The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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Mockingjay Discussion - will contain spoilers
I just finished reading Mockingjay, it wasn't as bad as alot of people kept trying to tell me which I don't like as I go into it expecting it to be bad and it puts me off a little.I admit it didn't keep my interest like the first 2, as I read the first 150 pages and happily waited for the fall challenge to start to read the rest..
I still can't think what it actually was about it.. people say it was the slow start but I think the first 2 were pretty slow starting, though this one was dragged out a little longer.. I also admit what some other people here noted that towards the end I did feel more happier when the action started and people were getting killed off (I guess we all secretly liked the first one and two because of the hunger games themselves, the fighting and heavy drama haha!).
However, I don't think there was anything particularly bad about the book, though I was very unimpressed when they killed off Finnick he started to grow on me alot midway through the book. Katniss herself was starting to grate on me in this book though, the first two she was a little annoying but I really did sort of dislike her in this one, she was too self centred through the whole thing no matter what was going on it always went back to feeling sorry for herself, I'm also very disappointed that they killed off her sister as wasn't that the whole reason all of the problems started, because Katniss took her place. I found the idea of killing her off a little frustrating. Though I was pleased she ended up with Peter in the end though, I really liked Peter but I don't really believe she deserved to be with him.
I'm glad that I didn't read this discussion before reading it. It might have influenced me too much. I also didn't like it as much the first two but I didn't dislike it much either. It was slow for me for most of it. I was also beginning to question why did everyone think that Katniss was so great, just like her character was going through self-doubt. The part that touched me was the ending with the sister and then with Peeta. That made me glad to have read till the resolution. I had been routing for Peeta, so I was happy with that.
Still reading through everyone's comments but it seems like a lot of us had similar feelings about this one. I agree, without the games the book seems unstructured and kind of dragged out-not that I ever wanted to put it down mind you. I was not surprised by Katniss shooting Coin. Once she proposed the Hunger Games I knew that's what she was going to do.
I like your point, Petra about Katniss starting out as so grown up and then almost going backwards once she was so pampered.
I was really bothered by the fact that her mother stayed behind to build a hospital when Katniss was in such a fragile state. I know that's pretty much how she was right along but she had seemed to get so much better when she was taking care of all the wounded-like she had finally snapped out of her funk. To then never visit Katniss in the hospital because her grief too much and to have her go back to an empty house alone-it's selfish. As parents we're supposed to be the ones who put our own stuff aside for our kids and her mother failed miserably in this department. I get it that her mother being that way is what made Katniss the way she is and is the reason she did grow up so fast but I guess I just can't turn off the mommy brain-it really bothered me.
Joanie wrote: "I like your point, Petra about Katniss starting out as so grown up and then almost going backwards once she was so pampered...."Sorry, I didn't word my response very well. I didn't mean to imply that Katnis herself went backwards once she was pampered. I meant that the author started to portray her as a regular teenager in our more normal world.
Given Katniss' earlier life, she grew up fast. Once grown up (mentally), she would have stayed that way. However, the author made her less strong and more indecisive as the series continued. She (Katniss) lost her edge. She withdrew from Life.
I think that's my least favorite part of this series: a strong heroine who withdraws from all aspects of life, gets the guy she really wanted (I was in Camp Peeta) but doesn't get or give joy from that union, has kids but doesn't enjoy or interact or involve herself with them. I imagine friends and town people are treated just as casually and distantly.
The girl who has everything has nothing, in reality.
I think there are a lot of interesting parallels between Katniss and her mother. When Katniss's father died, her mother basically had a breakdown and was unable to function, so Katniss had to take over. Later, when Peeta wasn't saved from the arena and Katniss wasn't sure if he was alive or dread, the same thing happened to her--she could hardly function, even when she was back with her family. After Primrose's death, Katniss hung on just long enough to kill Coin before going back to 12 to recuperate. During all of those events, it never appears to occur to Katniss's mother to turn to her family for comfort--but neither does it occur to Katniss to do the same. After Prim died, Katniss could have stayed behind for her mother's sake so they could grieve together just as easily as Katniss's mother could have returned to District 12. But neither of them did.I suppose it's possible (maybe even probable) that Katniss never considered going back to her mother because she was angry and hurt at the years of neglect she and her sister suffered after their father's death, so Katniss never really trusted her mother again anyway. But Katniss had the opportunity to prove herself the "bigger person," to share her sadness with her mother while they have the luxury of grief (it wasn't necessary for Katniss to hunt or track down food, and her mother wouldn't need to work), but Katniss's first instinct was to run. I think she got that from her mother, too--her mother may not have physically tried to escape the reality of her husband's death, but she escaped into her mind, a place where her children couldn't follow. Throughout the third book, Katniss tends to escape, albeit physically, any time she feels overwhelmed. She withdraws into hiding spaces, ignoring her duties to the people of District 13, and only becomes Mockingjay because she realizes she has no other options. For a good portion of the book, she has enough of her father's spirit within her to keep going until she can afford to break down, but that strain makes the breakdowns worse when they do occur.
Throughout the series, it is mainly Prim who pulls Katniss from her funk. Everything she did throughout the entire series was for Prim, and it's entirely possible that Prim was the only person she had genuine feelings for. Katniss took her place during the first Games, agreed to play along with Snow's games during the Second, and became Mockingjay so her sister could have a future in the third book. Though it was not a romantic love like the kind shared by their parents, the love Katniss felt for her younger sister was every bit as strong and every bit as destructive. It took even Peeta years to draw Katniss out again so she is even remotely capable of functioning. I agree with what was said in the book--she chose the person who would help her survive. I'm still not convinced that she truly loved him in the end, if only because she knew the destructive power of loving someone too much.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if something did happen to Peeta after the series, however. How would she react? Would she become her mother, withdrawing into herself? Or would there be enough of her father's spirit within her to allow her to go on until she was in a position to collapse?
Ms Anderson wrote: "I think there are a lot of interesting parallels between Katniss and her mother. When Katniss's father died, her mother basically had a breakdown and was unable to function, so Katniss had to take ..."I really like your analysis of Katniss. And I really believe that the author made her more believable for her faults. She didn't set out to be a hero. She was very much the reluctant hero.
I think she loved Peeta (because I want to believe that she did) but I think she learned from a very young age how hurtful loving someone can be and she was most likely afraid of letting herself feel (and show) how much she loved him.
Ms. Anderson - I like what you said. However, I don't think Katniss had the choice of staying with her mother. When they took her back to District 12, they said that while she was exonerated from the death of Coin, she had to stay in District 12 until they let her know she could leave. i am not positive about the exact wording because I don't have my book with me, but it was something along those lines. Additionally, wow, thank you for pointing out that parallel between Katniss and her mom and the men they loved. I hadn't seen that, but now that you point it out, it was all there. What great insight!Lori- I want to believe that she loved Peeta as well. I like how you said that she loved Peeta but learned that loving someone will hurt. I never thought of that!
I've been reading the comments and thinking about Peete being the "strong silent" type. Here is a guy who props up the heroine, loves her, yearns for her for years, puts up with her indifference, suffers bodily, mental and emotional stress for her--and gets what?
Donna Jo wrote: "I've been reading the comments and thinking about Peete being the "strong silent" type. Here is a guy who props up the heroine, loves her, yearns for her for years, puts up with her indifference, ..."I think it might be a case of love/lust triumphing over good judgment. Having been in one-sided relationships a few times in my life, I can get where he's coming from, not giving up on her and trying to help her in any way possible, if only so he can be close to her. Aside from the whole brainwashing bit, of course. And he has his jealous moments. Quite a few of them, actually, and during the second book it certainly looked like he was going to say, "Screw you, I'm outta here," but once they were tossed back in the arena and he was faced with life-or-death situations, his feelings for her (as well as Katniss's feelings for him) came back in full force. Since he's in love with her and has been for years, he can't just turn that off like a spigot, though he'd be hard-pressed to explain in words why not. And I definitely get the impression that in his mind, he sees simply being acknowledged by her is reward enough for him.
I was soooo excited to get my hands on the final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy but found I was less than impressed with Mockingjay. It seemed lo lack focus and for the first time I truly felt like I was reading YA. I also wasn't a fan of how S. Collins decided to resolve the relationship between Katness and Gayle. I'll admit I still get a little mad thinking about that.
I've been reading all the comments and agree with so many of you.I was excited to read the book but ended up being disappointed - I don't think it was quite up to par with the rest of series. I didn't hate it, but I didn't LOVE it.
For me, it was a slow starter and seemed to lacked focus - there was just too much going on and reading it, I just wanted to yell "get on with it!!!". Although, maybe the lack of focus was sort of the point - their whole world was turned upside down with the revolution and confusion was probably their greatest weapon against the Capital.
Throughout the series, I felt that Katniss would eventually end up with Peeta and I really liked the epilogue and Katniss explaining how she waited so long to have children because her fear of the Games and the revolution remained. It's not really a totally happy ending - she's damaged. I think this is the charm of the series/book - it's not your ordinary YA literature.
I'm glad I read the book before reading the disenchantment above. “She finally figures it out- all government is corrupt. The absolute government is absolutely corrupt." I liked the ending. if you understand government corruption and power which ultimately lures Gael, the ending makes sense. Katniss never wanted any part of it.
I agree that it would have been more fun to read if Katniss had stayed a strong heroine in the book, but I think it's more realistic the way Collins wrote it. I have known people that were deployed to Iraq and went in mentally strong and came out a mess! And they were grown adults. It breaks my heart and I don't think it's unreasonable at all to think that someone could eventually reach their breaking point and go backwards.
While I liked the first two books in the series better, I was not disappointed in Mockingjay. Katniss was a reluctant hero throughout the series, and was well aware that she survived more on luck than skill. In Mockingjay, her frailties came to the surface, because she had more free time on her hands in the beginning of the book. She bucked up when she was confronted with issues. I think showing her weaknesses and indecisiveness made her real and more human. Although there wasn't an official Hunger Games going on that supplied such taut suspense in the other books, the rebellion showed itself to be a game. Katniss was still having to form allies and overcome obstacles, however this time the lines of the game were blurred. There were more players, and enemies and allies were not so clear.
I felt Katniss tiring of it all, and what it cost her to try and stay ahead. I hated to see characters like Prim and Finnick die, but war is senseless. Motives are not always what they seem. It changes people, like Gale. It also sends home casualties, like Peeta and Katniss, who don't have the burning desire of young love anymore, but a mature love born of their shared hardships.
Katniss was a symbol of unity and hope as the Mockingjay. It's not something she desired to be or felt she deserved to be. In the end, she truly was a mockingjay if you define her as mocking. She became mistrustful, fatalistic, jaded, worldly-wise and unsentimental. Up until now, Katniss had only killed by accident and in self-defense. Now, Katniss killed with intent. She became the Mockingjay at a huge price.
I definitely agree this wasn't the best book of the series. I got hooked with the first one and I think they went downhill from there. I did, however, like that the conclusions of the story weren't "pretty". For example, Prim dying, Gale basically choosing the war over her, ect. It made the story more tangible for me. My favorite part was killing Coin (I'm feeling a bit morbid here). I feel like Snow really got the last laugh there before he died but it was necessary for the revolution.
Great series, not the best book.
To take the discussion another direction, I came across this Guest Post Discussion (Is Hunger Games an NRA Advertisement? Mockingjay Discussion Point 29):http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/gues...
Well I just finished Mockingjay which I was SO looking forward to reading. I loved Hunger Games and Catching Fire but all I can say about Mockingjay is that it was disappointing. I really don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I hated the killing of Prim (I really liked her character throughout the trilogy). Bummer. Over all I am happy to have read the trilogy which I NEVER would have done without the influence of Goodreads and the challenges - so thank you.
I did think of one thing I really liked about the book and that is the cover. I thought the artwork on the cover of all 3 books was really nice but thought the Mockingjay cover was very nice.
I finally get to join the tread after finishing the book. I was quite suprised to see disappointment in many of the posts, but I think I have a different perspective of the trilogy. I listened to the first 2 on audiobook and read the third in print. Maybe that's why I liked Mockingjay the best - must say something about the fact I prefer printed word to audiobooks?There were moments of brilliance and moments of tedium, but for the most part I really liked the book. I'm giving it 4 stars, which is what I gave the other books as well. It's not a 5 star for me, though.
I loved this book and all the books in the series. I think that I have looked at the series very differently given discussions I have had with folks that haven't read any of the series and my initial feelings about it. When I explained the plots of the books to someone who hasn't read any of them, they have been horrified that this is a YA series about kids having to kill each other for the entertainment of others and to keep people in their place. I was as well when I first started reading the series and I almost put it down and walked away, but I'm glad I didn't. I think that what drew me into the series was Katniss and her desire to protect others, her morals, and her survival instincts which were carried throughout the series regardless of the challenges she had to face - manipulation, killing, losing loved ones, not knowing who to trust, etc. I think she handled herself very well, I know I wouldn't have handled the situations as well and this wouldn't have been a trilogy, let alone a whole book.There were a lot of messages in the books regarding government, war, the motives of people, and what is "real" or "not real." This is all summed up at the end when Plutarch says "Now we're in that sweet period where everyone agrees that our recent horrors should never be repeated. But collective thinking is usually short-lived. We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction." This series for me was about more than just the Hunger Games, it was about humanity in general.
I loved how the author ended the book and the series - it was "Real."
Tanja wrote: "To take the discussion another direction, I came across this Guest Post Discussion (Is Hunger Games an NRA Advertisement? Mockingjay Discussion Point 29):http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/gues......"
Thanks, Tanja! I found that essay very interesting, and could see his point.
Just as a little aside. For those of you who enjoyed the whole Hunger Games trilogy, you might like an older YA series by another Australian author, John Marsden, the seven (short) book Tomorrow series, which starts with Tomorrow, When the War Began
And if you don't mind darker books, there's Battle Royale, which is also a graphic novel series aside from being a novel, with the same type of premise (in order to keep people in line, random groups of children are sent to an island to battle to the death). However, that one requires a stronger stomach than THG.And Donna Jo, I have Tomorrow down for the name task--great to know it's similar in a good way! ^_^
I read this the first time the day it was released and then purposely put off reading and commenting so that I could let it ruminate. I agree with many of you that it did not live up to my expectations, but I appreciated it more the second time I read it. I understood the motivations better since I was savoring it instead of just trying to find out what happens. I was disappointed that Katniss was so broken, I loved how strong she was in the first two books, but I can understand how she would feel so disjointed without her home and without Peeta. While Katniss might not have been sure of her feelings towards Gale and Peeta it was pretty obvious that what she had with Gale was more about survival than love whereas she really did love Peeta. I was outraged when Finnick died and so pissed when Prim was killed. I would have never been able to forgive Gale since he discussed making those kinds of bombs. When I first read it I was so shocked when Katniss killed Coin instead of Snow, but now I paid more attention and noticed that when Coin mentioned the new Hunger Games Katniss understood that this would not be a change in how the government was run; that it would just be more of the same. Even though she didnt consciously make the decision to kill Coin at that point I get the feeling that she voted yes not for Prim but to make Coin think she was on her side so she could undermine her later. That was when Katniss figured everything out. I could not believe her mother didnt go back to 12 with her! I know she was suffering from the loss of her husband and daughter, but she should have been strong for her remaining daughter! Although, I was never a fan of her moms and I was glad that it was Haymitch that went back with her. I was also not surprised when Katniss was just relieved when she found out about Gale being in 2. I was always Team Peeta, he was what she needed. Gale was always too angry for her whereas Peeta was gentle and exactly what she needed. I liked this book and was able to appreciate it much more the 2nd time around.
Mod
interesting - I think I'm going to have to read it again myself, since I zoomed through it the first time to find out what happened.
Sandy wrote: interesting - I think I'm going to have to read it again myself, since I zoomed through it the first time to find out what happened. Same here. I need to really devour it to pick up the subtleties.
Sounds like I am in line with what a number of people are thinking for this third book. I LOVED the first two, but could not get into the third. I completely understand that the subject matter should lend itself to a depressing book, which is what we got, but the first two could also have been depressing and what was so great was that the author made them exciting instead. This third book didn't feel like it belonged in the series. It actually has already made me think twice about recommending the series.
I know that a lot of people didn't love this one - and having just finished it, I'm still not exactly sure how I felt about it - but I still give it 5 stars because it actually made me feel things, even if they weren't happy things. Rarely does a book make me cry, but this one did. I know some people were unhappy with the "happily ever after" ending, which is funny - because when I closed the book, I did not have a "happily ever after" feeling - I thought, like the rest of the story, that she ended it the way it had to end - even if it wasn't the way I wanted it to. My one complaint is that I would have liked a little more closure with Gale and Katniss' mother - they just sort of disappeared.
This was a three-star read for me but I bumped up my rating to a four because of how much I loved the first two books in the trilogy. I felt like there was too much going on which made me struggle with getting truly engrossed in the story. I read the first two in frenzy and thought about the characters and the story for days and weeks after finishing.
This one didn’t consume me in quite the same way. Perhaps I will reread these books someday to see if a second reading changes anything.
Mmmmm...Maybe I am just a different kind person. Because I think this book was my favorite in the trilogy. I thought there was a lot more to the book rather than focusing on the games so much. I think it was great on how the focus was on how corrupt people in general can be. I am still thinking about it. I started crying when Katniss finally admitted to Buttercup that Prim was dead. I think it was so touching what Peeta did as a remembrance to Prim. I think the ending was really good. Other than the emptiness of not knowing what happened to many of the people or getting closure on them.
I loved the unity of their "brigade" and fight to get to Snow. There are so many good things that I actually liked about this book.
I'm glad to see that someone else loved it as much as I did Meghan! It was my favorite of the 3 as well.
I honestly think that the lack of expository closure was keeping with the realistic vibe of the final book. Gale does seem to drop off the planet, but given what happened with Prim, I think that a final conversation/potential reconciliation between him and Katniss would've been silly. She was incredibly angry when she realized what he'd been doing and at his "victory at any cost" attitude, so a confrontation between the two of them really is unnecessary. Nothing could be said or shown that was already known, so bringing it up again would only serve to draw out the story. We don't know what happens to Gale because Katniss doesn't know, and because of what happened, she doesn't really care one way or another.As for closure with her mother, Katniss and her mother's relationship was practically non-existent from the start--the only thread that kept them together was Prim. It's keeping with the personalities of both women to pretty much abandon one another under the circumstances. I could almost see Katniss's mother making some sort of overture somewhere down the line, but I can't see Katniss doing the same or accepting any sort of apology from her mother and being a family again.
Closure might've made us, the readers, feel like all the threads were tied, but that's not how things always work. Sometimes people really do just drift (or fall or are pushed) out of our lives, and I like how Collins showed that in the book.
I can't say that this one was my favorite. I liked them all so much I can't chose between them. But I agree with Ms. Anderson that it was "in keeping with the realistic vibe" that I got from all three books. I got all the closure I needed just the way it is.
Mod
my thoughts on this final book (and the entire series, really) are pretty complicated right now. i think i might need to re-read the whole series and think about it some more, but for now, i have to say that i was disappointed with this book. i wanted katniss to be stronger, to DO more. and i can't figure out if that was the point- to show that she was really nothing more than a pawn in this game, and that she had been broken by her earlier experiences, or if it was all a big cop-out (katniss gets burned and wakes up in the hospital after the war has ended, how convenient that we can just quickly skip over that complicated and messy chain of events; katniss is drugged and kept in a nice cushy room for months while her trial goes on without her, etc.).at the end, i wanted her to expose coin for who she was and what she would've done, not just shoot her and then get off thanks to what amounts to a plea of insanity. i wanted more peeta/katniss relationship development. i wanted a happy ending, but i think i would've preferred something dramatic, satisfying and maybe not-so-happy over this sort of "blah blah blah look they had babies and now they're playing in a meadow, the end!" sort of thing.
i was just disappointed. katniss was manipulated and used by the government throughout the entire series, and at the end, nothing really changed. she took a stand by shooting coin- but like Dlmrose said above me, what really changed? what did she accomplish, ultimately? i wanted her to grow and develop into something great, but she was just broken and defeated and pushed off to the side. realistic, maybe, but not very satisfying.
Lori (BNPL) and Rhea Soeak for me as well.The only exception would have been that Gale and Peeta lived in the same District so that Katniss didn't actually get the decision of which one to choose. I am sorry to see this series end. I really liked this book as well as the other two and had trouble putting them down while reading them. I read Mockinjay in less than 24 hours! It was a great pick for a group read.
I really enjoyed the final installment, even if it wasn't the same kind of excitement as the first two books. I felt that how they portrayed her breakdown was totally believable - who wouldn't break down after what she had been through? I think that during the "games" themselves it was a contained event in her life and she was able to do what she had to do to survive. When she was dealing w/ the fate of her entire nation (including all of her friends and family) of course her it took on a whole new emotional level for her.
I am thrilled that she ended up w/Peeta, I honestly couldn't see it ending any other way. I do wish that a little more time was spent on re-establishing their bond, but I guess it would have taken too long to truly do it justice.
For me it was a very satisfying end to a fabulous trilogy.
I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to see what happened to Katniss and who she would end up with. There was moments when I thought it would be Gale, but he always seemed to be upset and hating the world around him and never took notice of the good things. I am glad that this was not a normal love story, it had twists and turns that kept you on your toes. I would love to read books about the children Katniss had and if their world improved or not.Mockingjay
I read the first 2 books about 3 months ago, and loved them. But I tend to forget details of books pretty quickly, so at first I felt a little lost while reading this book. But even after I got familiar with all the characters again, I felt like there were too many players and way too much stuff going on. I liked the first 2 because there was a focus to each "game", while this one seemed to go so many different directions. I don't know if I was satisfied with the ending either-but I honestly don't know what a good ending would have been. I would like to see that Katniss would have turned out to be a stronger woman, instead of hiding at her old home.
I finished Mockingjay a couple of days ago. Like The Hunger Games, I had to wait a few days to figure out how I felt about it. I think I've finally decided that I mostly liked the way Collins wrapped up the trilogy. I agree with Kelly and others that have said that for Katniss to break down was more believable than if she'd stayed strong and heroic throughout the book. The problem is, I prefer to read about stronger, more heroic characters and not so much about realistic ones ;o).
I did, however, like the ending. As a partner for Katniss, I've always preferred Peeta to Gale. Although Peeta occasionally came across as a bit of a wimp throughout the series, he was strong in his own way (especially emotionally). I could never picture Gale and Katniss ending up happy together. They seemed too much alike (bitter and angry). I think Katniss needed someone like Peeta to balance her.
All in all, I thought is was an interesting series and I'm glad I read it.
I enjoyed Mockingjay just as much as I enjoyed the first two in the series.People seem disappointed that it wasn't yet another Hunger Games but I feel that would have infuriatingly unimaginative. I think this story had enough of the Hunger Games feel to it to tap into what the readers so obviously were drawn to initially but allowed the story to develop and grow which was necessary to complete the series.
I agree that Gale was more angry & bent on revenge in this book but his entire district and life as he knew it had been obliterated and I feel his anger was warranted.
While killing off Prim was very sad, I think it did lend itself to the overall story. War is not tidy or civilized. Just because she was spared in the Hunger Games did not give her a free pass to survive the whole war. I think killing her off helped illustrate that.
I did miss Peeta through out this book but I also enjoyed seeing this darker & more menacing version of himself. He was almost too sweet before and this alternate image of him was refreshing though I'm so glad he got past it!
Yes, Katniss was very damaged throughout this story but frankly, how could she not be? She's a teenage girl being used as a pawn in a horrific war that decimated almost everyone she knew. If she'd been able to just shrug that off, I would not have found her to be believable. This gave her a human touch which was what the rebellion was about. Taking back their humanity.
All in all, a great ending to a great series.
I think I'm inclined to agree with the readers who found Mockingjay a bit underwhelming. The ending felt rushed. The love triangle didn't feel like it was really, truly resolved. I thought it had been an interesting conflict throughout the entire series, and it got wrapped up a bit too easily.But the book certainly wasn't awful. Collins seems to feel that media plays a huge role in war (and controlling the populace). I liked that she toyed with that idea and she made nice use of it.
I'm a sucker for parallels, so (while it was incredibly sad) I appreciated that Prim's death ultimately motivated Katniss in the end. After all, Katniss's love for Prim was what put her in the Hunger Games and started the whole rebellion. It brought things full circle.
As a rule, I don't like "hyped" books. They never live up to my expectations. I read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire for this challenge, and then finished with Mockingjay straight after. I loved the first two books - they lived up to the hype! Before I read Mockingjay I read a couple of reviews that showed disappointment and a sense of being underwhelmed. So I was expecting to be disappointed. But I wasn't! I really enjoyed the third book, perhaps not quite as much as the first two, but certainly no disappointment! I do agree with Hannah's posting above though - the ending did seem a bit rushed, and I wasn't convinced by the Katniss/Peeta thing - just a bit too convenient that Gale was out of the way so Katniss' affections couldn't be pulled in that direction ...
I'm so glad I read this trilogy and did not allow myself to be put off by the "YA" label - I'm not a huge fan of YA novels, but this shows that there ARE excellent books written for young adults.
I just finished Mockingjay and I'm in the "still loved this one" category. This first book will always be my favorite, but I still really enjoyed this one. Dark and violent - yes, but it's about war and that's what war is. I was satified by the ending however I was very sad by a few of the deaths, particularly Prim's. Overall, great read. Wonderful trilolgy.
I just finished Mockingjay. I was so upset with the deaths of Prim and Finnick. I liked all three books, but the children killing children theme is a hard one for me to digest. Totally outside my comfort zone, but there was much of the books I liked. I really liked Gale in the beginning, but by the third book I was on Team Peeta. Glad she ended up with him. Would have loved to have learned more about how Gale ended up, how Katniss and Peeta grew back together.
I finished this book about one week ago and have been mulling it over since then. I was trying to figure out why I did not think this book was as good as the first two - which I just flew through and loved. I liked that Collins showeed the effects on Katniss of the last two Games and her struggle to come to terms with all that had happened. Although, I didn't initially "get" why Katniss voted for the games - I think I see how that moved the plot towards her killing Coin. I think what I really missed was getting to really see how things turned out after the "war". Instead there was just this nice neat little package of "where are they now" While I loved Peeta (although not so much this book) and agee with Katniss ending up with him - I would have liked to see more of their coming together and would have liked for it to be a real "choice" for Katniss. I also would have liked to know more about Gale and how he came to his new role and Katniss' mother, not to mention Haymitch.
I think Katniss made the choice NOT to be with Gale as soon as she realized the bombs that killed Prim were the ones that he designed.I thought these books were more about the Hunger Games and the Rebellion than anything else and I thought it was very telling that it took Peeta 15 years to convince Katniss to have a child. And rebuilding after a disaster wouldn't be all that interesting after the excitement of the Games and the Rebellion.
Sometimes love is more about comfort and security than passion and excitement. We saw that the desire was there in the first two books--hidden and denied and run from but there. And reading about love that is comfort and security and gentle persuasion could be kind of boring.
By the end of Mockingjay I didn't care what happened to Gale. Didn't care where he was or what he was doing. To me it seemed he joined the "government" and after that I wasn't interested in him anymore. He was blinded by his anger to the fact that the new government was going to be just as bad (if not worse) than the old one. Katniss figured it out. I really didn't think her mother was worth wasting words on, but I would have liked to know something about what was up with Haymitch.
I liked the way it ended because she DIDN'T tell us everything. She left the courtship and the rebuilding to our imagination with just a little hint at the outcome. And just enough information to know that things were at least better than they had been.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Mockingjay (other topics)Gregor the Overlander (other topics)
Mockingjay (other topics)
Battle Royale (other topics)
Tomorrow, When the War Began (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Suzanne Collins (other topics)John Marsden (other topics)
I don't like Katniss and never have. I never liked Gale. I liked Haymitch (though I still can't figure out why!), Peeta, and Prim. Never liked her mother, even when she was playing super healer. It really bugged me that she was so disconnected from her daughters. At the same time, I understand why it had to happen that way. I really believe Katniss wouldn't have survived the Games without having had to fend for herself so much.
And honestly, it really bugged me that Finnick died. I know that it has to happen, but really?! What about poor Annie!? (I think maybe this bugs me so much because I have a dear friend IRL who is very much like Annie, and if she were to lose her "Finnick", it would be the end of her.)
For some reason, the killing of Coin did surprise me. I had to reread that part several times and at first, I thought I'd gotten a copy with a misprint. I was sure that it was supposed to say Snow and not Coin. But after rereading, I understood it and why it happened. It had to, really.
I think I'm still on the fence about the whole series, really.