Minor SPOILERS
I’m not sure how to start my review of Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay. My gut reaction when I finished the book was emotional, I was happy and sad and surprised by the ending. I thought Katniss’s actions at Snow’s trial were perfect, but I didn’t call it. I was surprised by what happened to Prim. I wasn’t surprised about anything that happened to Finnick and Annie. I’m surprised and not surprised about Gale. I was surprised by District 12 and the Meadow. I mostly expected the ending with Peeta and Katniss; it was written in such a lovely way that stayed true to the characters that had been established over the three books in The Hunger Games. Really, it feels like one long book. It’s certainly less time than I might have taken to read a thousand page novel. I really hoped I haven’t given anything away. trilogy
Though this novel is “Young Adult”, it isn’t written for the faint of heart. Even those who read paranormal YA might be shocked at the violence of not just the whole Hunger Games trilogy, but Mockingjay in particular. I think this is part of what distinguishes it from other Young Adult books. This novel does not glorify war, but shows the immorality of those who do. This isn’t about the love triangle, this isn’t a happy rebellion; there is dissent, disagreement and the feeling that at anytime the main character can decide she’s had enough, run away, switch sides or go off on her own. No matter the influences around her, Katniss listens to her own moral compass, which can differ from both Gale and Peeta.
I know a million people have read Mockingjay and many of them have blogged about the book and the series. I know a million more will read these books when the first movie comes out next spring. I think these books are worth it. They’re easy to read, face-paced and interesting. If you haven’t read them yet, go now.
Other Reviews:
So I just read the reviews I linked to above. It's a pretty mixed bag. Some people loved Mockingjay others thought it was terrible. None of them changed my opinion of the book. Some readers, I thought they should have looked at the connection between Gale and Prim's death to understand Katniss's choice. Some readers thought it was too realistic, but I liked that aspect of it. Some reviewers talked about the hype surrounding the release of Mockingjay and the rest of the series. Many of the reviews are from shortly after the release date in August 2010. Maybe it's because I waited (purposefully) to read the series that's one of the reasons I liked it better than other readers. I didn't want to be brought down by the hype. I also read the books all at once instead of each book being about a year apart. It made it all feel like one book to me.
Opinions of books are subjective. Books I haven't liked, I've read glowing reviews of. I was surprised by the diverse opinions out there.
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