The Hunger Games: Book 3

Without giving too much away, Buttercup's second run-in with Katniss is what caused me to shed my first tear, and I pretty much kept crying from there on out. I was surprised by a few unexpected turns throughout the book. I appreciate how Collins demonstrates in her trilogy the evils of a corrupt and oppressive government, the danger of power hungry leaders, and the way that kind of greed and...more

Without giving too much away, Buttercup's second run-in with Katniss is what caused me to shed my first tear, and I pretty much kept crying from there on out. I was surprised by a few unexpected turns throughout the book. I appreciate how Collins demonstrates in her trilogy the evils of a corrupt and oppressive government, the danger of power hungry leaders, and the way that kind of greed and tyranny can beat down an entire population...but also how a glimmer of hope, courage and resolve can rally a people and give them the determination to stand up and fight if necessary for what's right (for their God-given rights!)...for themselves, for their families, for the greater good. I loved these books..."Mockingjay" was a little slow for me in the beginning, but became much more enthralling in the second half. I thought the ending was appropriate and there was an undertone of sadness from beginning to end...but under the circumstances in a place like Panem, what else would one expect?   hide

Book three in The Hunger Games trilogy. Daring Katniss has survived the Hunger Games for a second time and has inspired the districts to rise up and revolt against the Capitol's tyranny. Unfortunately, she is still not safe, nor is anyone or any place she cares about. Even in the rebel camp in District 13, all is not rainbows and butterflies. No matter what she does, Katniss can't seem to...more

Book three in The Hunger Games trilogy. Daring Katniss has survived the Hunger Games for a second time and has inspired the districts to rise up and revolt against the Capitol's tyranny. Unfortunately, she is still not safe, nor is anyone or any place she cares about. Even in the rebel camp in District 13, all is not rainbows and butterflies. No matter what she does, Katniss can't seem to escape being a pawn in someone's game. The love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale definitely takes a backseat to the truly important themes in the novel. Collins wants us to think about the horrors of war (whichever side you happen to be fighting on), and the way we treat our soldiers once the war is over. How can a person ever really "go home again" and embrace life after that experience? Bloody and depressing. However, though I did wish for a happier ending for Katniss after all she endured, a fairytale ending would not have made much sense in a book about war.   hide

And so it ends, with the same breathtaking strengths and fatal flaws that carried me through all three books in a rush of late night, page-turning sprints. Collins creates wonderful, complex, broken, real characters, and she doesn't give them easy answers or fairy-tale endings. These are broken people, and they are much better characters for it. On the story side, Panem is full of surprises, and...more

And so it ends, with the same breathtaking strengths and fatal flaws that carried me through all three books in a rush of late night, page-turning sprints. Collins creates wonderful, complex, broken, real characters, and she doesn't give them easy answers or fairy-tale endings. These are broken people, and they are much better characters for it. On the story side, Panem is full of surprises, and Collins is the master of the unexpected move. But her pacing still drives me a little crazy -- we slow to a crawl to explore Katniss' misplaced survivor's guilt, then get whiplash hurtling forward across days or weeks of action. World-changing events are mentioned in passing, almost as after thoughts. And again, the conclusion left me hanging. Despite the challenges, though, this is a series that will get under a reader's skin, and will make stunning movies.   hide

The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy is quite different in feel from the first two books, which in many ways were the same book rewritten with slight variations (this is not a criticism: I liked them). In many ways this is the book that injects some realism into the series. You cannot go through the experiences that Katniss, Peeta and their families endured without serious and permanent...more

The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy is quite different in feel from the first two books, which in many ways were the same book rewritten with slight variations (this is not a criticism: I liked them). In many ways this is the book that injects some realism into the series. You cannot go through the experiences that Katniss, Peeta and their families endured without serious and permanent consequences to the psyche. This time round the focus also shifts slightly: it's less Katniss's story (although she's still pivotal) and more about the Civil War that is raging and how she is being used on both sides. I was really drawn into the mind games between Katniss and President Snow and the machinations of how the Capitol could really be unravelled. This is easily the most "adult" of the series in tone and feel. People don't act in simplistic ways. The good guys are almost as unpleasant as the bad ones. The ending isn't neat and pretty. Did I expect a different resolution to the series? Yes. Would I have preferred a different resolution to the series? Possibly, but I think this one works and works well.   hide

I can't think of one other book that I've put down sometimes and exclaimed "I hate this novel" and had to pick it right back up to see what was going to happen next. The Hunger Games caught me, Catching Fire tighten the noose and Mockingjay kicked the chair out from under me and laughed while I was hanging. It is because of this that these novels are so amazing and they hold such a special place...more

I can't think of one other book that I've put down sometimes and exclaimed "I hate this novel" and had to pick it right back up to see what was going to happen next. The Hunger Games caught me, Catching Fire tighten the noose and Mockingjay kicked the chair out from under me and laughed while I was hanging. It is because of this that these novels are so amazing and they hold such a special place in my heart. Collins goes farther than any other novel series I've read. She pushes all of her characters to their absolute limits, takes a step back to assess what they truly fear, and then makes it ten times worse. Just as the precious Hunger Games she created, no one escapes her brilliant cruelty. And it is because we see these characters sink to the lowest they can possible go (and way beyond) that we truly relate to them. The best part about this is no character is exempt from this rule and often times, the characters that do die are in a far better place than those who continue on. Katniss is a complex, real heroine if I ever met one. Weighed down by each life her decisions take, she a mess trying to sort through the past two games, the destruction of her home, the capture of Peeta and the pain this causes Gale. Rather than taking this all on at once, she hides, often relying on her own form of the bottle (sleep or morphling) to take away the awful truths that have just begun to surface from her previous torment. She battles with the essential question-- how can I lead when I'm not able to face up to the consequences? No matter what she does, lives are going to be lost. She relies on her friends but her strength, her unpredictability (think the berries) and her ingrained knowledge to always question the motives of those around her are what always gives her the edge. I love that we finally get a heroine who understands what comes first. At times, her inability to figure out who she wants to love got somewhat annoying, especially since at the heart of her character she's pretty calculating and decisive, but her reasoning for being unable to think about it during such an extreme period of time make a lot of sense. After all, love has never been a necessity in District 12. The plot wouldn't allow me to put the novel down for long periods of time. Unfortunately, this novel came right as I was going through one of those reading lags and that kept me away a bit but this in no way is the actual novel's fault. I raced through the pages (mostly to see when I was finally going to get Peeta back) and just as with the last two, could never guess where I was being lead. Every time I thought I was catching on, the twist came throwing me off the trail. Collins writes herself into a corner, pulls a brilliant hat trick and before I know it, we're out of it and moving on to the next thing. I was particularly impressed with Peeta's cruel but completely engrossing journey in this novel. As always, I enjoyed the bare minimum style of Katniss's voice. Her descriptions of people, places and situations are always almost on a need to know bases but what I love is we get one or two amazingly perceptive details that we can file away for later and most of the time, they come into play. For instance, Gale's a hunter at heart and we know he's good with traps because that was his role to play in their hunting pair back in book one. In this book, his trapping skills come into some powerful plays and cause some pretty catastrophic, if not effective, results. I also loved that we got to finally see Prim. We saw Prim in The Hunger Games but during this time, Katniss thought of her as a child still. Mockingjay brings us a fully realized adult version of the 13 (I'm pretty sure that's her age) year old and I have to say, I'm in love with her! Katniss makes a fascinating observation about Prim saying she got the best of all the family traits-- "her mother's healing hands, her father's level head, and her [Katniss's] fight" and then goes on to say "there's something else there as well, something entirely her own. An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are" (Pg. 184). For some reason, this out of all the other things Katniss observes really stuck with me and while before, Prim was just the little girl with blonde hair, she became an entire and whole character right before my eyes that I desperately wanted to know. I've heard that there has been some discontent over the ending. I honestly can't think of a better way to end it than the way it did. Katniss finally learned the ability she credited Prim for, to pull out the truth in life, and used this knowledge to thrust the entire world back into the hands of those who really want change. After, she just is. There is no going back, no erasing the thousands of lives she feels responsible for. She can never feel completely secure because she felt that before and had everything taken from her. Katniss learned to live-- maybe not a well adjusted life-- but a life that was finally mostly in her control. The only thing I wish we'd gotten a little more of is Katniss and Peeta finally falling in love. We get this lovely little game of "real or not real" along with that memory of what the love was between them "always" but we've just spent the entire book watching Peeta not be his old lovable self and I would have liked to see a little more of that transformation to believe their new life. In my opinion, a good book will feel good even after you close it. A great book will be there forever. A permanent part of you that you'd never dream of severing. Mockingjay, and really the entire set of books, has taken hold of me and it will never let go.   hide

Despite staying up late at night to read this book, I’m still not sure what to make of it. It’s not that I did not like it. I did, but then at times, I didn’t. Unlike the first two books I actually put this book down several times and left it to read something else. Perhaps because the overall tone of this book is very bleak, and Katniss has a very apathetic attitude and it’s not really...more

Despite staying up late at night to read this book, I’m still not sure what to make of it. It’s not that I did not like it. I did, but then at times, I didn’t. Unlike the first two books I actually put this book down several times and left it to read something else. Perhaps because the overall tone of this book is very bleak, and Katniss has a very apathetic attitude and it’s not really until the end where she finally breaks out of her depressing rut. So reading through this book can be felt as a heavy duty chore. I would have to say however, I started to like Katniss despite her behaviour. She did a lot of growing up, and her development character-wise is very well done and accurate according to the situation and environment she’s surrounded in. Yet in some ways, I think it was a bit overdone in some parts and I couldn’t help but feel like I wanted to smack her sometimes. Character development overall in this novel is excellent. Peeta’s sudden change really got to me and I almost wanted to quit reading because he wasn’t the same and he was my favorite character. Still, it was well done and I thought the development of both Peeta and Katniss were the best I have ever seen in any novels I have read so far. The plot was good, however I’m not sure younger readers would be suited to read this. The level of violence is much higher than the first two books, and the ending has a particular scene where it’s especially horrifying to read. It actually shocked me as I never thought something like this would be in a young adult novel. There is a lot of action scenes in the book, particularly towards the end where the story reaches a breaking point. What did bother me a little was the sudden abrupt outcomes of certain characters in the book. It was like as if the author just wanted to quickly tie some loose ends and it did seem like it was a rush job. Upon finishing the book, it left me feeling subdued. I liked it, but I didn’t. I know I should not have expected a happy ending considering the bleak subject matter of this series but perhaps I expected a lot more to happen. It definitely was not what I expected. That being said though, the ending was all right perhaps I wanted just a little bit more. It was a pleasure reading this fantastic series and I have no regrets.   hide

The third and final book of the Hunger Games trilogy didn't fail to amuse and lived up to my expectations. The suspense keeps on building. I particularly like how Collins explored and developed some characters that are otherwise resting on the sidelines of the first two books. We find Gale rising into the face of rebellion and proving a worthy opponent to Peeta in the battle for Katniss'...more

The third and final book of the Hunger Games trilogy didn't fail to amuse and lived up to my expectations. The suspense keeps on building. I particularly like how Collins explored and developed some characters that are otherwise resting on the sidelines of the first two books. We find Gale rising into the face of rebellion and proving a worthy opponent to Peeta in the battle for Katniss' affection. Haymitch is, as usual, his brutally frank self but he proved to be Katniss' true ally. Prim played a very pivotal role in the story and Finnick became more than just a pretty face, as he was irritatingly portrayed in book 2. Peeta had a very unfortunate fate, but Collins managed to give him justice towards the end. It was Katniss, however who has the most transformations. Her character suffered a lot of setbacks, which only made her stronger. From being a pawn in different people's games, she emerged to be her own game master. I'm a little bit disturbed with the abundance of bloodshed and gore, but I guess part of Hunger Games' charm is its stark representation of violence and brutality. What I do not like about it is the unimaginative way Collins seems to resolve conflicts and loop holes -- death. And there are one too many deaths, some of the characters that are hinted essential in the first two books just died nonchalantly. The end also seemed too hopeful, which I found, somehow anti-climactic. But despite its flaws, Mockingjay will remain one of my most interesting reads ever. Its depiction of war may be haunting, and mostly depressing, but the message is clear that no matter what the outcome is, in the end, we all lose. Nobody wins a war. We move on, pick up the pieces, and start a new life, but the wounds never fully heal. The end of the book may be a happy one, but as Katniss' character hinted, the horror have to be written and told to teach a lesson, and the recollection will forever remain painful.   hide

3.0 out of 5 stars Katniss lost her focus and passion... August 28, 2010 This review is from: Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) (Hardcover) As were other readers, I was disappointed and let down by this book, the final installment in the previously thrilling Hunger Games trilogy. I had really anticipated liking it more. I think the main point fueling my reaction is that the...more

3.0 out of 5 stars Katniss lost her focus and passion... August 28, 2010 This review is from: Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) (Hardcover) As were other readers, I was disappointed and let down by this book, the final installment in the previously thrilling Hunger Games trilogy. I had really anticipated liking it more. I think the main point fueling my reaction is that the interaction and the dialog between the individuals and the interplay of their relationships that I had found so interesting in the first two novels were missing in this one. By the end, I really didn't care about any of the formerly endearing or revolting characters and got tired of the endless descriptions of weapons and all different manner of war and death. I prefer to read about people and their feelings and thoughts to reading about battles, chases, and escapes from the clutches of bad guys or fantastic hordes of killing machines. I really didn't have much empathy for Katniss because she seemed to always be either impetuously disregarding what was in her best interests and doing something stupid out of anger or revenge or huddled in a secret place crying and wallowing. Neither is attractive in a character I want to admire and root for in a novel that is supposed to be about strong heroines and causes. I guess I felt that the novel was relentless in its diatribe about the horrors of war - got it the first time in the first chapter. I had hoped that Katniss would lead the rebels to the capital in an organized well thought out battle where GOOD would decisively triumph over evil. By the time she made it to the Capitol, her motives seemed shallow and more for personal reasons than for the good of Panem as a whole - it was about her and what Snow had done to her loved ones and her life. More or less it seemed to me that, in the end, she whimpered toward a victory that was hollow and pointless as she slunk back to District 12 to quietly live out the rest of her days. The epilogue was supposed to indicate that she had reached a level of peace or acceptance but merely seemed like an afterthought. She had completely lost her passion. And I lost interest in her. Despite my overall dissatisfaction and my review indicating that to me the book was only so-so, anyone who was enthralled with The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) will certainly feel compelled to read this book to finish out the series. I am also sure that the movie(s) will be wildly popular.   hide

Just finished reading the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Flashes of Bladerunner, 1984, Lord of the Flies, Dark Angel and other sci-fi stories tickled my brain as a breezed through these books. Susanne Collins did a good job of making the ideas new again and twisting them into exciting strands that easily grip the reader. Although the main character and protagonist, Katniss Everdeen,...more

Just finished reading the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Flashes of Bladerunner, 1984, Lord of the Flies, Dark Angel and other sci-fi stories tickled my brain as a breezed through these books. Susanne Collins did a good job of making the ideas new again and twisting them into exciting strands that easily grip the reader. Although the main character and protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is tough in her self assessments, she is a strong, likable person. Her male counterpoints, Gale and Peeta, play on the reader's sympathies in turn. Both are strong supports for her at various times and in very different ways. It's not easy to figure who will win a place in her future, if she even manages to make a future. Not once did i laugh or even smile while reading this series, but it did captivate to me to point that i could barely put it down for any reason. And i also shed a few tears over it. There are a few writing problems that are easy enough to overlook once the fast-paced action gets moving. Like the Potter and Twilight series, this collection gets young people reading, and that's a very good thing.   hide