Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

        

Mockingjay
(The Hunger Games #3)
by Suzanne Collins

Summary from Goodreads:

"Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. 


The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding."

Rating:

I finished this book with a heavy heart. It’s not as exciting as the first 2 books but that’s not what got me into such a gloomy state. Mockingjay is depressing for me. It makes me see so much of what wars can do to the world and to people; and as much as we’d like to forget the horrors, even though you’ve healed and moved on, you’ll have scars to remind you of it.

I was sad to find the state of the characters I love go senseless. It’s as if I’m looking at real people who have literally gone crazy from haunting past experiences. But that’s one of the things that I love about this book, the characters are not flawless, they’re as imperfect as anyone and that’s what makes them memorable. I do hate to see some of even the most innocent minor characters die, but I do understand that given the exact event in the book, we are reading the inevitable. 

The epilogue didn’t seem necessary (or appropriate, maybe) for me since I’m still baffled about Katniss’ real feeling for Gale and Peeta. I'd love to see Peeta be with Katniss but up until the end I still see that Katniss isn’t worthy of Peeta after all that’s happened. And it’s as if she just settled for Peeta just because Gale has chosen to take another road. I guess I’ll have to reread Mockingjay again to clear that part out. 

Mockingjay is an intense book. Yes, it is slow at the beginning and it does drag on a bit but the plot is incredibly solid and profound. It provided readers with an ending that reflects a lesson in real life: You win. You lose. You rise. You fall. You grieve. You move on. You get scarred. You’re haunted. And yet in spite of it all, you learn live again.