Mockingjay is the third and final book of the Hunger Games series. If you have not read Hunger Games and Catching Fire do not read this review.
Katniss has just been lifted out of the arena of the 75th annual Hunger Games by a hovercraft flown by the rebels. She finds out that not only has she been a player in the capitols sick game but the rebels have used her to begin their rebellion and have gone against her wishes to keep Peeta alive by choosing to save her and leave Peeta to be taken by Capitol officials and possibly tortured or murdered. In the meantime she is taken to District 13 and healed then persuaded to become the embodiment of the Mockingjay and the visual leader of the rebellion, the catalyst and person that woud remind the districts of what they are fighting for. Katniss must decide who to trust, in essence, whose lies hurt the least because she feels they are all lying to her except the one person she wishes was.
This final book is absolutely action packed and kept me reading nonstop... literally. I read the entire book yesterday, I couldn't put it down. When I read the last sentence and closed the book I wasn't sure what to think or what to write out in a review. My brain needed a little time to digest what I just read and figure out how I really felt about it. My initial reaction was disappointment but I couldn't figure out why because I couldn't stop reading, so rather than write a bad review like others were eager to do I wanted to search myself. I think I've come down to feeling sad... which is totally fine! All books do not have to leave you feeling happy and bubbly. Katniss has been through 2 back to back rounds of the hunger games and wakes up thinking she's a POW and ready to kill not only herself but Peeta and Beetee to save them from endless torture. She is clearly suffering from PTSD and who wouldn't after all she's been through. She manages to make it through day to day with little windows into the old Katniss reminding us why we fell in love with her. I feel like Collins made this 3rd book true to what would happen to a 17 yr old girl that's been in a war for over a year, she's almost cracked and President Snow is pushing hard to see her shatter to the ground.
This morning I wake up and I feel like I can say I really, really liked this last book as a whole. Not Loved. I gave the first two books 5 stars each and would give this one 4. If you are reading this review then that means you've read the first 2 and I highly recommend this one to you to get the answers you know you're dying to hear about. As in the first two books, Collins does not linger on the whole Love triangle thing as that is not the center of the book but simply a branch off. The main story being the Hunger Games and the otrocities of the government and President Snow in particular. The story of people being controlled and oppressed and made into slaves that are fighting their way out of their situation against all odds.
*******Small Spoilers, no major plot revelations**********
I want to warn people that this book is far bloodier and intense than the first 2 combined. The war is on and the Capital is sparing no tricks with this one. Katniss spends much of this book in a fog or hiding in a closet and trying to hold herself together. Peeta is mentally altered when he is taken as prisoner and he is a completely different person, he's a weapon in President Snow's arsenal against Katniss. Gale has taken on the role of soldier full force as he's always wanted to since they were in district 12 back in book one. He's always had the fire in him to fight the Capital and he finally has the chance to do it. This book introduces our 3 favorite characters in a very altered state from our previous encounters, but they should be! They are teenagers that have been put through more than adults would be able to handle. They are falling apart but still trying to work with the adults around them to reach the best end possible. The fighting and death may be too much for you and if it is then you could possibly skip the war and go to the last 40ish pages of the book to find out the answers you need. If the death doesn't bother you I highly recommend reading it all because it really was good. I couldn't put it down!
*******end spoilers*******
People that reviewed this poorly had pretty messed up reasons that mostly revolved around things not going the way they wanted them to go. This whole series was about the Mockingjay which was a symbol of overcoming a government. The bird itself was not supposed to exist but it defied the Capital's plans and lives anyway. Katniss embodies this description, completely. This book is about revolution and freedom and fighting for what should be rightfully yours anyway. It's about finding what's real and true. This is not a sugar coated, love fest like other YA series but anyone would know that after reading the first two. If you are reading this series to find out if it's Peeta or Gale then you are reading it for the wrong reasons and will be just as disappointed as those others. Give it a chance and remember that freedom isn't free and it greatly alters the minds of those that fought to get it for you. In the reality of war this is true and in the story of Panem it is equally true and I applaud Collins for making it a believable story and not a fairy tale about a heroic girl that throws herself in harms way only to come out stronger and braver.
