Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

You know…not as action packed as the first two. In fact…it’s a bit of a downer.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.
“Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.”

So I had awesome expectations for this book. I mean, super high. The first book was amazing, and so was the second book that followed suit, but this one…this one left me feeling a little “meh.”

This book was beautifully written. It was poetic and sad and tragic. We see Katniss at her most venerable and her most real I feel. We see her shell-shocked and broken, different from the scheming and do anything to survive Katniss from the previous two books.

To me the book read like one of my dad’s old war novels with the sneaking behind enemy lines and the comrades falling to crazy mutant creatures. Okay, minus the crazy mutant creatures, but still dead nonetheless. The body count and bloodshed was impressive for what is supposed to be a young adult novel. Hell, I forgot from time to time to that this was supposed to be a book for teenagers, which in my mind, is always a plus.

With all the lovely things that I have said about this book, I still found it intensely boring at most parts. There is only so much of the ins and outs of Katniss’s depression and mindless complaints about being in District 13 that someone can take. I found myself struggling through sections of the book where she was in District 13 and being upset with how fast the action went by when it was over.

I did enjoy this book, I really did. I just felt that it was lack luster in comparison to the first two books. It was beautifully written, it was heartbreakingly tragic, and left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth when I got to the end and was left thinking that the epilogue was totally not needed.

So in the end: should you read the Hunger Game series? Absolutely. It is an epic tale that is not for the weak of heart.