BOOK REVIEW – Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)
by Suzanne Collins
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

Review:

I’ve never felt more lost wandering through my thoughts upon closure of a book.  If you were to ask me if I loved it?  Of course, yes!  And if you were to ask me if I was devastated and struggling because of that?  Again, of course, yes!  That’s because Mockingjay was everything I was hoping it would be and at the same time it was so many things I was hoping it wouldn’t be.  But if I throw my emotional side away for one moment, I see the genius in how this story unfolded.  Because it was thrilling, addicting and I loved that the plot wasn’t always something I could guess.  But if I bring my emotional side back into it, I have to say that it melted my heart and also shattered it into oblivion.  But since I am a little bit of a masochistic in certain scenarios, I can faithfully say that I’d go through the angst and suffering all over again.  Because that ending?  It was worth it!  But as a heads up, I’m ok with everything I was hoping it would not be because I don’t mind realistic outcomes in a fictional world.  But I do wish that some of the events would have had a few more lines or even paragraphs in future parts of the book.  But back to those realistic outcomes in fictional worlds, what I mean is:

1.  In war, not everyone is going to get their happily ever after.  It’s not going to be pretty at times, and it can be beyond devastating and heartbreaking.  So when you step into war, take those thoughts of hoping that everyone is going to be safe and make sure to throw them as far away from you as you can.  And don’t ever look back.  Because they are stepping into the midst of a war, so it’s safe to say that what can happen in our world can easily happen in theirs.
2. In real life, life isn’t always fair. So unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how hard one works, or how much they deserve a good future.  Because that can easily become irrelevant in war and life.  While I felt gutted over how some things played out, I get it because fictional worlds don’t have to be any less harsh than the ones we live in.

“President Snow says he’s sending us a message? Well, I have one for him. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our districts to the ground, but do you see that?” One of the cameras follows as I point to the planes burning on the roof of the warehouse across from us. The Capitol seal on a wing glows clearly through the flames. “Fire is catching!” I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. “And if we burn, you burn with us!”

Now that I’ve gotten those thoughts out of my head, here’s the reasons why I fell in love this story so much, besides my reasons listed in my reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire:

1.  Friendships that warmed my heart.
2.  Family that offered true love and understanding.
3.  Watching alliances form between people who weren’t each other’s biggest fans.  When that happened, oh man, I was grinning like a loon.
4.  And the biggest reason of all?  The hope that true love can conquer all.  When the world is beyond recognition and you have this teeny, tiny sliver of hope for true love, well that tiny little flame can lighten the darkest of places.

“You’re still trying to protect me. Real or not real,” he whispers.
“Real,” I answer.

While I never wanted this series to end, I have good feeling that I will be revisiting Katniss’ world many times again in the future. Hope you enjoyed or will enjoy this final book and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Hunger Games #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Catching Fire #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Mockingjay #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea

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