Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Release: August 24, 2010
Source: Bought

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 plans — 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.

Perhaps my hopes were too high. Perhaps I had become so attached to the characters that I couldn’t stand to see them change so rapidly. Perhaps I didn’t like being in such a dark atmosphere, not that these books were ever light. I don’t know what the problem was for me, but whatever it was, it made Mockingjay a let down.

Don’t get me wrong, I still loved it to pieces. But I was just expecting so much from this book and, frankly, I didn’t get it. Katniss, who was once so strong was so depressing and unstable in this book that it was hard to read a book from her perspective since it put you in such a dark place. Peeta, one of my favorite characters I have ever read, upset me also. So did Gale, who I’m still not sure if I like or not.

Though Suzanne Collins is probably one of the most talented writers the world has ever seen, her writing in this book disappointed me. It still had the incredible cliffhangers, and the fantastic society, but there was something missing this time around. Whenever something exciting happened, you never got to see it firsthand. It was always a blackout and you were told what happened later on. I wanted to be right in the action, but instead it was as though I slept through it.

You are invited into a whole new world in Mockingjay. It is both similar to the one we got to experience in the previous novels, and so very different. War is all around you, and it is definitely not something that is fun to read. But when is war ever really fun? 

Another problem I had with this stunning novel was the pacing. It was perfectly paced until the end. Then it was like this: BAM! What just happened? Again, you are in the dark when most of the action is taking place and are told what happened later on. And the changes the characters go through at the end are sort of unbelievable.

I really don’t know how to say it. This is still one of the best book ever written, but my- and the rest of the world’s expectations were so high that when what I wanted wasn’t delivered, it upset me. I know this is how it should have played out, however, which is another reason I am so conflicted.

I guess all I can say now is please, please read this incredible trilogy, because these books are some of the best on the planet. You are in a startling new world in which you want to live in every second, while wanting to escape at the same time. It saddens me that this will be the last sentence of commentary I get to write on these books, but I will say that they are perfect in every possible way.