Friday, April 13, 2012

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publish Date: August 24, 2010
Genre: YA, dystopian
Pages: 390
Series: The Hunger Games #3
1. The Hunger Games (review)
2. Catching Fire (review)
3. Mockingjay

**WARNING: SPOILERS!**
Synopsis:
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost.


With all the hype around The Hunger Games right now because of the movie, I feel like my thoughts are jumbled. I tend to push away from anything with a lot of hype until some of the hype has died down, which is why I’ve been putting off writing this review. I thought that the hype might translate into me writing a negative review.

Mockingjay is a fantastic finale to the series. I can’t believe all that happens to the characters and Panem in general. Katniss is no longer making decisions and running her own life. She’s a pawn to the people of District 13 and still one to President Snow and the Capitol. And you should know by now that Katniss isn’t one to sit back and let others tell her what to do.

Watching the relationship between Gale and Katniss grow while Peeta was kept prisoner of the Capitol was interesting. Even though Katniss isn’t quite convinced, she does love Peeta. She doesn’t yet realize that she’s not just trying to keep him alive because of a promise, but because she loves him. And when they do meet again . . . let’s just say it’s not the big reunion I was expecting.

The revolution is in full swing in this book. The districts are gradually rebelling against the Capitol and their Peacekeepers. Katniss and Gale get the opportunity to see the destruction from the front lines, both in the districts and in the Capitol. But all she can do is be the poster child, the Mockingjay, for the rebellion. She’s stuck getting made up and shoved in front a camera to film promos, encouraging the other districts to rebel and showing them what the Capitol is doing.

Mockingjay really is a powerful novel. There’s so much going on in terms of politics, relationships, personal conflicts, and more. And seeing it through Katniss’s eyes, the ones of a girl who never wanted to be what she’s become, we see the conflict and desire of one citizen of Panem, looking for peace in a war-torn world.

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

No comments:

Post a Comment