Synopsis:
Now in the hands of rebel forces, Katniss Everdeen becomes the symbol for the battle against the Capitol, even as the human toll of her actions in the arena and out begins to break her sanity.
Review:
First reads of final books are always tough to evaluate, because desperation to have story questions answered (Team Gale/Team Peeta) make it hard to slow down and enjoy the ride. Mockingjay is much more action-y than the previous two books, and the pacing is fast fast fast.
Suzanne Collins’s storytelling is ambitious, both in the plotting and in her characterizations. She goes deep and wide in just about everything, and that’s what saves Katniss from becoming an insufferable figurehead. Though Katniss has achieved fame and adulation in the districts, her internal struggles (which are about much, much more than her love life) dominate the narrative and make her a highly sympathetic character. Collins makes her self-awareness utterly believable, and takes her through a startlingly complex emotional journey.
Like the rest of the world, I love these books and will enjoy sharing them with the girls when they are older. The series is all over Amazon’s bestseller lists. I checked out the list for Bestsellers in YA Science Fiction and the books in the series occupy slots 1-6, 9, and 10. One of those vampire books is in slot number 8, but slot number 7 is taken by a book called Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, who wrote City of Bones, a book I liked but not well enough to keep going in the series. I think I’ll put this one on my library request list.
I am filled with admiration for your fortitude in stopping after City of Bones – didn’t it end on an unbearable cliffhanger? (Or shocking revelation, at least?). I finished the series, and it was very entertaining, but not one I will be keeping around on my shelves, I agree.
But Mockingjay – I loved it, though I notice many did not. It left me feeling devastated, and I took that as a mark of its effectiveness. I am just in the midst of a series of blog posts reflecting on it….
I read your first post & really appreciated how much you wrote, since I just don’t have the time to write much these days. I do think the series was a success, overall, and the melancholy ending didn’t bother me the way it did others. I really needed that release and closure.