Collins,Suzanne, Mockingjay - informal buddy read begins 15 July 2024

[Upton]

Truitt_T wrote: "When this challenge started, I had no intention of picking up Mockingjay - my memory is of really disliking it. But, I enjoyed the reread of Books 1 & 2 more than I expected - and I ..."

I wasn't sure that I wanted to read it again either. I thought the beginning was slower and I was having a difficult time getting into the story. I was about halfway through before I felt engaged in the story. But I felt like it finished strong, so I would say I enjoyed it overall.

[Upton]

Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Yasmine wrote: "And now I finally get to reread the last book in the Hunger Games series! Just finished Chapter 4 and it's off to a great start. I agree with Cat, Haymitch has become one of my favo..."

I'm on the Haymitch band wagon as well. He cracks me. Reading the book, I hear it in Woody voice. I really enjoy the sarcastic tone and that he seems to being saying what everyone else is thinking. He doesn't apologize or tiptoe. That could be an unlikable trait for a character, but he shows enough vulnerability to keep the character likeable.

[Upton]

Laura wrote: "I just finished!

Back in the day when I first joined Goodreads, I was exploring and saw what turned out to be a Harry Potter fanfic that was a book entry on GR. It had a link and I clicked it. At ..."

I agree. I would also have liked to know what happened with Annie. And I would have liked to hear what the crowd reaction was to the announcement that there would another hunger game and that they were approved by the victors. How would they have made the justification, especially after the final stage of the war. How could they think people would except it.

[Sammy]

Just finished part 1.

So much slower, and frankly, a tad on the boring side so far.

District 13 seems almost as bad as the Capitol.

I have also decided (again) that I'm neither team Gale nor team Peeta. Frankly, I still think Katniss far too emotionally immature to be thinking about any kind of relationship (though how the heck that's possible after everything she's been through I have no idea. definitely not seeing any character growth here).

Without Cinna, I'd say Finnick is probably my favourite character at the moment. Scrambled brain or not, he at least seems to have a touch of complexity.

[Anouschka]

I'm partially reading, partially listening. They changed the narrator for Mockingjay and I'm so glad they did!

Haymitch is an underrated character in my opinion. Definitely broken and misunderstood. Even before you get to the explanation, you notice there is something in the past he hasn't coped with. I really wish we see more of Finnick, I really like him!

Kaley wrote: "If Gale has no haters, I’m dead.

I don’t know how I didn’t notice from the first minute I read this book how truly awful he is. I was NEVER Team Gale and only disliked him after later events in t..." I agree completely. Gale has a very black and white view about the world, and misses a lot of empathie. It's probably the result of living under a suppressive regime, but nevertheless.

District 13 is giving Capitol vibes, just without the colours...

[Shelby]

Part 2

Ok I have drug my feet about reading more of this book. I'm just not excited about it at all. Finally pushed myself to finish the second part. I have to say Gale is driving me nuts. I really don't like him much at this point. He's brutal and has no empathy for people. He's pretty self serving in most cases. We don't even get to see him being good with his family in this book. I don't enjoy the love triangle aspect and Katniss' confusion with it all remains annoying. I do feel for Katniss and Peeta though with what was done to Peeta in the capital. To not be able to trust your own memories would be awful.

Ultimately I'm just glad I only have one more section to get through and that it'll be more action, even though I know there are awful things coming. Hopefully it'll move faster.

[Sammy]

And finished pat 2.

I can't think of many things (some, but not many) that would be worse to do to a person than what the Capitol put Peeta through. He was never my favourite character, but I wouldn't like to see anyone put through that.

Nice to see Finnick and Annie get their moment though.

If I were Katniss, I'd be less than happy with myself for having rescued the darn cat in the first place though... She almost lost her sister because of it, and keeping her alive has kinda been the whole point of the last 2 1/2 books 😆

[Judy]

I'm making my way through this veeeeeery slowly - when I'm reading it, it's going fast, but I just have no inclination to read this at all. Dreading what's to happen, I guess 🙃

Some notes, though (I'm up to chapter 11):

Gale is pissing me off so much. Two things really stood out: First when he's mad at Katniss for defending her prep team - like of course she cares! And stupidity shouldn’t be enough of a reason to deserve punishment (at least not this kind of punishment, and their specific brand of stupidity). His not understanding Katniss being upset about their mistreatment irks me sooooo much. It's not okay to treat people like this! And then when he doesn't tell Katniss about Peeta's interview broadcast. What the heck!

I really don't understand his motivation either - he does seem to have given up on anything romantic between them? At least that's what their kiss in Katniss' house suggested? Is he just completely off the rails and too involved in his own career in D13's military dictatorship?

The propos stuff is just so awful, too. Counter-propaganda is still propaganda... and then their endless voyeurism - yikes! The spots about the dead tributes from the districts, the sick (and then dead) in D8 being exploited the way they were, the way they go around and film D12... next level terrible.

Speaking of D12, when they ate cheese sandwiches there???? Reminds me of my friend who said that when she went to visit the concentration camp in Dachau, there was a group of tourists picknicking literally right there.

[Stephie]

So I knew that I was re-reading books one and two. Book three I absolutely cannot remember if I read it. Alas here are my thoughts in three parts.

Part One

That opening was the creepiest thing. Inhaling the dust of the dead? I cannot even imagine. It is a terrible thing what happened to D12. The Hunger Games are really a lose lose situation. D13 is just The Capitol in different clothes. Maybe worse since they live underground. My claustrophobic self could never. Then again, the Capitol killed children for entertainment… Coin wanted to do the very same thing… two sides same coin. I will reiterate what others have said… Haymitch is reading different for me this time around. The whole series is reading different for me living at this bigger age, and in this U.S political climate. I don’t remember which part this line was in, but I chuckled out loud and I don’t normally while reading… "And that my friends is how a revolution dies."
I want to say that not all books need a romance, nevertheless a love triangle which I abhor. Having Gale as a love interest felt like such an insert. I felt zero chemistry there. Also did she love Peeta or did she trauma bond?

Part Two

Like with my audible chuckle I audibly gasped when Peeta went to attack Katniss. People at work turned to look at me to see if I was okay! While I understand Katniss’ hurt feelings after the attack, I felt that a bit more empathy was needed. Peeta was clearly not of sound mind. She mentioned several times that she feared what the Capitol was doing to him. Why the harshness and not the understanding that he clearly been through some shit. That reality check by Haymitch was very much needed because yes, Peeta would have been trying his hardest to bring her back from the brainwashed brink of planted anger and confusion.

Part Three

So much death. So much sadness. The scene with the parachutes. Horrible to read. The real/not real game was some of my favorite parts. Coin wanting to basically keep the Hunger Games going but with Capitol children was icky. Children are innocent. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You get it. Katniss changing course of the arrow was the correct decision, but I wish there was two arrows if you catch my drift. The epilogue was rushed but the theme of hope and rebuilding D12 was nice to see. I get the hesitancy to have kids in such dire situations. The memory book? Ugh now I want to make one. What a great idea. Re-reading this series has me wanting to run for the prequel which I previous had no interest reading. Now I am all in.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Laura wrote: "I think I would like to read either a continuation of Ballad of Songbirds or at least a short story showing how Tigris ended up where she is now. I know she didn’t like Snow’s actions, but they wer..."

I just finished Songbirds and I compelety agree. Snow is fascinating! She gave that balance of him being young and “not evil” while still having psychopathic tendencies 🤭 I would love Tigris story about how she went from his supportive cousin to where she is in Mockingjay

[Sammy]

And done!

Yep, district 13 definitely as bad as the capitol, and it seems many of the other district folks can be included in that.

I'm with Peeta, humans are crappy and they should probably make way for a better species 😆

This went much the same for me as it did last time. Mostly dull, and ultimately very unsatisfying. Very easy to see whay it's the least popular book in the original trilogy.

[Andy]

first thoughts- interested to see some development for Gale outside of his spare wheel role to date and Prim is shown as growing and independent
also to see the political dynamic in 13, definitely not a revolutionary utopia

[Andy]

middle thoughts
seems as much about Gale and Peeta as it is about Katniss
Gale really appears to be almost radicalised, full on desire for vengeance
Peeta's transformation to brain-washed assassin
both could be explored more I think if we weren't so wedded to Katniss' perspective
interesting ideas, not fully developed

[Andy]

and finally for me
not convinced with the ending
a lot of it seemed signposted from a way out, especially duplicity of D13 leadership
maybe author soft-pedalled some detail for YA audience, probably unnecessary, and detracted from the story

overall, very enjoyable series
had not read before and may not have done without this challenge
hinted that it could have been better at points, but solid 4 stars for me

[Trinia]

A re-read for me and I just re-read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which after listening a second time still did not recall the story. I did enjoy it though, so I must have been distracted the first go around.

First I have to admit I liked Mockingjay the least of all of the books. It is depressing and frustrating that their world is crashing around them. Even though I enjoyed the violence and strategies of book 1 and 2, this one was far too political for me.

I was disappointed in Katniss's relationships with Gale and of course Peeta , being that he came back a completely changed man.
depressing overall... But I will say I was happy with the ending as I always was team (view spoiler)[ Peeta (hide spoiler)]

[Trinia]

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Laura wrote: "I think I would like to read either a continuation of Ballad of Songbirds or at least a short story showing how Tigris ended up where she is now. I know she didn’t like Snow’s actions..."

I re-read Songbirds and have to say the first time around it didn't stick. But I really enjoyed my re-read.

Have you seen the movie???
my husband liked all of the Hunger games movies, so i'm curious if it's worth it

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Trinia wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Laura wrote: "I think I would like to read either a continuation of Ballad of Songbirds or at least a short story showing how Tigris ended up where she is now. I know she didn’t li..."

I haven’t watched it, and don’t even realise one was made until I got the book and found there was a “movie tie in” cover! 🤣 I’ve put it on my watch list and would like to watch it - maybe after the Olympics

[Keely]

I finally finished part 3 and the book.

A lot happens in the part. I remember reading it the first time and being shocked about Coin. I never saw it coming back then. Prim upset me the most and still does.
I would have liked a bit more detail about how things were after and how they rebuilt everything.

[Judith]

Finally getting around to this re-read.

I forgot about how insidious and creepy Snow is even at this point in the trilogy. That white rose on the dresser. Heebie jeebies

I will say that all of the early chapters with descriptions of District 13 made it a little hard to believe the Capitol didn't know they were there and left them be. I have a hard time believing they were able to source all of the necessary raw ingredients to make all the clothes, food, technology, etc.

But I guess if they weren't able to do those things it would of been a really short book 3.

[Shelby]

And done. Thank god. Ultimately this series is just not for me. I don't particularly like any of the characters all that much. I feel worst for Peeta honestly. He's has the worst happen to him over and over again. Gale annoys me and by the end of the book I just wanted something redeemable with him to happen. But nope. For as drug out as this book is the actually ending is all very rushed. Katniss agonizes over every decision, but the Snow does his final little confession/think about it thing and suddenly she only has to think for a night and she's made this monumental decision?

All in all this series is hard for me to read as I like a little more happy in my stories and this has a little too much of lets just have a horrific world and hope that if we tell you at the end that things have changed, even though everything is utterly destroyed first, that that's good enough for you. Bleh.

[Sarah]

Melindam wrote: ""And that my friends is how a revolution dies."

What a perfect comeback punchline for Haymitch/Woody at the end of Chapter 5. 😅

I love it!"

I loved it too! I think it was Haymitch's first appearance in this book, and what an entrance.

My favourite line so far has been from Boggs though - a character I had forgotten existed. Not surprising really, as I've never reread Mockingjay until now.

"Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear."

It even rhymes. :)

[Sarah]

Judith wrote: "I have a hard time believing they were able to source all of the necessary raw ingredients to make all the clothes, food, technology, etc."

This has been bugging me, too. I can get that there must be hydroponic farms and livestock kept underground, but factories? They'd need some heavy industry to manufacture all their military equipment/vehicles.

Makes me think of Wool Omnibus, and they had hundreds of years of supplies in their bunkers, already manufactured.

Ah well, I shall not let it bother me. I'll just ignore it, like the amazing access to manufactured goods there is in Narnia. Lol.

[Judith]

I've made it to about the halfway point of the book. I'm remembering that even on my first read through by this point I was not a Gale fan. He really is a bit of a self-centered douche. I'm glad Katniss had Finnick there for support because Gale really wasn't all that interested in what type of support she actually needed.

Katniss is not winning any people-ing awards either but I don't think she's supposed to. She's like 16 with grown people purposefully messing with her mind and manipulating her. It's a bit amazing she can even function at all.

Honestly I love the random tidbits of story with Buttercup, it's actually a nice foil to what's going on with Katniss.

[Trinia]

Keely wrote: "I finally finished part 3 and the book.

A lot happens in the part. I remember reading it the first time and being shocked about Coin. I never saw it coming back then. Prim upset me the most and s..."

I agree with the part about Prim… can’t believe she (Suzanne Collins) pulled that trigger.
Buttercup is one of my favorites through the series. Thankfully SC didn’t take her out.

Agree that Peeta suffered the most , I was happy with the ending though as much as one can be happy with so much loss.

[Judith]

I finished the book and my original rating didn't hold up upon a reread.

I don't know this one just wasn't as good as the others and all the battle planning and whatnot with Coin and in District 13 just seemed not as believable and a bit silly. I get what Collins was trying to do but the flow was there and the writing not as tight as the first book.

I did like what happened with Coin, having more Hunger Games was just horrifying but THAT was something believable for a person in Coin's position to do. And bizarrely I think Snow and Katniss understood each other perfectly at the end.

Gale still a douche. And poor Peeta, but at least he got his sort of happy ending. He of all people deserved one.

[Trinia]

Same for me Judith, re-reading it made me see more of the faults and felt so political and war like. I liked the first one for the uniqueness of the story, the last one just felt forced. I’m looking forward to the story of Haymitch- hopefully it doesn’t disappoint.

[Laura]

I think in the end Snow looked at Coin and he looked at Katniss and decided Katniss was the better option, so he led her thinking to see what he saw happening. And with the speculation that Lucy Gray is Katniss’ great-aunt, he might have been swayed by that.

[Judith]

Yeah, I’m not sure Collins wrote the political intrigue the best. That may of been due to everything from Katniss’s POV.

I love of a good political intrigue but this was not that. Honestly those are next to impossible to pull off with a single POV. You don’t get enough information to understand all the moving pieces

[Christina]

Well, I*m still under its spell :') and I had completely forgotten that it was Katniss (or one of her doctors actually, to be fair) who had come up with/suggested the technique to name the simplest things you know to be true and work towards the more complicated when she's starting to panic or get overwhelmed. Sounds like it might actually help, but I'm afraid I won't remember this the next time I could need it...

[Anouschka]

Part 2
Poor Peeta... That’s just hartbreaking. Gale on the other hand still annoys me, don’t like him at all.
The story itself just feels like it’s dragging, and I had to motivate myself to get back to it. I really can’t wait to be finished with it.
It’s definitely not the strong one in the trilogy.

[Anouschka]

Part 3
Finished after what feels like forever. The pacing in the book just feels off. It reminds me of a school assignment and a deadline that needs to be met.. We are just squeezing everything in part 3.
The ending with Coin en Snow feels a bit out of character too. I feel that some of the characters who died didn’t get the attention they deserved. This series and especially this book were just not for me.

[Judy]

Finally managed to finish this, and boy I had to force it. My memories from 2012 did not betray me, this was Not Good.

I hate the plot, the pacing is aggravating (the first 200 pages are so ???????? and then it's inexplicable to me how fast the last 3-4 chapters go and how much time passes in them), and the writing is actually so much worse than the first two books, too? There were several instances where I just stared at the page and was wondering whether the same person wrote this.

I still don't like Peeta; I hate Gale. Katniss pisses me off, too. I'm mad about Finnick. I still do not understand why Prim had to die – even before that move it was obvious Coin was also leaning towards dictatorship? But sure. I still remember reading it for the first time and not even understanding that she dies until like 10 pages later, and I only got it this time because I knew it was coming. That's how bad it is.

Wish I hadn't made myself read this because now I never want to think about the entire series again.

[Sarah]

Finally finished, this really was the slowest to read of all three books. I left my rating of 4 stars unchanged though, in spite of that, for various reasons.

I really appreciated that even with the obligatory love triangle, a lot of the YA tropes were not used - I think in the years since I first read it there have been endless YA heroines who save the day. Katniss was not the leader of the rebellion, she was a pawn, she knew she was being used as a pawn, the adults were in charge. Teenagers did not save the day - final fate of Coin excepting.

The way trauma was portrayed was so well done. Even in the epilogue, they are still living with it. No quick, unrealistic, recovery with a HEA for all the important characters, and only fringe/unnamed characters dying. Of course it's sad that characters we love died, but that is realistic.

That it makes me remember and appreciate again the privilege I have of living in a democratic country that is not at war. The real world parallels are sadly there. If this series can help kids think about what it must be like in North Korea or under other dictatorships, then I am glad if it opens their eyes.

[Nistha]

I started reading part 3. I think the one book ends and another starts feels like more of a combined read. I do wish they would have ended part 2 better. In any case, we are finally in the revolution phase. I like how they hinted at 13 districts since the beginning and it has become so important now.

I also somehow feel the charm missing since book 1 for both parts 2 and 3 (so far). The pacing could be faster in this book but they seem to spend so much time in just preparation.

I would love to have seen Peeta have a backbone rather than just chant Katniss's name (like how he has started to speak against the rebels - finally taking a stand of his own). But I feel the book will later change it to show Capitol is bad and they forced Peeta bla bla blah.. we shall see. I also feel Gale has been underutilized so far.

Well still more than 3/4 to go..

[Eni]

Ok so I was not planning on re-reading this one. I absolutely loved the books and the movies, but this third one always gets me down. I feel like there's a lot of suffering and death and I'm usually not a fan of that. But here we are.

My thoughts on part I:

I have to say I did not like Haymitch much. I enjoy his and Katniss relationship a lot, how they clearly understand each other when nobody else does, and I love his sarcasm and his sassiness, but I found him a bit more abrasive for my taste.

With Katniss, this time around, I managed to understand her a bit better. She's a kid that's put in an impossible situation, and she goes through so much pain and suffering and the one of the only people in the whole world who understands what she went through and that she vowed to keep alive is gone. And so is the world she grew up in. She just wants to be back to her old life and her old comfortable routine. Who can't relate to that?

[Eni]

Jenny wrote: "I think you are correct. If Prim's name hadn't been called, there may have been a rebellion years into the future, but not by this timeline..."

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said.

I'm glad things happened the way they did, because Gale would not have been a good match for Katniss. He was always the one pressing the romantic aspect of their relationship, when Katniss in the beginning was mostly focused on surviving and taking care of her family. And in this book, we see either him changing, or showing his true colors. His manipulation of Katniss, the hiding things from her, the bloodthirst, the bomb (which btw everyone seems to love Boggs, and I do as well, but Gale and Boggs used to spend a bunch of time together coming up with plans, so the bomb probably had Boggs hands in it as well). In the end Gale showed us how obessed with getting revenge from the capitol he really was.
I was always team Peeta, and this re-read did not change that. But in my defense, it might have something to do with Josh Hutcherson *whistles* and this is the only movies i actually saw Liam Hemsworth, which may explain why i don't really care for him.

I also really like Fiona's picture that sums up the books perfectly 🤣🤣🤣

[Eni]

My final thoughts on the book: (will contain spoilers, so don't read ahead if you have not read the whole book)

Finnick and Prim - I refuse to talk about them 💔

Coin and Snow - they both had the ending they deserved. They were both power hungry and manipulative/sadistic

Castor and Pollux - I remember having liked them a lot in my first re-read, and I thought they had more character time than they actually had.

Overall this book just makes me feel really frustrated. It's really dark and depressing most of the time. And a lot of the likable characters die so suddenly that if you blink you miss it! I did enjoy Katniss' ending, but it felt rushed. The last chapters, like someone mentioned before, felt very rushed. But this time around I was able to see that her and Peeta didn't rush into anything. They built themselves up after everything that happened and formed a real connection. However the first time I read this, I felt like Peeta was more of a consolation prize. Gale was no longer in the picture, so let's pick Peeta.

[Nistha]

I am 60% done with the book. I am finding all the characters quite terrible to be honest. They all seem self-centred yet want to show that they are doing everything for good. Peeta has completely transformed with the brainwashing - his character has always remained delusional. I do feel the love triangle a bit unnecessary - like we are hardly shown Gale/Katniss's connection except at the very beginning of part 1. I feel the series have put the characters in boxes and everyone is trying to solve it in a non-intelligent way. Probably Finick is the only character I like. Let's see how it ends.

[Nistha]

I finished the book and did not like it. The deaths did not resonate strongly with me. The ending was not that great either. I don't know --- I feel the series went downhill since part 1. I think the characters were so unbearable in this one, I wish all of the 3 MCs had died but they had great plot armours. I did not think it would be this disappointing!

[Ashlee]

Part 1-

Finding themselves in District 13, the survivors are facing quite difficult lives. Everything they have known by being a victor is taken away. I think this would be incredibly difficult for Katniss because she realizes that this whole of the 75th Games was a plot to get her out safely. She now hold s the weight of the world on her shoulders.

[Ashlee]

Part 2-

I found the continued propos interesting. As a teacher, I think it would be interesting to see what students have to say about this use of propaganda.

[Ashlee]

Part 3 -

I didn't especially like the ending of this book. I have to admit that this was my least favorite of the series. While I expected her to make the life decision that she did, it seemed as though it was all just sewn together very quickly.

[Maria Jo]

Part 1

I remembered how this book ends when I was introduced to some of the leaders in District 13. Snow may be bad, but Coin is a tyrant, too! And the song Katniss sings in the forest is one of the few things that sticks with me from the movies. Gale drives me nuts. Katniss is suffering from PTSD, and Coin and Plutarch just want to use her as a symbol of the revolution. Gale makes it worse by keeping secrets and pushing her to do what the leaders want. Although, I suppose he is suffering his own trauma after the bombing of District 12. There is a lot of the story that I don't remember very well, so I am excited to see what other little details I have forgotten in the next two parts.

[Maria Jo]

Part 2

I am really disliking Gale more and more. I don't remember my feelings the first time I read these books, but I can't imagine that I liked him. He allows any form of jealousy in, even blaming Finnick for being too close to Katniss. I am grateful for characters like Haymitch, who clearly have Katniss's best interests in mind, even if she can't always see it. I can't remember how Plutarch's loyalties lie, but I'm rather fond of him, so I hope he is more like Haymitch than Coin.

Thinking about the conversation Katniss had with Plutarch about Bread and Circuses, I can see some of the extremes between the Capitol and District 13. Snow allowed the Capitol to become a place of excess and debauchery to keep his people in line, and expected the Districts to be so hopeful that they would end up there or scared of the Hunger Games that they wouldn't rebel. Coin goes to the opposite extreme in District 13, keeping people on such a structured schedule and diet that they have no time to see how her governance is just as tyrannical. It's certainly an interesting dichotomy.

[Maria Jo]

Part 3

This book didn't grab me as much as the other two did, I had a much easier time putting it down and doing other things (like sleeping). I had forgotten the whole battle to get to Snow that Katniss takes her crew on, forgotten (view spoiler)[how Prim dies, and forgotten that Finnick dies. I did remember that Katniss kills Coin instead of Snow; that scene is very vivid in my mind. The part I didn't remember was that Coin wanted to revive the Hunger Games with children from the Capitol!! (hide spoiler)] What a horrible way to continue the tyranny in Panem after the governance has changed.

This did make me wonder what Snow's end game was. He has been in power a long time. Was he already molding a successor? Surely he had to know he couldn't live forever. How was he going to let his legacy continue after his death?

With all the prequels that have come/are coming out, I am curious about some other perspectives. It would be interesting to read more about what happened with District 13, because I'm pretty sure that wasn't covered in Songbirds and Snakes. I want to know what happens in Panem after the Epilogue, maybe from the POV of the next generation after the war was won. How do the parents make sure that this never happens again?

I am glad Katniss (view spoiler)[married Peeta. I was not a fan of Gale in this book and how he seems to be so possessive over Katniss. She needed someone more gentle, and who better understood the trauma she'd been through from being in the Games and being used as a pawn for those in political power. (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Part One

A few things that have come to mind while re-reading this final installment…

1) I’m always going to be Team Gale. I always feel Katniss’ connection to Gale is more genuine and relatable. Idk if that is because he just always feels like “home” to her, even considering her home has always been a horrible existence to someone who knows a life different to theirs. Or maybe, as someone else said, it’s because her relationship with Peeta feels like trauma bond more than romantic love.

2) I hate how, in a war/battle/etc, perception is one of the most important and powerful aspects. The games (pun unintended) they have to play to give off the perception that the resistance is strong, prepared, and has a clear directive annoy me, eventho I know it’s necessary.

3) I love Finnick’s character, and Katniss’ dynamic with him.

4) The Hanging Tree song… enough said.

[Michael]

Part Two

1) This part has a little less action than I would want for the middle chunk of the final installment. That said, I love that the captured victors have all been rescued and reunited. The attack from Peeta was something I honestly forgot happened until I read it.

2) I love Johanna's character as well. She is misunderstood by many in her world, I fear.

3) Finnick & Annie getting married. ♥♥♥

4) The taunting of Snow by Katniss is always going to be a favorite part of this series. I just love their villain/heroine relationship.

[Michael]

Part Three

1) (view spoiler)[ Ugh - I hate all the deaths in this section. I hate hate hate that Finnick dies, why couldn't it be Peeta or even Johanna LOL. I also really hate that Prim dies, it almost seems pointless as Katniss only entered the Games as a way to save her sister. (hide spoiler)]

2) I like the ending for the most part - but I want to know more about what happens in those 20yrs between Ch28 and Epilogue. I hope one day we find out more.

3) This has been such a fun re-read of the series. I plan to re-watch all the movies next. I had been wanting to re-read the series, just kept putting it off so I'm so thankful we did this during Book Games. I hope Book Games makes a return at some point in the future as well.

[Shan ~A~]

Part 1: Chapters 1-9

I'm listening to this via audio with the lovely Tatiana Maslany. So my rambling is probably disjointed. I've seen the movies countless times, so I made notes while reading to stop myself from thinking about the movie.

(view spoiler)[The story opens with Katniss touring the ruined District 12 and realizing she doesn't know who to trust. I mean she was made a part of the rebellion without having a chance to agree or disagree, and then Peeta (and others) end up captured by the capital.

She's also feeling guilt and blaming herself (and others) about Peeta and company being captured and all the lives lost in District 12 after it was destroyed by the capital. When the only person to blame is Snow (at least for destroying D12)

Why was only District 12 bombed? Katniss wasn't the only one seen as being part of the rebellion, but Snow already realized that she is the face and the person that has given this rebellion what it needed to strengthen.

Her actions, from volunteering as tribute, to her friendship and mourning of Rue, and so on helped people feel brave.

Snow knows how to play mind games. He knew destroying D12 would affect who he sees as his true rival (even though I think he respects her, while he dislikes her) and then leaving his calling card (the rose) to push it home.

All in all, she was right to be weary of the people around her motives. However, she has to come to the mentality of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" at least until she can sus things out more.

I had completely forgotten about that initial interview with Peeta and Caeser, when he was still looking healthy. I was only thinking of the 2nd one when they can see that he isn't healthy, but either way the people calling him a traitor ticked me off.

Even when he was looking healthy, they had to have known that he may not have been treated well and as his actions have proven throughout, he will do whatever he thinks he needs to do to protect Katniss.

What did they expect him to do after being captured by their enemy? I still don't know why they didn't at least loop him into what was happening in the arena. Well, that's not totally true, they may have thought he would tell Katniss, but I think they underestimated him and Peeta has always shown himself to be more levelheaded than Katniss.

Still being in the know didn't keep Johanna from being caught.

Or maybe she always knew she would be a sacrifice in the game and maybe they knew that they would sacrifice Peeta in the same way. I just wish he had a choice in the matter.

I love Katniss, but there are times when I think she may be fierce and protective, but sometimes not very bright. It goes back to me saying during the other books that she thinks best under pressure (or she makes better decisions when she's not given the time to think)

I think she would have been lost without the people who helped her think things through along the way. I don't know if she would have survived as long without them. She would have fought though, because she's a survivor, but she even does that better when she's protecting people she cares about IMO.

That being said, I love when she makes her decisions and acts on them. She decides and she's always brave enough to stand behind her choices.

I generally start hearing Alicia Keys Girl on Fire and Beyonce's Run the World (Girls) when she shows her strength.

From the first description of D13 immediately thought it's a poor person's Capitol. And Coin is a poor man's Snow.

She doesn't show herself to be any more compassionate than Snow is, and she comes across as power hungry.

You're not dismissed and then treating people like criminals who are clearly being underfed, so they steal a slice of bread, mainly because they're from the Capitol.

She's basically no better than Snow.

This is also when I really started disliking Gale and Plutarch was on my shit list also. Gale because he basically got to D13 and became Coins foot solider without taking his relationship with Katniss. Constantly defending Coins bad decisions. Then Plutarch was already looking like an ass, but it was solidified after the hospital raid in D8. (hide spoiler)]

[Shan ~A~]

Of course, when he Haymitch comes on the scene, he is spot on, and funny at the same time.

I think he sees Katniss in a way that no one else does. Knows her better than others, which always makes me wonder if they were more alike when he was younger.

Can't wait for that story by the way.