Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I don't know what to say.  This book was...amazing.  Throughout the course of the story I felt every emotional possible.

Suzanne Collins knows how to write a story and create characters that one wants to read.  Every chapter ends suspensefully keeping the pages turning.

Where do I begin?

There were so many shocking events, beautiful events, sad events, and happy events.  This book was chock full of everything.  Okay, enough of me saying that.  I actually need to talk about it.  I wish I'd kept a record of my thoughts and feelings as I read it like I did with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

When I first heard the title Mockingjay it was before I ever dreamed of picking up the series, so I have to admit I thought the title was incredibly stupid.  But, now, it's beautiful.  Katniss Everdeen is the face of a movement.  She is the Mockingjay whether she wants to be or not.

Upon returning from the Quarter Quell, Katniss learns District 12 is destroyed and she will be living, along with her mom, sister, Gale, and many others from her district, in District 13.  While District 13 is not bound by the Capitol laws they do have their own very strict regime.  Every morning everyone wakes up and has a schedule tattooed on their arms with ink that won't wash away until the evening.

District 13 along with other districts is in the midst of a rebellion against the Capitol.  The only way for success is if Katniss plays the pawn, aka the Mockingjay.  She doesn't know who to trust.  The District 13 leaders are turning out to be just like the Capitol leaders.

OK, spoiler thoughts, kind of erratic:

Peeta was shock.  I felt so bad for him and Katniss.  He didn't get rescued by Haymitch and company, so the Capitol got him.  They used tracker jacker venom and basically turned him into a monster against Katniss.  They rescued him from the Capitol, but it was too late.  The entire rest of the story he's treated like a prisoner.  He does get better, but he has his moments where he's not sure what's real or not.  He does marry Katniss and convinces her to have children.  I'm Team Gale, but I totally understand that Katniss and Peeta need to be together.

Catching Fire introduced us to Finnick, a previous Hunger Games winner competing in the Quarter Quell.  We learn of his love for another winner named Annie.  Annie's a little crazy due to how she's been treated by the Capitol.  Finnick was rescued by Haymitch's crew.  He comes to District 13 with Katniss.  He has to go through recovery just like her, only I think it takes him longer.  When they rescue Peeta, they rescue Annie. Annie and Finnick love each other so much.  They get married.  I think part of the reason for the wedding is a knock at the Capitol.  They can't stop them from being happy.  It isn't revealed until the end that the two have a baby.  Well, Finnick dies in the war, but it states in the end that they have a child, so one can only assume...  I'm sad that Finnick dies but happy Annie can carry on his legacy through a child--one that will not have to worry about the Hunger Games.

Like I said above, I'm Team Gale.  Katniss and Gale were friends before the games.  I didn't want them to change anything.  But, unfortunately, they did. Katniss is pretty messed up.  She needs someone like Peeta.  Gale--on some levels I think he understands and others it hurts him.  In the end he moves to District Four, I believe.  I don't think Katniss keeps in touch with him.  She knows he got a job, but she doesn't know anything, but imagines he's kissing someone else's lips.  It's sad to hear.  They were hunting buddies.  They kept each other alive, along with their families.  They deserved to have the happy lives together.  But, unfortunately, the Capitol took that away.

President Coin was president of District 13.  She had bigger ambitions.  Once President Snow, president of Panem, died she would take over.  She persuaded Katniss to do everything for her.  Eventually, Katniss figured this out.  Instead of murdering Snow like she planned, she killed Coin.  I knew that was going to happen. I wasn't surprised.  Snow ends up dying, choking on laughter or something along those lines.  So, he dies anyway.  Katniss realized that she was a pawn in a much bigger scheme than she knew.  Coin didn't want to turn things around.  She just wanted to put herself and District 13 in charge.  Nothing was going to change.  They were all going to play the same games.  Katniss had to get rid of that.

Primrose Everdeen. Poor Prim.  The last thing Katniss wanted was for her sister to die, but that happened anyway.  It happened at the hands of District 13.  The reader is to believe that we aren't sure exactly who set off the bomb, but the evidence pretty much points to District 13.  It's so sad.  Katniss's whole goal is to keep her alive and she fails.

I give the book 5/5 stars for being such a page turner and evoking every emotion possible.  I read it for pure pleasure.