Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Mockingjay » User review

Mockingjay

The third book of Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Edit Topic

< read all 11 reviews

an ultimately approprate conclusion

Nov 13, 2010

by missprint
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, the spark that started a revolution, once again finds her life in chaos. Rescued from the Quarter Quell and whisked to District 13 and the seat of the rebel cause, Katniss is expected to take up her role as the figurehead of the rebellion; as the Mockingjay so ready and willing to fight the Capitol. Peeta is captured. Probably dead–it would be best if he were dead. District 12 is gone. And Katniss finds she can no longer hide from the war she never meant to start. Many are willing, as ever, to tell Katniss what to do, who to support and what role to play. But before she can become the Mockingjay, before she can save Panem, her loved ones, or even herself, Katniss will have to decide what cost she is willing to pay for survival and, ultimately, for freedom in Mockingjay (2010) by Suzanne Collins. Mockingjay, the follow up to Collins’ insanely popular books The Hunger Games and Catching Fire hardly needs an introduction or help getting into the hands of eager readers. This book, like the rest of the trilogy, sells itself. In the much anticipated conclusion to the trilogy, Collins does little to disappoint. Filled with twists, action, and memorable characters, Mockingjay will keep readers guessing (and riveted) until the very end. And what a finish. In a lot of ways Mockingjay was even more brutal than the other books about Katniss and Panem because Collins made it so clear that these characters are damaged beyond repair. Will they keep going? Of course. Will anyone be the same after the war is decided once and for all? Of course not. The writing is scattered and often bleak, likely because our heroine is repeatedly injured mentally and physically. Collins is brutally honest about what it has cost Katniss and many of the other characters (especially the other Victors of the Games) to make it this far while showing irrevocably that war rarely solves anything neatly and often hurts the very people it’s trying to save. Still it’s impossible to turn away from this modern, original story of a girl, a revolution, and a war that is fought as much on camera as on the front lines. Mockingjay remains a strong, compelling story about characters that have captured the world’s imagination. Some reviews have suggested that the core characters were inconsistently written here or that the ending was lacking. On the contrary, Collins has not only been faithful to the spirit of the first two books but also created an utterly original conclusion to a powerful trilogy. I love all of the books as physical objects with the arresting designs by Elizabeth B. Parisi and cover art by Tim O’Brien. I love the energy from this series. I love the characters and the story. I find myself completely moved (and maybe even rattled) by this powerful, surprising, and ultimately appropriate ending to a series that has quite literally changed the face of young adult literature forever. Possible Pairings: Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized

Post a Comment

More Mockingjay reviews

review by Sean_Rhodes. December 04, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Dark and Intense

When The Hunger Games first debuted in 2008, I began to read it and I was stunned by the books excellent pacing, amusing characters and the amusing situation of throwing several people into an arena to see who comes out alive. It was, for the most part, a rather simple book. One that was dark, violent and mysterious but it never glorified the act of violence, nor were the more violent moments hard to swallow. For all intents and purposes, The Hunger Games was a fantastic book. … more

Comments (4) Compliments (54)

review by reggae. December 22, 2010

MockingJay: Great Book But Not The Best (Spoiler Alert!)

Warning! Don't read if you plan to read book 2 and haven't yet. There's a few spoilers for those who've not read book 3 yet but not many. You've been warned, read at own risk. Otherwise, enjoy. The Hunger Games Series has been a wonderful ride. Suzanne Collins has created a wonderful world of the ashes of the USA and North America. Panem is the country where you meet Katniss Everdeen from District 12 and are introduced. Then readers learn fully about … more

Comment Compliments (12)

review by cpw1952. December 24, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A trilogy destined for the "classics" section of the library!

Dystopia, Big Brother and post-apocalypse are themes that have been included in novels so often that it could well be a life's work for a librarian to prepare an exhaustive catalogue of titles. But, in terms of quality, the devil is in the details and Suzanne Collins has justifiably taken the world by storm. Suzanne Collins HUNGER GAMES trilogy, inspired by the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur, is an innovative, dare I say unique, young adult twist on the recurring themes of violence, cruely, … more

Comment Compliments (30)

review by GlassIsland. September 07, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Sputtering to a finish

I was fully prepared to rave about 'Mockingjay,' the last book of the Hunger Games series. I was ready to love it as much as I did the first two, and to channel that love into words of high praise. So imagine my surprise when I finished the book and was left with an unexpected feeling: disappointment. I got a sense while reading the book that Suzanne Collins was making an attempt to create a big finish ending, which is another strange thing, because I felt like 'Mockingjay' … more

Comments (1) Compliments (27)

Quick Tip by cpw1952. December 24, 2010

A Quick Tip by cpw1952

Suzanne Collins' brilliant conclusion to the HUNGER GAMES trilogy, graphically showcases the horrors of war - loss, heroism, courage, death and destruction, bravery, leadership - and injects horrific new meaning to the "terror" in "terrorism". Her depiction of the aphorism "Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely" is spellbinding.

Comment Compliment

review by Pam_Tee. August 23, 2010

Fantastic End to a Great Series

It's all back! The drama, the great characters, the relentless pacing and the delicious politics. It's all back with Suzanne Collin's "Mockingjay" -- the 3rd and finally installment in the "Hunger Games" trilogy. And for those of you who didn't get a chance to re-read the series, don't worry, Collins does a great job in the beginning chapters of firing things up again. She ignited my own sense of loss … more

Comment Compliments (12)

review by SheilaDeeth. September 20, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Definitely real

Mockingjay is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and again, author Suzanne Collins, leads expertly straight into the story, weaving just enough reminders into her character's thoughts to bring readers up to speed without needing to slow the action to explain. The author has an amazing talent for clarity in a complex tale, for balancing showing and telling, and for describing action and introspection each with fearful intensity. She keeps the reader glued to the page, and keeps … more

Comment Compliment

review by georgepwood. August 30, 2010

A Dark End to an Excellent Series

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins comes to a bloody end with Mockingjay, the series' final volumes. (I reviewed the first two volumes here and here.) The story takes place in North America, sometime in the future. A civil war between the Capitol and its thirteen districts resulted in the annihilation of District 13 and the imposition of the Hunger Games on the remaining twelve. For seventy-five years, each district has sent one girl and one boy between the … more

Comment Compliment

review by Parajunkee. August 30, 2010

Excellent Finale

Never has a series touched me like The Hunger Games series. Every moment, every heart ache, every bit of dialogue is real. The characters reactions, moments of clarity, moments of insanity, pain, loss, love, hate, anger, hurt, even their drug induced stupors are real, real real. Parajunkee loved this book? Real. REVIEW: The culmination of Katniss' adventure comes to an end in the 3rd installment of The Hunger Games, Mockingjay. She has been pulled from … more

Comment Compliment

review by TheCompulsiveReader. August 24, 2010

Powerful

Katniss Everdeen has once again just barely escaped death in the arena, but this time her rescue is due to the rebels in District 13. Katniss should be happy that she has powerful allies that are willing to fight the Capitol, but it doesn't take long for her to realize that like the Capitol, District 13 is only interested in using her and making her the face of the rebellion, the Mockingjay. Katniss is sick of being someone's pawn, but the rebellion can't be won without her participation. The only … more

Comment Compliment

see all Mockingjay reviews (11)

About the reviewer

missprint
Ranked #222

Reader, writer, blogger. I have a master's in library science and information systems and am currently searching for a librarian position. You can … more

Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

The Hunger Games

Sapphique

Catching Fire

A Great and Terrible Beau …

rate more to improve this

Recent reviews by missprint

a high-octane sequel
a review of Perry's Killer Playlist

a surprising, enchanting story about fresh starts …
a review of Unbreak My Heart

see more reviews

About this book

Wiki

Praise for the Hunger Games series: "Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power." -Time Magazine "Collins has joined J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer as a writer of children's books that adults are eager to read." -Bloomberg.com "Perfect pacing and electrifying world building." -Booklist, starred review "A humdinger of a cliffhanger will leave readers clamoring for volume three." -Kirkus reviews, starred review "Forget Edward or Jacob... readers will be picking sides- Peeta or Gale?" -Publishers Weekly, starred review "Leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment." -School Library Journal, starred review

view wiki