Publisher: Scholastic
Publishing Date: August 24 2010
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Format: Paperback
Page count: 458
My rating:
Katniss’s final act of rebellion in the Quarter Quell Hunger Games in Catching Fire starts a revolution that she is fated to lead as the famous ‘Mockingjay’ – the symbol of the very rebellion she tried so hard to avoid.
Mockingjay was a very good book which I found hard to put down. Suffice to say, Katniss is fucking awesome in a warzone, even though she’s encouraged to use a bow among bombs and guns. The book runs much the way as the first two: the first half of the book is preparation and the second is the ‘Games’ part – although this time, like I said, it’s a warzone. Katniss is still televised (and she sucks at scripted lines) and the rebels are trying their hardest to get their message out while bringing down the Capitol.
I personally felt that this book wasn’t as good as Catching Fire, but I really liked the warzone section. It reminded me a lot of Tomorrow, When The War Began because it’s no longer a ‘game’ – even though the Hunger Games have always been life-or-death. Katniss doesn’t change much as a character – she is already strong and kick-ass, but now she is dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, which didn’t seem to affect her much in Catching Fire. I feel that the many deaths were appropriate – they didn’t necessarily have a ‘reason’, but they are in a war zone – and tell me honestly, what death has a point in a war? There are going to be casualties and it may be your favourite character. Shit happens. In the end this is still a Hunger Games book, and it’s a fight to the death.
I did not like the ending. I felt too many things were unresolved and it could have been fleshed out further to gain a more satisfying ending. I don’t feel this way simply because it is the last book of the trilogy, but I feel that too much at the end just ‘was’ without a proper explanation. I can’t say too much more without spoilers, but suffice to say that character motivations were not explained and we are just expected to accept out of character behaviour. OK. Overall, I still really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to re-read the whole trilogy and also see the last two books made into films.
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About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.
