Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Book Details
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Hardcover, 400 Pages
2010, Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439023513
Series: Book 3 of The Hunger Games

Synopsis
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Review
With Mockingjay being one of the most highly anticipated books released in 2010, expectations ran high. So high, that I don't think Suzanne Collins could have possibly satisfied all Hunger Games fans no matter how she decided to end the trilogy. I'll admit, I expected this book to be monumental. After two books that were some of the most amazing I had ever read, only epic greatness would have ended the trilogy in a manner it deserved.

I'll start with the bad first. I feel that Collins took the easy way out. Sure, things happen - important things at that, but everything has a hint of predictability. Those jaw-dropping, tear-inducing, completely rip-your-heart-out moments that made the previous books were surprisingly absent in Mockingjay. There was no instances of the big, ugly cry. Never once did I have to stop and think "Wow, she really just did that."

My other complaint about Mockingjay is the pacing. The book is SLOW and doesn't pick up until the third part, about halfway through the book. We see a lot of thought and internal issues with Katniss and planning by the rebels, but no real action. A book that should have kept me glued to its pages, took me three days to finish reading because the first 200 pages weren't all that enthralling. I put the book down to do other things constantly. This was a huge change from the first two books where nothing in the world could have dragged me away from word one.

Now, the good. We get answers. Absolutely nothing is left unanswered. Too many series end without tying up loose plot points, so the fact that we know everything in the end is very important.

The story is complete. Along with answers along the way, we get answers to what we may have wondered about the future. An epilogue, a la Harry Potter, allows us a quick look into the future and we know for certain how things continue to play out after the book ends.

The romance aspect of the story will be interpreted by readers depending on what team (Peeta or Gale) they've been on throughout the series. Looking at it as unbiasedly as I can, I'll say it was good in that I really didn't know which way it was going to go until late in the book. It felt at times that each guy had a chance. I don't like the reason the book romance worked out the way it did. For such a strong character, Katniss has always been way too wishy-washy about her love life. I feel there should have been a firm decision made by her as to why she ends up with the guy she does, instead of kind of just accepting the situation that presents itself.

As always, Suzanne Collins as given fans a good story. It's no where near the emotional roller coaster it should have been, but it ends the trilogy in decent, acceptable way. I feel let down by the book, which is partly due to my personal expectations, the huge hype and the lack of shocking moments I loved in the previous books. Mockingjay will definitely be debated by fans for years to come.

Rating

Links

Suzanne Collins's website