it, cried while reading it, get depressed after that for many days, but I can't deny that it's great.
You started a book about killing teenagers and hatred, you don't expect it to be a hap..."

very true but at least katniss and peeta are together

[Jessica]

Kyle wrote: "I think it is a great ending, but for completely different reasons.

I think it is great because it has an incredible grasp on reality, even though it is fictional. The deaths, although very sad, ..."

I like all the comments you make about the end of this book, Kyle. For me I acknowledge that this ending could dissatisfy readers but I think Collins did that on purpose. This trilogy was about war and the ending was meant to illustrate the after-effects of war. I think the way Peeta, Haymitch, Katniss, even Gale and Katniss' mother are described is exactly how life picks up after war. It's not always happy and it's not always clean. Peeta and Katniss are painted as a couple that "grew back together" but not without obstacles. Even in the end they are not perfect and I find that refreshing.

I also think it has the right touch of optimism, evident in the fact that Katniss chooses Peeta in the end (she would never admit she loved him unless it was actually real) and how they have children together. People forget that children are the ultimate result of people's hope for the future. Katniss would not have had children if the world had not changed and even though her children may be growing up in a world that's still healing, it does not detract from the fact that there are children to continue on. I was depressed after reading but after a few days, I was at total peace for how Collins chose to end.

[Abby]

No it was awful! Okay I guess from analyzing the literature it was good, but as a reader it was awful! I was depressed after it! And I felt like it just happened so fast, peeta and katniss' relationship just picking up again without giving us much about it. But mostly just because of how sad it was

[Chloe]

I thought the ending was TERRIBLE!
I totally shipped Katniss and Peeta the whole way through but then when Peeta was turned against Katniss I was devastated.
And I mean he never really became the same guy again. HE WORSHIPPED her before and now it was like mehh.
I got the opinion from the way the epilogue/last few pages were written that they basically got together because they got used to eachother.
And when Katniss talks about her kids it's terrible because it sounds like she's saying she doesn't even want them and it was all Peeta's idea.

And unrelating to the epilogue I think after Prim's death Katniss became a cold and slightly unfeeling person. When she said there should be a last Hunger Games with the Capitol children I was so angry.. Like I know they're evil but they're only children. They learned from the adult's example and them going into the hunger games would be as bad as her or Peeta or Prim or Rue or anybody!
Also on the cold and unfeeling side the narration for the epilogue feels numb. It feels like the way your thoughts sound when you're at a really bad place.
Also it was like she made no attempt to unwrap herself from her horrid past and look at the life she has now, it reminded me of Haymitch in a way because she became wrapped up in her own misery. The only difference being she had things to distract her and show her that her life was good again.

Wow rant :P But seriously I thought this was an atrocious ending to an otherwise amazing book series.

[Rebecca]

Even though the deaths and turn of events were sad it was fitting. If everyone lived happily ever after then it would not fit with the continuity of the story. Come on a rebellion was happening and this is a universe were children fight to the death, did people really think it could end happier than it did? The books were meant to give people something to think about and to reflect on our own society. Even though this is just fiction I think it is a great warning for us to consider how desensitized we are becoming and to remind us to care and think of others besides just our selves. This couldn't be done if everyone lived happily ever after in the end.

I for one did love the epilogue. It was perfect. They didn't have over the top happiness. Their lives didn't just pop into place after the events in mockingjay. It took time for them to be content. I liked the the way that they ended up being happy even though they realize that their lives will never be the same as they were before and they have been changed by the events in the books. I also love the last line! "But there are much worse games to play". I couldn't think of a more perfect way to end the book.

[Rebecca]

Chloe wrote: "I got the opinion from the way the epilogue/last few pages were written that they basically got together because they got used to eachother.
And when Katniss talks about her kids it's terrible because it sounds like she's saying she doesn't even want them and it was all Peeta's idea."

After all that has happened to her it's understandable. The events in the books left them scarred so of course it took them time to heal and they needed to do this first. She spent three books saying that she never wanted a family and she didn't want kids. Yeah to me it sounded like the first kid was an accident but it was one that she ended up being happy with. A lot of kids start out that way in real life.

[kirstin ✿]

No. It felt rushed.

[Chloe]

Kirstin wrote: "No. It felt rushed."

Agreed.

[Tracie]

I hate the way this book ended. I'm not saying I didn't like the book but it just made me so angry in so many ways. Oh, and most of the "action" scenes suck.

[sim]

I like that Peeta and Katniss ended up together but it seemed really forced. And it wasn't a full on happy ending! And I agree with Kirstin, it was way too rushed: 2 or 3 paragraphs I think it was.
The ending seemed so like real life. Books aren't supposed to have real life type ending, especially books like Hunger Games.
And Katniss got with Peeta only coz she had no choice.
It should've been like 'Peeta, I choose you over Gale'
It was an okay-okay ending, not exactly what I had expected.

[Juan]

I LOVED the ending. It was the perfect combination of darkness and "happily-ever-after."
I do believe that Katniss and Peeta would end up together. The two shared an experience that bonds them together in a way they would never feel with another person. They also balance each other effortlessly, which is what happens with real-life relationships. Ying & yang are attracted. Really, everything happens for a reason, and it was fate they ended up together in the arena. That's how I see it.

I do believe the deaths of Finnick and Prim were good moves on Collins' part, as not everything can turn out fine & dandy. When Prim died, my jaw dropped in shock. I did not expect it. But, it was a beautiful moment full of emotions. That happened to me when Coin was killed, too.

Hence, perfect ending!

[Bryson]

this was a horrible ending. Rally? just random endings. suddenly there married and coin gets shot by katniss?

[Addee]

Awesome ending! The whole book Mockingjay, ending the series, that is. Glad Peeta got what he wanted in the end.

[Mike]

The ending was amazing. It illustrated what really happens in war- nothing is perfect.

[Mike]

Juan wrote: "I LOVED the ending. It was the perfect combination of darkness and "happily-ever-after."
I do believe that Katniss and Peeta would end up together. The two shared an experience that bonds them toge..."

Coin was shot by Katniss because she had killed Prim. What else did you expect? If your sister had been killed, you'd want her killer to die too. Plus, Coin was always evil. She was simply power-hungry, wanting to take over. If she could have more Hunger Games with Capitol citizens, I imagine she would have. She needed to die more than Snow, even though Snow realllly needed to die.

Katniss and Peeta getting married was a symbol that even though Katniss's life is seriously fucked up from the aftereffects of the war, she can still go on and be happy with someone.

I think it was perfect and you misunderstood the points behind it.

[Joseph]

Chloe wrote: "I thought the ending was TERRIBLE!
I totally shipped Katniss and Peeta the whole way through but then when Peeta was turned against Katniss I was devastated.
And I mean he never really became the s..."

You do realize that the same Katniss who voted yes for the new Hunger Games also, in that same chapter, killed President Coin which is why there are no more Hunger Games...

Many people (including myself) see her yes vote as being done to facilitate Coin's assasination (making the vote irrelevant). Coin, Katniss previously realized, had tried killing her before. Had Katniss voted no, there would have been no guarantee that Coin would have allowed Katniss to be the one to executed Snow (which was, of course, how Katniss was able to kill Coin). She needed to gain Coin's trust if she wanted to take her out.

That something was going on below the surface is evident in how, when it was Haymitch's turn to cast the deciding vote, Katniss mentioned, in her interior monologue, how this was when they would see if Haymitch truly understood her. He then says "I'm with the Mockingjay."

I think the reason Suzanne Collins put that in there was because otherwise, Katniss killing Coin would have been the most predictable twist ending of all time. However, since we just saw her seemingly sell her soul and become no better than the villian (as is typical in dystopian literature), we didn't expect what came next (her doing the exact opposite).

[Addee]

MOST AWESOME ENDING EVER!!! I was not happy for Katniss because I did not like her at all from page 1 book 1 to the end, but I love, love, love Peeta & he deserved to finally get what he wanted. Everything else fit perfectly.

[[deleted user]]

Like? The Ending? No. I didn't like most of the characters (that includes Katniss and Peeta) so I couldn't really like the ending. Besides that, I felt like they were just together for the sake of the ending. It didn't seem like Katniss really loved Peeta and they just had a kids so people could write fanfictions about them (Maybe not...).

[Joseph]

Jewel wrote: "Like? The Ending? No. I didn't like most of the characters (that includes Katniss and Peeta) so I couldn't really like the ending. Besides that, I felt like they were just together for the sake of ..."

The kids are also significant because, if memory serves me write, Katniss more than once said that she would never have kids because she didn't want them born into that world (and be put at risk for the Hunger Games). The fact that they have kids is therefore a huge sign of optimism for the future.

[Makayla]

I have mixed feelings about it. I didn't love it (or this particular aspect of the book in general) because Peeta wasn't the same and I loved Peeta so much. I mean he wanted to kill Katniss. But I was happy they got back together and eventually had kids. It was sad to see the books ending, it felt like there should be more, but of course you can't add much more...

[Alsjem]

This thread is so interesting to me. When I finished reading the book I, like many of you have said felt pretty miserable and its only now reading all your comments that I'm able to process that.

I think there are two issues for this ending. The first is your personal response i.e. whether you buy into Katniss and Peeta's relationship.
The second is the overall comment on society and the coping strategies for post war rebuilding of community.

Personally I found both of these aspects to be realistically portrayed and perhaps this is the genius of the novel. I mean to be able to be entirely caught up in the story and yet for it to be completely relate-able to real life.

[[deleted user]]

It was the WORST ending ever

[Juli]

are you kidding?? Peeta and Katniss got together!!! thats the best ending EVER!!! that last word: "Real" is super memorable and beautiful. I loved it, and if there is anything to critisize, is that there wasnt more info of katniss and peeta as a married couple

[Reality101]

Best ending ever!

[Joseph]

I'm not sure I would say it is the best ending in the history of endings, but it was really great (which is why I gave it the same 5 stars as Catching Fire even though I thought it dragged on a bit in the middle).

A lot happened which was great. First of all, Katniss killing Coin. If not for the events just a few pages before, it would have been the most predictable twist ending of all time. However, we just saw Katniss appear to have sol her soul. Like in a lot of famous dystopian novels, it appeared that the ending would be the main character, the protagonist we had been rooting for the whole time, giving in to evil and becoming like those they had fought against. She voted for the Hunger Games.

BUT THEN, you're reading, and it's like "blah blah kill Snow, big deal an- holy shoot!" I didn't see it coming at all, because we thought we had just seen Katniss turn. And then it all made sense. The cryptic line about seeing whether Haymitch really understood her. The fact that, when it looks like Haymitch also had sold out, he didn't say "yes" but rather "I'm with the Mockingjay" (or something like that). Katniss' disillusionment at the whole thing, at the fact that things would never change, wasn't her giving up; it was her realizing what she needed to do.

And then, in normal Katniss/Hunger Games fashion, it just happens. You don't hear her going on in her mind about how she hates Coin and how important what she is about to do is. I mean, there is some hint, perhaps, as she is thinking about Coin, but it sounds tangential. You really only get a feel for what is about to happen with the four word, two-sentence paragraph that precedes it: "He's right. We did [promise not to lie to each other]." And then she raises her arrow, shoots, and the chapter ends. I literally glossed over it the first time, and had to go back when I realized something didn't fit with what I expected (that she would kill Snow as planned). I think then I jumped out of my chair and cheered or something.

As for the rest, it strikes a good balance. It wasn't the magical "nothing that happened before matters and all your dreams have come true!" ending. But it also wasn't a downer. It was hopeful. Yes, she and Peeta are scarred. But they have each other. There is hope. It isn't the most romantic ending, and yet they love each other and are together. The fact they have kids underlies the optimism as well; Katniss said she would never have kids because of the hunger games and the world she was in. But now the hunger Games are gone, there is relative peace, and things have actually improved for real this time. Despite everything that happened, though they will never be whole or truly unscathed, they will be alright, and their children will carry on to the brighter future that they represent.

I am still sad about Prim though. Her death was really sad, if for no other reason because it wasn't melodramatized like such deaths usually are. It felt more real. It just kinda happened, like deaths tned to do. Even though we really didn't see much of her or get to know her throughout the series, we definitely got to know Katniss, and we know that she mattered to Katniss more than life itself. But I guess without something as horrible as that, it would have been hard to set the stage for Katniss saving Panem once and for all.

Anyway, it was a great ending :)

[Elizabeth]

I think that she thought up a good ending but she could have written it better. The problem was that she could have explained a little more how she and Peeta got closer. She just kind of said what happened. She could have made it a little longer.