**spoiler alert** I actually really enjoyed this book. It felt very Jawbreaker-esque in it's cheesiness and satire vibe, which I enjoyed. It was also **spoiler alert** I actually really enjoyed this book. It felt very Jawbreaker-esque in it's cheesiness and satire vibe, which I enjoyed. It was also cool to see my not-well-known-at-all hometown mentioned...even if it was essentially used to make clear that Adrienne is poor.
The whole concept was interesting and I came to really enjoy Adrienne as a character. I liked that she actually started to like some of the mothers she was meeting.
I do have a couple of complaints though. First...I have NO idea why the author decided to show us that Chiara died in the beginning. We totally could have had her perspective in the beginning still, but leave out when she was attacked so there would be some doubt about maybe she DID run off.
I also hate the Bernice double crossed Adrienne. It was fine that the Mom Squad were just all sociopaths, but it kept the book from being too mom bashing that all the other moms were basically normal, if flawed. The fact that Bernice was basically willing to let Adrienne die...for money...was a poor choice. Like it was definitely shocking, but I think undercut the book's likability.
Finally I felt like all the murders at the end were a little over the top.
But overall it was a fun book and I would definitely check out more from this author....more
**spoiler alert** Oh my God. I knew this book was going to be amazing and devastating and yet I was still surprised by HOW amazing and devastating it **spoiler alert** Oh my God. I knew this book was going to be amazing and devastating and yet I was still surprised by HOW amazing and devastating it was. I'm going to try to talk about everything I want to talk about chronologically.
First of all - I love that Haymitch was in love with a Covey girl. And Lenore Dove was fantastic. Definitely very reminiscent of Lucy Grey while still absolutely feeling like her own person. And their "I love you like all-fire" - UGH. I knew from the beginning we were going to lose her and it hurt immediately. Oh - and her wailing on the ridge as Haymitch drives away on the train??? That broke me. "The moments our hearts shattered. It belongs to us." And to me...cause my heart...yup...shattered.
Okay - so first BIG fucking shock. Haymitch wasn't reaped???? When the first chapter ended with NOT Haymitch being called I was so confused. And then everything that happens and him being forcibly reaped. So. damn. devastating. OH - and Drusilla? Yeah - probably my second most hated character in this whole series right after Snow. What an absolute dumpsterfire of a human being. But her character did a great job of showing the hatred the Capitol feels for the districts. We really don't GET very much of that in the original trilogy, but it's obviously a strong theme in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - and it's interesting to see here, that even 50 years removed from the Dark Days - there are still Capitol Citizens who hold on to that hatred. (Now obviously the Hunger Games happening is proof of the hatred - but I think what this book makes clear is that the average capitol citizen doesn't actually hold onto that kind of hatred - they've just been brainwashed through propaganda that this is what is best for everyone)
Next big shock? Plutarch. I clocked him immediately as being the same morally gray - but ultimately in favor of overthrowing the Capitol regime - guy we met in Catching Fire. I know some people thought that maybe he was still a Capitol guy and we might see him flip at some point in this book, but I had a feeling from the moment he saved Lenore Dove's life (under the guise of wanting the "emotional goodbye") that he was the same Plutarch we knew. Still not a good person. Never a fan of Plutarch. He's definitely the ends justify the means kind of a guy...but he was a huge part of ending the Hunger Games. So definitely ultimately a "good guy."
Alright - I feel like I'm not moving through things fast enough, but there is so much I want to talk about. Let's start talking about characters. I'll start with the other District 12 tributes.
Louella - oh my god...what a sweetheart. And when Haymitch said he only had one sweetheart and it was her...but we know he eventually calls Katniss sweetheart. MY HEART BROKE. (I actually wish this hadn't have been mentioned in the epilogue as I noticed it on my own, but I did appreciate how he said that it just slipped out with Katniss.) And when she DIED? Before the games even began. That definitely had me crying. And seeing Haymitch's response? Chills. I know a lot of people aren't going to like this - but he reminded me a lot of Gale. That anger and fire and a bit of a lack of understanding about the consequences of his actions... that was all Gale. Clapping at Snow? So damn powerful...and so damn terrifying. Again - we knew going in that Haymitch had no one, but in that moment I was like...oh no Haymitch. Oh no.
Wyatt - there was something incredibly likeable about Wyatt. It really didn't feel like he had all that much "screen time" and yet I found myself liking him a lot. He's clearly very smart, and yet also humble. And the way he became so incredibly protective over Lou Lou - who side note was ALSO so damn devastating. Like - I don't think anyone will ever understand how devastating this book is until they read it themselves. But yeah. I liked Wyatt a lot, and it kind of sucks that he dies off screen - just because I feel like he deserved more. But I appreciate that he died a hero protecting Lou Lou - someone he didn't even ACTUALLY know and yet he recognized needed protecting.
Maysilee - I saved her for last, because MY GOD did I love Maysilee. She might be my favorite character in this whole damn book, and definitely a top 5 in the whole series. Her utter lack of fear, and her sass, and the way that we see her soften over the course of the games. The way she helps all of the tributes with their tokens and then says she'll be Ampert's sister without missing a beat...and then says she'll be Haymitch's... UGH. And the fact that Haymitch couldn't stand her in the beginning but comes the respect and even love her. And her death! UGH...I just...I wish I could fully capture how much I loved her. Like - she's NOT a nice person, but she's still a person who didn't deserve this and then she directs all that animosity at the real monsters and she was SUCH a good character. And knowing she was Katniss' mom's best friend AND the original owner of Katniss' mockingjay pin? I just...she's so perfect.
And finally - the only other tribute that I personally became attached to Ampert. Oh sweet, perfect Ampert. His death was by far the worst for me. I could not stop crying. It was just so gruesome and he was so smart, and good, and brave and HE WAS BEETEE'S SON. When he said, I want you to meet my dad... I KNEW it was going to be Beetee. And my heart SHATTERED. Because we knew that no tribute besides Haymitch was surviving these games, so I knew that Beetee was going to lose his son. I adored Beetee in the original trilogy, but was never quite able to forgive him for creating the horrible invention that killed Prim...not just because it was what killed her, but because it was such a cruel invention in the first place. But NOW... oh I get how he could be cruel like that. AND YET...he voted against the symbolic hunger games. THEY KILLED HIS CHILD...and he was still able to see that killing other people's children was not the way to go. UGH...Ampert would have been one of my favorite characters all on his own (the moment with him and Maysilee I mentioned earlier!), but his connection to Beetee just made him even more heart wrenching.
Okay, so now we're talking about returning characters. I was PRETTY sure before reading the book that Mags was going to be Haymitch's mentor. I knew there were no District 12 mentors and I assumed they would have victors from other districts do it, and I just KNEW it would be Mags and she was every bit as wonderful as she was in Catching Fire. She is a mama bear through and through. And her being tortured for helping Haymitch...knowing now that her being mute probably had nothing to do with a "stroke"...just every bit of this book is designed to destroy you.
Now Wiress...she was a surprise to me and I loved getting a little bit of information about how she won her games. Her arena sounded SUPER intense and of course she used her brilliant mind to outsmart her way to a victory. And it was so nice to see her young with her mind fully in tact, and my naive ass never imagined that her mind would be taken away from her SO YOUNG. Also - as punishment for helping Haymitch. I can't remember if they give her age or not, but she could only have been 19 at the oldest, since she won the games the year before Haymitch. And we know that her mind is still not all there 25 years later. WHY IS IT ALL SO SAD?????
Okay...another returning character: Effie. Now I have to constantly remind myself that Effie is not all that great of a person, because she REALLY gets changed in the movies, but at her core she is definitely a KIND person who has just been completely brainwashed by the Capital. And seeing her next to her predecessor definitely highlights her kindness even more. And I love that she and Haymitch have so much history, and that she knew him before he is turned into what he becomes. I know a lot of people have complained about all the cameos and call it fan service, but I think it makes total sense that Effie HAD to have met Haymitch before the games, because he did always seem to have a soft spot for her, and I don't think he could have developed one for her if he had only known her AFTER everything that happened to him.
And finally Snow. I've seen a few people say (as a joke) that Suzanne Collins wrote this book because so many people thirsted after young Snow after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Well - she definitely highlighted that as physically attractive as he may have been when he was young he is the absolute ugliest human being in this entire universe. MY GOD the things that he did to Haymitch, both in the arena and afterwards. I know I've said that my heart breaks for him...but I cannot express enough how much it physically hurt. And the reference he made to his twisted fucked up view of Lucy Grey...how anyone could come away from TBOSAS LIKING Snow is beyond me. But hopefully this book put everything back into perspective for people.
Okay...this has been going on for too long. So a few last thoughts. The fact that Haymitch PUT the poisoned gum drop that killed Lenore Dove in her mouth. Why? WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY? And the promise he made to her? That he would stop the games. The only reason he continued to live was to fulfill that promise...and yet he voted WITH KATNISS to hold another games. Like...we already knew that Haymitch knew Katniss well enough to know she was up to something...but this puts the trust he had in her into a whole new perspective. He trusted her enough to put the promise he made to the only girl he ever loved on the line. Like...my jaw dropped when he made that promise, because I immediately thought of the vote.
And finally...that epilogue. That epilogue was TWO PAGES LONG and I think those two pages broke me more than anything else in the book. Those were two of the most beautifully written pages I have ever seen. And thinking about how Haymitch FINALLY completely let Katniss and Peeta in, oh, it healed a lot of the pain the rest of the book put me through.
I have always been a huge fan of The Hunger Games and all the books in the series - but this book - it is something else. I know I will need to read it again and again to fully get everything out of it. But I'm glad I was able to get a lot of my thoughts down - even though I know I missed some stuff. I just realized I didn't even talk about the mindfuckery of the poisoned milk or Haymitch's whole goal in the games. Like...this book just has so many layers. SO SO SO SO freaking good....more
Loading...
