Book Review: Mockingjay

By Suzanne Collins

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

Why I read it: I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games series and I was really exciting for the release of Mockingjay. My parents gave me this book for Christmas.

What I liked: Unfortunately, not much. Perhaps if the first books hadn’t been so amazing I would have enjoyed this more, but as it is I just found it a bit of a letdown. There were certain things that I liked, such as Finnick’s characterization and the way the Capitol was manipulating everything. The whole political situation was confusing on purpose, and I liked that.

What I disliked: The plot was not near as good as the first two books. For starters, Katniss was hardly on the front lines. As the mockingjay, she was kept safe for most of the book and all the action happened when she wasn’t around. The stakes also seemed much lower; before the book was half done the rebels knew they were going to win, it was just a matter of who was going to die. On the whole, there didn’t seem to be a concrete purpose to anything that happened.

Katniss by this time is so changed from the girl in the first book that I didn’t like her anymore. All her spunk is done and the smallest thing sends her into a fit. Something has also happened to make Peeta awful. Finnick was the only character that improved but I didn’t like any of the others. There were also a number of characters introduced who seemed to be part of the story just so they could die.

The conclusion was hardly satisfying. I’m not a person who likes happy endings, but Mockingjay’s ending was a little too bitter. The love triangle with Peeta and Gale is finally resolved but it felt a little empty and rushed. On the whole, ‘rushed’ seems to be the word for the ending. Everything happened so quickly, in short snippets separated by long periods of time.

From a Christian Perspective: Like the other books, there is no sexual content or swearing. However, the violence is even worse; people are killed in some of the most gruesome methods I could possibly have imagined.

To buy or not to buy: If you weren’t completely in love with the other two, don’t bother getting Mockingjay. I bought it simply because I wanted to complete my set, but I found it more of a disappointment than anything.