Mockingjay Discussion Post – WITH Spoilers!
I have just finished reading Mockingjay, the third and final installment of The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. If you would like to discuss the book WITH spoilers and with others who have already finished reading feel free to leave comments on this post.
Be warned: comments WILL contain spoilers!
Can’t wait to hear what everybody thought.
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Okay, so wasn’t a fan of the epilogue. I don’t think I needed to know that Peeta and Katniss had kids together. I wish it had just ended with the truth or not truth line because that was very powerful. I’ve always been a Gale fan, so I was sad to see him rejected. He’s always been Katniss’s biggest supporter. I can’t imagine that Peeta recovered fully enough but I guess he recovered as well enough.
I knew she was going to shoot Coin instead of Snow. No surprise there.
I was appalled that they would even consider having another hunger games. After all of that war and they didn’t learn anything? They still wanted to vie for power based upon how well their kids did in an arena?!
I really expected Peeta or Gale to die and neither did. Anybody else want one of them to die?
Hmmm . . . more thoughts to follow as I continue to digest.
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:22 amI’m still not quite sure how I truly feel about Mockingjay (I think I need to read it again much slower and then see how I feel). I do know that after finishing the book last night, I was left angry, depressed, and all together confused. I hated the book. I was left hanging, I was left in the dark. We were all really in the dark throughout the entire book. I was expecting to be carried through this horrible, traggic, gruesome war on the strength of Katniss’s shoulders (just as I was through the first 2 books). I knew that her emotional state would, of course, be altered and hurt (especially after 2 hunger games), but I did not expect her to be so completely unstable throughout the entire thing. I kept waiting for her to carry me through the tragidy and gore.
When I read, I put myself in the place of the narrator. I feel what they feel, I cry when they cry, and I celebrate their triumphs along with them. I’m sure a lot of you all do the same exact thing. Therefore, as she felt that she was going crazy, I felt the same exact way. I kept waiting for her to start to pull herself together, to fight for everything that she has been fighting for, but that never happened. So we never really got a chance to pull ourselves together. We never saw the Katniss that we have all grown to know, love, and look up to. She was never the true Mockingjay (maybe except for when she shot Coin).
I do kind of enjoy the fact that Mockingjay was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. It scared me, suprised me, and made me sob like a baby, and I love that about the book. And now that I have read all of your reviews and opinions (especially the reviews coming from military families and backrounds), I am starting to appreciate Mockingjay more. Katniss’s actions were probably more realistic than anything I could have possibly imagined. She reacted the way that any soldier coming home from war could be expected to act. And I completely understand why this touched so many people and why this may have made the book better. Yet, I have looked up to Katniss ever since the beginning of the first book. I have waited with bated breath to see her stick it to the Capitol and to Snow. And even though this may be the most realistic resolution, it is certainly not the most satisfying and it certainly made me sort of disapointed with Katniss. She never even got to break into Snow’s mansion after everything that happened in the city.
I also feel like maybe this book would have been better, if it was a bit longer. We would have been given more time to breath, to except what was going on, to understand what was going through Katniss’s mind, to understand and get to know the new characters and relationships. I, personally, was just overwhelmed and confused for most of it.
I also wish that Katniss would have slept/been knocked out less.
And as for the final resolution, what the heck happened to Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Katniss’s mom, Plutarch, Annie, Johanna, Beetee, Katniss’s stylists, the rest of the Capitol (both citizens and government officials), etc. And as for Cinna, Madge, and whoever else was just killed and forgotten, that kind of sucks… The best books leave you wanting to know more, but they don’t just leave you hanging in the dark.
There were definately many touching and strong moments in this book (I even balled when the freaking cat found Katniss at the end), and maybe the more that I read this book and think about it, the more I’ll love it. But as for right now, I’m kind of empty.
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:24 amI liked the Epilogue, it wasnt super corny & it made this Team Peeta girl vuuury happy! They belong together, and that is that.
I loved getting to know Gale, but I knew he was too much like Katniss for them to really be together.
Prim’s death…effing tragic. Finnicks death…horrible. But I think things like this need to be done especially in a war-type book because the heros sometimes don’t win.
I think I need to read it again though (I sped through it wanting to get to the end!). But those were my initial reactions.
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:29 amAgreed about the epilogue. It raised so many more questions for me. Who else is living in District 12? Are they self-sustaining, or are all the districts now providing for each other instead of the Capital?
Agreed shooting Coin was obvious. I found the “trial” bizarre and oddly flat. It killed the momentum for me.
I loved all the Gale time, and I still think they belong together. I find it odd (totally Team Gale bias) that she can’t look past what Gale did in the war, but she can look past Peeta without wondering if he really is Peeta. Didn’t the Capital and Snow harm both of them, albeit one more directly?
Overall, I loved the first 85% and am still deciding if I am at all satisfied with the ending. It was definitely the weakest of the three for me, and a huge let down after Catching Fire (which I thought was much stronger than The Hunger Games).
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:33 amI wanted to throw the book across the room when I saw there was an epilogue about their kids. Didn’t need that. At. All.
I was also appalled at the thought of a new Hunger Games. And that Katniss, even as she was mourning Prim, would agree with it. Haymitch, too.
One of my big predictions was that Gale was going to die a sacrificial death to protect Katniss. When he volunteered to go rescue Peeta I fully expected Gale to die then.
I was really bothered by the new emphasis on the romance. These books were never about the love triangle – they were about survival and rebellion. Suddenly in Mockingjay it felt like Katniss’ romantic issues took center stage. It was a totally different book.
Powerful moments for me – the reveal that Finnick (and other victors) had been pimped out by President Snow. That was just absolutely horrifying for me and I actually had to set the book aside for a moment. It underscored just how little freedom many of the victors actually had – the people in the districts were told the victors had escaped for life, but it’s clear they didn’t really. Also, I just started sobbing when Buttercup came back to Katniss in District 12. I was sad when Prim died, but something about that darn cat coming back to Katniss that just sent me over the edge (and my distress distressed my cat so much that he forced his way onto my lap. Sweet kitty!).
Oh! Also. About Prim’s death. Considering protecting Prim was Katniss’ original reason for getting involved in the Hunger Games, her death almost seems to invalidate so much of what Katniss has done. What was the point of destroying her entire world if she couldn’t even fulfill her original goal?
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:38 am@Angela – Prim’s death is the reason I don’t fully believe Katniss can have a normal life. I didn’t see hope in it. I saw her painful life.
Also, agreed on the romance being over the top. It seemed Collins really wanted to give both Team Gale and Team Peeta fans quite a few teases. She’s 17; she doesn’t need to pick a life partner!
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:42 am@nomadreader – I was especially disappointed in the romantic ending specifically because Suzanne Collins said at the Catching Fire event here in New York that at 16/17 you rarely find the love of your life, which really gave me hope that the final romance would be more ambiguous – something along the lines of realizing that with the Capitol out of the way maybe marriage could be in her future and she finally had a chance to explore her options without outside interference.
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:58 amNatasha & Angie, I did too. I was so sure Gale was going to die for the cause he cares so much about. Happy he didn’t of course!
Carrie, I agree I wanted to hear more about how the districts are doing now. How is life with Praylor?
It was soo hard for me to read Peeta this way. OMG. But I’m starting to think Collins did that so we finally see Katniss at a point where she can’t fully rely on either him or Gale.
But I think it’s uncharacteristic of Gale to just disappear at the end. Gale would have made it his business to see Katniss when she was in the mansion, trying to kill herself, even back in 12.
Shocked to find out about Finnick, Haymitch and were treated by Snow after they won their Hunger Games. And then Finnick died!
Overall, it was hard, gripping, realistic. EPIC.
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:58 amThe amount of character development in this book was incredible. I thought the author did an amazing job on giving added depth without making the book an epic.
on August 25th, 2010 at 12:09 pmI have to say, having the story from Katniss’s point of view, and then having her disoriented for large parts of it, kind of made ME feel disoriented. I had to re-read in a few places because I was having a hard time following it.
Was it just me or was Katniss especially good at reasoning out people’s very convoluted and complicated motives behind what were very simple outward signs? I thought it was really smart in the first book, but in Mockingjay it almost seemed unreal that she could reason out such complicated motives in everyone around her. I couldn’t figure out if she was hitting the nail on the head or just being really paranoid. Wouldn’t it suck to live like that–having to read into every little nuance to see what’s underneath it? But it was like the Games never really stopped–it seemed like she was used as a piece in someone else’s Game around every corner.
I thought it was interesting how the whole Peeta/Gale thing went down. It seemed to me that she never really made a concrete choice–beyond being really upset over Gale’s actions in the war and then being relieved that Peeta showed up at District 12 and Gale did not. Peeta could have decided not to go back to District 12. She didn’t call him to her after everything was done. Gale could have decided to try to patch things up with her. Gale kind of took himself out of the running because he felt like he had failed her. And Peeta seemed to have found himself again (for the most part). But I would have liked to see more development of his recovery–it was hard to accept it as easily as Katniss did. His whole experience with Snow in this book was horrifying.
But honestly, I felt like there wasn’t really a way that Gale could understand Katniss as well as Peeta did (or any other Hunger Games tribute)–their shared experience in the arena (twice) was something life-altering and deeply scarring, that not even Gale’s war experiences and their shared experience in District 12 could completely compensate for. Gale was fighting in the war because he chose to–he had a cause to fight for. Tributes were forced to kill people who weren’t their enemies in the Hunger Games for the entertainment of the Capitol. I think it’s a very different situation psychologically. (Just my opinion)
I cried when the cat showed up too, Angela. It was so sad.
Did anyone else wonder what happened to Haymitch afterwards? He just kind of disappears from the narrative after they get back to District 12.
I stayed up late to read, and am still digesting it. It was a lot more thought-provoking than I expected.
on August 25th, 2010 at 12:20 pmI loved it – especially sad for Prim (and the cat part got me too). I didn’t mind the epilogue and especially liked the final line, even if it was a bit cheesy. I agree that Katniss shouldn’t have agreed to another games, and the focus on the love triangle was a bit tiresome — but somehow I loved it too much to care about things that would have bothered me in other books.
on August 25th, 2010 at 12:48 pmThe epilogue broke form with her other books–they didn’t have them, and I didn’t expect one on this book. Would’ve been better without it, but oh well.
I was love-love-loving it until the moment the bomb went off and killed Primm. After that it fell into a drug-induced stupor and lost a lot of its coherence and direction. Very little resolution surfaced on too many important issues.
Gale did not get the exit he deserved. He gets captured, we never see him again, but we hear about him? I can accept Katniss ending up with Peeta, but Gale needed a better outro than that.
Final line was beautiful. It’s still hurting me.
The struggle to get to the president’s mansion was epic, followed by the bomb, which made every effort completely pointless.
I got really tired of the plot device where Katniss got attacked by something that created an insane plot twist, only to wake up in the hospital. Wake up in the hospital. Wake up in the hospital. Do more drugs, wake up in the hospital. Very, very overused. It became an easy way out.
I just listed more negatives than positives, but the negatives are what’s on my mind. I’m somewhat disappointed with how the last few chapters went. But I still really loved the book. A very difficult feat.
on August 25th, 2010 at 12:49 pmI have to tell you that Prim’s death was anti-climatic for me because I didn’t realize who she was looking at it when it happened. I was confused for the next few pages and then had to go back and read it again. I missed that it was her for some reason. And yes – Prim died in the end anyways and she was the catalyst for the entire story to begin with!
And very true about the whole love triangle thing. I think that Collins was feeling the pressure about a team Gale vs. a team Peeta scenario. Her fans really wanted to be told whom Katniss would choose. If she had left it ambiguous, I think fans would have been irate! I did wonder why Gale didn’t visit her in the hospital. Didn’t match his personality at all.
on August 25th, 2010 at 12:59 pmYes – I couldn’t believe it when she would just wake up at the hospital! All that fighting to get inside the mansion and then the rebels get there at the same time anyways.
And I was also really sad that the last time we saw Gale was the brief moment before the assassination. They needed more time together.
on August 25th, 2010 at 1:06 pmThe more I think about it, the more I realize I hate it. Not the entire book (in fact, the first half is PERFECT), but the ending. It leaves so much to be desired. But let me backtrack.
–In the beginning, I hate how vulnerable Katniss is. I know she’s only seventeen, but what with two Games in her experience, I had hoped she’d have a bit more fight in her than that.
–Peeta. Honestly, I expected him to die. I WANTED him dead. To me, it was the only thing that made sense. I didn’t think he was coming back from the Capitol. When he did, however I expected there to be some big romantic scene between him and Katniss. Instead, he tries to kill her. Which I positively LOVED. I thought the hi-jacking was possibly the best plot-twist in the history of ever. But I was disappointed with how little detail Suzanne Collins used to describe it. At first, it was amazing, what with Peeta trying to strangle Katniss, and then him flipping out on Delly. But after that, I felt like she kind of left it alone, when there was so much she could have done with that! I just wanted re-write that entire part to include some huge fight scenes (verbal and physical) between Peeta and Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, even Peeta and Gale. But you barely hear anything about the reverse hi-jacking.
–When it comes to Katniss’ and Johanna’s training, yet again, I feel as if she should have gone a bit more in depth. I felt as if she was in such a rush to get the training over with that she didn’t take the time to make it worth the space on the page. Based upon what I’ve read in THG and CF, she could have done an amazing job with going through the details of their training, but instead, she barely touched upon it.
–I loved the original approach to the war, like the whole thing with the pods. I especially loved the scene when Boggs set off the mine, which set of a million other pods. But after his death, I feel like something was missing. Not just a character, but some kind of spark behind the writing. There was no detail, there weren’t enough specific events. And the things that were specific were difficult to follow, yet at the same time, somewhat predictable. I also felt that after the Star Squad failed at their original mission, everything went downhill. I didn’t like much after that.
–As for all the people who died… It was completely unnecessary! There was no legitimate reason for half of the Star Squad to die. No reason Finnick had to die. In fact, had he lived, I’m sure he could have added a lot to the ending. And the worst: PRIM! Why on Earth did Suzanne kill her?! I see no point whatsoever. In fact, it took me a while to grasp that she was dead. When Katniss was on fire, she said she heard a mockingjay calling out to her, telling her not to go. I assumed that was Prim! The deaths of both Finnick and Prim left something to be desired. There is next to no detail on how they die, or how it affects Katniss. Both of their deaths are stated simply in a sentence or two (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I’m just trying to get the point across)
Before I continue, I would just like to point out that Johanna Mason is my favorite character of all time. I have no idea why. Yes, she’s a bitch, but she knows it and uses it to her advantage. Anyway:
–What happened to Johanna?! She practically drops off the face of the planet after she has the flashback and lands herself in the hospital, deemed incapable of fighting. Like I said, she’s my favorite character, and I feel like she was simply forgotten once Katniss left 13. I had actually looked forward to the two of them working together out there, fighting to bring down the Capitol. Instead, her character just vanished.
–That drug- and grief-induced haze bothered me so much. After Katniss shot President Coin (which I TOTALLY did not see coming for whatever reason) and she was taken into that mansion, she pretty much gave up. That is NOT the Katniss I have come to know. I understand that she had a lot going on and a lot to deal with mentally, but I just couldn’t stand the fact that she was slowly letting herself waste away. It was just so out of character.
–My one good note: I love, Love, LOVED President Snow’s death. I don’t know why, but it was just so appropriate. I am assuming, of course that whatever sickness caused him to be spitting up blood finally did him in as he laughed hysterically over President Coin’s assassination. How terribly appropriate that he would laugh himself to death over Katniss’ final act of rebellion.
–I actually liked the idea of a final Hunger Games. Of course, I expected Katniss to say no, but I had hoped it would have proceeded anyway. The Games were my favorite part of the first two books, and maybe that’s why I didn’t like this one as much. (Although I did love the part when Finnick and Katniss said “Ladies and Gentleman, let 76th annual Hunger Games begin!) Sorry if that’s not a direct quote.
–I hated the epilogue. Hated it, hated it, hated it. I felt like I was reading a bad fan-fiction of what happened in the aftermath. This is for a few reasons. I thought Peeta was going to die. I had already accepted that he was going to die, as I said before, I WANTED him to die. I am Team Gale, all the way. For me, it was the only thing that made sense. It was so out of character for Gale to just drop out of her life. What did he do for the rest of HIS life?! There is no way he fell in love with anyone else. And Katniss had already chosen Gale over Peeta in CF! I just can’t imagine Gale’s life without Katniss. Of course, I can’t imagine Peeta’s either, but in my little world, Peeta died quickly and accidentally by the imprudent hands of a Peacekeeper or someone else from the Capitol, Gale and Katniss got together, and if she HAD to have an epilogue, had a daughter name Rue (in honor of Rue, of course, and also in honor of Prim, since they were so alike) who had Prim’s blonde hair, but Katniss’ and Gale’s startling grey eyes. Speaking of children…. WHY, SUZANNE COLLINS, WHY?!?! Why did you give Katniss children, but not even give them NAMES?!?! Or show that she even cared about them at all?!?! They were pointless plot points, meant to tie up loose ends, when in actuality, all they did was raise more questions, much like Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair’s baby. I just can’t wrap my head around it.
Standing alone, Mockingjay is an amazing book. But as part of the trilogy… not so much. It’s not a thing like THG or CF. And I mean that in a bad way, for the spark behind the writing, the thing that kept the pages turning in the first two, were lacking in MJ. It’s almost as if it isn’t part of the trilogy. In all, I was disappointed with this book, since I had such high expectations.
on August 25th, 2010 at 2:22 pmThe more I think about it, the more I realize I hate it. Not the entire book (in fact, the first half is PERFECT), but the ending. It leaves so much to be desired. But let me backtrack.
on August 25th, 2010 at 2:24 pm–In the beginning, I hate how vulnerable Katniss is. I know she’s only seventeen, but what with two Games in her experience, I had hoped she’d have a bit more fight in her than that.
–Peeta. Honestly, I expected him to die. I WANTED him dead. To me, it was the only thing that made sense. I didn’t think he was coming back from the Capitol. When he did, however I expected there to be some big romantic scene between him and Katniss. Instead, he tries to kill her. Which I positively LOVED. I thought the hi-jacking was possibly the best plot-twist in the history of ever. But I was disappointed with how little detail Suzanne Collins used to describe it. At first, it was amazing, what with Peeta trying to strangle Katniss, and then him flipping out on Delly. But after that, I felt like she kind of left it alone, when there was so much she could have done with that! I just wanted re-write that entire part to include some huge fight scenes (verbal and physical) between Peeta and Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, even Peeta and Gale. But you barely hear anything about the reverse hi-jacking.
Argh! I just wrote a huge long comment, and I think it got lost.
Anyway, I guess I’ll paraphrase.
I hate what the Capitol did to Peeta. It ruined him for me. I would rather the Capitol had killed him than get him back like that. The resulting relationship between Peeta and Katniss felt empty in the end. Both of them had too much emotional and physical damage for me to be happy about them ending up together.
I don’t like the feeling that too much was left ambiguous about who actually used the bombs against the Capitol children and rebel medics. Who was the real enemy? Coin or Snow? I mean I know Snow is the enemy, but was Coin equally bad? I tend to think she was, but I still have this need to know who sent the bombs.
I hated Katniss waking up in the hospital at every turn and dictating the plot to us. Especially after she blacked out after the Capitol bombs. I couldn’t figure out if she was having another nightmare or if that was really what happened. It killed me that she never reached Snow at the mansion.
Last thing, I didn’t agree with Katniss agreeing to the final Hunger Games with Capitol children. Remember when she defended her stylist team for not knowing any different? How can she defend her stylists who are grown adults, and at the same time condemn children to die at a Games? It seemed out of character to me, but then Katniss had just lost Prim. She was mentally too far gone to be making that kind of decision.
on August 25th, 2010 at 2:50 pmSo many things about this book bothered me. I felt like Collins forgot who the characters were that she was writing about. Gale ending up in District 2 with a fancy job? Never. Katniss back in district 12 with Peeta? What? Gale and Katniss sitting on their rock recalling old hunting stories for a camera crew? They would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it. And the killing of Finnick was so disrespectful to his character. If he needed to die, which wasn’t necessary to the plot, then give him more than just a few lines. Mags death in “Catching Fire” was given more description and she was just a minor character. All of a sudden Finnick is dead, he deserved more than that.
on August 25th, 2010 at 2:54 pmAnd the whole love triangle–I felt like Collins wrote the love between Katniss and Gale out of the story. In the previous two books Katniss mentions many times how much she misses Gale, he’s the only one who truly knows her, “He is mine and I am his”. But in “Mockingjay” it’s as if Katniss never felt anything for him and always loved Peeta. And Peeta–he needed to die some heroic death to win the war or save Katniss. I always felt that what was his character was written for. There were a few things I liked-killing Coin reminded me of the real Katniss. She was in and out of the hospital so much I had forgotten what a fighter she was. And I appreciated the tragedy of Prim dying. Keeping her alive was the entire reason Katniss got involved in the Hunger Games. To have her die in the end was strangely okay with me.
Why do you think Collins had Katniss agree to the Hunger Games?
I hated that Katniss agreed, but I wonder if the reason she had to agree was to show readers that inside, she’s just like Gale and that two Gale personalities would never work together.
In a way, her agreeing to the games, helps us see that Team Peeta is the only way it would work.
I am a romance lover and I really enjoyed this book, but I could have done without the epilogue in favor of a little more focus on Katniss and Peeta growing back together at the end.
on August 25th, 2010 at 3:40 pmI started re-reading the book this morning in an effort to better be able to articulate why I was so bothered by it. She’s just arrived in District 8, and so far it doesn’t feel any different for me than the other two books. Katniss hasn’t been batted around too much yet. And she has a great observation as she’s listing her demands in return for becoming the Mockingjay, when everyone’s debating how Gale should be presented. She says it’s demeaning to have everyone debating who will be presented as her lover. I think I missed that the first time around (I was reading at midnight after all), but if I had caught it the first time through it would have given me hope that the love triangle would again be in the background. Because it’s what I’ve been arguing all along – focusing on the romance, especially after Katniss tells us several times she doesn’t want to be married, felt demeaning and like we didn’t think she was capable of knowing herself at the tender age of 16/17.
I love Katniss’ internal conflict with how to react to her prep team. Because it is truly terrible how Coin had them treated – I wouldn’t even want President Snow to be chained up like that. But Gale is also right – how much pity can you extend to someone that was preparing you for your death?
My opinion on all of the deaths: while I don’t think they were all handled well (PRIM), I think many of them were essential to the non-romantic part of the plot. A lot of this book seems to be designed to show young readers that war is Hell. That means people are going to die, and good, strong, brave people are going to die senseless deaths. I hated the deaths, yet understood their necessity.
Let’s see if I can figure out where the book starts to really fall apart… (I’m posting a comprehensive review on my blog on Friday. That’s the current plan at least!)
on August 25th, 2010 at 3:55 pmI had really mixed feelings about this book! I personally was really let down that after all that Prim died anyway. It just felt… anticlimatic. I do wonder if Katniss didn’t want the final Hunger Games but voted for it to keep Coin’s trust. It was too ambiguous for my poor head and I guess we’ll never know.
on August 25th, 2010 at 4:05 pmSydney – I felt the same way about Johanna. I wish she wouldn’t have just disappeared either.
I think putting Katniss into a stupor after the assassination of Coin really weakened the story. So Katniss fell into a fog, was locked up & didn’t know what was going on–which translated into the reader being stuck in a fog and not really understanding what was going on at the end. Everything really sped to a finish after that–kind of cleaned up too easily.
on August 25th, 2010 at 4:32 pmI loved it. I want to suggest that people reread the scene where Katniss says yes to the final hunger games, though. To me it’s clear she’s saying yes to throw Coin off her plans to assassinate her.
I think re: Gale, that Collins did a fine job showing other reasons up to the point that it was Gale’s bomb that killed Prim why Katniss couldn’t end up with him. That was just the determining factor.
I sorely missed Peeta, but it was a huge plot twist that felt much worse that if he had been killed.
on August 25th, 2010 at 5:04 pmI was happy for nearly all of the book (though the beginning was pretty slow for me). I loved how there were a few plot twists that threw me. Peeta. Wow, that was pretty awesome (though I agree she should have put in more of them fighting). The tidbits that show us Coin is a pretty wretched leader too (speaking of which, I sure needed more about her to understand what made her tick – it was hard to compare her to Snow when we knew so much about him). I was so not expecting Katniss’ team being in a dungeon basically starved. I thought it was really good, hard to put down, and exciting of course. But, right when Prim dies, the book lost me.
I had no clue what was going on and it seemed like Katniss didn’t either and almost didn’t care. I want to know what happened to Panem. I want to know what they did to change (obviously, I thought they shouldn’t have had another hunger games, but that’s been said by others better). I felt really removed from the action when Katniss wasn’t any part of it, but lying on a bed in a drug-induced haze of sorrow.
I didn’t much like the romance either. I hated the way she portrayed Gale as this guy who wants to kill indiscriminately. Perhaps that is what he is like, but I didn’t imagine him that way, so I didn’t like it. I haven’t been much of a Peeta fan anyway, but this book didn’t do much for me either. I thought she wouldn’t make a choice. I thought someone would die. I don’t know. I just didn’t feel very satisfied with the ending. All that build up and then the revolution is over while she sleeps. Then, when she shoots Coin (which I also saw coming), she sleeps some more while things are worked out. Something was missing…
Overall, liked it, but didn’t love it.
on August 25th, 2010 at 5:41 pm@Amy – just re-read the scene and a few following pages to see if it comes up again. I don’t see anything that makes it clear she was just trying to throw Coin off. Maybe I’ll see it differently when I make it to that part after re-reading the whole book (I’m on page 142 now – District 13 is preparing for the Capitol to bomb them after Peeta’s warning). What convinced you?
on August 25th, 2010 at 5:57 pmBack because I’m still digesting…
Thinking about what they did to Peeta. He was so good, so much of a leader, always knowing the right thing to say. Then they messed with his brain and made him mean/dangerous/everything he had never been. It was so sad. And then you don’t really know if he gets back his old goodness. I assumed he does since that’s one of the things Katniss ends up picking him for, but she tells us this and doesn’t really show us.
on August 25th, 2010 at 5:58 pmHer thoughts….wondering if this is how the first Hunger Games were decided. Her conclusion that nothing would ever change now. (under Coin)
But mostly this, “I can feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment, then. When we find out exactly just how alike we are, and how much he truly understands me.”
They always had that ability to understand what each other is thinking without words and I think why else would it matter if Haymitch agreed with her if she wasn’t trying to throw Coin off?
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:03 pmI just finished it (like, just) and I really liked it. I think oftentimes with book groups we all focus on what we did not like about it rather than what we did.
On that note, what I did NOT like about it, like most people, is the point after Coin’s assassination. The writing didn’t propel me forward. It was pretty lackluster.
For me, the books were ALWAYS about the love triangle. That was the greatest debate and pain from the previous Hunger Games. The issues surrounding Peeta and Gale were the greatest form of manipulation from the Capitol. So, for the love triangle to take precedent in this book felt natural to me. In fact, I felt like there was LESS love triangle business than the first two books. Much less kissing, much less guilt from Katniss. Her guilt revolved around all the deaths rather than if she was hurting Peeta or Gale.
I did expect one of them to die, however. I was neither team Gale or Peeta. I figured there’d just be no other way for Katniss to choose. I think Gale’s character starting changing in Catching Fire, however, so his major character differences in Mockingjay didn’t bother me, either.
I think my biggest problem, like most people, is how drugged and out of it Katniss is most of the time. In the other two books, it was her keenness of mind that made her interesting and dangerous. You see glimpses of that in this book, but she really does feel like she’s confused the whole book. I understand that she’s mentally unstable at this point, but I think her fight or flight instincts have always pointed to fight. She gives in and up way too often, even if she’s fighting depression and mania.
No matter what little issues I have with the book, however, I thought it was gorgeously written. I was just as interested in it as the first two books, and stayed up until 6 am because I couldn’t bear to put it down. That, my friends, is a good book.
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:09 pmWOW! I thought I was getting a grip on my thoughts about Mockingjay but reading these posts has me thinking of all sorts of things I hadn’t considered.
@Sydney – I felt like I was reading the rest of the book in your post. You really caught me up in your telling of it.
@Angela The scene with Buttercup just destroyed me. Up until that moment I’d been kind of numb (disappointed but numb) about Prim’s death. But all I have to do is look at the top of page 386 and the tears start.
I feel the same way about Finnick. Frankly, I’d rather Katniss had died than Finnick. Finnick and Annie were one of the sweet spots in this book. Killing him felt wrong.
I hadn’t though about how much time Katniss spent in the hospital (or on meds) but that’s a good point.
My problem with the ending wasn’t that she ended up with Peeta but that it happened so quickly and without anything to make me believe that the man Peeta had become loved her as much as the boy with the bread had. Especially after she voted for the hunger games. He was so upset about that, I can’t see him just forgetting it and marrying her. To me, that vote made the least sense of anything. She struggled so with the collapse of the mountain trapping people in District 2, how could she turn around and subject other children to what has destroyed her?
I’ve read people saying that they think she did that to throw Coin off, but it didn’t feel that way to me. She says she’s doing it for Prim and I believe her.
I don’t want to give the impression that I hated the book. I agree with what GrahamChops said:
“I was love-love-loving it until the moment the bomb went off and killed Primm. After that it fell into a drug-induced stupor and lost a lot of its coherence and direction. Very little resolution surfaced on too many important issues.”
One other thing that bothered me was how similar Coin and Snow were. Once that became apparent, I wondered what they were fighting for. Yet Gale, and to some extent Katniss, seemed willing to go along. I really thought once they realized that, the Mockingjay was going to go off and take over the rebellion. I guess she was just too worn down by then.
My other real problem was that Cinna was killed off in between books (or we find out about it in Mockingjay). I think he would have been a really strong ally for Katniss and that could have taken the story in a stronger direction. I wonder why he was killed off?
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:12 pmIn regards to the idea of another Hunger Games, and Katniss agreeing to it: I think it was Boggs that told Katniss that unless she was supporting Coin, she was a threat to Coin. Katniss realized that nothing had changed and never would just before she agreed to the games. She waits to see if Haymitch will understand and he agrees with her. I think she agreed to the games because she knew the influence that she held, she knew what Coin could do to her if she said no, and she knew that she was going to take Coin out when given the chance, because with Coin as leader absolutely nothing would change.
I didn’t feel like the love triangle took over the story. For me it was never the main story, but it was a part of who Katniss was because she cared about both of them. Peeta’s torture was heartbreaking for me. I got teary eyed near the middle of the book when Katniss realized that they weren’t going to kill him, that they were torturing him to make her break.
I was never partial to Peeta or Gale because I liked them both for different reasons, and felt that they hadn’t developed Gale enough until this book. But I was a bit empty feeling at the end of the book because I did think that it was odd that Gale went off to District 2 and never came back to see her, at least as far as we know. Even if they both knew that she would never fully be able to look past the bomb that killed Prim, I would think he would still love her. If nothing else, I could see him coming to visit them, still being a friend to them.
I also thought about how she started this whole thing to protect Prim, and then still lost her in the end. I was surprised that she didn’t reflect on that more, that she didn’t think about whether it had all been worth it, etc.
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:25 pmCouple of things I forgot to say:
I loved the book, just not sure how I feel about the ending.
The two main character deaths, Finnick and Prim, were heartbreaking. I was expecting Peeta or Gale to die, because as some others said, I thought it would be the only way she’d choose.
Buttercup’s return and her reaction to that, oh wow, that sent me over the edge too.
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:31 pmGlad to know I’m not the only one with a soft spot for cats! Funny thing – I’ve always been impressed with how tight Collins’ story telling is – innocuous things mentioned early on become important later. On Sunday night I was explaining to my husband that about the only thing that hasn’t had a greater importance was Buttercup! He sure came into his own this time around, didn’t he?
Amy, I see what you’re saying about thinking of Haymitch and Tonya I like your connection back to Boggs’ warning about being against Coin. I’ll keep that in mind as I continue my re-read and will report back what I think after re-reading that important scene in context.
Katniss has always been something of a reactionary character. Very rarely does she do something proactively, and instead waits to react to what someone else is doing. All of the injuries and drugs in this book just took that character flaw to an unfortunate extreme.
Another thing I’m liking on my re-read: Collins’ background in television becomes very obvious this time around I felt, with the camera crew following Katniss so closely. Cameras and televised events have always played a big part in these books, but I think it becomes more obvious this time since we see the cameras and the camera-people and the film edited into propos.
on August 25th, 2010 at 6:46 pmI loved this book, but it was amazingly sad. I finished the book hours ago and I still haven’t gotten over the depression that I felt when Finnick and Prim died. I agree with alot of you guys. Katniss was a completely different person in this book than she was in the others, and it irritates me that she was unconcious or drugged the whole time. Another stupid thing is that when Katniss was writing the book she tells about a picture of Annie and Finnick’s child, but we didn’t even know of Annie’s pregnancy,and she had to have been very pregnant the last time Katniss saw her. Haymitch also pretty much completely dissapears once they get back to Twelve and I would of liked to hear a little more about him. I’m also irritated that it cut out most of the process in which Peeta becomes pretty much his normal self again. I would of also liked to have seen more of Gale after the assination and Suzanne should have made the epilouge a little bit longer and given us the names of Katniss and Peeta’s children and told about how the districts were faring. The last line of the book was pretty good though even though it was a bit cheesy. I also was really sad when Buttercup came back home as she/he reminds me of my own cat alot. I thought that Gale or Peeta should have died protecting Katniss and I certainly didn’t predict that Peeta would come back from the capitol and try to strangle Katniss!
on August 25th, 2010 at 7:13 pmAll together I did love this book, but I was expecting a bit more, although today while reading, I couldn’t put the book down and I think this book is the saddest book I’ve ever read, but I knew some characters central to the story would die! I wasn’t expecting Prim by a longshot though!
I am so confused on how Peeta was able to warn district 13 and katniss about the bombing if he was already programed with the hijaking to kill and hate katniss?
on August 25th, 2010 at 8:00 pm@Caitlin, Peeta probably hadn’t been hijacked yet and that was his punishment for revealing the president’s plan. Enough time had passed from the warning to the rescue that they could have hijacked him after the announcement.
on August 25th, 2010 at 8:42 pmi think it was cruel of suzanne collins to kill prim. when i read she died, i started to cry. my mom walked in and she thought something was seriously wrong with me. she hasnt read the book so she doesnt understand.
on August 25th, 2010 at 9:12 pmOkay, that was a great argument for why Katniss voted yes for another Games (to appear she was on Coin’s side). Remember that Coin made the stipulation that if Katniss didn’t perform as the Mockingjay she would have never gotten the opportunity to kill Coin, because Coin probably would have just killed Snow herself. So I am sold on that point.
I wasn’t all that surprised that Katniss didn’t end up with Gale, because they were growing apart throughout the whole book. Even after they get back from rescuing Peeta, and Gale is getting stitched up in the hospital, it is Peeta that Katniss is rushing to be with. I also honestly thought that Gale and/or Peeta would die during their attempt for Snow’s mansion.
I am not sold that Peeta was back to his old self. I don’t think he could have possibly loved Katniss as much as before he was hijacked. However, they were both so messed up by the end of the book that they kind of relied on each other to survive. Basically it reminds me of their resolve during the Quarter Quell – to keep each other alive no matter the cost.
on August 25th, 2010 at 10:55 pmIt appears that I am the only one who didn’t bawl over the return of the cat. I’m so not a cat person. In fact, no tears for me at all. Anybody else not get tearfully emotional?
More comments to come when I go through all of your thoughts more carefully!
on August 25th, 2010 at 11:37 pmA couple questions came to mind after reading this… One, did Paylor know about Coin setting up the bombing of the children? After Katniss returns from talking to Snow, Paylor is standing outside the door and simply says ‘Did you find what you were looking for?’ I honestly felt like she knew and wanted Katniss to know too.
Second. The whole thing with Haymitch and Katniss when they’re voting about the Hunger Games. I can’t (or maybe just refuse to believe) understand after all that she is been through why she would vote yes. The way she says that she can feel Haymitch watching her and in that moment knowing how alike they are and how he understands her made me believe that she said yes for the simple fact that she didn’t want Coin to have any lingering doubts about her – I think Haymitch knew what Katniss was going to do to Coin and by him voting yes also, letting Katniss know that he was behind her.
Thoughts?
on August 26th, 2010 at 4:03 amNatasha, I don’t think it was the return of the cat that got us going. I like cats, but it wasn’t about that. It was the breakdown that the cat triggered. His appearance, looking for Prim, sent Katniss over the edge in her grief for her sister. I got teary when Prim died, but I didn’t cry about the loss of Prim until the cat triggered that breakdown in Katniss.
on August 26th, 2010 at 6:14 amI really loved the book, but not as much as HG or CF. I really think that there are two ways to read the book – liking Peeta more, seeing that she was throwing Coin off by agreeing to the games / liking the epilogue OR liking Gale more / thinking the epilogue was a bit too show not tell and cheesy / wondering why she agreed to the games. Kind of interesting!!
Anyway, I think it had some flaws, but overall still a good read.
on August 26th, 2010 at 6:36 amNatasha, I didn’t cry when the cat came back either. Really, the closest I came was when Finnick died (though, with Prim, I think I was too shocked to get teary). I just kept thinking of Annie and how she wouldn’t be able to survive without him. In fact, I wonder how she did, enough to have a child.
on August 26th, 2010 at 9:42 amNatasha, I didn’t cry either when the cat came back, but I do agree with Tonya that it was probably the effect that the cat’s return had on Katniss that was the more emotional part.
To be honest I didn’t cry at any part of the book, which really surprised me. I usually tear up when reading emotional books. I mean I bawled through a lot of Harry Potter 7. I think it may have to do with being in a kind of emotional stupor. There was so much going on, and after every death the story just kept going so fast paced that there was not much time to breath. I feel almost like Katniss, in a drug induced, damaged mental state (not that I am doing drugs or mentally unstable or anything – lol).
At any rate, the more I think about this book, and the more comments I read, I am able to be more accepting of the way things turned out. Obviously it is a book about war, and things can’t be expected to be all rainbows and butterflies, but I think the events and the character choices were believable and true to the story. Suzanne Collins amazes me.
I had one other thought last night that kind of took me by surprise. Remember in Hunger Games when Katniss doesn’t have a very good relationship with her mother because Katniss can’t forgive her for mentally checking out after the death of her husband (Katniss’ father)? Well, I never noticed, but that is kind of what Katniss does. After everything that happens to Peeta, and losing Prim, Katniss mentally checks out. She is depressed, on drugs, and hiding in closets. So I kind of see a parallel there between Katniss and her mother. I am also a little surprised that Katniss’ mother doesn’t have more of a role in Katniss’ mental recovery. Maybe she does, but it is just not mentioned.
on August 26th, 2010 at 10:07 amI totally agree with Amy that Katniss said ‘yes’ to the final games to throw Coin off balance. I mean, I was shocked at first, but once she assassinated Coin it made perfect sense to me.
I’m amused by how many people thought that the book was perfect in the beginning and terrible in the end, were they perhaps all Team Gale? I was actually a little bored in the beginning, a couple of times I wondered why I was up in the middle of the night reading. I’d say the first 3/4 were sort of ho-hum for me, actually, although I loved the end. The epilogue was okay, not great, but not terrible.
It didn’t really bother me either that Prim died. I saw it as indicative of how the whole thing became bigger than just her protecting Prim. Plus, since the series started with protecting Prim, it was quite fitting that it ended with her death. It needed either that or another instance of protecting her.
The thing that really blew my mind and stuck with me after everything else was the revelation that Snow was pimping out victors. That sort of broke my heart, after everything else they’d been through. That and Finnick dying when he finally could be with is Annie.
on August 26th, 2010 at 12:12 pmKatniss and the gang have just been declared dead by President Snow in my re-reading, but I’m leaning towards Katniss agreeing to the Games to throw off Coin now. There’s precedent for Katniss misleading people earlier in the book – with the decision to go into the Capitol in the first place. People are objecting right and left but Katniss doesn’t say anything – because she wants to get in there to assassinate Snow. But she realizes she needs to put up some token resistence to deflect suspicion about her motives.
I personally was Team Katniss. I didn’t want the story to end on a romantic note with either of the boys. I figured that any romantic overtones would end with Peeta, simply because we spent two books watching her and Peeta’s relationship, while until Mockingjay we spent very little time with Gale. So my dislike of the end certainly doesn’t come from any Team Gale sympathies – it comes from my feeling that the first two books weren’t romances at all. Hunger Games is survival adventure, Catching Fire is filled with political intrigue and action, and then Mockingjay comes in…and Katniss’ angst over choosing Gale or Peeta comes to the forefront. Yuck. It’s the same reason I didn’t like The Forest of Hands and Teeth – too much romance, when I wanted an adventure story (in defense of Forest, I ignored the subject heading printed right on the back of the book, so it’s my own fault for not seeing it was listed as paranormal romance. Mockingjay, however, has no such warning)
on August 26th, 2010 at 12:30 pmI do agree that Collins hit us over the head a bit too much near the end of this one with the Gale v. Peeta thing in this one, although I don’t mind that she ended up choosing someone. I honestly didn’t think the love triangle thing was played up *that* much more than, say, in the beginning of Catching Fire, though.
For everyone who was hoping/thought that one or the other of the boys would die and she would end up with the other: I am SO GLAD that is not what happened. For her to have ended up with either guy by default would have been beyond lame, and a somewhat cynical take on everything. I would hope that if either of the boys died she would have decided to end up alone (actually, I wouldn’t have minded that even with both boys alive, Team Peeta though I may have been).
on August 26th, 2010 at 12:50 pmThe one thing that infuriated me beyond all comparison was the scene where they were underground and Katniss pretended to be asleep while listening to Gale and Peeta talk about their feelings for her. The execution was better simply because Collins is a better writer than Meyer, but that scene still stank of the tent scene from Eclipse, and I hate the fact that I now compare these two series to each other in my mind.
on August 26th, 2010 at 2:08 pmRead some comments, skimmed some others. Natasha, I didn’t get tearful either. And the part where you didn’t realize it was Prim? I did the same thing only with the part where she shot Coin. I totally read it as Snow and then couldn’t figure out why she was expecting to be arrested. Had to go back and read VERY SLOWLY that part again until I realized who she really shot!
Re Gale/Peeta… I’m fine with how it ended, but I still feel Gale was short changed all the way around. It was nice to finally see a little more of him in this book, but still not enough. I do agree that she had to have her end up with one of them, or we would have all felt she copped out.
Mostly, I’m still trying to figure out what I think!
on August 26th, 2010 at 2:57 pm@ Haiky Amy: Thank you for your comment — especially the last paragraph. I never even considered the link between her and her mother. I’m not sure Collins meant to portray it that way (there’s no mention of that link, not even a hint of it, in MockingJay); but I am satisfied with it — it makes me feel a little better about Katniss’s drug-induced state.
I also have to agree with Tonya — the cat scene wasn’t about liking the cat. It reminded me of that scene in “Return to Me” (the movie), right after the wife dies and the dog sits by the door waiting for her to come home. It’s not about the cat, the dog, or any animal. It’s the fact that the person is not coming home and will never come home. I think THAT is what made Prim’s death real to me.
I think Finnick’s death was under done, though. So much, in fact, that it didn’t even phase me. I felt like, “Oh, Finnick just died too” and moved on. Is that bad?
on August 26th, 2010 at 3:32 pmI just finished the book about ten minutes ago and then hurried over her as I knew I could now safely read the comments of this post.
I honestly didn’t come into this book with a Team Gale/Peeta in mind. Yet as the book started I began to fill (and probably with a gentle push from Suzanne Collins) that Gale had always been the one Katniss should be with. She did a good job of making me not like Peeta and I felt that even if he did make it back to his old self in the end, I figured he would die saving her. I was surprised and saddened a bit when it was not Gale in the end.
Of course – I agree with other comments here about uhhhh….. hello Gale? Where did you go? He just leaves? I realize he feels that Katniss will always wonder if it was his bomb that killed Prim… but he just goes?
I loved the “real or not real” lines in the book… and was kind of hoping that the whole crazy pages where Prim is killed and Katniss burned was not real and would turn out as Peeta had earlier described his memories to be – too colorful and not totally focused. Natasha I was lost a bit there too and had to re-read.
No tears shed and not sure why…. I think I was too excited to see how it all ended and hurried through…. or I am just tired.
My review will go up tomorrow and I will activate the spoiler button so I too can talk openly about the loves and hates of the book.
on August 26th, 2010 at 9:03 pmEven after all of the hype leading up to its release, I was not not disappointed by Mockingjay. I found it difficult to put the book down until I could learn Katniss’ fate, once and for all. It was painful to read how her experiences in the arena have taken their toll on her emotionally, and how the leaders of both sides exploit her. Poor Katniss is truly a pawn struggling to do the right thing within the limitations of her circumstances. So sad that in her quest to destroy Panem’s cruel and manipulative leader, she discovers that the rebel leader is no less cruel or manipulative.
And of course, there’s the Peeta versus Gale thing. For those crazed fans (like me!) who chose sides in this love triangle, I couldn’t wait to learn which, if either, love interest would finally capture Katniss’ heart. I will admit that as a member Team Peeta, it was hard to like his character during this story, through no fault of his own. I missed his sweet, devoted presence, which was fleeting at best. But, I guess the pay-off came at the end.
on August 27th, 2010 at 3:45 pm@Angela – sorry to get off topic, but I HATED The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like, you said, it was too much romance and not enough action.
Anyway, I actually didn’t mind (or really even pay much attention to) the romance part of this book. However, I did often find that the action was also lacking, which I think is what dissapointed me the most. I could deal with Prim and Finnick and everyone else dying, I could deal with Katniss ending up with Peeta, and I could even deal with her having kids with him, IF there had been more action to liven up the book. But instead, I feel this book lacked the gore and rawness of THG and CF. Which was, in the first place, one of the reasons I loved them so much. Suzanne Collins didn’t censor that; wasn’t afraid to make it bloody and gorey, but in MJ, I felt like she she kind of held back on that.
on August 27th, 2010 at 7:13 pmThere is just too much discussion to follow, and too many thoughts to put them all here.
I’ve got as many thoughts as I can down in a blog post: http://www.monniblog.com/2010/08/mockingjay-by-suzanne-collins/
But I just LOVE all the discussion going on here!!
on August 27th, 2010 at 9:17 pm[...] more? There is a long Mockingjay discussion at MawBooks. [...]
on August 27th, 2010 at 9:18 pmI liked the book up until the last fifty pages. I feel it left way too many questions unanswered. I thought it would go into the war that destroyed the present world and set up the districts and capitol.
Also, this is probably just me wanting another book to come out, and a different ending, but I was thinking maybe Katniss was highjacked at the end when she went in and talked to president snow. I know its out in left field but a couple things let me to think this.
snow could have changed her memory about a few things. he wanted Katniss to kill snow so he makes her think boggs said to not trust them when he died. also i think prim may have not died. one because, it never said it was her. it only discribed her. it may have just been a little girl but snow changed her memory to think it was her sister. prims death was completely pointless. snow does all these things to destroy katniss.
another thing that was strange was that snow was held captive in his room. why would that be his prison?
if this highjacking idea is true… i believe she makes up the future world. one because she didnt give her children names. she calls them boy and girl. every character besides her and peeta disappears. i dont believe collins would do this ending unless she only had five minutes to write it. its way too convienient. snow creates this world in katniss’s mind.
if a fourth book comes out it will start with her waking up back in reality, confused.
hopefully im right because i love these books, i want more and i wasnt satisfied with the ending
on August 28th, 2010 at 2:40 pm@Heather – Definitely out of left field, but I’ve certainly heard crazier fan theories in other fandoms
Does Hunger Games have a thriving fan fic community? Because if it does, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of a few fics that take your tactic.
That is the interesting thing about first person narratives where your narrator is unconscious for significant periods – anything could be happening.
I finished my second reading of the book Thursday night and posted my slightly-more-rational thoughts on my blog on Friday http://bookishblather.blogspot.com/2010/08/sci-fi-friday-book-thoughts-mockingjay.html
I’m heading out for some errands, but hopefully I’ll be back later to respond to other posts since last time I was in this thread
(Quick to Sydney – so glad I’m not alone on FoH&T!)
on August 28th, 2010 at 3:09 pmOh I really like what Heather says here and that actually sits a bit better with me and almost makes more sense from the style and writing ability we have seen out of Susanne Collins in the past….. hmmmm…. I like it!
on August 28th, 2010 at 3:31 pmI don’t think that this book was anything close to the previous two. I agree with what Natasha said, about how the epilogue was unnecessary. I don’t understand why Collins didn’t say more about the others(like Haymitch or Annie). I mean, why would you write a epilogue and not talk about the others. I really didn’t understand Prim’s and Finnick’s death. It was really unnecessary, especially in Prim’s case. I wish should could have left more of the characters alive at the end of the book. I was really depressed about Prim’s death.
And why was it that the decided to continue the Hunger Games. I would have thought that Katniss was against it the whole time. I mean, that was the whole part of the war, other than overthrowing the Capitol. You would think the the victors would want to get rid of the Hunger Games after being in them.
on August 28th, 2010 at 5:07 pmI just looked back in the book, and I think I might be right. Do you remember how peeta says all the fake memories are shiny? If you look back at the story there are so many parts describing bright, colorful or shiny light. for example: page 355. shes talking to president snow in his room – which didn’t make much sense because he was a prisoner – it says “In the bright light… his snake eyes shine bright and cold.”
Also when the parachutes fall, the words bright and silver must have been used three times in one paragraphs. Collins is too brilliant of an author to do that.
The reason why boggs backs up into the pod is because hes looking for the right ‘light’. When hes transfering security clearance to Katniss, a green shaft of light bursts out of the Holo and illuminates his face.
When her and gale are trying to get into the center of the capitol, a random girl with a bright yellow jacket catches katniss’ eye. the girl dies but katniss is still transfixed with her shiny jacket. everyones dying so why would katniss care about a random girl? everything is written for a person. collins wrote this in to drop clues.
finally, in the end katniss makes a book of memories because she says she cant trust her memory. she doesnt no whats real and whats not. and the game she plays, listing all the good things people do. its like the game peeta has to play, real or not real? this is the game shes playing and the hidden message in the line, but there are much worse games to play. Shes not just hinting at the hunger games
on August 28th, 2010 at 6:46 pm@Heather,
on August 28th, 2010 at 7:34 pmWhen do you suggest Katniss was hijacked?
I find your thoughts interesting, but I can’t put it all together.
Heather
Heather,
I can’t see this at all. I think it’s a good theory but I don’t think Collins would do that (and if it is true, I would HATE, HATE, HATE the book and I love it now so I just can’t believe it). Plus, I really can’t see how Haymitch would let this happen. I think he would die trying to stop whoever was trying to get to Katniss before he would let it happen. If that was her plan I don’t think she would have included the epilogue – I will give you this: I didn’t understand why she was so fixed on the girls yellow jacket. But then on the last page she says that the bright yellow means rebirth instead of destruction – I just took it as a tie in with that.
I’m going to have to read the book again. But it’s just sooo hard cause the book was a little slow to start with. I almost wish that she would have edited some of the beginning out so we could have more about what happened after Paylor took over and the whereabouts about some of the characters: Gale, Haymitch, her mother, etc.
on August 28th, 2010 at 8:16 pmMockingjay did NOT disappoint. I laughed, cried, and covered my mouth in shock several times. I think Collins wrapped the series up very well and I was satisfied with the ending – including the epilogue. I’m glad she included it. I’d also figured Katniss would shoot Coin, but I was shocked when Finnick and Prim died. Finnick was one of my favorites.
on August 28th, 2010 at 8:40 pmRegarding the young girl in the yellow jacket, I immediately connected that to the young girl in the red jacket in the movie Schindler’s List. In the movie, the girl in color stands out in the 3 hour black and white movie. Our attention is focused on one innocent girl–so we don’t get lost in the sea of death and start to view it in general terms.
on August 28th, 2010 at 8:43 pmhttp://www.sparknotes.com/film/schindlerslist/themes.html tells more details of the girl under “symbols.”
@Angela – No you are not alone =] As for Hunger Games FanFics: http://blog.mawbooks.com/2010/08/25/mockingjay-discussion-post-with-spoilers/
There are over 2000. Enjoy!
on August 28th, 2010 at 11:00 pmAhhhhh sorry, wrong link. Here you go: http://www.fanfiction.net/book/Hunger_Games/
on August 28th, 2010 at 11:04 pmThis book has set a major confict for me. Unlike most people i absoulultly loved the ending and epilouge. It showed that even though the hunger games and the war destroyed everything that Katniss held dear she realized that Peeta was her rock from the very beginning. The book that she created showed that the loses that were caused by this horrible goverment will never be forgotten.
on August 29th, 2010 at 11:15 amI was reading the book with my friend and when Gale handed Katniss the arrow I looked over at her and said she si going to kill Coin that one was obvious.
I cried when Finnick died. He was an all around awesome caracter if you ask me.
My favoritie character that was introduced this book was Boggs i was mad when he died.
Gale is a jerk if you ask me but it would happen in real life. Some guy picks a job over you. All around it was a very complicated and deppressing book but i loved it.
I frankly don’t know what to think about Mockingjay. It left me feeling depressed, confused, and overall empty.
I agree with some statements about how it seemed that Collins sort of lost her characters’ personalities throughout the book. Since when was Katniss such an emotional-wimp? I understand that it was sad that Peeta was captured, but I’d of thought Katniss would take action, and get him back! Did anyone notice the lack of “Catnip” in Gale’s speech? He lost his playful side, which I understand: War is hell, and he was effected by it.
The plot went bad for me when they went off to kill Snow. Actually, the whole book was a little wonky, because instead of everything centering around Katniss being the strong, persistant fighter she is, it seemed to all revolve around Katniss’s lovelife.
SPEAKING OF KATNISS’S LOVELIFE: I wanted her to end up with Gale. I understand some people’s reasoning involving how Katniss and Gale are too much alike, it didn’t seem that way in this book. Katniss seemed to have parts of her die bit-by-bit in this book. As events took place, she retreated to where she is now. Katniss needs a little fire in her life, a distraction from the terrible war that left scars that you can’t see. I think Peeta would just open those scars repeatedly, never letting her heal. I would’ve liked Peeta to have ended up with Delly, who seemed to like him a lot(even as friends) and for Gale to become a head Peacekeeper of District 12. I mean, does Gale seem the type to abandon Katniss for a fancy job in District 2? BAH. OF COURSE NOT. It just seems uncharacteristic for him to leave Katniss, even if it might have been his bomb that killed Prim.
Epilogue actually made me laugh at how ridiculous it was. At first, I was in shock that I had finished the book. But then I realized it was all for the Team Peeta fans. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bit of a closet-Peeta fan, but as much as I find him likeable, I just can’t get past the fact he’s so UNREAL. He made me uneasy throughout the trilogy.
But I keep think about this: If Prim hadn’t been picked for the Hunger Games, would all of this had happened? Would Katniss have ended up with Gale? Or what if Prim had been picked for the Hunger Games, but Katniss didn’t volunteer?
I will always wonder. . .
on August 29th, 2010 at 11:19 amI finished reading Mockingjay hours ago, yet I still can’t stop thinking about it. It was most certainly one of the saddest and most thought provoking books I have ever read and I don’t think I will ever forget it. While I thought it was very good, there were also many parts that bothered me. For example, the whole issue with Peeta after they rescue him from the Capitol. It was definetly very unexpected and a good twist, but I don’t think SC went into enough detail about how they got him back or even the kind of struggle he was going through, no longer knowing what to believe. I was sad that we lost the kind, caring, sweet young man that used to be Peeta, and I feel like in the end, SC didn’t give us any reason to believe he came back.
on August 29th, 2010 at 2:16 pmRegarding the love triangle, I had predicted that katniss would not choose either because she loved them both and would never be able to get over the guilt of choosing one over the other. When she chose Peeta, I wasn’t too surprised because she had experienced what her life would have been like without him, but in the epilogue it doesn’t really make me feel convinced that she thought she made the right choice.
Also, everyone is saying they were angry that katniss voted yes for the hunger games, but I thinkshe knew the whole time after she had spoken with snow, that she was going to kill coin. She believed what snow had told her so yes for prim because coin had killed her sister really.
One other thing that dissappointed me was how much all the charactors had changed. Yes, I expected them to be different after what they had gone through, but SC almost made them forget who they were completely which was sad. What happened to katniss the girl on fire? By the end she seemed as though she felt there was nothing left to fight for. I had always admired the fire she had within but it seemed gone on this book. I want to reread all of the books again but I don’t think I can knowing that we lose the old katniss and peeta, gale abandons his best friend, and finnick and prim are gone. I loved the book, but mostly I just missed the old people that I gotten to know and learned to love.
Heather, the more you write the more I love your theory. I told it to my husband (who knows nothing about Hunger Games other than what I’ve told him) and he also thinks it’s really clever. Certainly something to play with now that the series is over!
As for whether Haymitch would let it happen? Well, Haymitch doesn’t have very much authority in District 13, does he? He’s locked up, virtually a prisoner, until he sobers up. Plus we know he’s more than willing to hide stuff from both Katniss and Peeta if he thinks he’ll get a better performance and if altering memories or drugging her into docility would do it, I think he’d play along.
I’ve read several reviews chastising those of us who were less than impressed with the book, and I’ve seen a few recurring themes. Either we’re all bitter Team Gale fans (which is definitely not true) or we were unrealistic to expect Katniss to be superwoman and save the world. However, I don’t think it was unrealistic to expect Katniss to have a more action-oriented role. I’m basing this off of the comparison of Katniss to a mockingjay. Collins herself said before the book Mockingjay was published that Katniss was a symbolic mockingjay in that she was something the Capitol never intended to exist – because District 12 was ignored and underfunded, she was able to develop the survival skills necessary to eventually become a rebel. Well, what do we know about mockingjays? They are capable mimics and love to sing (both things that Katniss can do when she feels the urge), and Rue tells us back in book 1 that they are fierce when their nest is threatened. Katniss’ fighting instincts always come out when those she loves are threatened. After the decimation of District 12, with Peeta captured by the Capitol, I don’t think it was unreasonable to expect Katniss to go into threatened-mockingjay mode and fight until the threat (the Capitol) was removed.
Shannon – life would have continued as usual if Katniss didn’t end up in that first Hunger Games. Or even if Katniss had volunteered and Gale had taken Peeta’s place. I doubt Gale would have come up with the in-love angle that Peeta did, and while his goal certainly would have been to keep Katniss alive, I think he would have taken a more aggressive role to save her life and thus ended up dead earlier, thus negating the need for Katniss to stoke a rebellion by forcing the Gamemakers to declare two victors.
on August 29th, 2010 at 2:21 pmI was really disappointed Peeta didn’t turn into a lizard boy. His eyes were dilated and he was sick. I thought he was injected with a mutation. I really wanted to like the book but it felt slow to me like the third Pirates movie without the last battle sequence.
on August 30th, 2010 at 5:03 pmalthough, i prefer katniss with peeta, a part of me was also rooting for gale. im not sure how i feel about the ending. i mean, im glad that she and peeta ended up together, but the whole part about them having kids depressed me for some reason. i really did NOT like the fact that Gale is no longer a part of her life. He’s off in district two and he never sees katniss again and that really upset me. i wanted them to stay best friends, but he just vanished at the end of the book! Am i the only one who is this depressed over the fact that Gale is no longer a part of Katniss’s life? its actually one of the things that truly upset me about the book.
on September 6th, 2010 at 12:34 amKatniss spends too much of this book in a drug induced or depressed haze. It’s annoying. Not to mention the fact that she was locked up without one word from a single person during her trial? I don’t understand that, and it was never explained. Here is my biggest complaint about this book…Katniss was such a strong character in the first two books. Smart, self assured, clever. This was a breath of fresh air for me (follinwing Bella in the Twilight series who was the opposite). Not so for me in this book however. Katniss became unrecognizable throughout most of the book, falling into her depressions (some drug induced, some not).
Yes, the story of Peeta is depressing….their relationship will never be what it once could have been because of what they went through, but I think that’s the point. She never could have chosen Gale because he essentially took away what she had been fighting for, Prim. I loved the last line, I wish there had been some speculation on Peeta’s recovery.
I think this book was hard because Katniss doesn’t really succeed in her missions like she did in the first two books. The only thing she was really good for in the war was being the “face” of the war (or the MockingJay). Her attempt to take the capitol and kill Snow were not only ineffective, some important characters lost their lives.
I didn’t feel like there was too much romance personally, just that there was too much Gale. Gale seemed like such a bland character to me in the first to books, and in MJ he is almost portrayed as bloodthirsty, almost the opposite of Peeta who played a protective role. I always wanted Katniss to end up with Peeta, the hi-jacking was really sad for me, but a great twist.
One more thing, this is the only book where Katniss spends any length of time near Prim (since the beginning of the first book anyway). I didn’t feel like the strength of their relationship was particularly reinforced in this book, sort of undermining the series for me.
on September 19th, 2010 at 8:51 pmI could not wait to read Mockingjay and couldn’t put it down until I finished the book – to me, that’s a sign of a good book. I did go back and starting with The Hunger Games, read through the whole series consecutively.
My first reaction was that I loved the ending. I was totally Team Peeta all the way, and I was glad that they ended up together. However, I was left a little disappointed in how it happened. I wanted a confrontation or something that made Katniss’s choice obvious. I kind of felt like Gale went off and left her, and Peeta was what was left. I did feel Katniss breaking away from Gale throughout MJ. Like when they were being bombed in 13, Katniss sought out comfort from Finnick, walking right passed Gale. When she was distraught about something, she would go to her drawer and pull out the pearl Peeta gave her, and it was always Gale seeking out Katniss, I didn’t feel like Katniss was going to Gale.
I agree with Brooke above that the relationship with Prim was not portrayed deep enough for me. I felt more pain over Finnick’s death than I did Prim’s. We saw Prim grow up a bit in MJ and was making her own decisions and standing up to Plutarch when it came to Katniss. I didn’t feel like Prim was this young, innocent child any more.
Finnick’s death touched me. I felt that he had just started to live his life and was happy, and then it ended. Boggs was another; he was like a father-figure, looking out for Katniss.
I think that main characters had to die in order for the story to be believable. After all, there is a war. Never in a war do all the bad guys die and all the good guys live. If Peeta or Gale had died, I don’t think it would be fair to have Katniss end up with the other, I think she would always feel guilt over the other one, so I think that both Gale and Peeta needed to live for Katniss to find love with on or the other.
on September 20th, 2010 at 10:13 amI really liked this book, except for the ending. No offense, but the ending was terrible!! I loved the books but the ending was a real disappointment. It went from being one of my favorites to one of my least favorites.
on September 21st, 2010 at 4:10 pmI feel empty about the the book. I feel like the whole book was full of depressing moments. I was seriously disappointed that they would even thinking about putting another hunger games on.
on September 26th, 2010 at 10:56 amOverall I think the book is satisfying, thrilling, and is full of suspense. Each turn and roll was worth the waiting. The only thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE ABOUT THE BOOK is why do you have to kill Prim…. I also hate the fact that Gale and Katniss weren’t even talking any more. I mean I knew that Gale did something terrible, he killed someone who she knew in her heart that she loved (at the moment), but I think that they should at least be thinking about each other. I also go through the pain and suffering the narrator feels. One thing I do like about what Suzanne Collins was that she didn’t make the ending frilly and fake. We all knew that Katniss was never going to be the same, none of them would be. I feel a deep whole in my heart when I think about the Hunger Games, it was a great book don’t get me wrong, but at the end I just thought about how much the book and characters changed. I mean Katniss promised herself she wouldn’t get married and have children, she did both well the married part is kinda true i guess. Katniss and Gale were inseparable, now they don’t even don’t about their life. Peeta and Katniss never knew each other, now their kinda like Katniss and Gale they way they used to be. Prim was Katniss’s only person she knew she loved, now she is dead.
My main two problems with this finale to the series were Finnick’s death and Katniss as a ‘hero’. Suzanne Collins worked so hard to make the readers like Finnick, by having him reunite with Annie, and by him revealing that Snow sold him as a prostitute by threat. He became more and more of an essential part of the group to the point where he was almost equal with Gale and Peeta. Collins could have easily written that he had escaped the underground tunnel, but she killed Finnick for no reason at all.
My other issue: Katniss does very little actual work. She mostly shoots ‘propos’, wakes up half-drugged in the hospital, and feels sorry for herself. She had a realization on the phone with Haymitch that she shouldn’t blame Peeta for his hijacking, but other than being a bit nicer she didn’t grow at all since the beginning of the first book. She should have learned a lesson about being strong at the end of the book, but instead she just sulked while Greasy Sae cooked for her until Peeta came to the rescue. What really killed me was how much time she spent drugged in the hospital, though.
on November 30th, 2010 at 6:12 pmI felt that Mockingjay wasn’t the BEST way to finnish a series that was so near and dear to me. But after reading these comments,I am beginning to accept what Collins has decided. What I don’t like is how they killed Finnick. THEY KILLED FINNICK. I set the book aside, mouth open in shock, for a moment. Same with Prim. But Prim’s death makes more sense to me. Katniss has lost what she KNOWS ,without a trace of doubt, she loves. It brought me to tears when Buttercup found his way “home”. The mutual love for Prim brought them together, even though they despised each others company. I didn’t get ANYTHING after Primrose’s death. What happened? I don’t know if she really voted yes for another Hunger Games to throw Coin off. I highly doubt it. I believe it actually was FOR Prim. But for someone the main character loves so much, she isn’t well developed. We have very few direct conversation with her through out the novel. I get that it’s because of the Games and how Katniss never has the time, being drugged out half the time. Ugh, it bothered me deeply by how she was always in the hospital or sleeping. I see how at the beginning of MJ that Gale and Kat’s relationship is more obvious and then they break apart slowly as she realizes that those words that were once ranting in the woods are now actions. When the whole Nut collapsed, I think it reassured her that he would sacrifice lives to get “revenge”. That’s probably why she always ran to the pearl Peeta gave her. She seemed more of an evader than the fighter we loved and grew to love. I didn’t like how the epilogue didn’t reveal the name of her childeren, or how one had Peeta’s hair and Kat’s eyes and the other had Kat’s hair and Peeta’s eyes. I truly loved Haymitch and how he served as a mentor and a comic relief. There was a moment when his kindness showed through. It was when Katniss had come to talk to him and he had hurt her.After she ran, he realized what he did and went to get her. I loved his sarcasm. I thought the last line to the book was MARVELOUS. It was so powerful. Then the last line of the epilogue wasn’t. Total disappointer for me.
on December 11th, 2010 at 11:43 amI always had been Team Gale, but I knew Peeta was the one for her. It broke my heart to hear of Annie and Finnick’s Baby. Although, the name would have been nice. I adored Coin’s death, I actually believed it was an impulsive decision and not one she actually decided, like Snow’s death. I despised Coin from the get-go.
Overall, I LOVED this book, probably because it’s apart of my favorite trilogy. But, after Prim’s death, I was suppa confused.
After Prim died, the book became a blur to me. Everything happened way too quickly and I felt like it ended without any real closure regarding how the characters ended up. And as for Gale, he loved Katniss!! After finishing the book, I found it depressing that he didn’t fight for Katniss a little harder and that he just accepted that she would choose Peeta.
on December 13th, 2010 at 9:16 amI was kinda confused from the point of her drug-induced state to the point where she was perfectly healed. Katniss recovered (physically) way to quickly for me and I would have liked to read more about how her life was after panem was safe and secure. Maybe the book at the end could have touched more on her mother and haymitch considering they are really the only people that Katniss has left now. Also, I felt like Katniss was a totally differnt person from the start of the first book until now (understandable). I thought she would have taken some of her strength that she accumulated in the arena with her on her journey. The hunger games were too big a part of her life to just forget what a strong fighter she was. The games left a big hole in her life and I think the book should have addressed that more. Oh well, overall a good read, but it definitely didn’t have the same feel and moementum as The Hunger Games.
I have to say that I’m disappointed with the last book. When I read The Hunger Games, I loved it. When I read Catching Fire, I was absolutely obsessed. I found CF even better than HG and so i was expecting Mockingjay to absolutely blow my mind. It didn’t though. It kind of ruined it for me. I got so let down by the book that towards the end i just skimmed read it.
Finnick’s death was unnecesary. It centred a bit too much on romance. I wish there were more scenes with her family. The whole book sort of annoyed me too, but I can’t quite figure out why yet.
And why did she and Haymitch vote yes for another Hunger Games? Katniss was very against it. You would’ve thought that, after everything she’s been through, she wouldn’t want that for anyone. And even if it was just to kill Coin, she would’ve thought that before she made the decision or reveal it later.
And is it just me, or does it feel a little bit unfinished? I didn’t get why, after prisoning her for a while, they just let her go. The way she and Gale just parted, when they’ve been best friends and supported each other in District 12. Katniss owes Gale so much and she needs to see the bigger picture. He designed the bombs but it was Coin whose orders had killed Prim. Haymitch just goes back to drinking? What happens to Annie and Johanna. The epilogue doesn’t say anything about many of the other characters and I can’t decide if I like how Katniss chose Peeta. The ending just doesn’t feel like the ending. I kind of feel like it was written hastily. Everything happened too fast, too much squeezed in together like SC just had to end it there. I think the end could’ve been longer.
The book could’ve been so much better.
on January 30th, 2011 at 3:05 amI thought this trilogy was so compelling and I can’t shake the story. Here’s what I think was going on in answer to some of the comments above.
Katniss did reject Gale when they were in District 2. She had determined that she would never see Peeta again and that’s why she gave herself over to Gale to make up for previously withheld kisses and because she thought she would likely die in her assassination attempt on Snow. She did not have “hunger” feelings toward Gale on that kiss (or any other), thus, rejecting him on a romantic level and also on a moral level because she fundamentally disagreed with his approach to “humanity” as evidenced by how they each handled the events in District 2. They backed each other as a hunting team but that was it from this point on. Gale did not make much of an appearance at the end because he already knew that she didn’t choose him in District 2 and this was reinforced by how he conducted himself throughout the war not just the fact of the last bombing.
She did choose Peeta in the Quarter Quell. When she had said goodbye to everyone in District 12 at the Quarter Quell and was kissing Peeta, she felt it romantically but she also chose to save Peeta so that he could have kids that played in the Meadow one day. That was her dream too. It was all about being home and reaching the Meadow from her home and in Rue’s song.
Peeta healed through his interactions with Katniss in the Capital–her reaching out to him through conversation at camp, her refusing to let him die after he tried to kill her, her physical touch of his hair, her protecting him, and finally her kiss to try to save him when she thought it might be suicide. Peeta is healed after the kiss and reaffirms that he will “always” stay with her if she chooses him back which she finally does when she realizes her true love for him in the last line of the book. She had already chosen his moral path–light, hope, preservation of life but she just needed time to heal away from all of the insanity to love him “for real” instead of because the Capitol/Rebels were forcing her too. Like the line from Finnick about Annie that he didn’t love her at first but she snuck up on him and then their love was undeniable.
Peeta helped her to heal at the end (she didn’t start healing until he came back). She was still deciding whether to choose life or not having lost EVERYTHING. One of the first scenes with him back is when he brings her warm bread after she finally grieves for Prim with Buttercup. We are full circle–he brings her warm bread when she is on the brink of death.
Katniss did not vote in favor of the last hunger games because she wanted them to proceed. It was a ruse pure and simple. She knew and believed that Coin killed Prim. She was a hero for Prim, Rue, and all other innocent children victim of Snow, Coin, or whoever. She HAD to vote for the games so that she could kill Coin when she got her arrow (she was not fully armed at the vote). Haymitch recognized this by the “for Prim” comment because “for Prim” is exactly why Katniss would never support another game and why killed Coin–to protect all other Prims.
I liked the epilogue ultimately after the initial shock wore off. Yes they were damaged but they vowed to “live” for all the lost lives and she felt “joy” when she held her children. The fact that she was scared of what could happen to them but let love overcome was kind of the point to me. She was no longer just surviving and scared but was trying to live. She had previously failed in protecting what may as well have been her child (Prim) before but then she tried as best she could to save the innocents from THG on. Of course she was scared by having kids but she also felt the joy, light, hope and love. As Boggs said, she deserved that. It’s what she wanted per above. She was never political and never wanted to be in the limelight. It was a harsh and brutal read but I think Katniss was clearly a hero throughout trying to navigate while being a pawn of just about everyone and at the end did choose and chose life, light, hope, and love–rising from the ashes to do it.
on February 6th, 2011 at 8:11 pmUm. I did like this book once it got going. It took it alot of time to pick up speed and had alot of drama. Without drama this book would have been alot better.
I also want to know more aobut what is up with Gales life. I know that he has a nice job but what is it, and the line about his lips on another girls lips? Is he in a relationship or is he a work junky. And how can best friends just never see each other again. very upsetting personally. The first and second books kept me more captive.
on February 17th, 2011 at 10:44 amloved the first two books but i think the author kinda rushed in the end of the last book it just kinda ended suddenly. and definetly not happy to see finnick die i mean he was basically all annie had. but what happened to everybody else in the epilogue? i would have been satisfied knowing that they all died than not to have known anything
but over all very impressed with her work she has a gift of finding words and putting them together which some people find difficult. overall this book is like a mixture of harry potter, matched, and twilight(might think that those books dont make the hunger games but you have to think on that one its twiliht for the love triangle its harry potter for the fighting for a cause and its matched for the system that controls). recomend the series to everyone.
on April 22nd, 2011 at 11:00 pmI loved the book. I thought the way Katniss reacted to all of the horrors she had to face was completely realistic, so even though she wasn’t as emotionally strong as she was in the first two books, I felt like it was exactly how I would feel too, so I won’t complain that she wasn’t the mockingjay.
I felt like Gale just kind of abandoned Katniss. I guess I respected him and thought more of him, so I was surprised when he just kind of took off without a goodbye. I understand that Katniss could never talk to him again without remembering that it could have been his bomb that killed Prim, but it wasn’t really his fault. I know that it’s realistic and that I would probably feel the same way if the bomb my best friend designed may have killed my sibling, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Gale because he designed the bombs thinking they would be used against the Capitol. Coin was the one who dropped them, therefore she was the one to blame, and Katniss killed her, so why didn’t she give Gale a second chance.
I’ve also heard a lot about people not liking Katniss. Don’t get me wrong, she had some problems, and at times was confusing, and made decisions that I’m not sure were fair, but I guess my point is that I don’t know why people didn’t like her. Is it because she is so flawed? Or because she is so different from you that she is just annoying? Or because you felt like she wasn’t the mockingjay in the way people needed her to be? I feel like a lot of times, the reason why people don’t like a main character is because they have flaws, but to me that’s what helps me to relate to the story, because nobody is perfect.
I was horrified when Finnick died. He was by far my favorite character. In Catching fire, he seemed like a jerk at the beginning, but he started growing on me when he saved Peeta’s life when he walked into the force field. I also liked him a lot because even though he could have been with any woman, he was in love with Annie even though she was insane. I also loved Finnick because of his sense of humor. My favorite Finnick scene was when Katniss told him that Beetee made him a trident, and told him to put on some pants before he went to get it, and he took off his hospital gown and said, “Do you find this…distracting?”
I was team Peeta all the way from the second we found out that both Gale and Peeta were both in love with Katniss. Not that I hated Gale, I just felt like personally for me, Peeta would have been a better match because he was extremely loving, and tough (for the most part), and he was good looking (at least in my mind). I was glad that Katniss ended up with him, I just thought that it was sad that Gale kind of ran away and they never saw each other again. I’m not saying that Katniss should have had to choose between the two, because I think that that would have added an unneeded layer of drama to the book that would have made it kind of stupid. I think that Gale should have died. I’m sorry if that sounds really mean, but either he should have died, or he should have at least talked things through in more depth with Katniss before he left.
Also, I think that all of the violence in this trilogy was necessary in order to get the message across. Yes, it was sometimes disturbing, but it made me think. It made me think about how this kind of thing is going on right now in the Iraq war and has happened many times in history. It also made me think about how people play violent video games and get kind of desensitized to violence, then they see footage of a war and it doesn’t seem as bad. I’m sure I’m not the only one who this book had a big impact on. Right?
Finally, I thought that the epilogue was okay. The part about Katniss and Peeta’s kids playing on a graveyard was kind of depressing. I also want to say that while some people think that it was weird for Katniss to have kids because Peeta wanted them, I think that it was reasonable because it took him like 15 years to convince her, and I would imagine that it would take her that long to get used to the idea because she would need time to recover after all she went through. She never planned on having kids in the first place, but at least she thought about it thoroughly before she agreed.
Anyway, sorry for all my rambling! I hope somebody enjoys hearing my opinion on these excellent books!
P.S. I am concerned about the movie that is going to come out next year. Now that I know who is acting in it, well let’s just say I really hope they do the books justice!
on April 27th, 2011 at 2:43 pmI was really disappointed about how this book was set up. I was waiting for Collins to throw in an amazing twist but it didn’t really happen. It seemed too foggy with her being asleep or something for half of the book. I thought Collins would think of a more clever way to figure out if she was going to pick Gale or Peeta. I wish it would have talked more about how Peeta recovered and held her like he used to. It would make me feel more secure about the ending. I don’t like how Gale was randomly pushed out of the book. I think he was important and that it seems like Katniss didn’t even consider him anymore and he didn’t matter.
That one point when Katniss got shot and it was the end of the chapter, I freaked out and saw the first of the next chapter when it mentioned Peeta. I thought he was now the narrator at first glance and thought Katniss had died. I freaked out and threw the book across the room. I was mad and then found out that she didn’t actually die. But when i think about it now i think that would have been a good twist that would make me love and hate the book even more and I would like to hear it from Peeta’s word because i just love him.
One more thing I thought could have been better was the fact than Prim’s death wasn’t talked about much. She seemed to be so devastated and haunted by other people’s death. But when Prim dies, it seems like she is so sad but isn’t that the reason why the books came across anyway? For Katniss to save Prim and take her place in the hunger games. Wouldn’t you think it would talk about Katniss being so devastated because that was the reason for everything she did was to save her family. But the sadness wasn’t expressed enough to really feel the emotion.
on May 27th, 2011 at 5:32 pmI really would like to know more about what happened to Peeta. And also how he recovered. I think most of you agree. I really love the book and hate it at the same time. I really love the Hanging Tree part and there is a song on YouTube that you guys should consider checking out it made me cry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc-91YiP7cM that is the link to watch it if you want to.
on May 27th, 2011 at 5:41 pmI just felt like…Katniss totally lost her swag and Gale’s character assassination was purely out of place and didn’t really tie up with the first two books. I’m team Gale all the way but when Katniss was like “It was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears..” or something like that somewhere at the mid-part of MJ, I just knew she was so screwed. Our great heroine who would drown Buttercup in a bucket of water because he was another mouth to feed was LOST forever and ever. She didn’t deserve Gale.
I get it that she would eventually end up with Peeta but Gale was totally maligned here. As for the ending, well, I guess Collins made her point: war is bad, it changes people, no matter how badass they used to be. She didn’t really have to slap it to my face every 5 or so pages; this is still YA fiction, after all.
As for Peeta, he had to go get hijacked to finally be interesting. But gah! Why must this pale, needy baker’s son get the girl for being absolutely lame? By the end of the book, I was convinced this boy is invincible. Only he can manage to get blood poisoning twice, get his leg sawn off, get tortured and hijacked, go insane and get burned and still live through it, at least mostly mentally sound.
Maybe Gale left because he understood that Katniss didn’t want to deal with it anymore. That he would deliver to her the arrow of her last human killing just made me convince Collins totally hated him. Honestly, if this had been planned from the beginning from his character, then I don’t get why he should be a romantic conflict for Katniss at all. It has become totally unnecessary. This kind of anger will never breed love so I am convinced that there is a total character assassination here. A boy who loved Katniss so much as Gale had claimed would not question why she would want to protect her prep team. He could’ve just been obviously a brotherly figure, but dang, Collins had to complicate it for Katniss and give Gale the F off attitude from her. Gale’s character was handled sloppily, in my humble opinion. He was never given a fair chance to fight for her so I don’t get why he had to be in the triangle (I’m thinking of evil editors who thought of wanting to milk money from the readers as this certainly hyped sales up, but damn, it’s so unfair to Gale!). Katniss could’ve still made her point about being concerned in killing the innocent and helpless even if Gale had only been a brotherly figure so for him to be entangled in the triangle just seemed so pointless. Am I still making sense or does it seem I’m horribly biased? Hahahaha. I don’t think I’m the latter.
But anyway, the only thing left for him to do is move on and at least he remained awesome up until the end with intact body parts! This is again a testament to his badassness as hey, he was always fighting frontline, I would imagine, he’d be the one most banged up. Again, I’ve convinced myself this is done by people who saw a gold mine in him, after all, he has lots and lots of story to tell, and since he didn’t really have any encounter with tracker jackers,or death of a family member, I would assume he can pick up the first person, present tense narrative quite believably (I’m calling for a spinoff, Collins!)
I feel like Katniss’s sense of morality has gone beyond the lines of hypocrisy. She had been killing indiscriminately out of anger since HG and for that matter, Peeta, too so all this flowers in the storm bs can only be met by my cynical sneer.
on August 4th, 2011 at 5:28 pmAfter re-reading it a year later, I amend my original comment (#12).
I must have missed some details the first time through, because my initial complaints were either resolved or just didn’t bother me this time. It’s more realistic than I gave it credit for, I was just upset that I didn’t get the ending I’d expected.
on November 26th, 2011 at 6:33 pm