Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Date Started: August 24, 2010
Date Finished: August 24, 2010

Summary: Katniss Everdeen has survived two rounds of the Hunger Games and now is debating whether she should become the face of the revolution as the Mockingjay. 

Likes: I've been in a day long state of literary shock. This is a good thing in a sense that a book can cause so many emotions. I laughed, I cried (multiple times), I screamed into pillows then promptly threw them across the room. It was just that good. There was a lot of action and I was invested in the outcome of the characters. I'm glad Gale got more screen time. He's kind of ruthless and not afraid of sacrificing others for the greater good. He's one of my favorite characters in this book. (not to say that I was ever team Gale or anything, but he's just really cool and the way I imagined him, he was incredibly hot.) He's smart, resourceful, and he truly comes alive in this book.

The book didn't spare any details which is something I enjoyed. Sometimes the description was too much, but it was well written and very cinematic with a lot of sensory details that sucked me into the story with the characters. The tone of this book is definitely darker than the first two (if that's possible) and the sense of urgency kept me reading and wanting to know what happened next. I read the book in one night and I couldn't put it down.

Dislikes: There was a few things that I didn't think were necessary. A lot of things that happened just made me angry and I wish they had never occurred. There was no reason for those things to happen and they didn't seem to add anything to the overall plot of the story. I'm coming to terms with what happened in the last few chapters. I'm still not happy about it, but I do commend the author for being brave enough to go that far with her characters. The true ending is bittersweet, but the epilogue was just strange (as most epilogues of epic series are. Harry Potter, anyone?).

Overall: I'm still on the fence about this one. After rereading certain parts, I have to say this is one of my favorite books. Ever. (On par with Looking for Alaska)  On the one hand, it was very well-written and thought provoking. In the large scheme of things (like the world or something), it makes you think about the complexities of a war and the unnecessary sacrifice of life for the common good. However, given what happened in the course of the series, I'm not sure the specific situations in this story were the right choices for this particular series. The ending left me with a hollow feeling. I'm glad that the author didn't spare any of the gory details and didn't give a deus ex machina just so she could tie up the series into a neat little happy package. At the same time, there were certain things that happened in the story that keep me from liking it completely. When you read it, you'll find out what I mean. 

Recommended by: Pfft, who hasn't recommended this book after the first two. If you haven't read the first two, go read them now, then relax, buy tissues, book proof your house (because you might toss it at a wall and break something), and read this book.

Acquired: I bought the actual book, but I couldn't wait for it come in the mail, so I read it on the Kindle App for the PC. Now my book is in the mail, but I forgot to pick it up and now I have it. I've been reading some of my favorite parts again and will probably read the whole series during Christmas break.