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The Hunger Games #3
Mockingjay
My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans鈥攅xcept Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay鈥攏o matter what the personal cost.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans鈥攅xcept Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay鈥攏o matter what the personal cost.
390 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 2010
4,630 people are currently reading
14.1k people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Collins
64听books115k听followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the 欧宝娱乐 database with this name.
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children鈥檚 television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment鈥檚 Clifford鈥檚 Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children鈥檚 author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children鈥檚 books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you鈥檙e much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you鈥檙e not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that鈥檚 the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award.
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children鈥檚 television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment鈥檚 Clifford鈥檚 Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children鈥檚 author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children鈥檚 books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you鈥檙e much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you鈥檙e not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that鈥檚 the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144,857 reviews
December 4, 2013
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
What. the. f***. Words can't begin to express my disappointment. I bought Mockingjay the first day it came out and I was preparing myself for a truly epic novel, one worthy of its predecessors. I loved The Hunger Games; it was fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful. Catching Fire wasn't as good but it was still enjoyable (I was majorly impressed by the game arena). I wasn't let down by Catching Fire though; I figured it was just a transition novel, build-up to what would undoubtedly be a mindblowing, epic conclusion in Mockingjay.
Maybe I set my expectations too high. I do think Collins is a good writer; she definitely knows how to write and tell a story. But I feel like she lost her way in this book. Or maybe the only thing that made this series so great was the Hunger Games, and now that it's absent, there's nothing to drive the story.
The love triangle wasn't well played out. First of all, I'm getting a bit tired of reading about love triangles -- especially in novels where there's a much greater plot present. But I'll admit, I was on Team Gale throughout the series, because he was strong and resilient and resourceful and caring. There was this attractive manly quality about him and he was so in sync with Katniss, and hot to boot. But towards the end of this novel, I didn't give a flying fart about Katniss's love life and who she ended up with, because everything seemed like such a hopeless, depressing mess that there was no point. I also hated how she kept flip-flopping and toying with both Gale and Peeta (I've been bothered by this since CF). She should make up her mind about who she wants instead of leading them both on! Her fickleness is pretty inconsiderate to these two guys whom she supposedly cares about. And if she can't decide (I can see why, they both have great qualities), then she should give herself some space/time to decide, and in the meantime, don't go kissing or showing romantic affection to either one!
She ended up with Peeta, which would have been fine if it had been executed properly. But even in this aspect of her life, she didn't get to CHOOSE, which is basically the story of her life. She just ended up with Peeta because he was the only one who stuck around. At the end, I found myself wanting her to end up alone, of her OWN choice. Heck, instead of spiraling into bleak depression and continuing life as a puppet, I would have rather seen her die for a noble cause and for doing the right thing. That would have been a more satisfactory ending, and that's saying something because I normally HATE when characters die.
I didn't like that we didn't get to experience the action close-up. As the war unraveled, I felt like Katniss was always on the sidelines, only called in when other people commanded her to. We didn't get to see Katniss kicking butt against her enemies, we got to hear from other characters about events that occurred, or watch them on the TV. It is so mindnumbingly dull to be watching a character watching something, instead of experiencing the action with the character. Everything she did was for show, for a propo or campaign or whatever. It was all so .. fake. Here they are in the middle of a war, people are dying left and right, and all they care about is filming and getting good shots and angles and putting on a pretty face! It felt so staged and it was boring and infuriating to read. The only real action is towards the end when she and her team are going on the assassin mission to kill Snow, and even THAT was originally only for a propo (that went astray).
The last third of the book (the assassin mission) was gorey and bloody, which I didn't mind. It's war after all. But many characters' deaths were so rushed and pointless. Prim's death didn't have the impact that I'm sure Collins was aiming for; I didn't feel sad when she died, as she's barely in the story as it is, so I didn't get to know her well enough and connect with her beforehand. She was absent for at least 100 pages before her death came out of nowhere, for God's sake, so her death felt like any stranger's death. (Although it seems her death kind of defeated the point of sparing her from the Hunger Games.) What DID kill me was Finnick's death. Finnick was one of the characters I loved most in this series, and call me petty, but I can't forgive Collins for killing him off after he'd been through so much and finally got to marry the love of his life. It wasn't even a death of purpose. He got eaten by mutts in a sewer, along with half their assassin team. It annoyed me so much because their deaths felt so UNNECESSARY, like they were just a way for Collins to emphasize that "this is a DEATHLY SERIOUS, VERY BLOODY BOOK!" It felt like she was just randomly and meaninglessly killing off supporting characters because she couldn't bear to part with her main ones. Deaths are fine when they're important to the plot, but this felt like death for the sake of death.
Okay, now on to the REAL disappointment of this book: Katniss herself. One of the reasons why I loved this series was because of Katniss. She was strong, resourceful, clever and cunning, she had an amazing survival instinct and she knew how to persevere. In Catching Fire, these qualities diminished; she was mainly a pawn, a puppet for others to use for their own objectives. But she still had some semblance of control and she was still Katniss. In Mockingjay, all these traits are scrapped and we get a Katniss-clone who is angsty and bitchy and whiny (wasn't Bella in Twilight bad enough?). Half the book, she's throwing herself pity parties in the closet (literally!). Sure, she definitely has reason to be sad and angry, and her life is full of hardships and tragedies. But I thought that the Katniss from the Hunger Games, the Katniss who had to keep her family alive since the age of 12, would be able to fight through and persevere. I guess I wanted a strong victor, a strong heroine, not a self-pitying victim who can't make her own decisions.
That's another thing that bothered me: throughout the whole book, she had no control over ANYTHING, not even her own life and actions. She was a empty, lifeless pawn, a zombie if you will, who didn't do anything that wasn't directed or commanded by other people. In this novel, I was expecting her to STEP UP, embrace her role as Mockingjay, use her power/influence to get involved in the rebellion, take control of her life, and make a difference in the outcome of her world. I was expecting to see her grow and change and I was excited for her metamorphosis. Instead, we get this weak girl who's shirking all responsibilities, addled on drugs half the time, and lashing out at people the other half. Not only did she not improve herself from the first book (she was kickass in the first book btw), she got WORSE, an empty shadow of her former self. At the beginning, I could understand her confusion, her pain, her reluctance to be the Mockingjay. It'd be weird if she DIDN'T feel this way, if she didn't have that time of indecision and unwillingness. But after, I expected her to be strong and work through it, to face her fears and obstacles and choose to do the right thing, to really fight for justice. The best things in life never come easy; anybody who's done anything has had to overcome obstacles to accomplish their goals. When she decided: "I must be the Mockingjay", my heart soared (cheesy but it did!) and I was rooting for her 100%. When I heard her inspirational words during the propos, the fire behind them, my heart soared because I thought Katniss was back. But as I kept reading, I realized .. even though she verbally accepted her role, her mind still wasn't in it and she wasn't in control of herself. She didn't grow and become stronger, that's what pisses me off.
The post-traumatic stress, the mental breakdowns, the self-pity, the self-loathing, the nearing of insanity .. all of these things are realistic, yes, but a bit tiresome and not very interesting to read when it's all the same and the narrator is drowning herself in it in the face of much greater things to the point where it detracts from the plot. These feelings shouldn't be the main focus throughout the ENTIRE novel. There has to be a turning point when she overcomes all of this and actively decides not to let these obstacles stand in her way. Now, many people will say her breakdown is more true to life, and it's what any normal 17-year-old girl would feel and go through. But, maybe I'm weird here, but for some stories, I don't WANT to read about the average, normal teenager. I want to read about someone who's a bit special, who's different, who displays traits (like courage, heart, perseverance) greater than the norm and accomplishes more than the "normal, average teen" even during the most difficult of times. Something that, when you close the book, makes you feel like "Wow, they're amazing. Inspirational. I want to be like that." & to be honest, I didn't sign up to read a war documentary or some nonfiction account of how war affects its victims. I came in expecting a break from reality, a fantasy sci-fi young adult novel about a girl who becomes a hero.
In trying to be as realistic as possible, I think Collins chose a pessimistic extreme of "realism" to portray. There are perfectly human people in real life in real circumstances who are able to fight through obstacles and hardships and come out on top without relying on drugs and hiding in closets. They can find more constructive and positive ways to deal with their problems. Sure, it obviously affects them (they're not invincible) but they don't lose themselves the way Katniss does. Those are the kinds of inspirational stories I wanna read when it comes to these kinds of novels, not this "Diary of an Emo Puppet."
This book was also REALLY anti-climactic. Whenever Collins finally gave us an exciting scene, as soon as it got intense, Katniss would get knocked out in the midst of things and we'd wake up to her in the hospital being treated. (MAJOR COP-OUT, in my opinion.) Then, of course, comes the inevitable centuries (that's what it felt like) of us hearing about her in pain and agony. Okay, we get it after reading about it the WHOLE novel! Now can she please pick herself up and make herself useful?
Katniss doesn't deserve the title "girl who was on fire" and to be the main character in such an epic setting and story. Sure, she can be on fire, but only when someone sets her on fire or directs her to be on fire, not of her own doing. She was soulless and indifferent and cared about herself and her own feelings more than anyone else's (seeing as how she spends most of the novel grieving for herself and almost never for anyone else) .. if the main character, the narrator, doesn't care about anything and has no passion, why should we? What's the point when the main character whose eyes we're seeing through has no heart and no passion? And what happened to the selfless girl who willingly sacrificed her life to save her sister?
The things I did like. I liked that Katniss had 2 seconds of mental clarity and shot Coin instead of Snow (the only time in the book when she was truly thinking clearly and acting of her own accord). I wonder if I'm giving her too much credit though; judging from her selfish one-track mind in this book, I fear that she did this only because Coin killed Prim, not because she saw the bigger picture. Worse yet, I fear this may just have been a result of Snow's manipulation, not her own decision. I also feel the significance and bravery of this smart moment was rendered meaningless by her immediate cowardly reaction: instead of having conviction in her action and facing the consequences, she scrambled frantically to find the most painless and quickest way to kill herself. She never once in the book acknowledges all she has to live for and all the positive things she still has in her life. When a character's will to survive is absent through a whole novel, I as a reader have no desire for them to live either; grant their wish already! But to continue on .. I liked learning about more of the characters in depth: Gale (who I grew to love even more in this book), Finnick, Annie, Boggs, Johanna, etc. I liked the ending passages (fitting and beautifully haunting) and I liked the songs (The Hanging Tree and the meadow one). There are probably some other things that I'll update this review with once disappointment and frustration are no longer clouding my brain.
I wouldn't have minded so much if it had been a page-turner that was exciting to read, but trying to finish this book felt like a chore. When reading for enjoyment starts feeling like a chore, that's the ultimate sign that I dislike the book. 90% of the book, Katniss was wandering aimlessly through hallways, drugged out on morphling, hiding in a closet, or lying in a hospital bed. I kept waiting, I was so sure it would happen any minute, for the story-changing moment when Katniss would pick herself up and say "Enough is enough." I kept waiting for the moment when the winds would change and she would decide with conviction to actively work through her problems -- but to my shock, that moment never came. This book seriously dragged and dragged and dragged, and just got slower and slower until everyone started dropping dead towards the last quarter of the book. The Hunger Games, I couldn't put it down; for this, I dreaded picking it up to finish it. I did tons of things in between reading this book (doing my nails, watching TV, taking a walk, etc) because I couldn't read it in one sitting without wanting to gouge my eyes out. It was the same reoccurring theme: Katniss was manipulated and controlled by everyone around her and she didn't think or do anything of her own will. It got old.
I read all this build-up and didn't get rewarded for it. And even though the rebels triumphed, I didn't feel anything for them, not relief, not happiness, just nothing. I was just detached. And none of it was thanks to Katniss: her only role in the Capitol's defeat was watching Prim die, getting burned, and waking up in a hospital, where we're TOLD instead of SHOWN how the Capitol fell (all while she was unconscious, an occurrence that's way too common in this book).
Again, anti-climactic! During the scene when it really mattered!
I understand the message Collins is trying to convey and I agree with it: that war is awful and no one truly wins. And good and bad are not clearly defined black and white. (It got too preachy at certain points though, didn't it?) And I understand that not all books are unicorns-and-ponies happy endings, and that this series has always been intense and dark and a bit bleak. But that only works when there's an underlying message of hope and of optimism. I felt it in the 1st books, but this ending was devoid of all hope and happiness. Yes, humans are disgusting creatures who hurt and kill one another, who do horrible things because of greed and selfishness and just pure malice. But humans are also capable of love and compassion and kindness, and I wish she'd incorporated a bit of that into the story as well so there'd be a more hopeful ending. Even in real life, no matter how bad things may be, there is always hope. Isn't that the kind of message you really want young people to be left with? Instead of pessimistic doom and "give up on mankind"? I finished the book feeling hopeless and lost and depressed, and not in that deep, profound way where it motivates me to get up off my ass and do something to make a difference.
Gosh, at least Harry was his own person and got to face Voldemort in the end. What did Katniss get to do except be an empty canvas for them to paint and feed lines to?
Though I guess since I'm feeling so passionately about all of this, it wasn't a worthless read. It was just very, VERY disappointing.
Edit:
I just re-read this review a month or so after I wrote it and I sincerely apologize for my sloppy writing and overindulgence in run-on sentences! I was in a rush to unleash all my feelings after finishing the book so I wouldn't forget anything. I hope this review was understandable and enjoyable anyway :)
That's the end of the review and you can stop here but I wanted to add on .. and I'm thinking those who grew up with Harry Potter like I did can relate:
So I decided to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to prepare myself for the upcoming movie, and to get the bitter taste of Mockingjay out of my mouth, and here's a passage towards the end where Harry's character really touched me and left me in awe:
"Because," said Harry, "sometimes you've got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've got to think about the greater good! This is war!"
"You're seventeen, boy!"
"I'm of age, and I'm going to keep fighting even if you've given up!"
a few sentences later .. "I'm going to keep going until I succeed -- or I die. Don't think I don't know how this might end. I've known it for years."
Reading it again makes me all emotional and teary all over again, from Dobby's heartfelt burial to Harry's courageous walk to his death in the forest, knowing fully well what awaits him and yet willing to sacrifice himself for others and for a better world ...all the while, struggling with his fears and the temptation to run away .. and I swear, tears of pride and joy sprang from my eyes and exhilaration shot through my veins when Harry, the boy we grew up with, stepped up as a man and faced his enemy with confidence, strength, wisdom.
Whatever faults the last HP book may have, I just have to say: Thank you, Harry, for giving me hope again and proving there are still admirable heroes in young literature.
What. the. f***. Words can't begin to express my disappointment. I bought Mockingjay the first day it came out and I was preparing myself for a truly epic novel, one worthy of its predecessors. I loved The Hunger Games; it was fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful. Catching Fire wasn't as good but it was still enjoyable (I was majorly impressed by the game arena). I wasn't let down by Catching Fire though; I figured it was just a transition novel, build-up to what would undoubtedly be a mindblowing, epic conclusion in Mockingjay.
Maybe I set my expectations too high. I do think Collins is a good writer; she definitely knows how to write and tell a story. But I feel like she lost her way in this book. Or maybe the only thing that made this series so great was the Hunger Games, and now that it's absent, there's nothing to drive the story.
The love triangle wasn't well played out. First of all, I'm getting a bit tired of reading about love triangles -- especially in novels where there's a much greater plot present. But I'll admit, I was on Team Gale throughout the series, because he was strong and resilient and resourceful and caring. There was this attractive manly quality about him and he was so in sync with Katniss, and hot to boot. But towards the end of this novel, I didn't give a flying fart about Katniss's love life and who she ended up with, because everything seemed like such a hopeless, depressing mess that there was no point. I also hated how she kept flip-flopping and toying with both Gale and Peeta (I've been bothered by this since CF). She should make up her mind about who she wants instead of leading them both on! Her fickleness is pretty inconsiderate to these two guys whom she supposedly cares about. And if she can't decide (I can see why, they both have great qualities), then she should give herself some space/time to decide, and in the meantime, don't go kissing or showing romantic affection to either one!
She ended up with Peeta, which would have been fine if it had been executed properly. But even in this aspect of her life, she didn't get to CHOOSE, which is basically the story of her life. She just ended up with Peeta because he was the only one who stuck around. At the end, I found myself wanting her to end up alone, of her OWN choice. Heck, instead of spiraling into bleak depression and continuing life as a puppet, I would have rather seen her die for a noble cause and for doing the right thing. That would have been a more satisfactory ending, and that's saying something because I normally HATE when characters die.
I didn't like that we didn't get to experience the action close-up. As the war unraveled, I felt like Katniss was always on the sidelines, only called in when other people commanded her to. We didn't get to see Katniss kicking butt against her enemies, we got to hear from other characters about events that occurred, or watch them on the TV. It is so mindnumbingly dull to be watching a character watching something, instead of experiencing the action with the character. Everything she did was for show, for a propo or campaign or whatever. It was all so .. fake. Here they are in the middle of a war, people are dying left and right, and all they care about is filming and getting good shots and angles and putting on a pretty face! It felt so staged and it was boring and infuriating to read. The only real action is towards the end when she and her team are going on the assassin mission to kill Snow, and even THAT was originally only for a propo (that went astray).
The last third of the book (the assassin mission) was gorey and bloody, which I didn't mind. It's war after all. But many characters' deaths were so rushed and pointless. Prim's death didn't have the impact that I'm sure Collins was aiming for; I didn't feel sad when she died, as she's barely in the story as it is, so I didn't get to know her well enough and connect with her beforehand. She was absent for at least 100 pages before her death came out of nowhere, for God's sake, so her death felt like any stranger's death. (Although it seems her death kind of defeated the point of sparing her from the Hunger Games.) What DID kill me was Finnick's death. Finnick was one of the characters I loved most in this series, and call me petty, but I can't forgive Collins for killing him off after he'd been through so much and finally got to marry the love of his life. It wasn't even a death of purpose. He got eaten by mutts in a sewer, along with half their assassin team. It annoyed me so much because their deaths felt so UNNECESSARY, like they were just a way for Collins to emphasize that "this is a DEATHLY SERIOUS, VERY BLOODY BOOK!" It felt like she was just randomly and meaninglessly killing off supporting characters because she couldn't bear to part with her main ones. Deaths are fine when they're important to the plot, but this felt like death for the sake of death.
Okay, now on to the REAL disappointment of this book: Katniss herself. One of the reasons why I loved this series was because of Katniss. She was strong, resourceful, clever and cunning, she had an amazing survival instinct and she knew how to persevere. In Catching Fire, these qualities diminished; she was mainly a pawn, a puppet for others to use for their own objectives. But she still had some semblance of control and she was still Katniss. In Mockingjay, all these traits are scrapped and we get a Katniss-clone who is angsty and bitchy and whiny (wasn't Bella in Twilight bad enough?). Half the book, she's throwing herself pity parties in the closet (literally!). Sure, she definitely has reason to be sad and angry, and her life is full of hardships and tragedies. But I thought that the Katniss from the Hunger Games, the Katniss who had to keep her family alive since the age of 12, would be able to fight through and persevere. I guess I wanted a strong victor, a strong heroine, not a self-pitying victim who can't make her own decisions.
That's another thing that bothered me: throughout the whole book, she had no control over ANYTHING, not even her own life and actions. She was a empty, lifeless pawn, a zombie if you will, who didn't do anything that wasn't directed or commanded by other people. In this novel, I was expecting her to STEP UP, embrace her role as Mockingjay, use her power/influence to get involved in the rebellion, take control of her life, and make a difference in the outcome of her world. I was expecting to see her grow and change and I was excited for her metamorphosis. Instead, we get this weak girl who's shirking all responsibilities, addled on drugs half the time, and lashing out at people the other half. Not only did she not improve herself from the first book (she was kickass in the first book btw), she got WORSE, an empty shadow of her former self. At the beginning, I could understand her confusion, her pain, her reluctance to be the Mockingjay. It'd be weird if she DIDN'T feel this way, if she didn't have that time of indecision and unwillingness. But after, I expected her to be strong and work through it, to face her fears and obstacles and choose to do the right thing, to really fight for justice. The best things in life never come easy; anybody who's done anything has had to overcome obstacles to accomplish their goals. When she decided: "I must be the Mockingjay", my heart soared (cheesy but it did!) and I was rooting for her 100%. When I heard her inspirational words during the propos, the fire behind them, my heart soared because I thought Katniss was back. But as I kept reading, I realized .. even though she verbally accepted her role, her mind still wasn't in it and she wasn't in control of herself. She didn't grow and become stronger, that's what pisses me off.
The post-traumatic stress, the mental breakdowns, the self-pity, the self-loathing, the nearing of insanity .. all of these things are realistic, yes, but a bit tiresome and not very interesting to read when it's all the same and the narrator is drowning herself in it in the face of much greater things to the point where it detracts from the plot. These feelings shouldn't be the main focus throughout the ENTIRE novel. There has to be a turning point when she overcomes all of this and actively decides not to let these obstacles stand in her way. Now, many people will say her breakdown is more true to life, and it's what any normal 17-year-old girl would feel and go through. But, maybe I'm weird here, but for some stories, I don't WANT to read about the average, normal teenager. I want to read about someone who's a bit special, who's different, who displays traits (like courage, heart, perseverance) greater than the norm and accomplishes more than the "normal, average teen" even during the most difficult of times. Something that, when you close the book, makes you feel like "Wow, they're amazing. Inspirational. I want to be like that." & to be honest, I didn't sign up to read a war documentary or some nonfiction account of how war affects its victims. I came in expecting a break from reality, a fantasy sci-fi young adult novel about a girl who becomes a hero.
In trying to be as realistic as possible, I think Collins chose a pessimistic extreme of "realism" to portray. There are perfectly human people in real life in real circumstances who are able to fight through obstacles and hardships and come out on top without relying on drugs and hiding in closets. They can find more constructive and positive ways to deal with their problems. Sure, it obviously affects them (they're not invincible) but they don't lose themselves the way Katniss does. Those are the kinds of inspirational stories I wanna read when it comes to these kinds of novels, not this "Diary of an Emo Puppet."
This book was also REALLY anti-climactic. Whenever Collins finally gave us an exciting scene, as soon as it got intense, Katniss would get knocked out in the midst of things and we'd wake up to her in the hospital being treated. (MAJOR COP-OUT, in my opinion.) Then, of course, comes the inevitable centuries (that's what it felt like) of us hearing about her in pain and agony. Okay, we get it after reading about it the WHOLE novel! Now can she please pick herself up and make herself useful?
Katniss doesn't deserve the title "girl who was on fire" and to be the main character in such an epic setting and story. Sure, she can be on fire, but only when someone sets her on fire or directs her to be on fire, not of her own doing. She was soulless and indifferent and cared about herself and her own feelings more than anyone else's (seeing as how she spends most of the novel grieving for herself and almost never for anyone else) .. if the main character, the narrator, doesn't care about anything and has no passion, why should we? What's the point when the main character whose eyes we're seeing through has no heart and no passion? And what happened to the selfless girl who willingly sacrificed her life to save her sister?
The things I did like. I liked that Katniss had 2 seconds of mental clarity and shot Coin instead of Snow (the only time in the book when she was truly thinking clearly and acting of her own accord). I wonder if I'm giving her too much credit though; judging from her selfish one-track mind in this book, I fear that she did this only because Coin killed Prim, not because she saw the bigger picture. Worse yet, I fear this may just have been a result of Snow's manipulation, not her own decision. I also feel the significance and bravery of this smart moment was rendered meaningless by her immediate cowardly reaction: instead of having conviction in her action and facing the consequences, she scrambled frantically to find the most painless and quickest way to kill herself. She never once in the book acknowledges all she has to live for and all the positive things she still has in her life. When a character's will to survive is absent through a whole novel, I as a reader have no desire for them to live either; grant their wish already! But to continue on .. I liked learning about more of the characters in depth: Gale (who I grew to love even more in this book), Finnick, Annie, Boggs, Johanna, etc. I liked the ending passages (fitting and beautifully haunting) and I liked the songs (The Hanging Tree and the meadow one). There are probably some other things that I'll update this review with once disappointment and frustration are no longer clouding my brain.
I wouldn't have minded so much if it had been a page-turner that was exciting to read, but trying to finish this book felt like a chore. When reading for enjoyment starts feeling like a chore, that's the ultimate sign that I dislike the book. 90% of the book, Katniss was wandering aimlessly through hallways, drugged out on morphling, hiding in a closet, or lying in a hospital bed. I kept waiting, I was so sure it would happen any minute, for the story-changing moment when Katniss would pick herself up and say "Enough is enough." I kept waiting for the moment when the winds would change and she would decide with conviction to actively work through her problems -- but to my shock, that moment never came. This book seriously dragged and dragged and dragged, and just got slower and slower until everyone started dropping dead towards the last quarter of the book. The Hunger Games, I couldn't put it down; for this, I dreaded picking it up to finish it. I did tons of things in between reading this book (doing my nails, watching TV, taking a walk, etc) because I couldn't read it in one sitting without wanting to gouge my eyes out. It was the same reoccurring theme: Katniss was manipulated and controlled by everyone around her and she didn't think or do anything of her own will. It got old.
I read all this build-up and didn't get rewarded for it. And even though the rebels triumphed, I didn't feel anything for them, not relief, not happiness, just nothing. I was just detached. And none of it was thanks to Katniss: her only role in the Capitol's defeat was watching Prim die, getting burned, and waking up in a hospital, where we're TOLD instead of SHOWN how the Capitol fell (all while she was unconscious, an occurrence that's way too common in this book).
Again, anti-climactic! During the scene when it really mattered!
I understand the message Collins is trying to convey and I agree with it: that war is awful and no one truly wins. And good and bad are not clearly defined black and white. (It got too preachy at certain points though, didn't it?) And I understand that not all books are unicorns-and-ponies happy endings, and that this series has always been intense and dark and a bit bleak. But that only works when there's an underlying message of hope and of optimism. I felt it in the 1st books, but this ending was devoid of all hope and happiness. Yes, humans are disgusting creatures who hurt and kill one another, who do horrible things because of greed and selfishness and just pure malice. But humans are also capable of love and compassion and kindness, and I wish she'd incorporated a bit of that into the story as well so there'd be a more hopeful ending. Even in real life, no matter how bad things may be, there is always hope. Isn't that the kind of message you really want young people to be left with? Instead of pessimistic doom and "give up on mankind"? I finished the book feeling hopeless and lost and depressed, and not in that deep, profound way where it motivates me to get up off my ass and do something to make a difference.
Gosh, at least Harry was his own person and got to face Voldemort in the end. What did Katniss get to do except be an empty canvas for them to paint and feed lines to?
Though I guess since I'm feeling so passionately about all of this, it wasn't a worthless read. It was just very, VERY disappointing.
Edit:
I just re-read this review a month or so after I wrote it and I sincerely apologize for my sloppy writing and overindulgence in run-on sentences! I was in a rush to unleash all my feelings after finishing the book so I wouldn't forget anything. I hope this review was understandable and enjoyable anyway :)
That's the end of the review and you can stop here but I wanted to add on .. and I'm thinking those who grew up with Harry Potter like I did can relate:
So I decided to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to prepare myself for the upcoming movie, and to get the bitter taste of Mockingjay out of my mouth, and here's a passage towards the end where Harry's character really touched me and left me in awe:
"Because," said Harry, "sometimes you've got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've got to think about the greater good! This is war!"
"You're seventeen, boy!"
"I'm of age, and I'm going to keep fighting even if you've given up!"
a few sentences later .. "I'm going to keep going until I succeed -- or I die. Don't think I don't know how this might end. I've known it for years."
Reading it again makes me all emotional and teary all over again, from Dobby's heartfelt burial to Harry's courageous walk to his death in the forest, knowing fully well what awaits him and yet willing to sacrifice himself for others and for a better world ...all the while, struggling with his fears and the temptation to run away .. and I swear, tears of pride and joy sprang from my eyes and exhilaration shot through my veins when Harry, the boy we grew up with, stepped up as a man and faced his enemy with confidence, strength, wisdom.
Whatever faults the last HP book may have, I just have to say: Thank you, Harry, for giving me hope again and proving there are still admirable heroes in young literature.
June 16, 2023
Dystopian Imperfection.
District 12 has been erased from the map; and Katniss, the rebel reincarnation of the mockingjay, will have to prove her worth one final time. Not for herself or her forbidden love, nor her friends or family, but for all the inhabitants of Panem, now in open revolt against the tyrannical power of the Capitol. A revolution arises from the ashes of the destroyed District 13, and Katniss is the leading protagonist, and a pawn in another kind of game.
This was a fairly good conclusion to one of the greatest dystopian series of all time; decently entertaining and action packed as all the previous ones, yet not the best of the series, at least imo. I did enjoy it enough, but sadly it felt overwhelmingly heavy on the psychological side. Feeling Katniss constantly despair in first person for almost half the book was far more disheartening self-inflicted drama than I cared to endure. Not that she hadn鈥檛 enough reason to, but it was just way too much. Many interesting twists and memorable events, like the siege of The Nut, the rescue of the victors, and the assault on the Capitol . A satisfyingly surprising ending and a perfectly heartfelt epilogue Overall good, maybe even very good, but definitely not a favorite.
** The movies (2014-5) were good adaptations. Were two films really necessary? My heart says no, yet the rational part in me reluctantly has to admit so many developments and plot twists would鈥檝e been far too much to pack in just one release, making it extremely convoluted and impossibly fast paced; so I think two releases were more than justified, despite the obvious money grab. Not that I care for any of them anyway; I鈥檝e watched the previous films more times than I can recount, but these two last movies only once or twice, and I can live without ever watching them again. Not that I think they are actually bad at all, perfectly good acting, admirable special effects and overall great artistic value; I just don鈥檛 care about it. Barely recommendable, at least for completionism sake.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2010] [398p] [Dystopia] [YA] [3.5] [Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 1. The Hunger Games [4.5]
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 2. Catching Fire
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 3. Mockingjay [3.5]
-----------------------------------------------
Imperfecci贸n Dist贸pica.
El Distrito 12 ha sido borrado del mapa; y Katniss, la rebelde encarnaci贸n del sinsajo, deber谩 probar su valor una 煤ltima vez. No por s铆 misma ni por su amor prohibido, ni sus amigos o su familia, sino por todos los habitantes de Panem, ahora en abierta revuelta contra el yugo tir谩nico del Capitolio. Una revoluci贸n surge desde las cenizas del destruido Distrito 13, y Katniss es la l铆der protagonista, y un pe贸n en otro tipo de juego.
Esta fue una bastante buena conclusi贸n a una de las mejores series dist贸picas de todos los tiempos; decentemente entretenida y cargada de acci贸n como todas las anteriores, pero no la mejor de la serie, al menos en mi opini贸n. La disfrut茅 suficiente, pero lamentablemente se sinti贸 abrumadoramente pesada por el lado psicol贸gico. Sentir a Katniss constantemente desesperar en primera persona por casi la mitad del libro fue mucho m谩s descorazonador drama auto infligido del que quer铆a soportar. No es que no tuviera suficiente motivo para ello, pero simplemente fue muy demasiado. Muchas interesantes vueltas de trama y momentos memorables, como el asedio de 鈥淓l Hueso鈥�, el rescate de los vencedores, y el asalto al Capitolio . Un satisfactoriamente sorpresivo final y un perfectamente sentido ep铆logo Dento de todo bueno, tal vez incluso muy bueno, pero definitivamente no un favorito.
** Las pel铆culas (2014-5) fueron buenas adaptaciones. 驴Eran dos filmes realmente necesarios? Mi coraz贸n me dice que no, pero mi parte racional reticentemente debe admitir que tantos acontecimientos y vueltas de trama hubieran sido demasiado dif铆cil de empacar en tan s贸lo una sola entrega, haci茅ndolo extremadamente compleja e imposiblemente r谩pida en ritmo; as铆 que creo que dos entregas estuvieron m谩s que bien justificadas, a pesar del obvio intento de agarrar m谩s dinero. No que me interesen ambas en realidad; mir茅 los anteriores filmes m谩s veces de las que puedo recontar, pero estas dos 煤ltimas pel铆culas solo una o dos veces, y puedo vivir sin verlas de nuevo. Aunque no porque crea que son malas en absoluto, perfectamente decente actuaci贸n, admirables efectos especiales y dentro de todo con gran valor art铆stico; la verdad es que simplemente no me interesan. Apenas recomendables, al menos para completar el c铆rculo.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2010] [398p] [Distop铆a] [Joven Adulto] [3.5] [Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
District 12 has been erased from the map; and Katniss, the rebel reincarnation of the mockingjay, will have to prove her worth one final time. Not for herself or her forbidden love, nor her friends or family, but for all the inhabitants of Panem, now in open revolt against the tyrannical power of the Capitol. A revolution arises from the ashes of the destroyed District 13, and Katniss is the leading protagonist, and a pawn in another kind of game.
This was a fairly good conclusion to one of the greatest dystopian series of all time; decently entertaining and action packed as all the previous ones, yet not the best of the series, at least imo. I did enjoy it enough, but sadly it felt overwhelmingly heavy on the psychological side. Feeling Katniss constantly despair in first person for almost half the book was far more disheartening self-inflicted drama than I cared to endure. Not that she hadn鈥檛 enough reason to, but it was just way too much. Many interesting twists and memorable events, like the siege of The Nut, the rescue of the victors, and the assault on the Capitol . A satisfyingly surprising ending and a perfectly heartfelt epilogue Overall good, maybe even very good, but definitely not a favorite.
** The movies (2014-5) were good adaptations. Were two films really necessary? My heart says no, yet the rational part in me reluctantly has to admit so many developments and plot twists would鈥檝e been far too much to pack in just one release, making it extremely convoluted and impossibly fast paced; so I think two releases were more than justified, despite the obvious money grab. Not that I care for any of them anyway; I鈥檝e watched the previous films more times than I can recount, but these two last movies only once or twice, and I can live without ever watching them again. Not that I think they are actually bad at all, perfectly good acting, admirable special effects and overall great artistic value; I just don鈥檛 care about it. Barely recommendable, at least for completionism sake.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2010] [398p] [Dystopia] [YA] [3.5] [Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 1. The Hunger Games [4.5]
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 2. Catching Fire
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� 3. Mockingjay [3.5]
-----------------------------------------------
Imperfecci贸n Dist贸pica.
El Distrito 12 ha sido borrado del mapa; y Katniss, la rebelde encarnaci贸n del sinsajo, deber谩 probar su valor una 煤ltima vez. No por s铆 misma ni por su amor prohibido, ni sus amigos o su familia, sino por todos los habitantes de Panem, ahora en abierta revuelta contra el yugo tir谩nico del Capitolio. Una revoluci贸n surge desde las cenizas del destruido Distrito 13, y Katniss es la l铆der protagonista, y un pe贸n en otro tipo de juego.
Esta fue una bastante buena conclusi贸n a una de las mejores series dist贸picas de todos los tiempos; decentemente entretenida y cargada de acci贸n como todas las anteriores, pero no la mejor de la serie, al menos en mi opini贸n. La disfrut茅 suficiente, pero lamentablemente se sinti贸 abrumadoramente pesada por el lado psicol贸gico. Sentir a Katniss constantemente desesperar en primera persona por casi la mitad del libro fue mucho m谩s descorazonador drama auto infligido del que quer铆a soportar. No es que no tuviera suficiente motivo para ello, pero simplemente fue muy demasiado. Muchas interesantes vueltas de trama y momentos memorables, como el asedio de 鈥淓l Hueso鈥�, el rescate de los vencedores, y el asalto al Capitolio . Un satisfactoriamente sorpresivo final y un perfectamente sentido ep铆logo Dento de todo bueno, tal vez incluso muy bueno, pero definitivamente no un favorito.
** Las pel铆culas (2014-5) fueron buenas adaptaciones. 驴Eran dos filmes realmente necesarios? Mi coraz贸n me dice que no, pero mi parte racional reticentemente debe admitir que tantos acontecimientos y vueltas de trama hubieran sido demasiado dif铆cil de empacar en tan s贸lo una sola entrega, haci茅ndolo extremadamente compleja e imposiblemente r谩pida en ritmo; as铆 que creo que dos entregas estuvieron m谩s que bien justificadas, a pesar del obvio intento de agarrar m谩s dinero. No que me interesen ambas en realidad; mir茅 los anteriores filmes m谩s veces de las que puedo recontar, pero estas dos 煤ltimas pel铆culas solo una o dos veces, y puedo vivir sin verlas de nuevo. Aunque no porque crea que son malas en absoluto, perfectamente decente actuaci贸n, admirables efectos especiales y dentro de todo con gran valor art铆stico; la verdad es que simplemente no me interesan. Apenas recomendables, al menos para completar el c铆rculo.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2010] [398p] [Distop铆a] [Joven Adulto] [3.5] [Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
May 17, 2020
I keep switching the rating of this book from 5 to 4 to 5 again, changing my opinion with each reread. On the one hand, it has so many wise things to say about war, propaganda, grief, trauma and healing. It touches and breaks my heart every time, like very few books do. But, on the other hand, there is a large chunk of this novel (in part 3 mainly), that objectively makes almost no logical sense. I wish Collins took more time to work it to perfection, like she did with the first two.
Going back to 5 again. For that epilogue. And cat.
P.S. This reread just makes me even more skeptical about what a story about Snow has to offer, in comparison to this one.
__________
Update 11/28/14. So, of course I had to read it again after getting only half of the story from the Mockingjay movie. Unsurprisingly, cried and cried again. My feelings basically remain the same about this installment. Structurally, the novel is quite messy. There is such a big game going on and Katniss' motivations and actions don't always make sense to me. But the ending is brilliant, especially the final chapters.
I need something to cheer me up ASAP.
___________
Let's face it, a series is only as good as its last book. Is a kitchen towel drenched in my tears a good indicator of the quality of ? I think it is, considering that I am not a crying-over-books type. I think this book is a FANTASTIC ending of a FANTASTIC series.
The book is lying next to me now, so deceitful in appearance, with its innocent, bright, cheerful cover. Who knew there would be so much darkness hidden between its pages, so much heartache? is indeed a DARK, DARK book full of deaths, sacrifices, torture, betrayal and despair, a book which takes you to a very disturbing but very real place.
I have no doubt the novel will have thousands of readers livid, especially the crowd of readers who mistakenly think The Hunger Games trilogy is mostly dedicated to Team Gale/Team Peeta dilemma with some revolt thrown in as a picturesque backdrop. These books are about love indeed, but they are also about survival, freedom, and peace.
I find it amazing that people are disappointed that Katniss doesn't take a Katniss-becomes-a-superwoman-and-takes-over-the-world-while-deciding-on-which-boy-to-pick route. How realistic is it to expect a child damaged by hunger, oppression, and violence she had to witness and take a part in, and thrown into the midst of all kinds of political intrigue, to achieve that? How many soldiers do you know who came out of a war unscathed or empowered by the atrocities they have witnessed? How many children?
This is why this book has such a great effect on me. It takes a very difficult but honest route, portraying the infinitely damaging consequences of war (regardless of the righteousness of its cause) and Katniss's journey to stay true to herself and do the best she can. And the love triangle resolution. Truly, it couldn't have ended any other way.
Is a perfectly written book? Absolutely not, it's not nearly as perfectly constructed or clear as , but just like another imperfectly perfect successful series finale - - it brings its message across in the most honest and powerful way possible.
Suzanne Collins is a genius, she is fearless and I have a great respect for the gutsiness of hers that didn't allow her to settle for an ending all wrapped up in pink paper with a perfect little bow. I am sure she knew that the faint of heart would be enraged. But she stuck to her guns and stayed true to her message and to her characters.
The question now is how will I recover from PTSD of my own caused by ? It will probably take me months and a score of Georgia Nicolson diaries to get over it. But I love this book anyway, in spite (and because) of all the pain it has caused me.
Real.
Going back to 5 again. For that epilogue. And cat.
P.S. This reread just makes me even more skeptical about what a story about Snow has to offer, in comparison to this one.
__________
Update 11/28/14. So, of course I had to read it again after getting only half of the story from the Mockingjay movie. Unsurprisingly, cried and cried again. My feelings basically remain the same about this installment. Structurally, the novel is quite messy. There is such a big game going on and Katniss' motivations and actions don't always make sense to me. But the ending is brilliant, especially the final chapters.
I need something to cheer me up ASAP.
___________
Let's face it, a series is only as good as its last book. Is a kitchen towel drenched in my tears a good indicator of the quality of ? I think it is, considering that I am not a crying-over-books type. I think this book is a FANTASTIC ending of a FANTASTIC series.
The book is lying next to me now, so deceitful in appearance, with its innocent, bright, cheerful cover. Who knew there would be so much darkness hidden between its pages, so much heartache? is indeed a DARK, DARK book full of deaths, sacrifices, torture, betrayal and despair, a book which takes you to a very disturbing but very real place.
I have no doubt the novel will have thousands of readers livid, especially the crowd of readers who mistakenly think The Hunger Games trilogy is mostly dedicated to Team Gale/Team Peeta dilemma with some revolt thrown in as a picturesque backdrop. These books are about love indeed, but they are also about survival, freedom, and peace.
I find it amazing that people are disappointed that Katniss doesn't take a Katniss-becomes-a-superwoman-and-takes-over-the-world-while-deciding-on-which-boy-to-pick route. How realistic is it to expect a child damaged by hunger, oppression, and violence she had to witness and take a part in, and thrown into the midst of all kinds of political intrigue, to achieve that? How many soldiers do you know who came out of a war unscathed or empowered by the atrocities they have witnessed? How many children?
This is why this book has such a great effect on me. It takes a very difficult but honest route, portraying the infinitely damaging consequences of war (regardless of the righteousness of its cause) and Katniss's journey to stay true to herself and do the best she can. And the love triangle resolution. Truly, it couldn't have ended any other way.
Is a perfectly written book? Absolutely not, it's not nearly as perfectly constructed or clear as , but just like another imperfectly perfect successful series finale - - it brings its message across in the most honest and powerful way possible.
Suzanne Collins is a genius, she is fearless and I have a great respect for the gutsiness of hers that didn't allow her to settle for an ending all wrapped up in pink paper with a perfect little bow. I am sure she knew that the faint of heart would be enraged. But she stuck to her guns and stayed true to her message and to her characters.
The question now is how will I recover from PTSD of my own caused by ? It will probably take me months and a score of Georgia Nicolson diaries to get over it. But I love this book anyway, in spite (and because) of all the pain it has caused me.
Real.
December 4, 2013
I鈥檓 never very good at predicting outcomes. Nothing I could鈥檝e predicted would have been quite as good as this. Although I did get close (a very distant "close") on a few things, and I was right in saying that it wouldn鈥檛 be walking through a field of flowers and sunshine.
A book like this just 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 be.
It's good, and yet not good. Because it鈥檚 good in a very heartbreaking, chilling, haunting, intense way.
Katniss is a different person from the first two books. I found her softer, more thoughtful, and also more open (granted, she's still kind of a brat sometimes. But don't we all have our moments?). In the first two books, even though the story is told by her, she鈥檚 very closed off with us. This book is filled with more emotion, and I liked her best in this book, even though it's a tragedy of sorts.
As I鈥檓 stewing over the novel I read every word of yesterday, I think, 鈥淒id I really love it?鈥� And then, 鈥淗ow could I love it?鈥� I shake my head. I can鈥檛 love something so terribly sad and at times grotesque. Something so painful.
Truthfully, I don鈥檛 think I loved it. Love isn鈥檛 the right word. It was a fantastic novel. I don't think I can come up with any better way for a trilogy of this kind to come to a close. The perfect note of sadness and sweetness, pain and healing all mixed up in a jumble. This book was far more severe than the first two. Much harder to read, and with more emotional depth, I think. Sometimes I just had to close the book for a while and breathe because I needed to stop for a bit, to regroup myself so I could get through a certain part.
Collins wove in a few questions to ponder. Where do you draw the line? Do you give just what you got? Should you show mercy to those who haven鈥檛 shown mercy to you? Is it right to kill innocent people just because the leaders on their side of the line killed innocent people on your side?
Contrary to what some believe, this is not an anti-war book. Actually, I think Collins is trying to get us to ask ourselves questions about what justifies war, and where the line should be drawn between justice and vengeance. Not that we shouldn't fight, but that we know what's worth fighting for.
Several notable characters die. It鈥檚 painful, and it hurts to read it. Some believe that these characters didn鈥檛 get enough homage. But since this is told from first-person, maybe it鈥檚 just too painful for Katniss to dwell on those deaths.
The last three pages make all the heavy, intense, painfulness of the rest of the book almost worth it, in a strange way. Bittersweet is the perfect word. The sense of loss underlying the message that life really does goes on, even when we don鈥檛 see how it possibly can.
Sometimes we need a little help to pick ourselves off the floor and start again.
I wasn鈥檛 disappointed with the ending, but I am disappointed that it鈥檚 the end. It left me feeling emotionally drained and like I'd lost something. I'm not sure if I'm shell-shocked or simply worn out by the intensity of it all. I'm glad, in a way, that it ended like it did. I'm also sad, and a little confused. Not because I didn't like the ending, but because I simply feel emptied out for the time being.
I just wish...I wish that there could have been more happiness for these characters that I love so much. I think that unfulfilled wish is, at the end of the day, why I'm feeling this way right now. In time the feeling will pass, I know, but at the moment I'm sorry for it. No matter how I enjoyed this book (and I did, I really did), I'm in a sort of grieving state. Happiness was there in the end, but it just wasn't enough to compensate for all the sadness.
Then again, I think that was the point.
It鈥檚 a very rare thing to find a trilogy like this one, and I鈥檒l always hold a place in my heart for the girl who was on fire.
-----
{pre-release}
Waiting for this is torturous. I finished Catching Fire and wanted this in my hands immediately.
Oh Suzanne, please let Peeta live (without becoming seriously maimed {again}, either)! :'(
I know it's stupid, but I want a happy ending. Not like uber-happy, of course, I'm not unrealistic...but I just want to finish this trilogy humming and skipping around the house (yeah, laugh. I don't care! ;)) rather than lying around depressed afterwards wondering what went wrong...'cause I just hate when that happens.
P.S. I'm not making any predictions because it feels like either my wishful thinking or my most dreaded outcome. I can't find a balance in between. Call me weird.
All I can say without bias is that the ending will not be all walkin' in a field of flowers and happiness. :P
A book like this just 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 be.
It's good, and yet not good. Because it鈥檚 good in a very heartbreaking, chilling, haunting, intense way.
Katniss is a different person from the first two books. I found her softer, more thoughtful, and also more open (granted, she's still kind of a brat sometimes. But don't we all have our moments?). In the first two books, even though the story is told by her, she鈥檚 very closed off with us. This book is filled with more emotion, and I liked her best in this book, even though it's a tragedy of sorts.
As I鈥檓 stewing over the novel I read every word of yesterday, I think, 鈥淒id I really love it?鈥� And then, 鈥淗ow could I love it?鈥� I shake my head. I can鈥檛 love something so terribly sad and at times grotesque. Something so painful.
Truthfully, I don鈥檛 think I loved it. Love isn鈥檛 the right word. It was a fantastic novel. I don't think I can come up with any better way for a trilogy of this kind to come to a close. The perfect note of sadness and sweetness, pain and healing all mixed up in a jumble. This book was far more severe than the first two. Much harder to read, and with more emotional depth, I think. Sometimes I just had to close the book for a while and breathe because I needed to stop for a bit, to regroup myself so I could get through a certain part.
Collins wove in a few questions to ponder. Where do you draw the line? Do you give just what you got? Should you show mercy to those who haven鈥檛 shown mercy to you? Is it right to kill innocent people just because the leaders on their side of the line killed innocent people on your side?
Contrary to what some believe, this is not an anti-war book. Actually, I think Collins is trying to get us to ask ourselves questions about what justifies war, and where the line should be drawn between justice and vengeance. Not that we shouldn't fight, but that we know what's worth fighting for.
Several notable characters die. It鈥檚 painful, and it hurts to read it. Some believe that these characters didn鈥檛 get enough homage. But since this is told from first-person, maybe it鈥檚 just too painful for Katniss to dwell on those deaths.
The last three pages make all the heavy, intense, painfulness of the rest of the book almost worth it, in a strange way. Bittersweet is the perfect word. The sense of loss underlying the message that life really does goes on, even when we don鈥檛 see how it possibly can.
Sometimes we need a little help to pick ourselves off the floor and start again.
I wasn鈥檛 disappointed with the ending, but I am disappointed that it鈥檚 the end. It left me feeling emotionally drained and like I'd lost something. I'm not sure if I'm shell-shocked or simply worn out by the intensity of it all. I'm glad, in a way, that it ended like it did. I'm also sad, and a little confused. Not because I didn't like the ending, but because I simply feel emptied out for the time being.
I just wish...I wish that there could have been more happiness for these characters that I love so much. I think that unfulfilled wish is, at the end of the day, why I'm feeling this way right now. In time the feeling will pass, I know, but at the moment I'm sorry for it. No matter how I enjoyed this book (and I did, I really did), I'm in a sort of grieving state. Happiness was there in the end, but it just wasn't enough to compensate for all the sadness.
Then again, I think that was the point.
It鈥檚 a very rare thing to find a trilogy like this one, and I鈥檒l always hold a place in my heart for the girl who was on fire.
-----
{pre-release}
Waiting for this is torturous. I finished Catching Fire and wanted this in my hands immediately.
Oh Suzanne, please let Peeta live (without becoming seriously maimed {again}, either)! :'(
I know it's stupid, but I want a happy ending. Not like uber-happy, of course, I'm not unrealistic...but I just want to finish this trilogy humming and skipping around the house (yeah, laugh. I don't care! ;)) rather than lying around depressed afterwards wondering what went wrong...'cause I just hate when that happens.
P.S. I'm not making any predictions because it feels like either my wishful thinking or my most dreaded outcome. I can't find a balance in between. Call me weird.
All I can say without bias is that the ending will not be all walkin' in a field of flowers and happiness. :P
November 26, 2015
WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF AN ENDING IS THAT?! SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF AN ENDING IS THAT?
Ok, short summary. This is day 3 of my Hunger Games binge after I watched the last movie last Saturday without knowing anything about the books and not having watched any of the movies. First book. Awesome. Second book. Glorious. Third book. FUUUUUUUU *wails out something that sounds like "fuck you, Peeta!!!!!!"*
So now I know what a Mockingjay is (and I can probably eat it), I know who Coin is, I know who President Snow is, and I know why Peeta is so thin. And now that we've gotten that over with...
What the fuck happened to Katniss?! How did she end up being so admirable and awesome in the first two books and turned into such a sniveling, squishy mess in this one? The answer: Peeta.
What the fuck happened to Peeta? Ok, fine, we know what happened to Peeta, but that doesn't make it any better because he's collateral damage. And Katniss is the one who gets hurt with her stupid obsession of him.
In this book, Gale was my favorite. He's the voice of reason. It's war, people have to die in order for there to be peace. And Katniss is like all noooooooo, we have to save ALL THE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE ONE WHO COULD GET US ALL KILLED. Because I love(d?) him ;_;
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck your single-mindedness, Katniss. YOU HAD ONE JOB. And it's to save your people, not your boyfriend, fianc茅, whatever.
And that ending. That stupid ending. I'm sorry, I know that life doesn't always turn out well, but dammit, Suzanne Collins, you put us through the wringer with the last two books. You made us care about these people, and WE DESERVE A BETTER ENDING THAN THAT.
Ok, short summary. This is day 3 of my Hunger Games binge after I watched the last movie last Saturday without knowing anything about the books and not having watched any of the movies. First book. Awesome. Second book. Glorious. Third book. FUUUUUUUU *wails out something that sounds like "fuck you, Peeta!!!!!!"*
So now I know what a Mockingjay is (and I can probably eat it), I know who Coin is, I know who President Snow is, and I know why Peeta is so thin. And now that we've gotten that over with...
What the fuck happened to Katniss?! How did she end up being so admirable and awesome in the first two books and turned into such a sniveling, squishy mess in this one? The answer: Peeta.
What the fuck happened to Peeta? Ok, fine, we know what happened to Peeta, but that doesn't make it any better because he's collateral damage. And Katniss is the one who gets hurt with her stupid obsession of him.
In this book, Gale was my favorite. He's the voice of reason. It's war, people have to die in order for there to be peace. And Katniss is like all noooooooo, we have to save ALL THE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE ONE WHO COULD GET US ALL KILLED. Because I love(d?) him ;_;
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck your single-mindedness, Katniss. YOU HAD ONE JOB. And it's to save your people, not your boyfriend, fianc茅, whatever.
And that ending. That stupid ending. I'm sorry, I know that life doesn't always turn out well, but dammit, Suzanne Collins, you put us through the wringer with the last two books. You made us care about these people, and WE DESERVE A BETTER ENDING THAN THAT.
November 7, 2023
rereading this all these years later (and for the first time as an adult) has given me a newfound understanding for just how profound this series is. i鈥檝e always loved these books, and they鈥檝e always been deeply impactful, but i feel like i鈥檓 seeing them for the first time through new eyes.
i鈥檒l talk about the series in depth eventually, but for now, i just need to cry.
i鈥檒l talk about the series in depth eventually, but for now, i just need to cry.
May 25, 2020
anyone who said this books didn鈥檛 do THAT is incorrect (i respect ur opinion but also im trying to type this while crying so let me be aggressive) did she drag in the middle? maybe. do i refuse to acknowledge the epilogue? yes. but chapter 27 is where it鈥檚 at and i will not hear any disagreements thank u and goodnight.
March 16, 2024
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Rather than tell an interesting story, it's meant above all to repulse us into reflection on the cruelty and horror of war.
Notes: Rather than tell an interesting story, it's meant above all to repulse us into reflection on the cruelty and horror of war.
June 2, 2023
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Numbing nihilism, singing blues with every breath: of war campaigns' unebbing strain, and the callous kiss of death.
Notes: Numbing nihilism, singing blues with every breath: of war campaigns' unebbing strain, and the callous kiss of death.
December 4, 2013
3.5 stars
Well, hmmm. I'm not sure how to react to Mockingjay. I didn't love it and I'm not sure it satisfied me, but it was a disturbing read that will stick with me. Sadly, I can't say that I'll be recommending the series as fervently as I did after reading . Not that the series isn't good, but I'm not longer sure it's for the masses of YA readers.
Like , Mockingjay took awhile for me to get into. When the pages turned into the triple digits and I wasn't hooked, I got worried it wouldn't be epic. And maybe that's problem: I expected this to match when I don't think anything can. Like , the stakes are upped, the gruesomeness of war more real, and the intensity more fierce. And in the end, that was my biggest problem. In my opinion, this crossed the line with violence into shock value for the sake of shock value. Yes, it's meant to be thought-provoking and show the price of war to humanity, but at the peak of all this violence, I pulled out of the story. It wasn't President Snow or President Coin (I hated that name) torturing Katniss; it was Collins. I could see the questions running through her head: "What is the worst thing I could do to Katniss? What will break her the most?"
In war, the casualties fall randomly, if heavily, but this was all targeted at Katniss. The death that should have hurt most hardly fazed me ; at that point, I had already shut down in a story that was working too hard to manipulate my emotions. It was killed me (no pun intended), and it disappeared like a whisper. It seemed like Collins picked the only character she made us care about in this book on purpose. It should have felt natural to the progression of the story, but it didn't. Plus, the desensitization was, in my opinion, too much. There is a lot of bleakness in the other books in the series, but it is balanced with a humanity and hope that I think is crucial in YA fiction.
of Hunger Games states that Collins took an unbelievable story and made it believable. Here, she took the believable violence and cruelty of war and made it a little unbelievable for me. I struggled to find motivation from President Snow targeting children, to understand why the citizens of the capital continued to believe him, to accept that these villains could be this sadistically evil, to believe that this much could go wrong for one person, to champion Collin's bleak take on humanity. Not that this story is any more unbelievable than , but Collins delivered this one with such a numb, detached string of events that relied on violence instead of characters to deliver her message. Even more important than hope in YA is a strong character you would follow anywhere. I didn't want to follow Katniss in this story.
She shut down in the end, but really she'd been shutting down the entire book. After the fiery character of the first two books, it was hard to get nothing from her (especially as a first-person POV) and still feel vested in the outcome of her story. Her cold, detached comments to in particular bothered me, especially after everything he sacrificed for her. I had to keep reminding myself of all the horror she'd been through because although her detachment realistic, it bothered me. I couldn't remember why anyone wanted a self-absorbed teenager as the Mockingjay. I didn't need Katniss to lead the revolution, but I wanted something from her: a peek into her emotions/insights, a proactive motion, anything that pushed her character forward. Without any character development (from any of the characters), the story relied too heavily on action without connecting the pieces, developing those story lines, or making me care about the characters involved. I would have almost rather heard the story from a third party watching a broken Mockingjay than the emptiness with which Katniss tells her story. What I really wanted is Katniss back. I know I can't have her, but if I had to lose her, I wanted to feel heartbreak instead of nothing.
About the love triangle...
I guess what depresses me most about this book is that I expected so much more from it. I know Collins is capable of power. In the end, I was too numb to feel its power, to even cry, to feel anything at all. I left a fantastic series with a major blank.
Well, hmmm. I'm not sure how to react to Mockingjay. I didn't love it and I'm not sure it satisfied me, but it was a disturbing read that will stick with me. Sadly, I can't say that I'll be recommending the series as fervently as I did after reading . Not that the series isn't good, but I'm not longer sure it's for the masses of YA readers.
Like , Mockingjay took awhile for me to get into. When the pages turned into the triple digits and I wasn't hooked, I got worried it wouldn't be epic. And maybe that's problem: I expected this to match when I don't think anything can. Like , the stakes are upped, the gruesomeness of war more real, and the intensity more fierce. And in the end, that was my biggest problem. In my opinion, this crossed the line with violence into shock value for the sake of shock value. Yes, it's meant to be thought-provoking and show the price of war to humanity, but at the peak of all this violence, I pulled out of the story. It wasn't President Snow or President Coin (I hated that name) torturing Katniss; it was Collins. I could see the questions running through her head: "What is the worst thing I could do to Katniss? What will break her the most?"
In war, the casualties fall randomly, if heavily, but this was all targeted at Katniss. The death that should have hurt most hardly fazed me ; at that point, I had already shut down in a story that was working too hard to manipulate my emotions. It was killed me (no pun intended), and it disappeared like a whisper. It seemed like Collins picked the only character she made us care about in this book on purpose. It should have felt natural to the progression of the story, but it didn't. Plus, the desensitization was, in my opinion, too much. There is a lot of bleakness in the other books in the series, but it is balanced with a humanity and hope that I think is crucial in YA fiction.
of Hunger Games states that Collins took an unbelievable story and made it believable. Here, she took the believable violence and cruelty of war and made it a little unbelievable for me. I struggled to find motivation from President Snow targeting children, to understand why the citizens of the capital continued to believe him, to accept that these villains could be this sadistically evil, to believe that this much could go wrong for one person, to champion Collin's bleak take on humanity. Not that this story is any more unbelievable than , but Collins delivered this one with such a numb, detached string of events that relied on violence instead of characters to deliver her message. Even more important than hope in YA is a strong character you would follow anywhere. I didn't want to follow Katniss in this story.
She shut down in the end, but really she'd been shutting down the entire book. After the fiery character of the first two books, it was hard to get nothing from her (especially as a first-person POV) and still feel vested in the outcome of her story. Her cold, detached comments to in particular bothered me, especially after everything he sacrificed for her. I had to keep reminding myself of all the horror she'd been through because although her detachment realistic, it bothered me. I couldn't remember why anyone wanted a self-absorbed teenager as the Mockingjay. I didn't need Katniss to lead the revolution, but I wanted something from her: a peek into her emotions/insights, a proactive motion, anything that pushed her character forward. Without any character development (from any of the characters), the story relied too heavily on action without connecting the pieces, developing those story lines, or making me care about the characters involved. I would have almost rather heard the story from a third party watching a broken Mockingjay than the emptiness with which Katniss tells her story. What I really wanted is Katniss back. I know I can't have her, but if I had to lose her, I wanted to feel heartbreak instead of nothing.
About the love triangle...
I guess what depresses me most about this book is that I expected so much more from it. I know Collins is capable of power. In the end, I was too numb to feel its power, to even cry, to feel anything at all. I left a fantastic series with a major blank.
March 19, 2025
*REREAD TO PREPARE FOR SUNRISE ON THE REAPING*
still just as good
still just as good
November 24, 2014
[This just in: the movie adaptation, Mockingjay: Part 1, was absolutely outstanding. I've seen both of the other movies for this series, and while I enjoyed them greatly, the third instalment was on another level entirely. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a very, very long time. Good job, movie people. You made a meh book into a stellar piece of cinema.]
Those two stars are for the last ten pages, which were absolutely outstanding. Probably the best ten pages of the series. The 380 pages before that, however, deserve nothing. The first 380 pages can kiss my ass.
This book was a fucking slog. I kid you not. This book tried me to the point of breaking. About halfway through, I was ready to feed the damn thing to my dog.
I'm not the biggest Hunger Games fan. Y'all know that. However, when I read Catching Fire, after its predecessor disappointed me, I was STOKED to read Mockingjay. Catching Fire was just fantastic. I really, really and truly enjoyed it.
Mockingjay was a bloodbath. If you're sensitive to pointless deaths and gratuitous violence, then this is not the book for you.
Actually, I like that word. Gratuitous. It describes this book perfectly. Everything in this book was gratuitous and over the top, from the wangst to the ridiculous romantic interludes in the middle of battle scenes, and from the candy-gore violence to the stupid, overly-disgusting deaths of several characters who did not need to die. There's also the writing, which is so overwrought - it's not even like the author took the sparseness of the first book and butchered it. It's like she took the sparseness, fed it to her dog, fed the dog to a crocodile, fed the crocodile to a Tyrannosaurus rex, cut the Tyrannosaurus rex up into steaks, sold the steaks in Soho to a cabaret dancer, A-bombed the cabaret dancer's house, collected the ashes, mixed them into fluorescent paint, and then splattered the paint all over the White House in D.C. Because we, as readers who have stuck by and read the entire series through, need an entire page of Creative Writing Class explanation on what the Hanging Tree song means. It's like in the first book, when we were constantly being told exactly what the dandelions represent. And in Catching Fire, when the meaning being the clock was spelled out in an "I AM SYMBOLISM" manner. Everything, from Katniss's clothes (which she's weirdly fixated with) to her circular, drier-than-Egyptian-sand inner monologues were painstakingly pored over to the point of ridiculousness. Yes. Ridiculousness. Shall I repeat that again? Ridiculousness.
One more time? No? Ridiculousness.
Ridiculousness.
Contrary to the masses, I love reading books where loads of lovable characters die in the final fight. I love going through that grief, feeling the torment of watching one of my beloved friends die a bloody death. In fact, in my own work, I have a death list. I kid you not. I literally have a list of the most beloved characters, and I've put stars in red pen against all those who die.
There are many red stars on that list.
But what I do not enjoy, and what I found far too much of in Mockingjay, are pointless deaths. Deaths that don't ensure anyone else's survival, are excessively undignified, or never grieved for. Finnick, Mesalla, Mitchell, Boggs, and Cinna all died ridiculous deaths that really did nothing to aid Katniss's bringing down the Capitol. Essentially, they were all just Mauve Shirts, and they had been all along. I mean, fine. If the author wanted to kill these characters, go ahead and do it. It's actually not the fact that the characters died that bothered me. Yes, I was absolutely distraught over the death of Finnick (he just married Annie! Annie was pregnant! What the fuck kind of sadist kills that?) but given the choice myself? I'd probably kill him too. But the way in which Finnick dies is nonsensical.
YA is a tricky field in which to write dystopian. True dystopian always deals with death. It always deals with untimely death, tragic lives and terrible situations in which people are abused and scarred, in any and every way. But YA is inspiring to young people. YA is a window to different ideologies and -isms held up by other people; for instance, Mockingjay is a clear message against war. But YA is also meant for a broad audience of a younger age, and that comes with a responsibility to instill a message that yes, will inspire, but coax some kind of hope out of readers. Some kind of desire to be a better person. Some kind of knowledge that there are wonderful things in the world worth salvaging, and weathering difficult patches in life will ultimately result in a brighter future.
This sounds idealistic, I know. But this series is shelved in Children's. Kids as young as 12 are picking these books up, and what are they finding? The world sucks. People suck. Give up, and stop caring, because nothing good will ever come of trying. Perseverance will get you nowhere. Suicide and alcoholism will make you feel better.
No.
Where is Katniss? Who's the drugged-up shadow that's replaced her? In Mockingjay, this fickle, doom-and-gloom girl is not the battleaxe we met in The Hunger Games. This Katniss is constantly waking up in hospital, taking drugs and completely losing the will to fight for the people she loves. Her voice is flat, drab, full of a whole lot of wangst surrounding the love triangle that, during the latter half of the book, became one of the very main concerns. What? I hear a lot of guff about this not being a romance, but it's quite clear that it is. And the scene in Tigris's cellar when Katniss pretends to sleep, but actually lies awake listening to Gale and Peeta talk about how they both love her unconditionally, and are perfectly fine to let her choose who she'll pick like a carton of juice off the shelf in the supermarket, and who she'll dump on his ass? Brought back some pretty pungent T-word memories. Gale and Peeta have absolutely no self-respect, and this scene was totally unrealistic. People do not behave like that in real life. Think about it: you're sitting facing the person who you know has been fooling around with the person you wholeheartedly love, and have done for years. The person you one day see yourself marrying. Are you really going to say, "Oh, I know how he/she feels about you. I know he/she has been making out with you behind my back, just after making out with me. I'm cool with that. I get it. No biggie." Don't even lie. I know that if I were Peeta or Gale, I'd be absolutely furious with Katniss. I'd demand to know why I was being toyed with, used even, and frankly? I'd walk away. I'd pick up my dignity and get out of there, because being treated like a piece of chewy candy in a pack of two that she can't decide whether or not to eat is an insult, and unspeakably degrading.
I kind of wanted Katniss to end up alone. Yes, once I'd forced myself to come to terms with the fact that that wasn't going to happen, I did enjoy the last ten pages greatly. Greatly. They were quite beautiful, actually, as long as I pushed myself to suck up everything I hated about the miserable and hopeless tone of this book. What I didn't enjoy was Gale's end. What happened to him? Oh, he's in District 2. And what's he doing in Distict 2? Dunno. How did he get there? Dunno. Why did he go there? Dunno. How does he feel about Katniss being with Peeta out of default, not either one's choice? Dunno. What's he going to do with his life now? Where is he going to live? What's going to happen to this character that we've been forced upon for almost three whole books, and 1200+ pages, and who's played a huge part in the story of Katniss's life?
Uh...I dunno.
I also couldn't believe Katniss's trial just happened without us. What the heck? Katniss is moping and plotting her suicide gratuitously in her room in the Capitol, and then one day Haymitch wanders in and says, "Your trial's over. You're free as a bird."
Yes, Katniss is free as a bird. She goes home and lives out the rest of her days as she pleases (and her mother just buggers off too, like Gale did. Where's your mom, Katniss? "Oh, somewhere.").
This whole thing felt like a sputtering fizzle-out of what really should have been a fantastic series. Part way through Catching Fire, I was considering that this series may even be literary, but Mockingjay spat on that. This is commercial YA, through and through. Yeah, the strong message about war and the hopelessness of Katniss tries to cover it up, but it has everything: silly love triangle, cackling villain, and the fate of the world resting on a teenager's shoulders. What's that? Oh, yeah. This is silly. Silly.
Katniss's Mockingjay role was equally silly. One minute Katniss is insisting, "I'M THE MOCKINGJAY BITCH!" and then the next, she says that she just doesn't care about it. She doesn't care about the Mockingjay, or all the stupid TV spots they do, or anything really. And then BAM!
"I'M THE MOCKINGJAY BITCH!"
Katniss got on my nerves here. As did her constant use of arrows in futuristic combat. What is that? Since when was there an explosive that could fit on the head of an arrow and blow up an entire airship?
Why am I even trying to reason this?
The bow and arrows did not have a place in the world of Mockingjay. It seemed overwhelmingly stupid for Katniss to still be using arrows, a prehistoric weapon, when everyone else around her was using firearms and bombs. There's also the "sheath" business, which is just ridiculous. It literally takes 0.40 seconds to Google "bow and arrows" and find that arrows are held in a quiver. See? Simple!
The writing in this book irritated me. The first hundred pages are almost comically boring, and the prose suffers under nonsensical fragments, run-on sentences and huge internal monologues in the middle of conversations. It's just damn hard to read.
Mockingjay was such a flop for me. While the idea of exploring PTSD in war veterans was very interesting, it was employed in such a way that it brought the narrative in this book to a painful grind. There was absolutely no hope left within Katniss, and her complete derailment just destroyed any hope left in the message of this book. The writing was irritating, the deaths pointless, the violence totally over-the-top.
Mockingjay was a great big depressing flop.
Bonus Time!
Those two stars are for the last ten pages, which were absolutely outstanding. Probably the best ten pages of the series. The 380 pages before that, however, deserve nothing. The first 380 pages can kiss my ass.
This book was a fucking slog. I kid you not. This book tried me to the point of breaking. About halfway through, I was ready to feed the damn thing to my dog.
I'm not the biggest Hunger Games fan. Y'all know that. However, when I read Catching Fire, after its predecessor disappointed me, I was STOKED to read Mockingjay. Catching Fire was just fantastic. I really, really and truly enjoyed it.
Mockingjay was a bloodbath. If you're sensitive to pointless deaths and gratuitous violence, then this is not the book for you.
Actually, I like that word. Gratuitous. It describes this book perfectly. Everything in this book was gratuitous and over the top, from the wangst to the ridiculous romantic interludes in the middle of battle scenes, and from the candy-gore violence to the stupid, overly-disgusting deaths of several characters who did not need to die. There's also the writing, which is so overwrought - it's not even like the author took the sparseness of the first book and butchered it. It's like she took the sparseness, fed it to her dog, fed the dog to a crocodile, fed the crocodile to a Tyrannosaurus rex, cut the Tyrannosaurus rex up into steaks, sold the steaks in Soho to a cabaret dancer, A-bombed the cabaret dancer's house, collected the ashes, mixed them into fluorescent paint, and then splattered the paint all over the White House in D.C. Because we, as readers who have stuck by and read the entire series through, need an entire page of Creative Writing Class explanation on what the Hanging Tree song means. It's like in the first book, when we were constantly being told exactly what the dandelions represent. And in Catching Fire, when the meaning being the clock was spelled out in an "I AM SYMBOLISM" manner. Everything, from Katniss's clothes (which she's weirdly fixated with) to her circular, drier-than-Egyptian-sand inner monologues were painstakingly pored over to the point of ridiculousness. Yes. Ridiculousness. Shall I repeat that again? Ridiculousness.
One more time? No? Ridiculousness.
Ridiculousness.
Contrary to the masses, I love reading books where loads of lovable characters die in the final fight. I love going through that grief, feeling the torment of watching one of my beloved friends die a bloody death. In fact, in my own work, I have a death list. I kid you not. I literally have a list of the most beloved characters, and I've put stars in red pen against all those who die.
There are many red stars on that list.
But what I do not enjoy, and what I found far too much of in Mockingjay, are pointless deaths. Deaths that don't ensure anyone else's survival, are excessively undignified, or never grieved for. Finnick, Mesalla, Mitchell, Boggs, and Cinna all died ridiculous deaths that really did nothing to aid Katniss's bringing down the Capitol. Essentially, they were all just Mauve Shirts, and they had been all along. I mean, fine. If the author wanted to kill these characters, go ahead and do it. It's actually not the fact that the characters died that bothered me. Yes, I was absolutely distraught over the death of Finnick (he just married Annie! Annie was pregnant! What the fuck kind of sadist kills that?) but given the choice myself? I'd probably kill him too. But the way in which Finnick dies is nonsensical.
YA is a tricky field in which to write dystopian. True dystopian always deals with death. It always deals with untimely death, tragic lives and terrible situations in which people are abused and scarred, in any and every way. But YA is inspiring to young people. YA is a window to different ideologies and -isms held up by other people; for instance, Mockingjay is a clear message against war. But YA is also meant for a broad audience of a younger age, and that comes with a responsibility to instill a message that yes, will inspire, but coax some kind of hope out of readers. Some kind of desire to be a better person. Some kind of knowledge that there are wonderful things in the world worth salvaging, and weathering difficult patches in life will ultimately result in a brighter future.
This sounds idealistic, I know. But this series is shelved in Children's. Kids as young as 12 are picking these books up, and what are they finding? The world sucks. People suck. Give up, and stop caring, because nothing good will ever come of trying. Perseverance will get you nowhere. Suicide and alcoholism will make you feel better.
No.
Where is Katniss? Who's the drugged-up shadow that's replaced her? In Mockingjay, this fickle, doom-and-gloom girl is not the battleaxe we met in The Hunger Games. This Katniss is constantly waking up in hospital, taking drugs and completely losing the will to fight for the people she loves. Her voice is flat, drab, full of a whole lot of wangst surrounding the love triangle that, during the latter half of the book, became one of the very main concerns. What? I hear a lot of guff about this not being a romance, but it's quite clear that it is. And the scene in Tigris's cellar when Katniss pretends to sleep, but actually lies awake listening to Gale and Peeta talk about how they both love her unconditionally, and are perfectly fine to let her choose who she'll pick like a carton of juice off the shelf in the supermarket, and who she'll dump on his ass? Brought back some pretty pungent T-word memories. Gale and Peeta have absolutely no self-respect, and this scene was totally unrealistic. People do not behave like that in real life. Think about it: you're sitting facing the person who you know has been fooling around with the person you wholeheartedly love, and have done for years. The person you one day see yourself marrying. Are you really going to say, "Oh, I know how he/she feels about you. I know he/she has been making out with you behind my back, just after making out with me. I'm cool with that. I get it. No biggie." Don't even lie. I know that if I were Peeta or Gale, I'd be absolutely furious with Katniss. I'd demand to know why I was being toyed with, used even, and frankly? I'd walk away. I'd pick up my dignity and get out of there, because being treated like a piece of chewy candy in a pack of two that she can't decide whether or not to eat is an insult, and unspeakably degrading.
I kind of wanted Katniss to end up alone. Yes, once I'd forced myself to come to terms with the fact that that wasn't going to happen, I did enjoy the last ten pages greatly. Greatly. They were quite beautiful, actually, as long as I pushed myself to suck up everything I hated about the miserable and hopeless tone of this book. What I didn't enjoy was Gale's end. What happened to him? Oh, he's in District 2. And what's he doing in Distict 2? Dunno. How did he get there? Dunno. Why did he go there? Dunno. How does he feel about Katniss being with Peeta out of default, not either one's choice? Dunno. What's he going to do with his life now? Where is he going to live? What's going to happen to this character that we've been forced upon for almost three whole books, and 1200+ pages, and who's played a huge part in the story of Katniss's life?
Uh...I dunno.
I also couldn't believe Katniss's trial just happened without us. What the heck? Katniss is moping and plotting her suicide gratuitously in her room in the Capitol, and then one day Haymitch wanders in and says, "Your trial's over. You're free as a bird."
Yes, Katniss is free as a bird. She goes home and lives out the rest of her days as she pleases (and her mother just buggers off too, like Gale did. Where's your mom, Katniss? "Oh, somewhere.").
This whole thing felt like a sputtering fizzle-out of what really should have been a fantastic series. Part way through Catching Fire, I was considering that this series may even be literary, but Mockingjay spat on that. This is commercial YA, through and through. Yeah, the strong message about war and the hopelessness of Katniss tries to cover it up, but it has everything: silly love triangle, cackling villain, and the fate of the world resting on a teenager's shoulders. What's that? Oh, yeah. This is silly. Silly.
Katniss's Mockingjay role was equally silly. One minute Katniss is insisting, "I'M THE MOCKINGJAY BITCH!" and then the next, she says that she just doesn't care about it. She doesn't care about the Mockingjay, or all the stupid TV spots they do, or anything really. And then BAM!
"I'M THE MOCKINGJAY BITCH!"
Katniss got on my nerves here. As did her constant use of arrows in futuristic combat. What is that? Since when was there an explosive that could fit on the head of an arrow and blow up an entire airship?
Why am I even trying to reason this?
The bow and arrows did not have a place in the world of Mockingjay. It seemed overwhelmingly stupid for Katniss to still be using arrows, a prehistoric weapon, when everyone else around her was using firearms and bombs. There's also the "sheath" business, which is just ridiculous. It literally takes 0.40 seconds to Google "bow and arrows" and find that arrows are held in a quiver. See? Simple!
The writing in this book irritated me. The first hundred pages are almost comically boring, and the prose suffers under nonsensical fragments, run-on sentences and huge internal monologues in the middle of conversations. It's just damn hard to read.
Mockingjay was such a flop for me. While the idea of exploring PTSD in war veterans was very interesting, it was employed in such a way that it brought the narrative in this book to a painful grind. There was absolutely no hope left within Katniss, and her complete derailment just destroyed any hope left in the message of this book. The writing was irritating, the deaths pointless, the violence totally over-the-top.
Mockingjay was a great big depressing flop.
Bonus Time!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2010
i NEVER thought i'd ever rate this book below a 5...but here i am....and the only reason i gave it a three even is because the first two books of the hunger games were just SO GOOD they brought this one up...by three stars. honestly, i鈥檝e waited so long for mockingjay to come out. i practically peed my pants on august 24th and now that i鈥檝e finally finished the book (thanks to a full day of obsessive reading-meals not included) all i can feel is鈥nnoyance. annoyance and disappointment. annoyance that katniss let herself be so easily used, didn't really care about anything, and was idle for so much of the book. and disappointment that you never really get any closure with gale, peeta wasn鈥檛 there for a third of the book, and he 鈥渨asn鈥檛 himself鈥� for almost all of it. but mostly just mad that nothing really happened for large portions of the book. like鈥atniss seemed kinda鈥tuck all throughout. i鈥檝e always loved her because she was a character that didn鈥檛 break down easily but mental breakdowns seemed like her favorite activity in this book. she spent like a fourth of the book missing peeta but she never actually DID anything about it. and then when he was saved she barely even talked to him let alone tried to help him. okay *spoiler alert* one of the only bright spots of this book is finding out about finnick鈥檚 past. i was definitely surprised by all he had to say. it made me like him even more. i can honestly say he was the only character that didn't annoy me once in mockingjay鈥ND THEN HE DIED. i am SO MAD that finnick and cinna鈥檚 death were pretty much considered inconsequential. like yeah, katniss was sad, but neither of them got like a dramatic tragical death. it was just 鈥測eah. they died. it sucks.鈥� and that really bummed me out cause i LOVED them both. i thought finnick's death was three times as devastating as prims, mostly because i feel like we never got to know prim well enough to really mourn her death. but for finnick i had to go back and reread the page several times before i could actually accept that he had died. and even then i hoped he would magically pop to life again. and not a single tear shed for him from katniss? NOT. OKAY. even though this was the book where the most characters died, it was also the book where i didn't cry once reading it. mostly because katniss didn't seem to really even care about anything which sort of killed my sympathy and sparked annoyance instead. and yeahh鈥o back to the whole non-closure thing with gale? it was just so鈥nticlimatic and鈥acking. i鈥檝e been a peeta supporter since the first chapter of the first book and even i hated how katniss and gale ended. i don鈥檛 know. i just think that maybe i was expecting this last book to follow basically the same format as the hunger games and catching fire, and i鈥檓 just ridiculously (like seriously to the point where it鈥檚 pathetic) disappointed that it took such a different turn. 鈥nd now that i know the entire series is over so that鈥檚 the only ending i鈥檓 gonna get....:'(
katniss鈥檚 shining moment appeared near the end though. when she decided to shoot coin instead of president snow. it almost brought back the old hunger-games-and-catching-fire-rational-and-strong katniss. almost. but then she had to go and try to get herself addicted to morphine in a suicide attempt. bleh. i always knew this was a somewhat dark series, but this book was just. so. bleak. reading it was pretty much equivalent to cutting my wrists. perhaps no amount of writing could ever have helped suzanne collins live up to my sky high expectations of this book but still鈥�.
the book could have been better. a lot. better.
katniss鈥檚 shining moment appeared near the end though. when she decided to shoot coin instead of president snow. it almost brought back the old hunger-games-and-catching-fire-rational-and-strong katniss. almost. but then she had to go and try to get herself addicted to morphine in a suicide attempt. bleh. i always knew this was a somewhat dark series, but this book was just. so. bleak. reading it was pretty much equivalent to cutting my wrists. perhaps no amount of writing could ever have helped suzanne collins live up to my sky high expectations of this book but still鈥�.
the book could have been better. a lot. better.
September 1, 2010
This review has spoilers!
Bitches...
What were you doing when you were 16? Checking your boobs each morning to see if the Boob Fairy had paid you a visit? Sneaking out of the house to the park down the street where you and your six friends would share a single can of beer and pretend you're drunk? Making out? Homework? Fighting with your parents? Watching scary movies?
Katniss is sixteen years old and she's been in two Hunger Games, fighting against twenty-odd opponents to the death. Then she becomes the symbol of the rebel leadership and helps overthrow an evil empire before she can legally drink.
So I suppose it's really ridiculous of anyone to expect her capable of then going on to be president of this new world after everything she's been through. Nobody would be evil enough to force that on her considering her fragile mental state...
Except me.
[image error]
Maleficent and I go way back...
But this is fantasy, right, it's not like children or teenagers are really capable of this much! It would be totally unrealistic of me to expect much more of Katniss considering all she's done...
Well, except for the cute little nine-year-old Htoo twins who lived in the Karen National Rebel camp when the enemy came and all the soldiers ran away leaving their AK-47's. These two nine-year-olds thought it'd be a hoot to pick up a few guns and hold off the entire invading Burmese army... successfully.
And that would be a really cute story except for the fact that they went on to create their own army who were convinced that these two little chain-smokin' tykes had magical powers and were invincible.
But I mean, they're a fluke! It's not like any other kids did great things. Well, unless you're counting Iqbal Masih who was made a slave at the age of five and chained to his loom for twelve hours a day. Still, the little tyke managed to escape when he was ten so he only had to endure the first half of his life with unspeakable cruelty and torturous living conditions that left him unable to grow.
Luckily, when he got out he ran off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. *Kat is interrupted by whispering* Wait - what? He didn't? *More whispering* He joined the Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan as their spokesperson, going RIGHT back into the slave trade that had abused and tormented him for five years so that he could rescue another three THOUSAND children from slavery?
Shit.
Get off the computer you lazy little cow and go rescue some child slaves!
Oh and by the way, he only stopped after two years because he'd affected carpet manufacturing so much that carpet export in those years dropped by $200,000,000 and he was assasinated in 1995 for being too damn awesome.
At 12 years old my greatest achievement was not killing myself while I shaved my legs!
I wasn't going to mention St Joan of Arc because that comparison would be a little too easy but since I have time I'll just quietly mutter that she helped lead France to a number of tactical defeats in the Hundred Year's War, crowned a King and was Burned as a witch before she was nineteen years old.
But, no, it's too much to ask that Katniss step up into a role like that! After all, she had PTSD and she was traumatized. It would be evil for any adult to keep her on retainer as a figurehead to inspire the people. Which, by the way, if I were an adult in power in this particular world - I would totally do.
But Katniss isn't the only one I'd keep to do my bidding. I'd keep Peeta around too. Occasionally, I'd pull them out of their little therapy/rejuvination bubble to do short propos on how the new unified nation was moving forward in positive steps and how everything was improving.
And since I am only moderately evil and am actually very fond of Katniss and Peeta, I find the fact that they were allowed to go home and live out their quiet little lives peacefully to be very unrealistic. In fact, it was the only really unrealistic thing in this novel and let's remember that I'm including genetically altered mutts and beams that can melt your skin off on that list!
So she did a little thing like shooting President Coin. Let's be realistic. Until a few days earlier, the Capitol didn't even know who President Coin was and every single district apart from 13 probably had never seen her. She has the personality of a dead fish left on hot concrete for three days that had been shat on - and the charisma to match! I doubt many of the residents of district 13 even held any great love for her! Most of the population of Panem was probably going to immediately assume that President Coin somehow had it coming. After all, if Katniss shoots you - you probably did something bad. Something very, very bad!
The election of Paynor was just ridiculous and unrealistic. You have a nation so fractured that it's fourteen different districts have never cooperated or worked or even really MET each other. Plus the fact that they're in economic collapse and dealing with the fallout of a costly war.
I just can't bring myself to believe that they wouldn't drug Katniss up, put her smiling face on stage and have some kind of deciding power working behind closed doors while Katniss waved happily to the smiling faces and kissed babies.
It reminds me of that scene in Ender's Game when Ender is reminiscing about how he's just won the war as one of the greatest generals of recent history and suddenly, in the clean up effort, he's become useless because the adults don't think that the same leadership and skills it requires to lead an army, could also be useful to rebuild a world.
But Katniss and Peeta have the perfect matching set of skills to help put the world back together and they already have the love and trust of most of the population! I'm not saying they'd want to do it. I'm saying I doubt, realistically, that they'd have a choice in the matter.
Now, apart from the ending - which I didn't mind, just was baffled by - I loved and adored this book.
Peeta's hijacking was devestating, Katniss' mental breakdown was harrowing. Finnick! *cries* and I'd really held out that maybe somehow Cinna had survived and been kept as a prisoner like Peeta - but alas, no! And everytime he was mentioned in the costuming etc I wanted to cry.
The battles, the politics, it was all such an amazing novel and the end to an amazing series. I'm honestly in love with Suzanne Collins because she's such a brave writer. She's not scared to go to dark places and she's not scared to scar her characters up a bit. She's happy to take the audience out of their comfort zone and I LOVE that about her.
Catching Fire and Mockingjay could never match the perfect pacing and brilliant plot of The Hunger Games but they're still amazing books full of suspense, action, great characterization and thoughtful dialogue. They reflect circumspectly on our society as Collin's asks us to see ourselves through the eyes of Katniss.
I've heard a little bit of mumbling about the relationship between Peeta and Katniss. It's interesting to bring up because I've heard the concept that Katniss doesn't deserve Peeta a lot. Why? Is she as patient, devoted and understanding of Peeta and he is of her? Absolutely not. Katniss regularly fails at patient and kind. I'd also highly doubt that this would come of any shock to Peeta. He didn't fall in love with her not knowing who she was. He's watched her for years and he has ALWAYS been the one to feel more deeply, act unselfishly in her favor and to give more of himself. That's who they are as a couple. Katniss on the other hand, I'm relieved to say, is a female character who isn't hung up on emotions and the postures of love. She loves Peeta enough to make herself sick and crazy at the thought of what's happening to him - but she's also a functional, strong person who has a job to do. She's not like Bella who falls to pieces when Edward leaves. She can't afford to and she's never been one to sit around and obsess over how perfect Peeta's hair is or comment on his body like it's a marble statue.
I guess what I'm saying is that if Peeta feels like he deserves Katniss and vice versa, then who am I to argue?
So whilst I didn't satisfactorily buy the ending, I really loved this book and highly recommend this series - even if I had to out myeslf as an evil, plotting witch with political aspirations of taking over the world to do it!
*Can I also just add that Katniss' mother is the saddest excuse for a human being - in reality, she's a sack of shit who should never have had children. I can't think of more horrible things to call her right now because I'm so angry at her! Gah!
Bitches...
What were you doing when you were 16? Checking your boobs each morning to see if the Boob Fairy had paid you a visit? Sneaking out of the house to the park down the street where you and your six friends would share a single can of beer and pretend you're drunk? Making out? Homework? Fighting with your parents? Watching scary movies?
Katniss is sixteen years old and she's been in two Hunger Games, fighting against twenty-odd opponents to the death. Then she becomes the symbol of the rebel leadership and helps overthrow an evil empire before she can legally drink.
So I suppose it's really ridiculous of anyone to expect her capable of then going on to be president of this new world after everything she's been through. Nobody would be evil enough to force that on her considering her fragile mental state...
Except me.
[image error]
Maleficent and I go way back...
But this is fantasy, right, it's not like children or teenagers are really capable of this much! It would be totally unrealistic of me to expect much more of Katniss considering all she's done...
Well, except for the cute little nine-year-old Htoo twins who lived in the Karen National Rebel camp when the enemy came and all the soldiers ran away leaving their AK-47's. These two nine-year-olds thought it'd be a hoot to pick up a few guns and hold off the entire invading Burmese army... successfully.
And that would be a really cute story except for the fact that they went on to create their own army who were convinced that these two little chain-smokin' tykes had magical powers and were invincible.
But I mean, they're a fluke! It's not like any other kids did great things. Well, unless you're counting Iqbal Masih who was made a slave at the age of five and chained to his loom for twelve hours a day. Still, the little tyke managed to escape when he was ten so he only had to endure the first half of his life with unspeakable cruelty and torturous living conditions that left him unable to grow.
Luckily, when he got out he ran off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. *Kat is interrupted by whispering* Wait - what? He didn't? *More whispering* He joined the Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan as their spokesperson, going RIGHT back into the slave trade that had abused and tormented him for five years so that he could rescue another three THOUSAND children from slavery?
Shit.
Get off the computer you lazy little cow and go rescue some child slaves!
Oh and by the way, he only stopped after two years because he'd affected carpet manufacturing so much that carpet export in those years dropped by $200,000,000 and he was assasinated in 1995 for being too damn awesome.
At 12 years old my greatest achievement was not killing myself while I shaved my legs!
I wasn't going to mention St Joan of Arc because that comparison would be a little too easy but since I have time I'll just quietly mutter that she helped lead France to a number of tactical defeats in the Hundred Year's War, crowned a King and was Burned as a witch before she was nineteen years old.
But, no, it's too much to ask that Katniss step up into a role like that! After all, she had PTSD and she was traumatized. It would be evil for any adult to keep her on retainer as a figurehead to inspire the people. Which, by the way, if I were an adult in power in this particular world - I would totally do.
But Katniss isn't the only one I'd keep to do my bidding. I'd keep Peeta around too. Occasionally, I'd pull them out of their little therapy/rejuvination bubble to do short propos on how the new unified nation was moving forward in positive steps and how everything was improving.
And since I am only moderately evil and am actually very fond of Katniss and Peeta, I find the fact that they were allowed to go home and live out their quiet little lives peacefully to be very unrealistic. In fact, it was the only really unrealistic thing in this novel and let's remember that I'm including genetically altered mutts and beams that can melt your skin off on that list!
So she did a little thing like shooting President Coin. Let's be realistic. Until a few days earlier, the Capitol didn't even know who President Coin was and every single district apart from 13 probably had never seen her. She has the personality of a dead fish left on hot concrete for three days that had been shat on - and the charisma to match! I doubt many of the residents of district 13 even held any great love for her! Most of the population of Panem was probably going to immediately assume that President Coin somehow had it coming. After all, if Katniss shoots you - you probably did something bad. Something very, very bad!
The election of Paynor was just ridiculous and unrealistic. You have a nation so fractured that it's fourteen different districts have never cooperated or worked or even really MET each other. Plus the fact that they're in economic collapse and dealing with the fallout of a costly war.
I just can't bring myself to believe that they wouldn't drug Katniss up, put her smiling face on stage and have some kind of deciding power working behind closed doors while Katniss waved happily to the smiling faces and kissed babies.
It reminds me of that scene in Ender's Game when Ender is reminiscing about how he's just won the war as one of the greatest generals of recent history and suddenly, in the clean up effort, he's become useless because the adults don't think that the same leadership and skills it requires to lead an army, could also be useful to rebuild a world.
But Katniss and Peeta have the perfect matching set of skills to help put the world back together and they already have the love and trust of most of the population! I'm not saying they'd want to do it. I'm saying I doubt, realistically, that they'd have a choice in the matter.
Now, apart from the ending - which I didn't mind, just was baffled by - I loved and adored this book.
Peeta's hijacking was devestating, Katniss' mental breakdown was harrowing. Finnick! *cries* and I'd really held out that maybe somehow Cinna had survived and been kept as a prisoner like Peeta - but alas, no! And everytime he was mentioned in the costuming etc I wanted to cry.
The battles, the politics, it was all such an amazing novel and the end to an amazing series. I'm honestly in love with Suzanne Collins because she's such a brave writer. She's not scared to go to dark places and she's not scared to scar her characters up a bit. She's happy to take the audience out of their comfort zone and I LOVE that about her.
Catching Fire and Mockingjay could never match the perfect pacing and brilliant plot of The Hunger Games but they're still amazing books full of suspense, action, great characterization and thoughtful dialogue. They reflect circumspectly on our society as Collin's asks us to see ourselves through the eyes of Katniss.
I've heard a little bit of mumbling about the relationship between Peeta and Katniss. It's interesting to bring up because I've heard the concept that Katniss doesn't deserve Peeta a lot. Why? Is she as patient, devoted and understanding of Peeta and he is of her? Absolutely not. Katniss regularly fails at patient and kind. I'd also highly doubt that this would come of any shock to Peeta. He didn't fall in love with her not knowing who she was. He's watched her for years and he has ALWAYS been the one to feel more deeply, act unselfishly in her favor and to give more of himself. That's who they are as a couple. Katniss on the other hand, I'm relieved to say, is a female character who isn't hung up on emotions and the postures of love. She loves Peeta enough to make herself sick and crazy at the thought of what's happening to him - but she's also a functional, strong person who has a job to do. She's not like Bella who falls to pieces when Edward leaves. She can't afford to and she's never been one to sit around and obsess over how perfect Peeta's hair is or comment on his body like it's a marble statue.
I guess what I'm saying is that if Peeta feels like he deserves Katniss and vice versa, then who am I to argue?
So whilst I didn't satisfactorily buy the ending, I really loved this book and highly recommend this series - even if I had to out myeslf as an evil, plotting witch with political aspirations of taking over the world to do it!
*Can I also just add that Katniss' mother is the saddest excuse for a human being - in reality, she's a sack of shit who should never have had children. I can't think of more horrible things to call her right now because I'm so angry at her! Gah!
August 25, 2010
Mockingjay, the final book in Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games Trilogy. For a year, I had been anxiously waiting to read the about the adventures of the rebels, the hopefully happy ending. How wrong was I. There is an ending - but it is not as happy as most expected it to be. The rebels fought, they won. But in a sense, Collin's shows us that when violence is used to such extremes, no one wins; yes, a winner is declared - but the sadness and loss of both sides proves that no one really wins in war. While reading this book, I felt almost as depressed as a sober Haymitch.
There is a lot of death throughout the book (I sobbed at Finnick's). However, even though there is so much death in this book, most of it comes to new characters; the leader of district 13, Coin; Bogg, one of Katniss's bodyguards; mostly new or unknown characters that pass on. But alot of the death-related sadness in the book comes not from individual characters, but more from Katniss's vivid description of the mass homicide that they are left with at the end of the war. The group of children murdered on President Snow's doorstep - Prim included. The workers trapped in the Nut, a mountain in district two. The hospital burned down in district eight. That, more than anything, sets such a depressing tone.
In my opinion, however, it wasn't death that made such a sad air around the book. Some of the tortures make it worse. Peeta's hijacking, Finnick's molestation, Johanna's physical pain. And to top the list, Katniss - expected to be the rock strong Mockingjay when all of this happens around her. All this pain that she goes though, and so much more, should make her deserve a happy life afterwards. However, instead of in the company of her surviving friends and family, she finds herself alone, in a burned-down district, sitting by the fire in her Victor's house. That, more that anything, saddens the reader. When Katniss deserves someone with her, to make her feel less alone, the only person to console her is herself. Yes, in the end she and Peeta end up together. But during the book, she is always alone.
Even though this book is a far departure from the first two books, I believe that Suzanne saved her own series. She, like Cinna, made sure that no one would forget the 'girl on fire'. When so many books have slightly bittersweet endings, this book is much heavier on the bitter, distinguishing itself from so many others. There is no Disney ending to the Hunger Games, and I believe that if there was one than it would ruin the message of the series.
Suzanne Collins created her third bittersweet masterpiece, completeing one of the most different and best trilogies in YA Fiction today.
**note** its beautiful writing, too. suzanne collins has a gorgeous voice.
There is a lot of death throughout the book (I sobbed at Finnick's). However, even though there is so much death in this book, most of it comes to new characters; the leader of district 13, Coin; Bogg, one of Katniss's bodyguards; mostly new or unknown characters that pass on. But alot of the death-related sadness in the book comes not from individual characters, but more from Katniss's vivid description of the mass homicide that they are left with at the end of the war. The group of children murdered on President Snow's doorstep - Prim included. The workers trapped in the Nut, a mountain in district two. The hospital burned down in district eight. That, more than anything, sets such a depressing tone.
In my opinion, however, it wasn't death that made such a sad air around the book. Some of the tortures make it worse. Peeta's hijacking, Finnick's molestation, Johanna's physical pain. And to top the list, Katniss - expected to be the rock strong Mockingjay when all of this happens around her. All this pain that she goes though, and so much more, should make her deserve a happy life afterwards. However, instead of in the company of her surviving friends and family, she finds herself alone, in a burned-down district, sitting by the fire in her Victor's house. That, more that anything, saddens the reader. When Katniss deserves someone with her, to make her feel less alone, the only person to console her is herself. Yes, in the end she and Peeta end up together. But during the book, she is always alone.
Even though this book is a far departure from the first two books, I believe that Suzanne saved her own series. She, like Cinna, made sure that no one would forget the 'girl on fire'. When so many books have slightly bittersweet endings, this book is much heavier on the bitter, distinguishing itself from so many others. There is no Disney ending to the Hunger Games, and I believe that if there was one than it would ruin the message of the series.
Suzanne Collins created her third bittersweet masterpiece, completeing one of the most different and best trilogies in YA Fiction today.
**note** its beautiful writing, too. suzanne collins has a gorgeous voice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2018
Here's seven reasons why this trilogy sucks:
1. Katniss has the personality of a vegetable
2. Peeta is a needy little baker boy
I鈥檒l never get over how the author can justify his camouflage techniques born as a result from his cake decorating experience鈥︹€�
3. The world is completely unacceptable and unbelievable.
No collective nation would be so morally depraved as to watch the murder of children for entertainment; I cannot accept this idea.
4. This book did not make me think, as everything is on the surface.
There is nothing beyond the story; it is basic and thrown in your face.
5. The writing is atrocious.
6. Collins self-plagiarises herself in the second book.
Peeta: We must survive these games.
Katniss: Hang on a minute. Didn鈥檛 we do this exact same thing before?
Peeta: It doesn鈥檛 matter. The readers will love it.
Katniss: Ok. I forgot. I鈥檓 so stupid. I can only think in simple sentences. We must win. I like to shoot arrows.
Peeta: Yes. We must live. I shall use my cake decorating skill to our advantage!
Katniss:Ok.
7. The whole series is a combination of cheap thrills in which the last book is a complete mess.
I hate this series so much; I will never understand its popularity. It is just terrible on every level. I鈥檝e included links to my reviews of the first two books, as they explain my summary here. I honestly 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 be bothered to write a full review of this; it didn鈥檛 deserve it. It was such a mess.
The Hunger Games
1. The Hunger Games- A transparent one star
2. Catching Fire- A cheap one star
3. Mockingjay- A terrible one star
1. Katniss has the personality of a vegetable
2. Peeta is a needy little baker boy
I鈥檒l never get over how the author can justify his camouflage techniques born as a result from his cake decorating experience鈥︹€�
3. The world is completely unacceptable and unbelievable.
No collective nation would be so morally depraved as to watch the murder of children for entertainment; I cannot accept this idea.
4. This book did not make me think, as everything is on the surface.
There is nothing beyond the story; it is basic and thrown in your face.
5. The writing is atrocious.
6. Collins self-plagiarises herself in the second book.
Peeta: We must survive these games.
Katniss: Hang on a minute. Didn鈥檛 we do this exact same thing before?
Peeta: It doesn鈥檛 matter. The readers will love it.
Katniss: Ok. I forgot. I鈥檓 so stupid. I can only think in simple sentences. We must win. I like to shoot arrows.
Peeta: Yes. We must live. I shall use my cake decorating skill to our advantage!
Katniss:Ok.
7. The whole series is a combination of cheap thrills in which the last book is a complete mess.
I hate this series so much; I will never understand its popularity. It is just terrible on every level. I鈥檝e included links to my reviews of the first two books, as they explain my summary here. I honestly 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 be bothered to write a full review of this; it didn鈥檛 deserve it. It was such a mess.
The Hunger Games
1. The Hunger Games- A transparent one star
2. Catching Fire- A cheap one star
3. Mockingjay- A terrible one star
April 25, 2023
All Katniss really wants is to not be "a piece in their games". But nobody apparently got the memo. Once again, she is a pawn in somebody's power games. Same shit, different day. Only the Gamemakers have changed.
The above are synonymous in the eyes of the Capitol. Or District 13, for that matter.
Even free from the clutches of the Capitol, Katniss still has a role to play - whether she wants it or not. This time it's Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion she unwittingly helped to bring. But the puppeteers now are the supposedly good guys - District 13. They rescued her and now have plans for her. Unfortunately, nobody asked Katniss whether SHE wanted to be steered and manipulated without her knowledge into ending up exactly where they needed her for the benefit of their cause. The makeovers, speeches, and roles to play are all waiting for the girl who is supposed to be their Mockingjay. Sounds eerily Capitol-like, right?
If you expected a story where Katniss is the leader of the rebellion and kicks Capitol's ass, you will be gravely disappointed. This is NOT a story of war and revenge and justice. Instead, it is a story about suffering and pain of a young woman devastated and broken by horrendous things that have happened to her. It is quite PAINFUL and traumatic to read. Which is the entire point.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katniss Everdeen is a badass, no argument here. She was "the girl on fire", after all. But she is not a fiery revolutionary destined to lead the rebellion. She never wanted to change the world. She did all her wonderful, brilliant, and brave acts of defiance out of the drive to help her loved ones survive and out of pure human compassion which is plentiful under her seemingly gruff and cynical exterior. She just wanted peace and safety. She is not a fighter - she is the ultimate survivor.
Therefore you'd be better off leaving changing the world and leading the uprisings to the 'real' rebels and visionaries. Like Gale, who also designed a deadly trapped exploiting human compassion. Like Coin, who successfully led her District to overturn Snow-led Capitol. You see, in order to be a successful leader, you need to be ruthless, to be willing to overlook small casualties and sacrifices for the sake of a bigger picture, the greater good. Katniss can't. She is too human for that. And that's why I love her. And that's why she is always a threat to everyone's plans.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My favorite - because it's the most believable - thing about Katniss is that she is not invincible. Unlike many characters in other books, she does not bounce back quickly from extremely traumatic effects; she is terribly affected by them instead.
And from all that comes her ultimate act of defiance - after all, what did you expect from a girl whose defiance was what started the whole thing?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
And as for what occupied the minds of many a teenager reading this book - who will Katniss ultimately end up with, Gale or Peeta? Well, was it even a choice, really? It's not about these two boys, but - as very explicitly stated - about what they represent. Some, I know, were disappointed that she 'settles' for (to Katniss' own dismay) "whoever she thinks she can't survive without".Well, DUH. She is the ultimate survivor. And support, peace, understanding and trust are the founding blocks of any partnership. It's not all about the spark that kindles the fire, you know. It's about what makes it possible for you to keep going. Peeta knows what it's like to be used and broken, while Gale never did.
She's had enough fire and hatred for a lifetime. That's all, folks.
This is a bleak and painful book about the consequences of war and manipulation, and about the mental devastation that comes with it. It is my favorite book of this series, and I love it. 4 stars. Despite a slight PTSD it gave me.
The above are synonymous in the eyes of the Capitol. Or District 13, for that matter.
Even free from the clutches of the Capitol, Katniss still has a role to play - whether she wants it or not. This time it's Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion she unwittingly helped to bring. But the puppeteers now are the supposedly good guys - District 13. They rescued her and now have plans for her. Unfortunately, nobody asked Katniss whether SHE wanted to be steered and manipulated without her knowledge into ending up exactly where they needed her for the benefit of their cause. The makeovers, speeches, and roles to play are all waiting for the girl who is supposed to be their Mockingjay. Sounds eerily Capitol-like, right?
If you expected a story where Katniss is the leader of the rebellion and kicks Capitol's ass, you will be gravely disappointed. This is NOT a story of war and revenge and justice. Instead, it is a story about suffering and pain of a young woman devastated and broken by horrendous things that have happened to her. It is quite PAINFUL and traumatic to read. Which is the entire point.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katniss Everdeen is a badass, no argument here. She was "the girl on fire", after all. But she is not a fiery revolutionary destined to lead the rebellion. She never wanted to change the world. She did all her wonderful, brilliant, and brave acts of defiance out of the drive to help her loved ones survive and out of pure human compassion which is plentiful under her seemingly gruff and cynical exterior. She just wanted peace and safety. She is not a fighter - she is the ultimate survivor.
"I guess there isn't a rule book for what might be acceptable to do to another human being."Badass or not, Katniss does not possess the conviction of every successful revolutionary - that the end justifies the means (the end being a better and brighter future.
"But that kind of thinking... you could turn it into an argument for killing anyone at any time. You could justify sending kids into the Hunger Games to prevent the districts from getting out of line."SING IT, KATNISS, YOU AWESOME BRAVE HONEST GIRL.
Therefore you'd be better off leaving changing the world and leading the uprisings to the 'real' rebels and visionaries. Like Gale, who also designed a deadly trapped exploiting human compassion. Like Coin, who successfully led her District to overturn Snow-led Capitol. You see, in order to be a successful leader, you need to be ruthless, to be willing to overlook small casualties and sacrifices for the sake of a bigger picture, the greater good. Katniss can't. She is too human for that. And that's why I love her. And that's why she is always a threat to everyone's plans.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My favorite - because it's the most believable - thing about Katniss is that she is not invincible. Unlike many characters in other books, she does not bounce back quickly from extremely traumatic effects; she is terribly affected by them instead.
"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."Katniss has been through more than most people can imagine. She experienced the worst nightmare of the world of Panem - the Hunger Games - twice. She was used and manipulated, sustaining mental and physical injuries. She blames herself for the deaths of thousands of her friends and neighbors. And she has almost nobody to rely on. Peeta was taken away from her. Even her best friend Gale is further than she can reach - in his dream world of the uprising, basking in the satisfaction of doing what he always wanted. And eventually whatever's left of Katniss' innocence gets completely shattered by and realizing how she - and the rest of the country - been ultimately manipulated.
And from all that comes her ultimate act of defiance - after all, what did you expect from a girl whose defiance was what started the whole thing?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
And as for what occupied the minds of many a teenager reading this book - who will Katniss ultimately end up with, Gale or Peeta? Well, was it even a choice, really? It's not about these two boys, but - as very explicitly stated - about what they represent. Some, I know, were disappointed that she 'settles' for (to Katniss' own dismay) "whoever she thinks she can't survive without".Well, DUH. She is the ultimate survivor. And support, peace, understanding and trust are the founding blocks of any partnership. It's not all about the spark that kindles the fire, you know. It's about what makes it possible for you to keep going. Peeta knows what it's like to be used and broken, while Gale never did.
She's had enough fire and hatred for a lifetime. That's all, folks.
"What I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again."Another sad - and realistic - thing that I love in this book is that there is no happy ending. Katniss survives, but it comes at a price. She remains haunted by the past, even twenty years later. She never completely recovers, and my heart breaks for her.
"I'll tell them how I survive it. I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in things because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years.-------------------------------------------------------------------------
But there are much worse games to play."
This is a bleak and painful book about the consequences of war and manipulation, and about the mental devastation that comes with it. It is my favorite book of this series, and I love it. 4 stars. Despite a slight PTSD it gave me.
August 25, 2010
How do I begin to convey my disappointment? I suppose it all comes down to expectations and as mine were not met, I feel vastly underwhelmed, and a little bit devastated. When I read , I was enthralled. I thought Katniss was intelligent, resourceful, and displayed tremendous strength in character. Moreover, Katniss鈥檚 arc appeared to parallel with the overall arc of the story/series. As Katniss grew more bold, so did the remaining characters and the uprising initiative. I expected this to continue in . However, Katniss appeared to stagnate, whereas the remaining characters and overall story arc continued on without her. By the end of book 2, Katniss was still in 鈥渟urvivor鈥� mode, and failed to deliver anything beyond demonstration of those already proven survival instincts that we readers discovered in book 1. Nonetheless, my love for left me with hope that Katniss would finally step into her role as not only a symbol of hope and rebellion against tyranny, but as a leader in an uprising that opposes oppression, and emboldens freedom of choice and will. Much to my dismay, it never occurs.
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I was under the impression that this series was meant to be about revolting against a corrupt, freedom suppressing government and replacing it with a new government that not only condones freedom in all its forms, but fosters it, allowing it to thrive. For this to be an achievable story arc, Katniss has to develop into something more than a resourceful hunter, shooter of arrows, and unpredictable pawn. She has to embolden herself, as the districts have had to embolden themselves, grab her title as MockingJay by the balls, and make her own choices, cut her own path, and shoot down those who stand in her way literally and figuratively. Otherwise what is the point of revolution if the very person who made it possible doesn鈥檛 follow through?
But in we don鈥檛 get an emboldened Katniss, we simply get more of the same, actually, we get less than the same. When Katniss isn鈥檛 hiding in closets, passed out from injuries, strung out on morphine, or walking around the compound in a near catatonic state, Katniss will exert herself in her typical yet unpredictable brash reactor form, always manipulated by those around her. She still lacks control over her life. She isn鈥檛 a warrior in the rebellion, she is a weapon, a tool, a pawn. Other times she is completely useless all-together. She is dictated to and she may or may not deliver. Where did the potential leader go I ask you?
This late in the game, Katniss needed to grow as a character, to complete the story arc, if not her own character鈥檚 journey, properly. Katniss has been used to spur the other districts into revolution because she is supposed to possess strength in character as seen in the Hunger Games. She is now the face of the revolution, whether she meant to be or not. The districts have become inspired by the ball busting Katniss they perceive her to be, and it鈥檚 a lie. Turns out she isn鈥檛 opposed to being used as long as it鈥檚 people she knows calling the shots (District 13). I would have been fine with this course of events had they appeared in . But by the final installment, Katniss needed to be in charge of her own fate, to understand her role, to be a role model. Instead I felt as though I was reading the POV of a mentally unstable drug addict.
Then there is the rebellion itself. I was expecting carnage, war, suffering, and terror seen through the eyes of our previous heroine (Katniss) and hero (Peeta). Instead we suffer through ad campaigns and one unnecessary adventure that doesn鈥檛 occur until the last portion of the book, and even that is unsatisfying with all its useless deaths (Finnick and Primm). Frankly, Finnick was the best part of and I 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 even mourn him properly as his face time was so minimal and his death so swift. But back on point, what was the purpose for Katniss鈥檚 man killing mission? Is she really so daft that she can鈥檛 see the bigger picture? Can鈥檛 she rise above baser human emotions, and the events that pertain only to her? Can鈥檛 she at least attempt to be worthy of the responsibility that has befallen her? Can鈥檛 she at least strive to earn it? And what鈥檚 most pathetic is that the revenge attempt that cost the lives of Finnick and Primm was all for nothing. Snow lives, until TB takes him. At least that鈥檚 what I assume happens, it never is very clear on how he died.
But my biggest question is, why does Collins hate Peeta? When she wasn鈥檛 making him an invalid in books 1 and 2, he shined. Now in book 3 he has forgotten his love for Katniss and has been programmed by the Capital to kill her. What the hell? Why? Why not let him finally prove his worth, achieve his greatness? Why did she have to make him someone鈥檚 bitch?
This book is a sham. A cop out. And it destroys the integrity of the previous books in the series. The characters fail to develop and even digress into wretched states. The ending is a crap shoot, and that epilogue was bullshit. I鈥檓 Team Peeta through and through, but I feel ripped off. Katniss didn鈥檛 choose him, she resigned herself to him because he was the one who came back for her. There was no declaration on her part, no acceptance or confession of her feelings. Peeta deserved better. We readers earned better.
To those of you reviewers who will scoff at my review, claiming that this book was perfect because it was "realistic", I say give me a break. This series was never meant to be a war documentary. It is a Young Adult Sceince Fiction book. This book contains mutant animals and insects for Christ's sake. In what reality other than "make believe" does a teenager fuel a rebellion? Millions of girls adore Justin Beiber but he isn't going to become the next president. We didn't wait on pins and needles for realism. That's not why readers devoured The Hunger Games. We fell in love because the plot grabbed a hold of our minds with an enthralling story filled with worthy engaging characters. Sadly, somewhere along the way, Collins lost track of the story she was telling and got off course by deciding to get preachy. I didn't want a victim for a heroine, I wanted a victor.
After two rather epic books, I expected more, these characters were worthy of more. It鈥檚 terrible what was done to them and to us for having to read it. While reading I felt like Katniss, a pawn.
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I was under the impression that this series was meant to be about revolting against a corrupt, freedom suppressing government and replacing it with a new government that not only condones freedom in all its forms, but fosters it, allowing it to thrive. For this to be an achievable story arc, Katniss has to develop into something more than a resourceful hunter, shooter of arrows, and unpredictable pawn. She has to embolden herself, as the districts have had to embolden themselves, grab her title as MockingJay by the balls, and make her own choices, cut her own path, and shoot down those who stand in her way literally and figuratively. Otherwise what is the point of revolution if the very person who made it possible doesn鈥檛 follow through?
But in we don鈥檛 get an emboldened Katniss, we simply get more of the same, actually, we get less than the same. When Katniss isn鈥檛 hiding in closets, passed out from injuries, strung out on morphine, or walking around the compound in a near catatonic state, Katniss will exert herself in her typical yet unpredictable brash reactor form, always manipulated by those around her. She still lacks control over her life. She isn鈥檛 a warrior in the rebellion, she is a weapon, a tool, a pawn. Other times she is completely useless all-together. She is dictated to and she may or may not deliver. Where did the potential leader go I ask you?
This late in the game, Katniss needed to grow as a character, to complete the story arc, if not her own character鈥檚 journey, properly. Katniss has been used to spur the other districts into revolution because she is supposed to possess strength in character as seen in the Hunger Games. She is now the face of the revolution, whether she meant to be or not. The districts have become inspired by the ball busting Katniss they perceive her to be, and it鈥檚 a lie. Turns out she isn鈥檛 opposed to being used as long as it鈥檚 people she knows calling the shots (District 13). I would have been fine with this course of events had they appeared in . But by the final installment, Katniss needed to be in charge of her own fate, to understand her role, to be a role model. Instead I felt as though I was reading the POV of a mentally unstable drug addict.
Then there is the rebellion itself. I was expecting carnage, war, suffering, and terror seen through the eyes of our previous heroine (Katniss) and hero (Peeta). Instead we suffer through ad campaigns and one unnecessary adventure that doesn鈥檛 occur until the last portion of the book, and even that is unsatisfying with all its useless deaths (Finnick and Primm). Frankly, Finnick was the best part of and I 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 even mourn him properly as his face time was so minimal and his death so swift. But back on point, what was the purpose for Katniss鈥檚 man killing mission? Is she really so daft that she can鈥檛 see the bigger picture? Can鈥檛 she rise above baser human emotions, and the events that pertain only to her? Can鈥檛 she at least attempt to be worthy of the responsibility that has befallen her? Can鈥檛 she at least strive to earn it? And what鈥檚 most pathetic is that the revenge attempt that cost the lives of Finnick and Primm was all for nothing. Snow lives, until TB takes him. At least that鈥檚 what I assume happens, it never is very clear on how he died.
But my biggest question is, why does Collins hate Peeta? When she wasn鈥檛 making him an invalid in books 1 and 2, he shined. Now in book 3 he has forgotten his love for Katniss and has been programmed by the Capital to kill her. What the hell? Why? Why not let him finally prove his worth, achieve his greatness? Why did she have to make him someone鈥檚 bitch?
This book is a sham. A cop out. And it destroys the integrity of the previous books in the series. The characters fail to develop and even digress into wretched states. The ending is a crap shoot, and that epilogue was bullshit. I鈥檓 Team Peeta through and through, but I feel ripped off. Katniss didn鈥檛 choose him, she resigned herself to him because he was the one who came back for her. There was no declaration on her part, no acceptance or confession of her feelings. Peeta deserved better. We readers earned better.
To those of you reviewers who will scoff at my review, claiming that this book was perfect because it was "realistic", I say give me a break. This series was never meant to be a war documentary. It is a Young Adult Sceince Fiction book. This book contains mutant animals and insects for Christ's sake. In what reality other than "make believe" does a teenager fuel a rebellion? Millions of girls adore Justin Beiber but he isn't going to become the next president. We didn't wait on pins and needles for realism. That's not why readers devoured The Hunger Games. We fell in love because the plot grabbed a hold of our minds with an enthralling story filled with worthy engaging characters. Sadly, somewhere along the way, Collins lost track of the story she was telling and got off course by deciding to get preachy. I didn't want a victim for a heroine, I wanted a victor.
After two rather epic books, I expected more, these characters were worthy of more. It鈥檚 terrible what was done to them and to us for having to read it. While reading I felt like Katniss, a pawn.
August 27, 2010
SPOILERS!!!
****
Ugh. I was just thankful that I decided to be grown-up and not wait until midnight to get this book and then stay up all night reading it. I kindled it early this morning and ignored my kids for 4 hours and got through it. This book makes you realize how much the storyline in the first two depended upon the tension created by the love triangle. In Mockingjay, the author robs her readers of what they (I) crave! By the end, everything is so messed up that Peeta vs. Gale became "OH snap. Who even cares anymore?" I couldn't help but be disappointed--it was so violent, everyone dies (I CANNOT forgive Collins for taking away both Finnick and Prim!!) and even though there is a nicely packaged epilogue, I wanted more...EXPECTED more out of this final installment. I have to chalk this work up to "Twilight Syndrome"...gifted authors with an original page-turning first book, followed by hurried, increasingly poorly written and thought-out sequels.
Bottom line: You have to read it, but don't spend money on it- wait and borrow it from your friend. And then fondly recall the excellence of the first book.
****
Ugh. I was just thankful that I decided to be grown-up and not wait until midnight to get this book and then stay up all night reading it. I kindled it early this morning and ignored my kids for 4 hours and got through it. This book makes you realize how much the storyline in the first two depended upon the tension created by the love triangle. In Mockingjay, the author robs her readers of what they (I) crave! By the end, everything is so messed up that Peeta vs. Gale became "OH snap. Who even cares anymore?" I couldn't help but be disappointed--it was so violent, everyone dies (I CANNOT forgive Collins for taking away both Finnick and Prim!!) and even though there is a nicely packaged epilogue, I wanted more...EXPECTED more out of this final installment. I have to chalk this work up to "Twilight Syndrome"...gifted authors with an original page-turning first book, followed by hurried, increasingly poorly written and thought-out sequels.
Bottom line: You have to read it, but don't spend money on it- wait and borrow it from your friend. And then fondly recall the excellence of the first book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2018
these are the things i have done for this book:
i have given up my birthday, waiting in line from 5 until its midnight release, braving the crowds and noise and commotion...
i have missed my subway stop and ended up taking the crappy way into work...
i have seriously considered calling out of work to sit at home and finish it...
i have read in elevators, while walking down the street, walking up the stairs, while eating dinner without even tasting it...
i have rushed my beloved dawn powell's book, racing through it so i could get to this book as quickly as possible...
i have come home to a laundry bag full of clothing that needed to be folded and a bunch of dishes that needed to be done - ignoring which usually gives me mental discomfort... but i did...
i have thrown off my netflix schedule for the week...
i have read this book in one day, and now i am wanting more...
*
i just realized that this book comes out the day after my birthday. which means i will then be 33, and will have waited in anticipation for a TEEN FICTION book for almost a year. and i will probably read it in a day, and afterward feel utterly shattered with lacking. and then i can go be a grown-up again.
but for now, i can't help it, it's that good of a series, and i have given up any adult-shame i might have felt for bouncing up and down in my skin with wanting this book this very minute.
32 and still a child...
i have given up my birthday, waiting in line from 5 until its midnight release, braving the crowds and noise and commotion...
i have missed my subway stop and ended up taking the crappy way into work...
i have seriously considered calling out of work to sit at home and finish it...
i have read in elevators, while walking down the street, walking up the stairs, while eating dinner without even tasting it...
i have rushed my beloved dawn powell's book, racing through it so i could get to this book as quickly as possible...
i have come home to a laundry bag full of clothing that needed to be folded and a bunch of dishes that needed to be done - ignoring which usually gives me mental discomfort... but i did...
i have thrown off my netflix schedule for the week...
i have read this book in one day, and now i am wanting more...
*
i just realized that this book comes out the day after my birthday. which means i will then be 33, and will have waited in anticipation for a TEEN FICTION book for almost a year. and i will probably read it in a day, and afterward feel utterly shattered with lacking. and then i can go be a grown-up again.
but for now, i can't help it, it's that good of a series, and i have given up any adult-shame i might have felt for bouncing up and down in my skin with wanting this book this very minute.
32 and still a child...
January 31, 2023
鈥淵ou love me. Real or not real?"
"搁别补濒.鈥�
"Friend. Lover. Victor. Enemy. Fiancee. Target. Mutt. Neighbor. Hunter. Tribute. Ally. I'll add it to the list of words I use to try to figure you out.鈥�
鈥淪tay with me.
础濒飞补测蝉.鈥�
August 27, 2010
I guess, sometimes our emotional bones need to be re-broken in order to set them right. Maybe this was a common experience for those who read this book, but a lot of its most emotional points were like reading a bizarre dream about the last few years of my own life. I鈥檓 not going to go into it because that would be, like, an unacceptable amount of over-share, even for me. That鈥檚 just to say that I have no ability to be objective about it. This story: real or not real?
I love Mockingjay like I love and , and of course anything by and . They鈥檙e all books that have at one time or another spoken to me on such a personal and emotional level that they mean something more than writing or storytelling. That is only a personal reaction, not a recommendation. Actually, it makes me not want anyone else to read the book ever. I want to keep it as my own because I don鈥檛 want to hear a bunch of fools say they think the names are funny or something like that.
There are many threads of meaning and themes you could take from this story, but the one that strikes me as profound right now, a few days removed from my reading, is, why are we so goddamn powerless? Is it apathy or, maybe, discouragement? Are we powerless against other people or government systems, or are people and systems only symbols of our general powerlessness against the universe? Throughout this book, there is a steady rhythm of characters reminding Katniss of her power and describing her power to her.
I did some research recently about , and I've probably already told you about it, but I'm going to again. Basically, the theory of fundamental attribution error says that we think that we make our own life choices because we are tossed in the wind and the crazy, random happenstance of outside forces makes us who we are. But we think other people make the choices they do because of natural inclination. Like, someone who murders might think she did so because of an unplanned series of unfortunate events, but an observer thinks the killer did so because she is naturally a murderer. This story creates an interesting contrast between the way Katniss sees herself and the way others see her. She only sees the random events that lead her to become the symbol of rebellion against tyrrany. Others see her as the natural embodiment of the symbol. And I think this says a lot about all of us and the things we choose to do or to ignore. I think Collins would say we are powerless because we have abandoned our power, or perhaps because we don't remind each other that we have power.
There are some beautiful moments in other stories, like and , where the tragedy of the conflict culminates in good friends battling each other. Nominally, they fight out of some shallow sense of vengeance, but ultimately I think it鈥檚 more the total injustice of loss that motivates them. I think they fight because if you can fight you are still alive, and sometimes that鈥檚 all that鈥檚 left. Maybe what Dylan Thomas meant when he said, "Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against the dying of the light." There are a lot of moments in this book that make me think of that image of friends fighting each other, but really fighting something more abstract and unconquerable. We fight, maybe, as some kind of animal scream in the face of the cold universe. But, Collins also shows how we fight because of the warm arms and kind hearts of the people we love. We fight because we are wrong and evil and stupid and cunning and loving and compassionate and fierce. There鈥檚 no simple answer.
Reading the other books in this series, I identified on a personal level with the political and cultural commentary. The way Collins held up a mirror to my own apathy and opulence was a slap in the face. This book meant so much to me emotionally and personally that I hate to pretend that my reaction is political at all. This book, to me, was the story of what happens when suddenly the person you trusted the most in the world sees everything you do as evil. I don't think I've ever seen someone write about that, and I was totally unprepared for the experience of reading it. Do you become evil because you've lost that person? Does their definition of you become your own? Do you sacrifice everything to repair the relationship? If they don't know what's real, how do you? It was so beautiful and tragic to watch that in this book, and it resonated on such a personal level with me, that after reading it I had to rebuild a lot of how I see myself.
On the other hand, I feel like it is important to acknowledge the cultural/political side of this story, and that, while this series is stylized, it is not much of a step away from reality. It, like all of Collins鈥� writing that I have read so far, is about adults training children to kill children. And that鈥檚 what we do, right? In Africa, the Middle East, Russia, America, in uniform and out of uniform, we train children to kill children.
I鈥檓 sure you鈥檝e all already seen the about the American soldiers shooting the Reuters photographers and later wounding children who were riding in the ambulance coming to help the photographers. If you haven鈥檛 seen it yet, the linked article also links to the video. One of the most disturbing things to me about that video is how the soldiers laugh. Real or not real? I 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 watch the whole thing. When people get in fights on the listserv at school, we call it a 鈥渇lame war.鈥� Do we call it that here on GR? Anyway, a student posted that video to the listserv last spring, asking, if that video is something that we now know about, how many other incidents like this have happened and not been released to the public? That post started an outrageous flame war on the listserv, in which a couple of the military guys threatened the poster. People who I generally respect and even look up to in some ways said things like, "This is your final warning!" and argued that it is unacceptable to question people in uniform because without their sacrifices, we wouldn鈥檛 have the freedom to question them. Even aside from the circular logic, that argument just makes me go ballistic. And I think that is exactly the labyrinth of war that Collins writes about.
Everything she did here is beautiful, even, at times, poetic. I love that she didn鈥檛 glorify the rebels, and I love the image of communism she gives as much as her version of capitalism. It makes sense that she published this story in three parts, but I think it could also be read as one whole. I love her characters and her thoughtful messages. I love the way her relationships fall apart and grow back together. I almost had to stop reading this book partway through because it was too painful. But I think it was a stern talking-to that I needed. This story real or not real? For me, real.
I love Mockingjay like I love and , and of course anything by and . They鈥檙e all books that have at one time or another spoken to me on such a personal and emotional level that they mean something more than writing or storytelling. That is only a personal reaction, not a recommendation. Actually, it makes me not want anyone else to read the book ever. I want to keep it as my own because I don鈥檛 want to hear a bunch of fools say they think the names are funny or something like that.
There are many threads of meaning and themes you could take from this story, but the one that strikes me as profound right now, a few days removed from my reading, is, why are we so goddamn powerless? Is it apathy or, maybe, discouragement? Are we powerless against other people or government systems, or are people and systems only symbols of our general powerlessness against the universe? Throughout this book, there is a steady rhythm of characters reminding Katniss of her power and describing her power to her.
I did some research recently about , and I've probably already told you about it, but I'm going to again. Basically, the theory of fundamental attribution error says that we think that we make our own life choices because we are tossed in the wind and the crazy, random happenstance of outside forces makes us who we are. But we think other people make the choices they do because of natural inclination. Like, someone who murders might think she did so because of an unplanned series of unfortunate events, but an observer thinks the killer did so because she is naturally a murderer. This story creates an interesting contrast between the way Katniss sees herself and the way others see her. She only sees the random events that lead her to become the symbol of rebellion against tyrrany. Others see her as the natural embodiment of the symbol. And I think this says a lot about all of us and the things we choose to do or to ignore. I think Collins would say we are powerless because we have abandoned our power, or perhaps because we don't remind each other that we have power.
There are some beautiful moments in other stories, like and , where the tragedy of the conflict culminates in good friends battling each other. Nominally, they fight out of some shallow sense of vengeance, but ultimately I think it鈥檚 more the total injustice of loss that motivates them. I think they fight because if you can fight you are still alive, and sometimes that鈥檚 all that鈥檚 left. Maybe what Dylan Thomas meant when he said, "Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against the dying of the light." There are a lot of moments in this book that make me think of that image of friends fighting each other, but really fighting something more abstract and unconquerable. We fight, maybe, as some kind of animal scream in the face of the cold universe. But, Collins also shows how we fight because of the warm arms and kind hearts of the people we love. We fight because we are wrong and evil and stupid and cunning and loving and compassionate and fierce. There鈥檚 no simple answer.
Reading the other books in this series, I identified on a personal level with the political and cultural commentary. The way Collins held up a mirror to my own apathy and opulence was a slap in the face. This book meant so much to me emotionally and personally that I hate to pretend that my reaction is political at all. This book, to me, was the story of what happens when suddenly the person you trusted the most in the world sees everything you do as evil. I don't think I've ever seen someone write about that, and I was totally unprepared for the experience of reading it. Do you become evil because you've lost that person? Does their definition of you become your own? Do you sacrifice everything to repair the relationship? If they don't know what's real, how do you? It was so beautiful and tragic to watch that in this book, and it resonated on such a personal level with me, that after reading it I had to rebuild a lot of how I see myself.
On the other hand, I feel like it is important to acknowledge the cultural/political side of this story, and that, while this series is stylized, it is not much of a step away from reality. It, like all of Collins鈥� writing that I have read so far, is about adults training children to kill children. And that鈥檚 what we do, right? In Africa, the Middle East, Russia, America, in uniform and out of uniform, we train children to kill children.
I鈥檓 sure you鈥檝e all already seen the about the American soldiers shooting the Reuters photographers and later wounding children who were riding in the ambulance coming to help the photographers. If you haven鈥檛 seen it yet, the linked article also links to the video. One of the most disturbing things to me about that video is how the soldiers laugh. Real or not real? I 肠辞耻濒诲苍鈥檛 watch the whole thing. When people get in fights on the listserv at school, we call it a 鈥渇lame war.鈥� Do we call it that here on GR? Anyway, a student posted that video to the listserv last spring, asking, if that video is something that we now know about, how many other incidents like this have happened and not been released to the public? That post started an outrageous flame war on the listserv, in which a couple of the military guys threatened the poster. People who I generally respect and even look up to in some ways said things like, "This is your final warning!" and argued that it is unacceptable to question people in uniform because without their sacrifices, we wouldn鈥檛 have the freedom to question them. Even aside from the circular logic, that argument just makes me go ballistic. And I think that is exactly the labyrinth of war that Collins writes about.
Everything she did here is beautiful, even, at times, poetic. I love that she didn鈥檛 glorify the rebels, and I love the image of communism she gives as much as her version of capitalism. It makes sense that she published this story in three parts, but I think it could also be read as one whole. I love her characters and her thoughtful messages. I love the way her relationships fall apart and grow back together. I almost had to stop reading this book partway through because it was too painful. But I think it was a stern talking-to that I needed. This story real or not real? For me, real.
July 21, 2021
Below is my original review. I'm leaving it as it's still essentially how I feel still. I have however decided that the overall story of the book rates a higher rating than I originally gave (you'll see below). The biggest problem for me was that Katniss seemed to grow some throughout the first and the second book, yet slid back and forth/up and down throughout this. I just didn't think it was still Katniss in some ways.
To each of course and I'd say try it yourself and see how you feel/what you think.
Some spoilers in review as I do discuss some things about the conclusion of the book.
*** Spoilers in Review below ***
I found this an unsatisfying book and conclusion to what had been up to now a pretty good trilogy and if my children were still young I'd definitely discuss this one with them to see what they took away from it. Not my cup of tea, and puts my retention of the other two in my collection in question...I regret the money spent on this book and the time invested in it, a bad sign. The first book is a very good read, the second is pretty good, but this, the end volume is very, very weak. My opinion of course.
Update: Sadly this volume ruined the entire set for me. I sold all 3.
To each of course and I'd say try it yourself and see how you feel/what you think.
Some spoilers in review as I do discuss some things about the conclusion of the book.
*** Spoilers in Review below ***
I found this an unsatisfying book and conclusion to what had been up to now a pretty good trilogy and if my children were still young I'd definitely discuss this one with them to see what they took away from it. Not my cup of tea, and puts my retention of the other two in my collection in question...I regret the money spent on this book and the time invested in it, a bad sign. The first book is a very good read, the second is pretty good, but this, the end volume is very, very weak. My opinion of course.
Update: Sadly this volume ruined the entire set for me. I sold all 3.
May 9, 2025
This book is a page turner; the revolution is in full swing. Katniss must accept the responsibility of becoming the Mockingjay, the symbol of the revelation. The main problem I have with this book is similar to the first book. Many of the battle scenes do not make sense to me. They are as confused as Katniss' mental state. As interesting as the book was to read, I just could not give it 5 stars simply for the confusion of so many of the scenes. Other thing that do not make sense is the rebels are using machine guns on the hover crafts but it is not till Gale and Katness with bow and arrows (exploding arrows) start shooting the things down that they start to do any damage. How do you miss with a machine gun? Apart from this moment, Katniss is pretty inept in most of the battles, a bit disappointing. There are many twists and turns, and everyone has their agenda. These keep things interesting. The thing the author got right is Katniss herself. She is forced to grow up and harden herself to the world, but her emotions have not quite caught up. The good thing about this is that there is a definitive ending.
November 3, 2017
兀賴賱丕 亘賰 賮賷 賳賴丕賷丞 兀賴賲 賲賱丨賲丕鬲 丕賱丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕 賮賷 丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱丨丿賷孬
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
"賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷貙 賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞
丨賷孬 毓賱賯賵丕 賲賳賴丕 乇噩賱丕 賷賯丕賱 兀賳賴 賯鬲賱 孬賱丕孬丞
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱貙 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
丕賱丨亘賰丞 丕賱鬲賷 賷乇丕賴丕 丕賱亘毓囟 禺胤乇丕 毓賱賷 亘毓囟 丕賳馗賲丞 丕賱丨賰賲
兀丨丿丕孬 孬賵乇賷丞 賵丕賯毓賷丞 毓賱賷 賳馗丕賲 賮丕爻丿 丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷貙 賷賲鬲氐 噩賴丿 卮毓亘賴 賲賳 兀噩賱 賲氐賱丨丞 賵乇禺丕亍 丕賱兀賯賱賷丞 丕賱兀孬乇賷丕亍貙 丕賱胤亘賯丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕 賵丕賱乇卅賷爻 賵丨丕卮賷鬲賴
孬賵丕乇 丨賯賷賯賷賵賳 賷乇賷丿賵賳 丕賱毓丿賱貙 兀賵 賷乇賷丿賵賳 賮賯胤 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賰乇賷賲丞...賷乇賷丿賵賳 丨賭賭賷丕丞 丨乇丞 賮丨爻亘
賵賳賵毓 兀禺乇 賲賳 丕賱孬賵丕乇貙 賷乇賷丿賵賳 賯氐丕氐丕 丿賲賵賷丕 賮丨爻亘貙 賱丕 賷賯賱賵賳 丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷丞 毓賳 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賱賮丕爻丿 丕賱丨丕賱賷...賯丿 賷氐賱 亘賴賲 丕賱兀賲乇 賱賯鬲賱 丕賱兀亘乇賷丕亍 賮賯胤 賱兀爻賯丕胤 丕賱賳馗丕賲 賵丕賱賵氐賵賱 賱賱爻賱胤丞 賲賰丕賳賴
賵亘賷賳 賴匕丕 賵賴匕丕貙 賳賵毓 賮乇賷丿 賲賳 丕賱孬賵丕乇... 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 兀賷賮賷乇丿賷賳
賵賴賷 丕毓鬲亘乇賴丕 兀賯賵賷 賲丕 賮賷 丕賱孬賱丕孬賷丞..卮禺氐賷丞 賮乇賷丿丞 賵囟毓鬲 賮賷 丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕 兀賵乇賵賷賱賷丞..鬲賰丕丿 鬲賰賵賳 賵丕賯毓賷丞
賰赌丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷 爻鬲噩丿 賳賮爻賰 丕賲丕賲 丕丨丿丕孬 鬲鬲卮丕亘賴 賲毓 賵丕賯毓賳丕 賮賷 丕賱乇亘賷毓 丕賱毓乇亘賷 丕賱賲夭毓賵賲
丕丨丿丕孬 孬賵乇賷丞 毓賱賷 賳馗丕賲 賮丕爻丿 丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷 亘禺丿丕毓賴 賵鬲毓匕賷亘賴 賵賯賲毓賴貙 賵賳噩丨鬲 丕賱賲丐賱賮賴 賮賷 兀囟丕賮丞 賲賵丕賯賮 賰孬賷乇丞 禺賱丕賱 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 鬲賵囟丨 賮爻丕丿 丕賱賳馗丕賲 -丨鬲賷 賮爻丕丿 丕賱兀爻鬲睾賱丕賱 丕賱噩賳爻賷 賱賱賲卮丕賴賷乇 賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲卮丕亘賴賴 賰孬賷乇丕 賲毓 賲賲丕乇爻丕鬲 丨丿孬鬲 賮賷 賲氐乇 賲賳匕 丕賵丕禺乇 丕賱爻鬲賷賳丕鬲 毓賱賷 賷丿 丕賱賲禺丕亘乇丕鬲 賵丨鬲賷 丕賱鬲爻毓賷賳丕鬲
-丕賱賲賴賲 兀賳 賰賱 賴匕丕 亘丿賵賳 丨卮賵 賵丕賷丨丕亍丕鬲 賵丕賱賮丕馗 亘匕賷卅賴 賰毓丕丿丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱卮亘丕亘 丕賱毓乇亘-
亘賱 賵賲賮丕噩兀丞 睾乇賷亘丞 爻鬲噩丿 丕丨丿丕孬 鬲鬲卮丕亘賴賴 賰孬賷乇丕 賲毓 "賲賵賯毓賴 丕賱噩賲賱" 賮賷 賲氐乇 丕賵 丨鬲賷 囟乇亘 丕賱丕胤賮丕賱 亘丕賱賰賷賲丕賵賷 賮賷 爻賵乇賷丕 賵賱賳 賷賰賵賳 賴賳丕賰 鬲兀賰賷丿 賮賷 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賲賳 賯丕賲 亘賴丕 亘卮賰賱 賵丕囟丨 賱丕賳賴 -丿毓賵賳丕 賳鬲丨丿孬 亘氐乇丕丨丞- 賱丕 賷賵噩丿 卮卅 賲丐賰丿 賮賷 賱毓亘賴 丕賱氐乇丕毓 毓賱賷 丕賱毓乇賵卮 賵丕賱賰乇丕爻賷 丕賱賯匕乇丞 賵賱毓亘丞 丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 丕賱賳噩爻丞...賮賰賲丕 賯賱鬲 賰丕賳 賴賳丕賰 丕賱亘毓囟 賲爻鬲毓丿丕 賱賱鬲囟丨賷丞 丕賱賯匕乇丞 亘亘毓囟 丕賱兀亘乇賷丕亍 賮賷 爻亘賷賱 兀爻賯丕胤 丕賱賳馗丕賲, 賵兀毓鬲賱丕亍 丕賱爻賱胤丞
丨鬲賷 丕賳 賰丕賳 賴匕丕 賷丐丿賷 賱賱鬲囟丨賷丞 丕賱睾丕丿乇丞 亘丕賱兀亘乇賷丕亍
-賵噩丕亍 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賲亘丕卮乇丕 亘賴匕賴 丕賱賳賯胤丞 亘卮賰賱 賲賲鬲丕夭-
丨鬲賷 丕賱乇卅賷爻 賷丿丕賮毓 毓賳 賳賮爻賴 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘毓丿 賴匕賴 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱丿賲賵賷丞 亘賭 "賱賲 丕賰賳 丕賳鬲賵賷 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賮賷 丕賱爻賱胤丞 賵賰賳鬲 丕賳鬲賵賷 丕賱鬲賳丨賷 ,賵兀賳丕 兀禺丕賮 毓賱賷 賲氐賱丨丞 丕賱卮毓亘 賵丨賷丕鬲賴賲"
賰賲丕 爻鬲噩丿 賴賳丕賰 孬賵丕乇 賷胤丕賱亘賵賳 亘丕賱丿賲 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕賱丕賳鬲賮丕賲 賮丨爻亘 , 賷胤丕賱亘賵賳 亘丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷丞 兀禺乇賷, 賵丕匕丕 賱賲 鬲賵丕賮賯 賮丕賳鬲 "禺丕卅賳 賵毓賲賷賱" 賵丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賳賴 丕匕丕 賰丕賳鬲 "賮賱賵賱" 賱賴丕 鬲毓亘賷乇 丕賳噩賱賷夭賷 賱鬲賲 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲賴 賮賷 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬
鈥淎re you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
"賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 ,賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞
丨賷孬 賳丕丿賷 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱賲賷鬲 丨亘賷亘鬲賴 賱鬲賴乇亘
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱, 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
賵賱賳丿毓 丕賱賵丕賯毓 丕賱囟丕卅毓,丕賱賲賯賷鬲 噩丕賳亘丕 賵賱賳亘丿兀 亘賭賭
丕賱兀丨赌赌丿丕孬
*
鬲亘丿兀 亘毓丿 賲乇賵乇 賵賯鬲 賯賱賷賱 賲賳 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷 丕賱乇賴賷亘丞
兀賱丕 兀賳賴丕 賱賲 鬲賰賳 亘賳賮爻 丕賱爻乇毓丞 賰丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱爻丕亘賯 賵賰丕賳鬲 兀亘胤兀 賰孬賷乇丕
賰丕鬲賳賷爻 亘毓丿 賲毓乇賮鬲賴丕 亘賲丕 丨丿孬 賱賱賯胤丕毓 12, 賵丕賳鬲賯丕賱賴丕 賱孬賵丕乇 丕賱賯胤丕毓 13 , 賷鬲賲 鬲丿乇賷亘賴丕 賴賳丕賰 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丨丕賱鬲賴丕 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 丕賱爻賷卅丞 賱鬲賰賵賳 乇賲夭丕 賱賱孬賵乇丞, 丕賱氐賵乇丞 丕賱丿毓丕卅賷丞 賱賴丕, 賵鬲賵丕賮賯 賱兀賲乇 賵丕丨丿...賮賴賷 鬲乇賷丿 丕賱毓賷卮 亘丨乇賷丞 賵賰乇丕賲丞... 賵賱賰賳 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷丨丿孬 匕賱賰 丿賵賳 丕賱賯囟丕亍 毓賱賷 丕賱乇卅賷爻 " 爻賳賵" 丕賱匕賷 丕丨丕賱 丨賷丕鬲賴丕 丕賱賷 噩丨賷賲 ,賵丿賲乇 丨賷賵丕鬲 丕賰孬乇
賵賱賰賳 丕賱丕賴賲 賷噩亘 丕賳賯丕匕 "亘賷鬲丕" 賲賳 丕賷丿賷 丕賱賰丕亘賷鬲賵賱 賰賲丕 丕賳鬲賴鬲 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱爻丕亘賯丞..孬賲 賱鬲亘丿兀 丕賱丨乇亘
賵賴匕丕 賴賵 丕賰亘乇 毓賷賵亘 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕禺賷乇 .. 賵丿賵賳 丕賱禺賵囟 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 亘丕賱兀禺氐 賱賴丐賱丕亍 丕賱賲毓鬲賲丿賷賳 毓賱賷 爻賱爻賱丞 丕賱兀賮賱丕賲
賱丕賳 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 鬲丿賵乇 賲賳 賵噩賴賴 賳馗乇 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賮丨爻亘, 亘賷賳賲丕 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱賴丕賲丞 賵丕賱賲亘賳賷 毓賱賷賴丕 丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕禺賷乇 賲賳 鬲禺胤賷胤 賱賱丨乇亘 賵丕賱氐乇丕毓 賱丕 鬲爻鬲賱夭賲 賵噩賵丿賴丕 賮賷 丕賱亘丿丕賷賴, 丕賵 賵賯賵毓賴丕 丕賱丿丕卅賲 賮賷 氐丿賲丞 賲賳 鬲賵丕賱賷 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱氐毓亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 賱賲 鬲賰賳 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱爻丕亘賯 爻賵賷 亘丿丕賷賴 賱賴丕 賷噩毓賱賴丕 賱丕 鬲鬲丕亘毓 賰賷賮 賷丿賵乇 丕賱氐乇丕毓
賮噩丕卅鬲 丕賱兀噩夭丕亍 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賲乇 亘賴丕 賮賷 丕孬賳丕亍 鬲賱賰 丕賱氐丿賲丕鬲 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 亘胤賷卅丞 噩丿丕
賲賯丕乇賳丞 賱丕 亘丿 賲賳賴丕
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Vs. Mockingjay
*
Vs
卮毓乇鬲 胤賵丕賱 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 亘丕賳賳賷 丕賲丕賲 賳爻禺賴 丕禺乇賷 賲賳 丕禺乇 丕噩夭丕亍 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇, 丨賷孬 賷鬲卮丕亘賴賴 丕賱丕孬賳丕賳 賮賷 丕賳 丕賱禺賷胤 丕賱丕爻丕爻賷 賮賷 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱匕賷 馗賱 孬丕亘鬲 賮賷 丕賱丕噩夭丕亍 丕賱爻丕亘賯賴 賱賷賳賯賱亘 賵賷鬲睾賷乇 鬲賲丕賲丕 賮賷 噩夭亍賴 丕賱兀禺賷乇
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兀賵賱丕: 鬲睾賷賷乇 噩匕乇賷 賮賷 鬲爻賱爻賱 賵兀賲丕賰賳 賵賯賵毓 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 亘賷賳 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賵丕賱兀噩夭丕亍 丕賱爻丕亘賯丞
賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇 賰賱 噩夭亍 賷亘丿兀 亘丕賳鬲賴丕亍 丕賱氐賷賮 孬賲 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 賵丕賷丕賲 丕賱丿乇丕爻丞 賵 丨鬲賷 丕賱丕賲鬲丨丕賳丕鬲
賲丕毓丿丕 丕賱丕禺賷乇 賱丕 賷賵噩丿 賲丿乇爻丞 賵賱丕 丕賲鬲丨丕賳丕鬲 賵丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 亘毓賷丿丞 鬲賲丕賲丕 毓賳 賲賰丕賳 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱鬲賷 丕毓鬲丿賳丕賴丕 胤賵丕賱 丕賱丕噩夭丕亍 丕賱爻丕亘賯丞
賮賷 丕賱毓丕亘 丕賱賲噩丕毓丕鬲 丿丕卅賲丕 賴賳丕賰 丕賱丨氐丕丿 ,孬賲 丕賱鬲丿乇賷亘 , 孬賲 爻丕丨賴 丕賱賯鬲丕賱.. 賵賱賰賳 賴賳丕 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀禺賷乇 丕賱丕賲乇 丕禺鬲賱賮 鬲賲丕賲丕, 賱丕 丨氐丕丿, 丕賱鬲丿乇賷亘 賲禺鬲賱賮 鬲賲丕賲丕 賵丕賱賯鬲丕賱 賮賷 卮賵丕乇毓 丕賱毓丕氐賲丞 "丕賱賰丕亘賷鬲賵賱" 賵丕賱匕賷 丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賳賴 賲賳 賵噩賴賴 賳馗乇賷 丕賰孬乇 丕賱丕噩夭丕亍 丕賱睾賷乇 賲賯賳毓賴 亘丕賱賳爻亘賴 賱賷, 賮賵氐賮 丕賱兀賰卮賳 亘賴 賰丕賳 氐毓亘丕 噩丿丕 亘丕賱兀禺氐 賮賷 賵氐賮 賰賷賮 鬲賲鬲 賰賱 鬲賱賰 丕賱氐乇丕毓丕鬲 賮賷 卮賵丕乇毓 丕賱賰丕亘賷鬲賵賱,賵賴匕丕 賷丨鬲賱 賲爻丕丨丞 囟禺賲丞 賲賳 丕賱噩夭亍 賳賮爻賴
賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱氐乇丕毓 亘卮賵丕乇毓 丕賱毓丕氐賲丞 "丕賱賰丕亘賷鬲賵賱" 丿賲賵賷丕 賰丕賱兀乇賷賳丕 "爻丕丨丕鬲 丕賱賯鬲丕賱" 賵賱賰賳 賷馗賱 丕賱賵氐賮 賲胤賵賱丕 賵賲乇賴賯丕 賵賲禺鬲賱賮丕 毓賳 賳賵毓賷丞 丕賱噩夭卅賷賳 丕賱爻丕亘賯賷賳
賰賲丕 丕賳 賴賳丕賰 鬲胤賵賷賱 卮毓乇鬲 亘賴 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 丨鬲賷 賲丕亘毓丿 賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
-賰賲丕 賯賱鬲 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 賲賳 賵噩賴丞 賳馗乇 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賮丨爻亘-
丕賲丕 鬲鬲丿丕毓賷丕鬲 丕賱賳賴丕賷賴 賮賰丕賳 丕賱噩夭亍 "丕賱丕賰卮賳" 亘賴丕 睾乇賷亘 , 丨鬲賷 丕賱賵賮賷丕鬲 亘賴 賰丕賳鬲 "賲鬲爻丕乇毓丞" 賮賱賲 丕卮毓乇 亘丕賱丨夭賳 丕賱丕 鬲賯乇賷亘丕 亘毓丿 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇卅賷爻賷丞 賵賯亘賱 丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱噩賲賷賱丞
Bittersweet
賵賴匕丕 丕賷囟丕 賷鬲卮丕亘賴賴 賲毓 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇 賵賰孬乇丞 丕賱賵賮賷丕鬲 賮賷 噩夭亍賴 丕賱兀禺賷乇
賵賴匕丕 匕賰乇賳賷 丕賷囟丕 亘賳賴丕賷賴 乇賵丕賷賴
賵丕賱鬲賷 賮丕賯鬲 賰賲賷賴 丕賱賵賮賷丕鬲 丕賰孬乇 賲賳 賴賳丕 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丕賳賴丕 賲丕夭丕賱鬲 賮賷 噩夭卅賴丕 丕賱丕賵賱, 賰賲丕 丕賳 丕賰卮賳 "丨乇亘 丕賱卮賵丕乇毓" 賱賲 賷賰賳 賲賯賳毓丕 亘丕賱兀禺賷乇丞 丕賷囟丕
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孬丕賳賷丕 : 賰賱賲丕鬲 鬲丐孬乇 丕賱賯賱亘 Always VS Real or Not Real
賷亘丿賵 丕賳 賰賱 毓卮丕賯 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇 卮毓乇賵丕 亘丕賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱賰賱賲丞 -丿丕卅賲丕- 鬲毓鬲亘乇 賰毓賱丕賲丞 賲爻噩賱丞 賱爻賳丕亘 賮賷 丕禺乇 賲卮丕賴丿賴 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕禺賷乇 賲賳 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇, 賯氐丞 丕賱丨亘 丕賱禺丕賱丿丞 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 賲兀爻賵賷鬲賴丕
賴賳丕 丕賷囟丕 鬲賲 兀爻鬲禺丿丕賲賴丕 亘卮賰賱 乇賵賲丕賳爻賷 噩丿丕 賵賱賰賳 賷馗賱 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賲丐賱賮丞 賱"丨賯賷賯賷 丕賲 賱丕" 賴賵 丕賰孬乇 賲丕卮丿賳賷 亘賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵兀孬乇 賮賷 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲賲鬲丕夭丞 賵"丕賵乇賷噩賷賳丕賱" 噩丿丕 賱賷賰賵賳 賲爻噩賱 賱賯氐丞 丕賱丨亘 賴賳丕 賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲亘丕丿賱賴丕 丕賱兀孬賳賷賳
丨賯賷賯賷 兀賲 賱丕
賵賯丿 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賴丕 亘賷鬲丕 賵賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賰孬賷乇丕 賮賷 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 賲賲丕 賷賲賳丨賰 賳賵爻鬲丕賱賷噩丕 賱賱噩夭卅賷賳 丕賱爻丕亘賯賷賳
"You鈥檙e still trying to protect me. Real or not real,鈥� he whispers
賵賯丿 賵馗賮鬲賴丕 亘卮賰賱 乇丕卅毓 禺賱丕賱 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 賮毓賱丕 丨鬲賷 賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕 , 賵兀孬乇鬲 賮賷 噩丿丕
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孬丕賱孬丕 : 丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞 EPILOGUE
鬲鬲賲賷夭 賴賳丕 賮賷 丕賱毓丕亘 丕賱賲噩丕毓丕鬲 丕賳 丕禺乇 賮氐賱 賮賷 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 丕賯賵賷 賵賲賱丕卅賲 亘卮賰賱 丕乇賵毓 賱賱爻賱爻賱丞, 亘毓賰爻 賳賵毓丕 賲丕 賮賷 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇 賵丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳 亘賴丕 "賰賱丕卮賷賴" 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 丕賱爻毓賷丿丞 丕賱賲毓鬲丕丿丞 -賵丨鬲賷 賳丿賲鬲 毓賱賷賴丕 賱丕丨賯丕 噩賷 賰賷 乇賵賱賷賳噩 賮賷 兀賲乇 乇賵賳 賵賴乇賲賷賵賳賷
兀毓噩亘賳賷 噩丿丕 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 賱賰賱 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 "丕賱鬲賷 亘賯賷鬲 毓賱賷 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賮賯胤 亘丕賱胤亘毓" 賵丨鬲賷 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱胤丕睾賷 /丕賱胤睾丕丞
賵丕賱爻丐丕賱 丕賱賲毓賱賯...賴賱 賮毓賱丕 丕賱賯丕丿賲 爻賷賰賵賳 兀賮囟賱責
兀毓鬲賯丿 丕賳 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 噩丕卅鬲 賵丕賯毓賷丞
賵賰賷賮 鬲丐孬乇 丕賱孬賵乇丞 賮賷 賳賮賵爻 丕賱亘毓囟
爻賵丕亍 亘丕賱丕賷噩丕亘賷丞 丕賵 亘丕賱爻賱亘賷丞
-賵馗賴賵乇 丕賱賯胤 賮賷 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 賰賲丕 亘亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩毓賱賳賷 丕鬲兀孬乇 賰孬賷乇丕 , 丕賱賲卮賴丿 鬲賲 鬲賯丿賷賲賴 亘卮賰賱 賲賲鬲丕夭 賮賷 丕賱賮賷賱賲 丕賱兀禺賷乇-
鈥淎re you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run, so we鈥檇 both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 ,賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
廿賱賷 丨賷孬 賯賱鬲 賱賰賷 兀賳 鬲賴乇亘賷 ,賱賳賰賵賳 爻賵賷丕 兀丨乇丕乇
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
"賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱, 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞
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乇丕亘毓丕 賵兀禺賷乇丕 : 丨賰丕賷賴 丕賱丕禺賵賴 丕賱孬賱丕孬賴 賵 丨賰丕賷丞 卮噩乇丞 丕賱賲卮賳賯丞
賯氐丞, 賴賷 丿丕卅賲丕 賯氐丞 賲賳 丕賱鬲乇丕孬 丕賱賲賵乇賵孬 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞..賯氐丞 鬲鬲乇丿丿 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀禺賷乇
賯氐丞 賯丿 鬲卮毓乇 丕賳賴丕 賯丿乇 丕賱亘胤賱 丨鬲賷 賷鬲賲乇丿 毓賱賷賴丕 亘孬賵乇鬲賴
賮賷 賴丕乇賷 亘賵鬲乇 賯氐賴 丕賱丕禺賵賴 丕賱孬賱丕孬賴 賰丕賳鬲 鬲氐賵乇 丕賳 丕賱賳噩丕丨 賵丕賱賳氐乇 賷丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賷 "賲賯丕賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賲賵鬲" 亘丕賱賴乇賵亘 賲賳賴 亘毓亘丕亍丞 兀禺賮丕亍..丨噩乇 兀毓丕丿丞 丕賱丨賷丕丞 兀賵 毓氐丕 丕賱賯賵丞 賵賱賰賳 丕賱丕賲乇 賱賲 賷賰賳 賴賰匕丕 丕亘丿丕 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丕賳賰 爻鬲毓鬲賯丿 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕禺賷乇 毓賳丿 匕賰乇賴丕 丕賳 "賲賯丕賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賲賵鬲" 賴賷 胤乇賷賯鬲賴 賱賱賳氐乇
丕賲丕 賮賷 賴賳丕 賮兀睾賳賷賴 卮噩乇丞 丕賱賲卮賳賯丞, 賵丕賱鬲賷 兀乇賵賷賴丕 賱賰賲 亘賱睾鬲賴丕 丕賱兀氐賱賷丞 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 丕賵丨鬲 賱賱亘胤賱賴 丕賳 丕賱賴乇賵亘 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱噩丨賷賲 賵丕賱丕爻鬲亘丿丕丿 賱賳 賷兀鬲賷 爻賵賷 亘鬲乇賰 丕賱噩丨賷賲 鬲賲丕賲丕 賵丕賱丕爻鬲爻賱丕賲 賱賱毓丿賲,丕賱賲賵鬲..賵匕賱賰 賯亘賱 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞
賵賴賷 賲賳 丕賯賵賷 丕賱丕噩夭丕亍 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賷囟丕 賵丕毓噩亘鬲賳賷 噩丿丕 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 胤丕亘毓賴丕 丕賱鬲卮丕丐賲賷 , 丕賱丕 丕賳賴丕 賱賱丕爻賮 鬲賱賷賯 亘丕賱丕卮賷丕亍 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨丿孬 丕賱丕賳 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷,賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲毓丿賳丕 賱賱兀爻賮 賰丕賱丕睾賳賷丞 丕賳 丕賱丕睾乇亘 亘丕賱賮毓賱 賷丨丿孬..賵賱賰賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲丿毓賵 賱毓丿賲 丕賱兀爻鬲爻賱丕賲..毓丿賲 丕賱賴乇亘 亘賴匕賴 丕賱胤乇賷賯丞..賵賴匕賴 賴賷 賯賷賲丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵賯賵鬲賴丕..賯賵丞 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 兀賷賮賷乇丿賷賳
鈥淎re you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 ,賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
兀乇鬲丿賷 毓賯丿丕 賲賳 丕賱丨亘丕賱 , 噩賳亘丕 丕賱賷 噩賳亘 賲毓賷
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
"賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱, 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞
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丕賱賳赖丕賷丞
賵賱賳丿毓賳丕 賲賳 賰賱 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲卮丕丐賲 賵賱賳乇賷 賲丕鬲賮賵賯鬲 賮賷賴 亘丨賯 丕賱賲丐賱賮賴
賵賲丕 亘丿兀鬲 亘賴 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵, 丕賱卮禺氐賷賴 丕賱孬賵乇賷賴 丕賱丕賯賵賷 賮賷 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕 賲賳 賵噩賴賴 賳馗乇賷
賵鬲胤賵乇 卮禺氐賷鬲賴丕 賲賳 兀乇賵毓 賵兀丿賯 丕賱鬲胤賵乇丕鬲 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 賲賳 匕賱賰 丕賱賳賵毓
賱賲 鬲兀鬲賷 孬賵乇鬲賴丕 賵鬲賲乇丿賴丕 丕賲乇丕 賲亘丕賱睾 賮賷賴, 亘乇毓鬲 丕賱賲丐賱賮賴 賮賷 乇爻賲 賰賷賮 亘丿兀鬲 賰賵丕丨丿賴 賱丕 鬲賮賰乇 爻賵賷 賮賷 丕賱賴乇賵亘 賱賱毓賷卮 賲毓 丕賴賱賴丕 賮丨爻亘 賮賷 丕賱睾丕亘賴 亘毓賷丿丕 毓賳 丕賷 卮卅..孬賲 廿賱賷 鬲丨賵賱賴丕 乇賲夭丕 丨賯賷賯賷丕 賱賱孬賵乇丞, 賵賰賷賮 鬲賲 賮賷 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱乇賲夭 亘卮賰賱 "賲賴賷賳" 賱賱賮賰乇賴 丕賱孬賵乇賷丞 亘丨噩賴 丕賱丿毓丕賷丞 , 賵賱賰賳 亘卮禺氐賷鬲賴丕 賵鬲賱賯丕卅賷鬲賴丕 鬲丨賵賱鬲 丕賱賷 卮毓賱丞 孬賵乇賷丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞 亘毓賷丿丕 毓賳 丕賱夭賷賮 賵丕賱賳賮丕賯
鬲丨賵賱鬲 丕賱賷 胤丕卅乇 丨乇, 賷乇賮囟 丕賱賯賲毓 賵丕賱丕爻鬲亘丿丕丿 兀賷丕 賰丕賳 賲爻賲丕賴
丕賱賮鬲丕丞 丕賱賲卮鬲毓賱丞 丕卮毓賱鬲 丕賱賱賴亘 賮賷 丕賱賮爻丕丿 賵丕賱賱丕丕賳爻丕賳賷丞 ,賵丨賱賯鬲 賰胤丕卅乇 丨乇
丨賱賯鬲 亘毓賷丿丕 毓賳 丕賱胤睾賷丕賳...丕賷 賳賵毓 賲賳 丕賱胤睾賷丕賳
胤睾賷丕賳 丨丕賰賲 , 丕賵 胤睾賷丕賳 孬賵乇賷 噩丕賲丨
賱賷爻 賱賱丕賳鬲賯丕賲 賵丕賳賲丕...賱丨賷丕賴 賱賱亘卮乇賷賴 丕噩賲賱, 賯丿 賱丕賳氐賱 賱賷賵鬲賵亘賷丕, 賵賱賰賳 賮賯胤 賳丨丕賵賱 丕賱丕 賳噩毓賱賴丕 丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕
賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬 賴賵 丕賱丕賯賱 鬲賮囟賷賱丕 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賷 "丕夭賷丿 賲賳 3 賳噩賵賲 亘賯賱賷賱" 賵賱賰賳 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 亘賵噩賴賴 毓丕賲 賵鬲胤賵乇 卮禺氐賷丞 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賵丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 賴賷 賲丕噩毓賱鬲 丕賱鬲賯賷賷賲 賷毓賱賵,賵賷噩毓賱 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 賲賳 賵噩賴賴 賳馗乇賷 賮毓賱丕 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賰賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳 丕噩賲賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱孬賵乇賷丞
爻丕賮鬲賯丿 噩丿丕 丕賱賯乇丕亍賴 賱賰丕鬲賳賷爻 丕賷賮賷乇丿賷賳..賵爻賲丕毓 氐賵鬲賴丕 賵賴賵 賷鬲乇賳賲...鬲賱賰 丕賱丕賳卮賵丿賴
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.
Here it鈥檚 safe, here it鈥檚 warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
賵丕賱賷 乇賷賮賷賵 賱賱孬賱丕孬賷賴 賲毓丕 丕賳 卮丕亍 丕賱賱賴
賲丨賲丿 丕賱毓乇亘賷
賲賳 5 賲丕乇爻 2014
丕賱賷 16 賲丕乇爻 2014
________________________________________
鬲丨丿賷孬 賮賷 22 賳賵賮賲亘乇 2014
亘毓丿 賲卮丕賴丿丞 丕賱賮賷賱賲
賷賳亘睾賷 兀賳 丕賯賵賱 丕賳 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賮毓賱丕 鬲賮賵賯 毓賱賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 亘丕賱兀禺氐, 丕卮毓乇 丿丕卅賲丕 丕賳 賰丕鬲亘賷 丕賱爻賷賳丕乇賷賵 賷丨丕賵賱賵丕 爻丿 丕賱毓賷賵亘 賱賷乇賵丕 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 賰丕賲賱丞 亘賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕 亘毓賰爻 丕賱賲丐賱賮 丕賱匕賷 賯丿 賷賯毓 賲賳賴 賯賱賷賱 賲賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬
賰毓賵丿丞 卮禺氐賷丞 兀賷賮賷 賲孬賱丕 賵丕賱鬲賷 丕賮鬲賯丿賴丕 噩丿丕 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞, 賱鬲賰賵賳 賲賵噩賵丿丞 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬
賵亘丕賱胤亘毓 賰賲丕 賯賱鬲 丕賳 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬 賲賳 賵噩賴丞 賳馗乇 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賮賯胤 賮賷 噩夭亍 賴丕賲 賰賴匕丕 噩毓賱 亘毓囟 丕賱賲賱賱 賷鬲爻乇亘 廿賱賷 兀孬賳丕亍 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 , 賵賱賰賳 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賯丕賲 亘鬲賱丕賮賷 賴匕丕 丨賷孬 賷賯丿賲 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賲賳 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 賵噩賴丞 賳馗乇 賵賱賷爻 賲賳 噩賴丞 賰丕鬲賳賷爻 賮丨爻亘
兀賲丕 兀賰孬乇 賲丕 毓噩亘賳賷 賮賴賷 噩賲賱丞 毓賱賷 賱爻丕賳 丕賱乇丕丨賱 "賮賷賱賷亘 爻賷賲賵乇 賴賵賮賲丕賳" 賮賷 丿賵乇 亘賱丕鬲卮乇 兀賳賴 睾賷乇 賰賱賲丞 丨亘賱 丕賱賷 兀賲賱 賮賷 鬲賱賰 丕賱兀賳卮賵丿丞 丕賱鬲賷 睾賳鬲賴丕 賰丕鬲賳賷爻...亘丿賱丕 賲賳 丨亘賱 丕賱賲卮賳賯丞 丨賵賱賴丕 丕賱賷 兀賲賱
賵賴匕丕 賷鬲賱丕卅賲 亘丕賱鬲兀賰賷丿 賲毓 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞...亘丕賱胤亘毓 丿賵賳 賲卮丕賳賯
賱丕 鬲爻鬲爻賱賲 兀亘丿丕 賱賱賲賵鬲, 賱賲 賷賰賳 賯鬲賱 丕賱賳賮爻 兀亘丿丕 丨乇賷丞
兀孬乇鬲 賮賷 丕賱兀睾賳賷丞 噩丿丕 亘氐賵鬲 賰丕鬲賳賷爻, 賵爻毓丿鬲 毓賳丿賲丕 丨丕賵賱鬲 鬲毓丿賷賱 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 兀賳 賵噩丿鬲 兀賳賷 賯丿 兀卮乇鬲 賱賴丕 賲賳 賯亘賱 賲卮丕賴丿丞 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賮賱賲 兀賯賲 爻賵賷 亘鬲毓丿賷賱 亘爻賷胤 賮賷 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 賵兀囟丕賮丞 鬲乇噩賲丞 賱賴丕 亘丿賱丕 賲賳 丕賱丕睾賳賷丞 亘丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賮丨爻亘
兀孬乇鬲 丕賱兀睾賳賷丞 亘卮賰賱 兀賯賵賷 賮賷 亘爻亘亘 丕賱丨賵丕丿孬 丕賱賲丐爻賮丞 丕賱鬲賷 氐乇賳丕 賳乇丕賴丕 亘卮賰賱 丿丕卅賲...賳爻兀賱 丕賱賱賴 兀賳 賷禺乇噩賳丕 賲賲丕 賰賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賵噩毓
賵賷丨爻賳 禺鬲丕賲賳丕
鈥淎re you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of HOPE, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 ,賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
兀乇鬲丿賷 毓賯丿丕 賲賳 丕锟斤拷兀賲丕賱 , 噩賳亘丕 丕賱賷 噩賳亘 賲毓賷
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
"賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱, 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞
鈥淎re you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run, so we鈥檇 both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.鈥�
賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 ,賴賱 鬲兀鬲賷 丕賱賷 丕賱卮噩乇丞"
廿賱賷 丨賷孬 賯賱鬲 賱賰賷 兀賳 鬲賴乇亘賷 ,賱賳賰賵賳 爻賵賷丕 兀丨乇丕乇
兀卮賷丕亍 睾乇賷亘丞 丨丿孬鬲 賴賳丕 賵賱賰賳 賱賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賱兀睾乇亘
"賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賯丕亘賱賳丕 賴賳丕 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱, 毓賳丿 賲卮賳賯丞 丕賱卮噩乇丞
賲賱丨賵馗丞 賮賷 21 賳賵賮賲亘乇 2015
丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賲賳 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賰丕賳 賲丐孬乇丕 亘卮賰賱 乇賴賷亘
丕賰孬乇 賲賳 乇丕卅毓
丨鬲賷 丕賱丕賰卮賳 賮賷賴 丕賮囟賱 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘
賵賱賰賳 賷馗賱 丕賱賳赖丕賷丞 賲賱丕卅賲丞 鬲賲丕賲丕 賱賱賰鬲丕亘 賵賲賯丿賲丞 亘卮賰賱 毓亘賯乇賷 賷丨亘爻 丕賱丕賳賮丕爻
賱丕 鬲賮賵鬲 賯乇丕亍丞 鬲賱賰 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞
賵賱丕 賲卮丕賴丿丞 丕賮賱丕賲賴丕
October 4, 2021
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3), Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins.
After the events of Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, her mother, her sister Primrose Everdeen, mentor Haymitch Abernathy, and her friends Finnick Odair and Gale Hawthorne, along with the survivors from District 12, adjust to life in the underground District 13, headquarters of the rebellion in Panem.
Katniss reluctantly agrees to act as "the Mockingjay鈥濃€搕he symbol of the rebellion鈥揻or rebel propaganda, on the condition that District 13 President Alma Coin grant immunity to all surviving Hunger Games tributes, including Katniss' friend Peeta Mellark and Finnick's lover Annie Cresta.
Coin, however, insists on flipping for Katniss's other demand: the right to personally execute Panem President Coriolanus Snow.
Peeta is tortured by the Capitol to demoralize Katniss. A rescue team extracts Peeta along with the other captured victors, but discover that he has been brainwashed to fear and despise Katniss.
He attempts to kill her, and is restrained under heavy guard while medics seek a cure.
Finnick and Annie marry in a propaganda effort.
Katniss and Gale are sent to persuade District 2 to join the rebellion.
Gale鈥檚 controversial strategy results in a decisive victory over District 2, enabling a final assault against the Capitol itself.
Katniss is assigned to a squad and sent with a film crew to shoot propaganda.
President Coin also sends Peeta, still dangerous and unpredictable; Katniss suspects Coin wants her dead for her lack of support and growing influence.
While filming in a supposedly safe Capitol neighborhood, the team's commander Boggs is fatally wounded; before dying, he gives Katniss the team鈥檚 command.
She decides to infiltrate the Capitol and kill Snow, telling her team that this was Coin's secret plan; she later reveals the lie, but the team sticks with her.
In the ensuing urban warfare, many of Katniss's comrades, including Finnick, are killed.
As the last of her squad reaches Snow's mansion, a hoverplane bearing the Capitol seal drops bombs among a group of children being used as human shields.
Rebel medics, including Prim, rush in to help the injured children, and the remaining bombs detonate. Prim is killed, and Katniss sustains severe burns.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 丿賴賲 賲丕賴 賲蹖 爻丕賱 2014賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 夭丕睾 賲賯賱丿 - 爻乇蹖 毓胤卮 賲亘丕乇夭賴 噩賱丿 爻賵賲貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 爻賵夭丕賳 讴丕賱蹖賳夭貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 卮亘賳賲 爻毓丕丿鬲貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕賮乇丕夭貙 1392貙 丿乇 407氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 - 爻丿賴 21賲
賴卮丿丕乇: 丕诏乇 賴賳賵夭 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 乇丕 賳禺賵丕賳丿賴 丕蹖丿貙 賵 賲蹖禺賵丕賴蹖丿 禺賵丿 丌賳 乇丕 亘禺賵丕賳蹖丿貙 丕夭 禺賵丕賳卮 賳诏丕乇賴 蹖 夭蹖乇蹖賳 賱胤賮丕 禺賵丿丿丕乇蹖 讴賳蹖丿貨
丿乇 讴鬲丕亘 爻賵賲貙 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 禺賵丕賴乇卮 芦倬乇丕蹖賲禄貙 賵 丿賵爻鬲丕賳卮貙 芦賮蹖賳蹖讴禄 賵 芦诏賽蹖賱禄貙 丿乇 鬲兀爻蹖爻丕鬲 夭蹖乇夭賲蹖賳蹖 賲賳胤賯賴 蹖 爻蹖夭丿賴貙 亘賴 爻乇 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ辟嗀� 讴賴 亘賴 卮丿鬲 鬲賵爻胤 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 毓賱蹖賴 芦倬丕賳賲禄 爻丕夭賲丕賳鈥屫囒� 卮丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲.貨 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賲蹖鈥屬矩佰屫必� 讴賴 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 芦夭丕睾 賲賯賱丿禄貙 亘賴 賳賲丕丿 卮賵乇卮 亘丿賱 卮賵丿貙 亘賴 丕蹖賳 卮乇胤 讴賴 乇卅蹖爻鈥屫呝囐堌� 芦讴購賵蹖賳禄貙 亘賴 賴賲诏蹖 倬蹖卮鈥屭┴粹€屬囏й� 亘丕夭賲丕賳丿賴貙 賵 賴賲趩賳蹖賳 亘賴 芦倬蹖鬲丕 賲賱丕乇讴 (丿賵爻鬲 讴鬲賳蹖爻)禄貙 賵 芦丌賳蹖 讴乇蹖爻鬲丕 (賲毓卮賵賯賴 蹖 賮蹖賳蹖讴)禄貙 丕蹖賲賳蹖 丿賴丿.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賵 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳貙 賲蹖鈥屫з嗀池嗀� 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 夭賳丿賴 丕爻鬲貙 賴乇趩賳丿 鬲賵爻胤 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 卮讴賳噩賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 讴賴 亘丕 丕蹖賳讴丕乇 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 乇丕 讴賳鬲乇賱 讴賳賳丿
賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賲賵賮賯 亘賴 賮乇丕乇 卮丿貙 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 丿乇 芦丌乇賳丕禄 賲丕賳丿貙 賵 乇跇蹖賲 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 丕賵 乇丕 卮爻鬲卮賵蹖 賲睾夭蹖 丿丕丿貙 鬲丕 亘丕 丕賳噩丕賲 讴丕乇賴丕蹖蹖 亘乇賳丕賲賴鈥� 乇蹖夭蹖鈥� 卮丿賴貙 鬲乇爻 賵 賳賵賲蹖丿蹖 乇丕 丿乇 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 丕賮夭丕蹖卮 丿賴丿.貨 丿乇 蹖讴 毓賲賱蹖丕鬲 賳噩丕鬲貙 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖 賲賳胤賯賴 蹖 爻蹖夭丿賴 賲賵賮賯 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 乇丕 賳噩丕鬲 丿賴賳丿貙 丕賲丕 丕賵 丕賯丿丕賲 亘賴 賯鬲賱 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 倬爻 丕夭 丌賳 丕夭 丕賵貙 亘丕 鬲夭乇蹖賯 丌乇丕賲鈥屫ㄘ� 賳诏賴丿丕乇蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀�.貨 亘丕 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 蹖讴 丕爻鬲乇丕鬲跇蹖 亘丨孬鈥� 亘乇丕賳诏蹖夭貙 鬲賵爻胤 芦诏蹖賱禄貙 倬蹖乇賵夭蹖 賯丕胤毓蹖 丿乇 賲賳胤賯賴 蹖 丿賵貙 亘賴 丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屫③屫� 賵 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 蹖賵乇卮 倬丕蹖丕賳蹖 禺賵丿貙 亘賴 爻賵蹖 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 乇丕 丌睾丕夭 讴賳賳丿貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賴賲貙 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 蹖讴 鬲蹖賲 賮蹖賱賲鈥屫ㄘ必ж臂屫� 賵 賳诏賴亘丕賳貙 亘賴 賳賵丕丨蹖 賳爻亘鬲丕賸 丌乇丕賲鈥屫� 噩亘賴賴貙 丕毓夭丕賲 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 鬲丕 賮蹖賱賲蹖 鬲亘賱蹖睾丕鬲蹖 亘爻丕夭丿
乇卅蹖爻鈥� 噩賲賴賵乇 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 丕噩丕夭賴 賲蹖鈥屫囏� 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 賴賲 丿乇 丕蹖賳 爻賮乇貙 丕賵 乇丕 賴賲乇丕賴蹖 讴賳丿貙 賴乇趩賳丿 丕賵 賴賳賵夭 禺胤乇賳丕讴貙 賵 睾蹖乇賯丕亘賱 倬蹖卮鈥屫ㄛ屬嗃� 丕爻鬲.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 乇卅蹖爻鈥屫呝囐堌� 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 卮讴 丿丕乇丿貨 丕賵 亘丕 賳賮賵匕 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丕賳丿丕夭賴貙 賵 賴賵丕丿丕乇丕賳 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 讴賴 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 丿丕乇丿貙 丨賲丕蹖鬲蹖 丕夭 丕丿丕賲賴 蹖 乇蹖丕爻鬲 禺賵蹖卮 賳卮丕賳 賳丿丕丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖讴賴 丌賳鈥屬囏� 丿乇 蹖讴 賲丨賱賴 蹖 馗丕賴乇丕賸 倬丕讴爻丕夭蹖 卮丿賴貙 亘賴 爻乇 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必嗀� 芦亘丕诏夭 (賮乇賲丕賳丿賴贁 鬲蹖賲)禄貙 丿乇 丕孬乇 賲賵丕賳毓蹖 讴賴 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱蹖鈥屬囏ж� 倬蹖卮 丕夭 禺乇賵噩卮丕賳貙 丿乇 賵蹖乇丕賳賴鈥� 賴丕 讴丕乇 诏匕丕卮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�
倬蹖卮 丕夭 賲乇诏貙 丕賵 賲爻卅賵賱蹖鬲 诏乇賵賴 乇丕貙 亘乇 毓賴丿賴 蹖 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賲蹖鈥屭柏ж必� 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 丿乇 丕蹖賳噩丕 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 卮禺氐丕賸 亘賴 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 乇賮鬲賴貙 賵 乇卅蹖爻鈥� 噩賲賴賵乇 芦丕爻賳賵 (乇賴亘乇 丿蹖讴鬲丕鬲賵乇 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱)禄 乇丕 亘讴卮丿貙 賵 鬲蹖賲 丕賵 賴賲 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱卮 賲蹖鈥屫辟堎嗀�.貨 丿乇 噩賳诏 卮丿蹖丿 卮賴乇蹖貙 亘蹖卮鬲乇 乇賮賯丕蹖 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄貙 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 芦賮蹖賳蹖讴禄貙 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨 賴賳诏丕賲蹖讴賴 丕賵 亘賴 毓賲丕乇鬲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 蹖讴 賴賵丕倬蹖賲丕貙 亘賲亘鈥屬囏й屰� 乇丕 亘丕 趩鬲乇貙 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳 诏乇賵賴蹖 丕夭 讴賵丿讴丕賳 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱蹖貙 讴賴 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 爻倬乇 丕賳爻丕賳蹖貙 丿乇 丕胤乇丕賮 毓賲丕乇鬲 亘賵丿賳丿貙 倬乇鬲丕亘 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 亘乇禺蹖 丕夭 亘賲亘鈥屬囏� 賲賳賮噩乇 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖 丕賲丿丕丿 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 (丕夭 噩賲賱賴 倬乇丕蹖賲貙 禺賵丕賴乇 讴鬲賳蹖爻)貙 亘乇丕蹖 蹖丕乇蹖 亘賴 讴賵丿讴丕賳 丌爻蹖亘鈥� 丿蹖丿賴貙 亘丕 毓噩賱賴 賵丕乇丿 賲毓乇讴賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 丕賲丕 丕蹖賳亘丕乇 亘賯蹖賴 亘賲亘鈥屬囏� 亘丕 鬲兀禺蹖乇 賲賳賮噩乇 卮丿賴貙 賵 鬲賱賮丕鬲 爻賳诏蹖賳蹖 亘賴 丕賲丿丕丿诏乇丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀�.貨 芦倬乇丕蹖賲禄 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄貙 亘丕 爻賵禺鬲诏蹖 卮丿蹖丿貙 噩丕賳 爻丕賱賲 亘賴鈥� 丿乇 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 丕賲丕 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 賲賵賮賯 亘賴 賮鬲丨 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨
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丿乇 乇賵夭蹖 讴賴 賯乇丕乇 丕爻鬲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 丕毓丿丕賲 卮賵丿貙 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 讴賴 丨丕賱丕 乇卅蹖爻鈥屫呝囐堌� 賲賵賯鬲 丕爻鬲貙 丕夭 倬蹖卮讴卮鈥屬囏й� 亘丕賯蹖賲丕賳丿賴 賲蹖鈥屬矩必池� 讴賴 賳馗乇卮丕賳 丿乇亘丕乇賴 蹖 亘乇诏夭丕乇蹖 丿賵乇賴鈥� 丕蹖 噩丿蹖丿貙 丕夭 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏й� 诏乇爻賳诏蹖貙 亘丕 卮乇讴鬲 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 乇賴亘乇丕賳 倬蹖卮蹖賳 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 趩蹖爻鬲.貨 芦亘蹖鬲蹖禄貙 芦丌賳蹖禄 賵 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 乇丕蹖 賲禺丕賱賮 賲蹖鈥屫囐嗀� 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖讴賴 芦蹖賵丨丕賳丕禄 賵 芦丕賳賵亘丕乇蹖丕禄 乇兀蹖卮丕賳 賲孬亘鬲 丕爻鬲.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 倬爻 丕夭 丌賳鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫�: 芦亘賴 禺丕胤乇 倬乇丕蹖賲貙 亘賱賴.禄 芦賴賽蹖賲蹖趩禄 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫�: 芦賲賳 亘丕 夭丕睾 賲賯賱丿 賴爻鬲賲.禄貨 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘乇丕蹖 丕噩乇丕蹖 丨讴賲 丕毓丿丕賲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 丌賲丕丿賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丕賵 趩賱賾賴 蹖 讴賲丕賳 乇丕貙 亘賴 爻賵蹖 爻蹖賳賴鈥� 丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┴簇� 鬲丕 賳卮丕賳 丿賴丿 賯氐丿 讴卮鬲賳 芦丕爻賳賵禄 乇丕 丿丕乇丿貙 丕賲丕 丿乇 賱丨馗賴 蹖 丌禺乇 賲蹖鈥屭嗀必屫� 賵 鬲蹖乇 乇丕 亘賴 爻賲鬲 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 倬乇鬲丕亘 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�.貨 丕賵 亘賱丕賮丕氐賱賴 倬爻 丕夭 讴卮鬲賳 芦讴賵蹖賳禄貙 丕賯丿丕賲 亘賴 禺賵丿讴卮蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 丕賲丕 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 噩賱賵蹖 丕賵 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屭屫必�.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 乇丕 丿爻鬲诏蹖乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 賵 鬲丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 卮賵乇卮鈥屬囏й� 丌鬲蹖貙 丿乇 夭賳丿丕賳 賳诏丕賴 賲蹖鈥屫ж辟嗀�.貨
丿乇 倬丕蹖丕賳 丕蹖賳 乇賵蹖丿丕丿賴丕貙 芦丕爻賳賵禄 丿蹖诏乇 賲購乇丿賴 丕爻鬲.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 丿賱蹖賱 噩賳賵賳貙 丕夭 賲噩丕夭丕鬲 賲乇诏 賲蹖鈥屭臂屫藏� 賵 丕賵 乇丕 亘賴 賲賳胤賯賴 蹖 丿賵丕夭丿賴 賲蹖鈥屬佖必池嗀�.貨 賲丕賴鈥屬囏� 亘毓丿貙 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 賵 亘乇禺蹖 丿蹖诏乇 丕夭 亘賵賲蹖丕賳 倬蹖卮蹖賳 賲賳胤賯賴 蹖 丿賵丕夭丿賴貙 亘賴 丌賳噩丕 亘丕夭賲蹖鈥屭必嗀�.貨 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 亘賴 鬲丿乇蹖噩 禺丕胤乇丕鬲 毓卮賯卮 亘賴 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 乇丕 亘丕夭蹖丕亘蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�.貨 丕蹖賳 丿賵 亘丕 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 讴鬲丕亘 禺丕胤乇丕鬲蹖 丿乇亘丕乇賴 蹖 丌賳趩賴 乇禺 丿丕丿賴 賲蹖鈥屬嗁堐屫迟嗀�.貨 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 賴賲趩賳丕賳 诏丕賴蹖 亘賴 禺丕胤乇 卮爻鬲卮賵蹖 賲睾夭蹖貙 賲蹖丕賳 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賵 丿乇賵睾 賮乇蹖賮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賴賲 賴賳賵夭 丿乇 禺賵丕亘貙 丿乇 丕孬乇 丿蹖丿賳 讴丕亘賵爻貙 賮乇蹖丕丿 賲蹖鈥屭┴簇�.貨
亘蹖爻鬲 爻丕賱 倬爻 丕夭 丌賳 乇賵蹖丿丕丿賴丕貙 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賵 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄貙 丿賵 賮乇夭賳丿 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 賲蹖鈥屫①堌辟嗀� 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賳诏乇丕賳 乇賵夭蹖 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 亘趩賴鈥� 賴丕 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 丿禺丕賱鬲 賵丕賱丿蹖賳卮丕賳 丿乇 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏� 賵 噩賳诏 亘倬乇爻賳丿貙 賵 讴賵卮卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 亘丕 鬲賱賯蹖賳 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖 禺賵亘 亘賴 禺賵丿卮貙 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丕囟胤乇丕亘 亘讴丕賴丿.貨 賳賴丕蹖鬲丕賸 讴鬲丕亘 亘丕 丕蹖賳 噩賲賱賴 丕夭 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池�: 芦鈥ωз呚� 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏й� 亘爻蹖丕乇 亘丿鬲乇 丕夭 丕蹖賳 賴賲 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇賳丿.禄貨
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 06/09/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 11/07/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Mockingjay is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins.
After the events of Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, her mother, her sister Primrose Everdeen, mentor Haymitch Abernathy, and her friends Finnick Odair and Gale Hawthorne, along with the survivors from District 12, adjust to life in the underground District 13, headquarters of the rebellion in Panem.
Katniss reluctantly agrees to act as "the Mockingjay鈥濃€搕he symbol of the rebellion鈥揻or rebel propaganda, on the condition that District 13 President Alma Coin grant immunity to all surviving Hunger Games tributes, including Katniss' friend Peeta Mellark and Finnick's lover Annie Cresta.
Coin, however, insists on flipping for Katniss's other demand: the right to personally execute Panem President Coriolanus Snow.
Peeta is tortured by the Capitol to demoralize Katniss. A rescue team extracts Peeta along with the other captured victors, but discover that he has been brainwashed to fear and despise Katniss.
He attempts to kill her, and is restrained under heavy guard while medics seek a cure.
Finnick and Annie marry in a propaganda effort.
Katniss and Gale are sent to persuade District 2 to join the rebellion.
Gale鈥檚 controversial strategy results in a decisive victory over District 2, enabling a final assault against the Capitol itself.
Katniss is assigned to a squad and sent with a film crew to shoot propaganda.
President Coin also sends Peeta, still dangerous and unpredictable; Katniss suspects Coin wants her dead for her lack of support and growing influence.
While filming in a supposedly safe Capitol neighborhood, the team's commander Boggs is fatally wounded; before dying, he gives Katniss the team鈥檚 command.
She decides to infiltrate the Capitol and kill Snow, telling her team that this was Coin's secret plan; she later reveals the lie, but the team sticks with her.
In the ensuing urban warfare, many of Katniss's comrades, including Finnick, are killed.
As the last of her squad reaches Snow's mansion, a hoverplane bearing the Capitol seal drops bombs among a group of children being used as human shields.
Rebel medics, including Prim, rush in to help the injured children, and the remaining bombs detonate. Prim is killed, and Katniss sustains severe burns.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 丿賴賲 賲丕賴 賲蹖 爻丕賱 2014賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 夭丕睾 賲賯賱丿 - 爻乇蹖 毓胤卮 賲亘丕乇夭賴 噩賱丿 爻賵賲貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 爻賵夭丕賳 讴丕賱蹖賳夭貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 卮亘賳賲 爻毓丕丿鬲貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕賮乇丕夭貙 1392貙 丿乇 407氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 - 爻丿賴 21賲
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乇卅蹖爻鈥� 噩賲賴賵乇 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 丕噩丕夭賴 賲蹖鈥屫囏� 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 賴賲 丿乇 丕蹖賳 爻賮乇貙 丕賵 乇丕 賴賲乇丕賴蹖 讴賳丿貙 賴乇趩賳丿 丕賵 賴賳賵夭 禺胤乇賳丕讴貙 賵 睾蹖乇賯丕亘賱 倬蹖卮鈥屫ㄛ屬嗃� 丕爻鬲.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 乇卅蹖爻鈥屫呝囐堌� 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 卮讴 丿丕乇丿貨 丕賵 亘丕 賳賮賵匕 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丕賳丿丕夭賴貙 賵 賴賵丕丿丕乇丕賳 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 讴賴 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 丿丕乇丿貙 丨賲丕蹖鬲蹖 丕夭 丕丿丕賲賴 蹖 乇蹖丕爻鬲 禺賵蹖卮 賳卮丕賳 賳丿丕丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖讴賴 丌賳鈥屬囏� 丿乇 蹖讴 賲丨賱賴 蹖 馗丕賴乇丕賸 倬丕讴爻丕夭蹖 卮丿賴貙 亘賴 爻乇 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必嗀� 芦亘丕诏夭 (賮乇賲丕賳丿賴贁 鬲蹖賲)禄貙 丿乇 丕孬乇 賲賵丕賳毓蹖 讴賴 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱蹖鈥屬囏ж� 倬蹖卮 丕夭 禺乇賵噩卮丕賳貙 丿乇 賵蹖乇丕賳賴鈥� 賴丕 讴丕乇 诏匕丕卮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�
倬蹖卮 丕夭 賲乇诏貙 丕賵 賲爻卅賵賱蹖鬲 诏乇賵賴 乇丕貙 亘乇 毓賴丿賴 蹖 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賲蹖鈥屭柏ж必� 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 丿乇 丕蹖賳噩丕 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 卮禺氐丕賸 亘賴 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 乇賮鬲賴貙 賵 乇卅蹖爻鈥� 噩賲賴賵乇 芦丕爻賳賵 (乇賴亘乇 丿蹖讴鬲丕鬲賵乇 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱)禄 乇丕 亘讴卮丿貙 賵 鬲蹖賲 丕賵 賴賲 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱卮 賲蹖鈥屫辟堎嗀�.貨 丿乇 噩賳诏 卮丿蹖丿 卮賴乇蹖貙 亘蹖卮鬲乇 乇賮賯丕蹖 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄貙 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 芦賮蹖賳蹖讴禄貙 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨 賴賳诏丕賲蹖讴賴 丕賵 亘賴 毓賲丕乇鬲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 蹖讴 賴賵丕倬蹖賲丕貙 亘賲亘鈥屬囏й屰� 乇丕 亘丕 趩鬲乇貙 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳 诏乇賵賴蹖 丕夭 讴賵丿讴丕賳 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱蹖貙 讴賴 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 爻倬乇 丕賳爻丕賳蹖貙 丿乇 丕胤乇丕賮 毓賲丕乇鬲 亘賵丿賳丿貙 倬乇鬲丕亘 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 亘乇禺蹖 丕夭 亘賲亘鈥屬囏� 賲賳賮噩乇 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖 丕賲丿丕丿 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 (丕夭 噩賲賱賴 倬乇丕蹖賲貙 禺賵丕賴乇 讴鬲賳蹖爻)貙 亘乇丕蹖 蹖丕乇蹖 亘賴 讴賵丿讴丕賳 丌爻蹖亘鈥� 丿蹖丿賴貙 亘丕 毓噩賱賴 賵丕乇丿 賲毓乇讴賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 丕賲丕 丕蹖賳亘丕乇 亘賯蹖賴 亘賲亘鈥屬囏� 亘丕 鬲兀禺蹖乇 賲賳賮噩乇 卮丿賴貙 賵 鬲賱賮丕鬲 爻賳诏蹖賳蹖 亘賴 丕賲丿丕丿诏乇丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀�.貨 芦倬乇丕蹖賲禄 讴卮鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄貙 亘丕 爻賵禺鬲诏蹖 卮丿蹖丿貙 噩丕賳 爻丕賱賲 亘賴鈥� 丿乇 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 丕賲丕 卮賵乇卮蹖丕賳 賲賵賮賯 亘賴 賮鬲丨 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀�.貨
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丿乇 乇賵夭蹖 讴賴 賯乇丕乇 丕爻鬲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 丕毓丿丕賲 卮賵丿貙 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 讴賴 丨丕賱丕 乇卅蹖爻鈥屫呝囐堌� 賲賵賯鬲 丕爻鬲貙 丕夭 倬蹖卮讴卮鈥屬囏й� 亘丕賯蹖賲丕賳丿賴 賲蹖鈥屬矩必池� 讴賴 賳馗乇卮丕賳 丿乇亘丕乇賴 蹖 亘乇诏夭丕乇蹖 丿賵乇賴鈥� 丕蹖 噩丿蹖丿貙 丕夭 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏й� 诏乇爻賳诏蹖貙 亘丕 卮乇讴鬲 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 乇賴亘乇丕賳 倬蹖卮蹖賳 讴丕倬蹖鬲賵賱 趩蹖爻鬲.貨 芦亘蹖鬲蹖禄貙 芦丌賳蹖禄 賵 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 乇丕蹖 賲禺丕賱賮 賲蹖鈥屫囐嗀� 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖讴賴 芦蹖賵丨丕賳丕禄 賵 芦丕賳賵亘丕乇蹖丕禄 乇兀蹖卮丕賳 賲孬亘鬲 丕爻鬲.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 倬爻 丕夭 丌賳鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫�: 芦亘賴 禺丕胤乇 倬乇丕蹖賲貙 亘賱賴.禄 芦賴賽蹖賲蹖趩禄 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫�: 芦賲賳 亘丕 夭丕睾 賲賯賱丿 賴爻鬲賲.禄貨 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘乇丕蹖 丕噩乇丕蹖 丨讴賲 丕毓丿丕賲 芦丕爻賳賵禄 丌賲丕丿賴 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丕賵 趩賱賾賴 蹖 讴賲丕賳 乇丕貙 亘賴 爻賵蹖 爻蹖賳賴鈥� 丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┴簇� 鬲丕 賳卮丕賳 丿賴丿 賯氐丿 讴卮鬲賳 芦丕爻賳賵禄 乇丕 丿丕乇丿貙 丕賲丕 丿乇 賱丨馗賴 蹖 丌禺乇 賲蹖鈥屭嗀必屫� 賵 鬲蹖乇 乇丕 亘賴 爻賲鬲 芦讴賵蹖賳禄 倬乇鬲丕亘 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�.貨 丕賵 亘賱丕賮丕氐賱賴 倬爻 丕夭 讴卮鬲賳 芦讴賵蹖賳禄貙 丕賯丿丕賲 亘賴 禺賵丿讴卮蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 丕賲丕 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄 噩賱賵蹖 丕賵 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屭屫必�.貨 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 乇丕 丿爻鬲诏蹖乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 賵 鬲丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 卮賵乇卮鈥屬囏й� 丌鬲蹖貙 丿乇 夭賳丿丕賳 賳诏丕賴 賲蹖鈥屫ж辟嗀�.貨
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亘蹖爻鬲 爻丕賱 倬爻 丕夭 丌賳 乇賵蹖丿丕丿賴丕貙 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賵 芦倬蹖鬲丕禄貙 丿賵 賮乇夭賳丿 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 賲蹖鈥屫①堌辟嗀� 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 賳诏乇丕賳 乇賵夭蹖 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 亘趩賴鈥� 賴丕 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 丿禺丕賱鬲 賵丕賱丿蹖賳卮丕賳 丿乇 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏� 賵 噩賳诏 亘倬乇爻賳丿貙 賵 讴賵卮卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 亘丕 鬲賱賯蹖賳 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖 禺賵亘 亘賴 禺賵丿卮貙 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丕囟胤乇丕亘 亘讴丕賴丿.貨 賳賴丕蹖鬲丕賸 讴鬲丕亘 亘丕 丕蹖賳 噩賲賱賴 丕夭 芦讴鬲賳蹖爻禄 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池�: 芦鈥ωз呚� 亘丕夭蹖鈥屬囏й� 亘爻蹖丕乇 亘丿鬲乇 丕夭 丕蹖賳 賴賲 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇賳丿.禄貨
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 06/09/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 11/07/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
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January 12, 2022One taught me pain
November 25, 2014
Updated! November 25, 2014 New 2nd addendum below the 1st addendum. Further thoughts/explanations as to why I gave this book five stars at the end of the original review. Warning: addendum contains some spoilers.
I've thought long and hard as to how I should review this book. For starters I feel I need to say upfront, this book is not for everyone. Mockingjay is the darkest book of the Hunger Games trilogy, containing excess violence, brutality and ugliness. People die. It would be naive to expect otherwise in a book dealing with war.
If you're all about puppies, kittens, rainbows, unicorns, and disgustingly sweet happily-ever-afters don't bother reading this book. Faint of heart need not apply, I mean it.
This story isn't told by Katniss, The Girl Who Was On Fire. It's told by Katniss, the quiet girl from District 12 who unintentionally inspired a revolution through one simple act of defiance. Needless to say Katniss, ever weary of the roles she's been forced to play, is reluctant to officially step up, to be the Mockingjay, to lead the revolution against the Capitol.
President Coin, leader of District 13, makes it clear from the start she is no fan of Katniss, saying they should have saved 'the boy' first. Katniss agrees with President Coin here--Peeta was always better with words and has a 'way' with people--but otherwise Katniss does not trust the woman. Life in District 13 isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Though Katniss doesn't desire the spotlight and never wanted power she finally agrees to take on the burden of leading a rebellion. Hoping that in doing so she might save Peeta's life and finally put an end to President Snow's rule. And so, with Haymitch, Gale, Beetee, Finnick and her old prep team backing her up Katniss becomes the Mockingjay.
So much happens in this book, so much I didn't expect. That being said, I love this book. I love this series. Mockingjay is a hauntingly-beautiful conclusion to an enjoyable, thought-provoking series. This series will always have a home on my bookshelf, and I hope that one day, when my girls are old enough to read it, they'll appreciate it as much as I do.
P.S. And it needs to be said: even though the Peeta-Katniss-Gale love triangle is very much present in this book, it's not the focal point of the story. It never was. The Hunger Games series is about so much more than teenage angst, or romantic love. So...I don't know, get over yourselves and go read something else if you were looking for a nonsensical happily ever after.
P.P.S. The epilogue is what finally pushed me over the edge and made me cry.
***
Further explanation/thoughts about why I think this book is amazing (contains some spoilers):
I didn't cry with either of the major deaths in this book, though I felt more when the first one happened, probably because I felt more connected to the first character then I did the second. The second death was tragic and senseless. But I don't think the second death undermines the whole series, like many critics of this book have said. Nor does it make the story pointless.
Many have said that they felt detached from the story while reading this book. I felt that detachment too, but I genuinely feel that is what Suzanne Collins was hoping for.
Here's the deal, my father went to Vietnam and experienced a lot of senseless violence, lost a lot of friends and acquaintances. In all my life I've only heard him speak about it in a candid manner one time. Otherwise he speaks about it in a detached way, as if he read about it or watched some footage of it instead of actually experiencing it firsthand. I feel it is his way of coping with it, which is kind of sad but understandable because even to this day he suffers from the PTSD that resulted from his time in Vietnam.
I feel that Katniss, by starting that book about everyone she knew who died, was doing what my father needs to do (although, as far as I know, he probably has done something similar--like I said, he doesn't ever talk about it with me). She was finally facing and working through the all the grief and pain.
My point is, the reason we felt detached from the story is because Katniss was already detached. She was so messed up by all the senseless violence that she'd already checked out emotionally. And when reality threatened to take over, she took drugs to make it all better.
Under similar circumstances I think every normal person would shut down emotionally. If Katniss had continued to function normally after going through all that we'd probably have a sociopath on our hands. Like Peeta said, when you kill someone you lose a part of yourself, you're killing a part of your soul. Suzanne Collins did a fantastic job illustrating that.
Katniss triumphs in the end because, even though it took time, she confronts the pain, works through it. She lives her life, no longer the actress, the puppet or the victim.
I feel she ended up with with the right man. And no, I don't think she settled for him. I knew she truly loved him when she started fighting for him, not only for his life but for all those lost memories, for his love.
I also feel Katniss is a romantic person, just not in the traditional sense. The girl kept the pearl, would take it out when she was thinking of him! Carried it with her into battle. Didn't even throw it out when he rejected her when he tried to kill her (on more than one occasion)! Speaking of, talk about the ultimate rejection . I think my heart broke for Katniss when that all happened.
***
About Katniss and PTSD
I believe only those who know someone who have suffer from PTSD or suffer PTSD themselves can truly understand the Katniss Everdeen that showed up in Mockingjay. She's an emotionally wounded person who is suffering from PTSD and never given any therapy to deal with it. She is shoehorned into the role of HERO/REBEL to fit someone else's agenda. Perhaps Suzanne Collins should have done a better job pointing it out. Maybe she should have been like, "HEY EVERYONE! KATNISS IS SUFFERING FROM MAJOR PTSD AND DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A HERO OR LEADER!" But, see, Katniss basically says as much with her actions and thoughts and actual words spoken to other characters throughout the entire book. You just have to pay attention.
About Peeta vs Gale
Okay, I've already said it but I feel it bears repeating since so many people hate this book simply because of who Katniss chooses in the end: this series is about so much more than romantic love. It's a story about a revolution that happens to have a love story in it, not the other way around. This isn't Twilight.
But fine, whatever, let's talk about this.
I'm tired of people saying Katniss settled for Peeta. No she didn't. It's clearly there, her love for him. It's all over the pages of this book, though it's even present in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (more about this later). Even Gale knows how she feels and says as much when they're in District 12 to film the propo. Gale tells her he knows she kissed him because he (Gale) was in pain. He says it again when they're out hunting right before they attacked the mountain compound. Gale isn't stupid but he keeps his pony in the race because he wants to be the one she picks because he loves her.
Then Gale and Peeta talk about who Katniss is going to pick. They agree she's going to pick the one she can't survive without. We can debate day and night over who that person is, but based on Katniss' words and actions throughout this series it is clear to me Peeta is the one she 'can't survive without'. Sure, she would have continued to live if Peeta had never returned to her in District 12, but she'd have been a shadow of herself. With Peeta, because he understood her struggles and was able to be there for her and support her, she was able to recover a part of who she was before and then some. They needed each other. Same reason Haymitch needed Katniss and Peeta in his life. Same reason all the victors seemed to gravitate toward one another. They understood what others could not.
But if Katniss really wanted Gale she would have picked him.
From the beginning Katniss did what she wanted whenever she could. Once she removed herself from the spotlight and once her life wasn't threatnend she was able to make whatever decision she wanted and she did. Katniss choose Peeta because she wanted him. She loved Peeta.
If you need further proof:
"She loves you, you know," says Peeta. "She as good as told me after they whipped you."
"Don't believe it,"Gale answers. "The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell...well she never kissed me like that."
Again, Gale isn't stupid. He saw that kiss and knew.
What kiss, you ask? It was all an act, you say?
Yeah, well, not all of it was an act. Of all the kisses Katniss bestows upon her suitors, only two are really described in a way that sounds sensual. Both of those kisses are with Peeta.
First kiss happens during the 74th Hunger Games in the cave:
鈥淭his is the first kiss that we鈥檙e both fully aware of鈥� This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another.鈥�
This one didn't really go anywhere because Peeta notices her headwound is bleeding again and so he stops kissing her to take care of it. But still, she wants to keep kissing him rather than continuing to do so because she has to. Not really a sexy kiss but it means something.
Second kiss/makeout is during the 75th Hunger Games and is the kiss Gale is talking about:
"This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind."
Man, that sounds pretty amazing, right? Yeah, she never has a kiss like that with Gale. Not once. And if she had it would have been in one of these books because it might have made a difference in who she picked. But Gale and Katniss never shared such a kiss because he wasn't the one.
Also, Gale did think up the trap that ended up killing Prim...so there's that.
Prim's Death Doesn't Undermine The Entire Story
Of all the reasons to not like this book, this one makes me the most angry. I honestly don't understand it.
Sure, the whole reason Katniss volunteered for the 74th Hunger Games was to save her sister's life. It sucks that, in the end, she dies. It's truly awful and seems senseless and that my folks is the point. War is awful and oftentimes senseless but Prim's death was not in vain.
Prim's death, the specific way she died, is the only way Katniss was able to see and understand how truly evil President Coin was. Sure, in a way she always knew, especially when crazy Peeta was sent to do propos with them, but Katniss might not have done anything about it. Because of Prim's death Katniss made sure President Coin's rule came to an end.
The people of Panem will never know the bullet they dodged because of Prim's death.
Look, if you don't like this book that's fine. Just stop saying Prim's death cancelled out everything or Katniss settled for Peeta or that Katniss was a weakling. You look like a fool when you say as much. There are other reasons to not like this book, reasons I can and do totally respect, but the reasons listed above are probably the dumbest I've ever heard. I actually think less of you when you list one of these reasons.
Do yourself a favor and read it once more without your hopes and expectations mucking up the experience for you. Pay attention to what's actually going on. Put yourself in Katniss Everdeen's shoes and realize you'd probably react the exact same way, especially if you'd experienced what she has experienced or lost what she lost. Realize that after experiencing such trauma you probably wouldn't be up for leading a nation and, no, that isn't selfish.
And, yes, Katniss got a happily ever after, it's just not the one you wanted. But it's a good HEA. It's really dang good.
I've thought long and hard as to how I should review this book. For starters I feel I need to say upfront, this book is not for everyone. Mockingjay is the darkest book of the Hunger Games trilogy, containing excess violence, brutality and ugliness. People die. It would be naive to expect otherwise in a book dealing with war.
If you're all about puppies, kittens, rainbows, unicorns, and disgustingly sweet happily-ever-afters don't bother reading this book. Faint of heart need not apply, I mean it.
This story isn't told by Katniss, The Girl Who Was On Fire. It's told by Katniss, the quiet girl from District 12 who unintentionally inspired a revolution through one simple act of defiance. Needless to say Katniss, ever weary of the roles she's been forced to play, is reluctant to officially step up, to be the Mockingjay, to lead the revolution against the Capitol.
President Coin, leader of District 13, makes it clear from the start she is no fan of Katniss, saying they should have saved 'the boy' first. Katniss agrees with President Coin here--Peeta was always better with words and has a 'way' with people--but otherwise Katniss does not trust the woman. Life in District 13 isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Though Katniss doesn't desire the spotlight and never wanted power she finally agrees to take on the burden of leading a rebellion. Hoping that in doing so she might save Peeta's life and finally put an end to President Snow's rule. And so, with Haymitch, Gale, Beetee, Finnick and her old prep team backing her up Katniss becomes the Mockingjay.
So much happens in this book, so much I didn't expect. That being said, I love this book. I love this series. Mockingjay is a hauntingly-beautiful conclusion to an enjoyable, thought-provoking series. This series will always have a home on my bookshelf, and I hope that one day, when my girls are old enough to read it, they'll appreciate it as much as I do.
P.S. And it needs to be said: even though the Peeta-Katniss-Gale love triangle is very much present in this book, it's not the focal point of the story. It never was. The Hunger Games series is about so much more than teenage angst, or romantic love. So...I don't know, get over yourselves and go read something else if you were looking for a nonsensical happily ever after.
P.P.S. The epilogue is what finally pushed me over the edge and made me cry.
***
Further explanation/thoughts about why I think this book is amazing (contains some spoilers):
I didn't cry with either of the major deaths in this book, though I felt more when the first one happened, probably because I felt more connected to the first character then I did the second. The second death was tragic and senseless. But I don't think the second death undermines the whole series, like many critics of this book have said. Nor does it make the story pointless.
Many have said that they felt detached from the story while reading this book. I felt that detachment too, but I genuinely feel that is what Suzanne Collins was hoping for.
Here's the deal, my father went to Vietnam and experienced a lot of senseless violence, lost a lot of friends and acquaintances. In all my life I've only heard him speak about it in a candid manner one time. Otherwise he speaks about it in a detached way, as if he read about it or watched some footage of it instead of actually experiencing it firsthand. I feel it is his way of coping with it, which is kind of sad but understandable because even to this day he suffers from the PTSD that resulted from his time in Vietnam.
I feel that Katniss, by starting that book about everyone she knew who died, was doing what my father needs to do (although, as far as I know, he probably has done something similar--like I said, he doesn't ever talk about it with me). She was finally facing and working through the all the grief and pain.
My point is, the reason we felt detached from the story is because Katniss was already detached. She was so messed up by all the senseless violence that she'd already checked out emotionally. And when reality threatened to take over, she took drugs to make it all better.
Under similar circumstances I think every normal person would shut down emotionally. If Katniss had continued to function normally after going through all that we'd probably have a sociopath on our hands. Like Peeta said, when you kill someone you lose a part of yourself, you're killing a part of your soul. Suzanne Collins did a fantastic job illustrating that.
Katniss triumphs in the end because, even though it took time, she confronts the pain, works through it. She lives her life, no longer the actress, the puppet or the victim.
I feel she ended up with with the right man. And no, I don't think she settled for him. I knew she truly loved him when she started fighting for him, not only for his life but for all those lost memories, for his love.
I also feel Katniss is a romantic person, just not in the traditional sense. The girl kept the pearl, would take it out when she was thinking of him! Carried it with her into battle. Didn't even throw it out when he rejected her when he tried to kill her (on more than one occasion)! Speaking of, talk about the ultimate rejection . I think my heart broke for Katniss when that all happened.
***
About Katniss and PTSD
I believe only those who know someone who have suffer from PTSD or suffer PTSD themselves can truly understand the Katniss Everdeen that showed up in Mockingjay. She's an emotionally wounded person who is suffering from PTSD and never given any therapy to deal with it. She is shoehorned into the role of HERO/REBEL to fit someone else's agenda. Perhaps Suzanne Collins should have done a better job pointing it out. Maybe she should have been like, "HEY EVERYONE! KATNISS IS SUFFERING FROM MAJOR PTSD AND DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A HERO OR LEADER!" But, see, Katniss basically says as much with her actions and thoughts and actual words spoken to other characters throughout the entire book. You just have to pay attention.
About Peeta vs Gale
Okay, I've already said it but I feel it bears repeating since so many people hate this book simply because of who Katniss chooses in the end: this series is about so much more than romantic love. It's a story about a revolution that happens to have a love story in it, not the other way around. This isn't Twilight.
But fine, whatever, let's talk about this.
I'm tired of people saying Katniss settled for Peeta. No she didn't. It's clearly there, her love for him. It's all over the pages of this book, though it's even present in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (more about this later). Even Gale knows how she feels and says as much when they're in District 12 to film the propo. Gale tells her he knows she kissed him because he (Gale) was in pain. He says it again when they're out hunting right before they attacked the mountain compound. Gale isn't stupid but he keeps his pony in the race because he wants to be the one she picks because he loves her.
Then Gale and Peeta talk about who Katniss is going to pick. They agree she's going to pick the one she can't survive without. We can debate day and night over who that person is, but based on Katniss' words and actions throughout this series it is clear to me Peeta is the one she 'can't survive without'. Sure, she would have continued to live if Peeta had never returned to her in District 12, but she'd have been a shadow of herself. With Peeta, because he understood her struggles and was able to be there for her and support her, she was able to recover a part of who she was before and then some. They needed each other. Same reason Haymitch needed Katniss and Peeta in his life. Same reason all the victors seemed to gravitate toward one another. They understood what others could not.
But if Katniss really wanted Gale she would have picked him.
From the beginning Katniss did what she wanted whenever she could. Once she removed herself from the spotlight and once her life wasn't threatnend she was able to make whatever decision she wanted and she did. Katniss choose Peeta because she wanted him. She loved Peeta.
If you need further proof:
"She loves you, you know," says Peeta. "She as good as told me after they whipped you."
"Don't believe it,"Gale answers. "The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell...well she never kissed me like that."
Again, Gale isn't stupid. He saw that kiss and knew.
What kiss, you ask? It was all an act, you say?
Yeah, well, not all of it was an act. Of all the kisses Katniss bestows upon her suitors, only two are really described in a way that sounds sensual. Both of those kisses are with Peeta.
First kiss happens during the 74th Hunger Games in the cave:
鈥淭his is the first kiss that we鈥檙e both fully aware of鈥� This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another.鈥�
This one didn't really go anywhere because Peeta notices her headwound is bleeding again and so he stops kissing her to take care of it. But still, she wants to keep kissing him rather than continuing to do so because she has to. Not really a sexy kiss but it means something.
Second kiss/makeout is during the 75th Hunger Games and is the kiss Gale is talking about:
"This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind."
Man, that sounds pretty amazing, right? Yeah, she never has a kiss like that with Gale. Not once. And if she had it would have been in one of these books because it might have made a difference in who she picked. But Gale and Katniss never shared such a kiss because he wasn't the one.
Also, Gale did think up the trap that ended up killing Prim...so there's that.
Prim's Death Doesn't Undermine The Entire Story
Of all the reasons to not like this book, this one makes me the most angry. I honestly don't understand it.
Sure, the whole reason Katniss volunteered for the 74th Hunger Games was to save her sister's life. It sucks that, in the end, she dies. It's truly awful and seems senseless and that my folks is the point. War is awful and oftentimes senseless but Prim's death was not in vain.
Prim's death, the specific way she died, is the only way Katniss was able to see and understand how truly evil President Coin was. Sure, in a way she always knew, especially when crazy Peeta was sent to do propos with them, but Katniss might not have done anything about it. Because of Prim's death Katniss made sure President Coin's rule came to an end.
The people of Panem will never know the bullet they dodged because of Prim's death.
Look, if you don't like this book that's fine. Just stop saying Prim's death cancelled out everything or Katniss settled for Peeta or that Katniss was a weakling. You look like a fool when you say as much. There are other reasons to not like this book, reasons I can and do totally respect, but the reasons listed above are probably the dumbest I've ever heard. I actually think less of you when you list one of these reasons.
Do yourself a favor and read it once more without your hopes and expectations mucking up the experience for you. Pay attention to what's actually going on. Put yourself in Katniss Everdeen's shoes and realize you'd probably react the exact same way, especially if you'd experienced what she has experienced or lost what she lost. Realize that after experiencing such trauma you probably wouldn't be up for leading a nation and, no, that isn't selfish.
And, yes, Katniss got a happily ever after, it's just not the one you wanted. But it's a good HEA. It's really dang good.
January 14, 2021
1.) The Hunger Games 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�
2.) Catching Fire 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄
Hello, I am here to finish off my breakdown reviews of The Hunger Games Trilogy! And ironically enough, Mockingjay was the last book I read in 2020! I will say, I feel like the series does get a little less enjoyable as I progressed through the trilogy all these years later, but I still think it is a solid series and I truly do think itself is a masterpiece. But please use caution, because this breakdown will be filled with spoilers for each and every chapter of this book!
2.) Catching Fire 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄
Hello, I am here to finish off my breakdown reviews of The Hunger Games Trilogy! And ironically enough, Mockingjay was the last book I read in 2020! I will say, I feel like the series does get a little less enjoyable as I progressed through the trilogy all these years later, but I still think it is a solid series and I truly do think itself is a masterpiece. But please use caution, because this breakdown will be filled with spoilers for each and every chapter of this book!
鈥淲hat I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.鈥�
鉃� Chapter One:
District 12 is gone, but Buttercup the cat is alive. Truly this opening chapter was so dark and really set the tone for this entire book, and Snow鈥檚 rose? Truly so scary and horrifying and a good reminder at how evil he actually is. Peeta is gone, and Katniss is officially with the previously thought dead District 13.
鉃� Chapter Two:
Peeta is a guest being interviewed by Caesar for the world to see. And they are also showing the bombing of District 12 over and over to remind people what happens with you rebel against the capitol. We also get to see the hidden, unground District 13 base, and how they are very ready to rebel against the capitol and nothing will stop them. Katniss is going to officially be the Mockingjay to help rally as much support as they can get, while also trying to instill hope for a brighter future.
鉃� Chapter Three:
We get to see what it is like to live in this new world that is the hidden District 13 and what is left of District 12, and we are easily seeing that things are very unfair here too.
鉃� Chapter Four:
And Katniss is even starting to see how President Coin might not be too much different than President Snow, just a different guise for their evil.
鉃� Chapter Five:
Katniss is getting fed up with always being used as a tool for someone else, but she finally has her bow back and is hoping the make the best of what she has left, even with Coin making her say lines to instill hope for the new war that is beginning.
鉃� Chapter Six:
But it is getting harder and harder for Katniss to rally the districts without Peeta, because she has never been the best speaker, especially compared to him, and especially because him being held captive is impacting her so greatly. But truly, the foreshadowing in this chapter is very insane.
鉃� Chapter Seven:
A hovercraft takes Katniss to see the sick people at a hospital, and the capitol bombs them immediately after. Gale and Katniss fight, and we start to see that they are believing two different stories, but Katniss and her anger at the capitol is growing and growing and because its on public display it is automatically rallying more and more people.
鉃� Chapter Eight:
The Cinna mentions truly rip my heart out every time. But Katniss also is sneaking watching Peeta鈥檚 clips that the capitol is showing and the more and more distrust of District 13 is building and building.
鉃� Chapter Nine:
The infamous hanging tree song, that still makes me a bit uncomfortable, but we get to really meet Katniss鈥� camera crew and see the torture they have also endured. Katniss and Gale reminisce about when they were kids, but Katniss is truly proving to the reader this was never a love triangle more and more because she deadass is like 鈥淚 like that Gale likes to hunt鈥� and it makes me truly giggle. Also, Peeta is getting tortured for information. :[
鉃� Chapter Ten:
But Peeta still is able to warn District 13 of an incoming attack. So much foreshadowing with Prim, but Gale helps her find Buttercup and they make it safely to the evacuation zone before the first bomb hits. Katniss and Prim finally have a moment just for them and just between them and it really broke my heart because I have read this book before, hahaha! And Katniss and her trauma and anxiety making her feel like she is having a heart attack? Heartbreak again.
鉃� Chapter Eleven:
More bombings are happening, but this time it is just to ensure that Katniss stays off television so she and her message will stop giving other rebels hope! Katniss and Finnick finally get to talk and Gale is annoyed with Finnick for no reason other than Gale is truly stupid and the bane of my existence. But Katniss leaves the bunker and Snow has left her more roses and every time it gives me goosebumps in the most disgusting way. Truly harrowing each time. But the resistance has decided they are going to do a rescue mission for Peeta and Annie! Also, let me just note that Katniss is mean to Buttercup in this chapter and it annoyed me too, lmaoooo!
鉃� Chapter Twelve:
Finnick goes on the broadcast and talks about how he was sex trafficked as a child alongside many of the victors of the hunger games, and how Snow would kill their loved ones if they did not 鈥渨illingly鈥� participate. After, they are able to rescues Annie, Johanna, and Peeta. But鈥� Peeta, because of the torture and brainwashing he has endured, tries to kill Katniss.
鉃� Chapter Thirteen:
We get to learn a bit more about Peeta鈥檚 torture and the tracker jacker venom they used to 鈥渉ighjack鈥� his memories.
鉃� Chapter Fourteen:
They send Katniss to District 2 and fake Gale love triangle angst ensues.
鉃� Chapter Fifteen:
Rebels start fighting other rebels and Gale is just鈥� stupid. And Katniss gets shot.
鉃� Chapter Sixteen:
Katniss is healing up slowly after what happened in District 2, and she is helping Annie find a wedding dress with the things she still has of Cinna鈥檚, so that she can get married to Finnick finally. Please, I am crying.
鉃� Chapter Seventeen:
Katniss is getting stronger and stronger. This chapter really shows how different everyone lives and tries to heal after the hunger games they鈥檝e been a part of. And Peeta just has so much anger in him still.
鉃� Chapter Eighteen:
They are all fake practicing storming the capitol, with fake gas and everything. We get to learn how Johanna was tortured (with water) and how that has very much impacted every day of her life since. But they all realize that this will be their last arena ever, but it fills them with hope to storm the capitol for real.
鉃� Chapter Nineteen:
Peeta鈥檚 memories are reconstructed and he goes with them to end this once and for all. But a bomb gets triggered once they are in the tunnel.
鉃� Chapter Twenty:
An emergency broadcast announces to the world that Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, and everyone else are dead, and this could work in their advantage because Snow will not be expecting them, but they have to make it out of the tunnel with the mysterious black gel.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-One:
They have their first death with Boggs :[ and they get to see this funeral for Katniss being broadcasted while they are all trapped and not trusting anyone.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Two:
Peeta is whispering 鈥淜atniss鈥� all creepy-like, but they are able to break through this tunnel that they were trapped in with lizard-like people monsters. But鈥� Finnick dies protecting them and it truly is the most sad and unnecessary death in this book and him and Cinna just deserved so much better. But Katniss kisses Peeta and I鈥檓 still giggling that people think this series has a believable love-triangle.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Three:
Katniss gives Gale stitches, and then Gale and Peeta have some sort of weird heart to heart together. This story really doesn鈥檛 have the 鈥渨ho will Katniss pick in the end鈥� vibe so many people lead you to believe it does. We also meet the 鈥渢iger woman鈥� and I was side eying a little while reading about her ten years later. But they are ready to finally go head to head with the capitol once and for all.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Four:
Listen, I don鈥檛 mean to laugh, but Gale trying to get Katniss to shoot him and her being like 鈥渘o, you鈥檒l be fine鈥� and lets the capitol take him sent me a little bit, I am sorry. But we get to see how Snow has tried to protect himself by barricading the capitol with children, because he is banking on no one being cruel enough to kill them while trying to get him. But, parachutes come and鈥� when I say this is the most harrowing and fucked up thing in this book鈥� I mean it. The way these parachutes have been seen as a symbol of hope and healing for the recipients who get them in the hunger games, so the kids are happy to see them鈥�. Only to have them explode and kill them, like鈥� truly I don鈥檛 even have words for how heartbreaking that is to read and think about. But then, to add more heartbreak, Katniss sees a braid and a duck tail and鈥� I truly am crying typing this. All this, everything, Katniss being selfless, Katniss willing to do everything to protect her sister, Katniss proving over and over she will do anything, only for the resistance to kill her so heartlessly. I truly weep. Prim鈥檚 death truly will always stick with me, and it is why I was impacted so viscerally when rereading earlier this year and seeing the foreshadowing in that very first chapter.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Five:
Katniss is told that she is 鈥渓ucky鈥� to be alive after the bombs detonated, but she truly feels lost and that everything feels a little hopeless even now at the end of this war. Snow is to be executed, but Katniss visits him and she realizes that he is not the one who killed the children and Prim.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Six:
Katniss is questioning everything, including who chose to put a 13-year-old in combat. She goes to talk to Haymitch, but he is drunk. Katniss is stuck with her own thoughts, thinking about what life would have been like without the games, and if her and Gale ran away from District 12. She is also very much questioning if it was Gale鈥檚 bomb that killed Prim, and she knows she will question that for the rest of her life. But once she thinks at least everything is over, Coin states that she wants one last hunger games, for revenge, and it will star the kids of the people who were for the capitol. Katniss is supposed to be the one to finally execute Snow, but when her arrow flies, it flies straight into Coin, killing her and her idea for a new plan for evil.
鉃� Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Katniss is captured and thinking of suicide. She learns that the people 鈥渃rushed鈥� Snow to death, and maybe not ripped him apart like in the movie. But we get to see Katniss grieving and finally feeling like she can grieve unapologetically for everyone she has lost, Prim, Rue, Cinna, Finnick, everyone. We also learn that Annie and Finnick got pregnant before he passed away, and maybe that is a new symbol of hope.
鉃� Epilogue:
Katniss and Peeta have two kids, and it took Katniss a very long time to actually have them, even though Peeta really wanted them from the start. The games are still over, but we see the grief and PTSD will always be in their lives. And even though they are trying to do the best for their kids, it haunts them that they are playing on a graveyard they will never fully understand.
Truly, this series is haunting and there are a lot of parallels that can easily and obviously be made to the world we are living in 2020. My heart does go out to Katniss and I do really like her as a character. I do feel like the series got a little less and less enjoyable as they went on, but the basic premise is just so unique and solid and really helped start the dystopian (and YA) surge. And Katniss and Prim鈥檚 relationship just really settles heavy in my heart, and it truly makes you think about a lot of things you鈥檇 be willing to do for the people you love. I do still giggle at the people who ship Katniss and Gale, because they must really like eating crumbs and my heart goes out to them too. But Finnick and Cinna are truly the brightest shining lights for me, and I鈥檓 so sad Suzanne Collins didn鈥檛 give us a proper spinoff of their past! But maybe one day.
| | | | |
Trigger and Content Warnings: torture, death, murder, war themes, blood depiction, talk of (fake) miscarriage, bombings, anxiety depiction, ptsd depiction, loss of a loved one, forced drugging, thoughts of suicide, talk of alcoholism, talk of rape in the past, talk of pedophilia in the past, talk of sex trafficking in the past, and slavery.
Buddy read with Lea! 鉂�
February 21, 2025
"It can't hurt me if I know what's coming." Famous last words before opening Mockingjay again.
(Rtc maybe, or maybe that's the review, dunno).
铀︼笍铀︼笍铀︼笍
Re-read: War crimes, propaganda, and an oppressive regime. Suzanne Collins didn鈥檛 write fiction, she just changed the names. 馃
(Rtc maybe, or maybe that's the review, dunno).
铀︼笍铀︼笍铀︼笍
Re-read: War crimes, propaganda, and an oppressive regime. Suzanne Collins didn鈥檛 write fiction, she just changed the names. 馃
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