Mockingjay [June 24, 2019]

[Margret, Caladan Brood Face]

.

[Charlie]

I'm so excited to start this. Book 2 was amazing. It seriously blew my mind. I know these books have a lot of hype but I genuinely think it's well deserved.

[Aakash]

I just saw this article.
https://www.hypable.com/hunger-games-...

[Charlie]

Aakash wrote: "I just saw this article.
https://www.hypable.com/hunger-games-..."

Oh my goodness!!! Yes!!! I will 100% buy this!

[Aakash]

Yep. This series is fantastic and I wouldn't be surprise to know it will be a bestseller.

[Charlie]

I’d love it if she made a whole series of prequels. I’d like to see the year Hamich won the games and the year Finnick won. Also maybe a book on Cinna and his life, get the experience of someone who lives in the Capitol. There’s so much she could do here.

[Charlie]

Finished the first four chapters.

(view spoiler)[ Travelling through District 12 was awful, I can't believe it's all gone.

The capitol have Peeta and it's awful, I never wanted him for Katniss but I do want him to be safe.

President Coin is awful. She's a power hungry bitch. What she did to Katniss' prep team was despicable. She needs to go. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Up to chapter 8 (view spoiler)[

I'm glad Finnick is starting to wake up and get back to his old self. Hopefully his new weapon will inspire him.

The hospital bombing was super sad, so much pointless death. I'm glad they got the footage of Katniss though, the districts need a boost. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

I'm gonna try and join you all at the end of the month with this one. Gotta try and finish some other novels first ^^;

I am very excited about the prequel news though! :D

[Charlie]

Yay Katie! I hope you can join. I'm so excited for the prequel, I will absolutely be pre-ordering.

[Aakash]

Completed 8 chapters.
(view spoiler)[Peeta's condition worries me. I don't know what they are doing with him. Still whatever he's saying is awful. Why is he talking about ceasefire when he knows that district 12 is now ruins, his family is killed. I know he loves Katniss and is trying to save her but there are other people as well who needs saving. I don't like Coin much. She feels really very dangerous to me. The bombing of 8 was awful. It just proves that revolution is needed. I liked the Casseida and her team. They are very loyal to their work. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Aakash wrote: "Completed 8 chapters.
[spoilers removed]"

I'm super worried for (view spoiler)[ Peeta too. Whatever the capitol is doing to him, it can't be anything good.

Coin has too much power. She's used to running her little empire in 13, i think she needs brought down a peg or two. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Up to chapter 11. (view spoiler)[ Peeta warned them about the attack! He's still on their side! The need to rescue him pronto.

I think it's great that the people in 13 got to see a softer side of Katniss. Looking after Prim and playing with the cat, it will humanise her and bring people to her side.

I really want Katniss and Gale to get back to their easy friendship. The awkwardness and dancing around their feelings is frustrating. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Up to chapter 19. (view spoiler)[ Peeta is free and he's been hijacked. My heart is breaking for him.

I'm annoyed that Coin is now trying to kill Katniss, after everything she's done. Sending Peeta into battle was idiotic but at least the team can help him figure out what is real and what isn't. (hide spoiler)]

[Aakash]

Completed 14 chapters.
(view spoiler)[The story is really getting very intense. Poor Peeta. They have changed him. They have manipulated the memory of Katniss in him. I hope he become himself again. I am happy for Finnick and Annie. They finally are together. Gale did right by volunteering to rescue Peeta. I really want to see Gale and Katniss old friendship. It is like the gap is increasing between them. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Aakash wrote: "Completed 14 chapters.
[spoilers removed]"

It's super (view spoiler)[ sad what they did to Peeta but I'm so happy for Finnick and Annie, they deserve to be happy. (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Finished! So overall I thought the series was fantastic, this book was great (though my least favourite of the three) but I was very disappointed by the ending. There's a few things I just didn't like. (view spoiler)[

First of all, I think the very end was super rushed. There was basically no time from Katniss killing Coin to the end of the book.

Katniss should have screamed from the rooftops that Coin murdered those children. Instead, she said nothing and was waiting for them to execute her.

She essentially goes back to District 12 alone. Gale has abandoned her and I think after everything, that was really shitty. He was supposed to be her best friend.

Katniss' mother also abandons her. I'm sure there's plenty of people in 12 who need a healer. And her daughter needs her too.

The whole thing with Peeta didn't feel organic. I hate it when books skip to the future, I feel like I've been robbed of all that character development. I also never liked them together romantically so this was a big let down.

Finally what happens to the districts?! Obviously these places still need labour so how did they go about establishing fair living conditions? Do you have to stay in the district you were born in, or can you now travel and seek jobs elsewhere? I wanted to know more about the new Panem. So yay, you've overthrown an oppressive society, how do you create a new one?! (hide spoiler)]

[Aakash]

Finished!
Charlie wrote: "Finished! So overall I thought the series was fantastic, this book was great (though my least favourite of the three) but I was very disappointed by the ending. There's a few things I just didn't l..."
Similar thoughts on some points.
(view spoiler)[I don't think it fits that Gale abandoned Katniss at the time when she needed him most. I know he must be feeling very guilty about Prim's death but he can't just abandon her.
Prim's death was heartbreaking. I just felt what is this all about. Katniss was thrown in this Hunger Games mess just to save Prim but ultimately she lost her. I know the districts were free and Capitol was destroyed but it wasn't any personal benefit for Katniss. She just wanted to save her family and Gale and at last all of them abandons her.
Coin was another version of Snow. She wasn't any better than Snow. I liked Peeta and Katniss together. Katniss started loving him after the first Game and she finally accepted that.
I really hate the epilogue. It was good to know that everything was fine with Katniss but what about the government, Gale? It just describes there is no Hunger Games but what about everything else? There are many questions to answer but it wasn't answered.
(hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

@Aakash

It really annoyed me that (view spoiler)[ there wasn't further explanation into the new government and what the regime change means for the citizens of Panem.

And I really feel for Katniss, Like you said, she entered the games to Save Prim, not to start a revolution and in the end her family are all gone. While it's nice she found a new life with Peeta, it still kills me that Gale just left and never came back. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

I'll be reading your comments as I work my way through the book ^^ I've forgotten how much we get to see of how the games changed Katniss. Seeing her deal with her PTSD and being thrown into this role of leader of the rebellion...I mean...everyone can't do it >_<

[Charlie]

Katie wrote: "I'll be reading your comments as I work my way through the book ^^ I've forgotten how much we get to see of how the games changed Katniss. Seeing her deal with her PTSD and being thrown into this r..."

I feel so sorry for Katniss in this whole book. She didn't ask for any of this shit and no-one is being nice to her, except Prim.

[Katie]

Sisters stick with you like that <3

[Katie]

Finally finished the book! I have to agree with you Charlie in that it is my least favorite of the three. I gave it a 3.5 stars. It was really the characters that kept me reading, but the overall feel was very different with them using Katniss to start up the rebellion.

Spoiler time ~
(view spoiler)[I was actually shocked when I read of Prim's death. I re-read that line a few times to make sure I understood it correctly. It was so brief. Poor Katniss. Their family has suffered so much from the games. And it was her family that kept her sane, kept her fighting :'(

I'm very glad she chose to shoot Coin in the end there. Snow was going to die eventually with his disease, he had it coming too. But as you both said, Coin was just another Snow. They needed a bigger change in leadership.

You're right in that the ending was a bit rushed. It all wrapped up so fast. They could have expanded it a bit.

I'm happy that Katniss found her person. While it might not be the initial romantic love like she had with Gale (and I suppose best friend nature) with Peeta she has that person who makes her feel safe. Who brightens her dark days. People like that are very special and need to be kept close. Trust me on this. And more to the point, she knew that Gale was such a strong hearted person, and she knew she already had that fire in her belly...Peeta was the one to offset her as it were.

It's disappointing to hear that Katniss's mother and best friend could not be with her in the end. I understand their reasoning though. For Gale, it's a hard loss. He knew she was never gonna let Peeta go. It must be really hard on his heart. For her mother too even for Prim. She lost her daughter and husband...going back might be too much. So she's seeking to push forward and help others with her medicine :)

Would very much like to know more about how the other districts recovered after it all, but hey, I guess that's all folks. lol. (hide spoiler)]