My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mockingjay proved to be the book that delivered on the promise of revolution, but the carnage and games continue.
Of the three books, this one started the slowest, I think. There’s a lot of anticipation, both of the battles to come and of who’s going to die. After reading the first two books, I was expecting the worst, so was kind of surprised at who ended up surviving. Don’t get your hopes up, though, there’s no happy ending here either.
Many have spoken of the triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta, but I really didn’t feel like it was much of a LOVE triangle. Maybe a LOYALTY triangle, but I’m not sure Katniss ever will understand or feel love for anyone but her sister, Prim. The resolution between Katniss and her two beaus is believable, though, and felt right to me.
As far as the story goes, I’m reminded of a quote from a TV show (a Star Trek episode, I think, but I can’t remember): Everybody dies. No, this isn’t a spoiler…but as is true in any war, everyone dies in some way, be it physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Including Katniss. I think that’s the saddest part about the end of this series, is that the Katniss I loved in book one is gone.
There’s two decisions that Katniss makes at the end of this book that I don’t understand. Well, one I understand but would have liked to know that SHE understood it, and the other didn’t really make sense to me. If you’re curious which ones, drop me a line. And the consequences from those decisions seemed a little contrived, but that’s probably because we’re stuck in Katniss’ point of view and really don’t know what happens behind the scenes.
The one criticism I have is the epilogue. I really feel it was unnecessary. Perhaps it was an attempt to give the reader (or the editor) some kind of happy ending, but I don’t think it was in character. After everything the characters went through and the thorough destruction of their trust in EVERYTHING, what is described in the epilogue is not really believable, no matter how much time has passed. Again, if you’d like specifics, message me.
This series is not a love story, it’s the story of the ravages of war and the corruption of power. I think we’ll be seeing the first book, The Hunger Games, being added to high school curricula in the future, and rightly so. And after reading all three books, I have a much greater respect for our soldiers returning from war, and the demons they have to carry for the rest of their lives.
Robin DeJarnett 