Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (with spoilers)

It's been two weeks since Mockingjay was released, and now that all the hype has died down, I'm ready to review this book. Okay, I actually wasn't waiting for anything, I just hadn't finished the book until last Friday. I know, I know, what is wrong with me? I'm going to skip a synopsis because I'm assuming that anyone reading this review has already read Mockingjay (there are spoilers) or at least knows what's going on. So let's get started.

I'm going to start out by saying right now that I loved Mockingjay. It was highly anticipated, I love the story, the setting, the characters, everything about this trilogy. And it is because of this intense and ardent love that I am able to complain and rag about Mockingjay. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed. And it's kind of selfish of me, but I'm disappointed because things didn't turn out the way I would have wanted them to. But that's why I review books. To give everyone my lovely opinion. And I just really need to rant about this amazing book.

I liked the beginning of Mockingjay. It was really interesting seeing how District 13 was run. I wouldn't necessarily want to live there (what was up with those crazy schedules?) but it was semi-decent. So things are moving along, Katniss agrees to be the Mockingjay (you go girl!). However, I thought there was a bit too much drama regarding Katniss's mental state. I am fully aware that 95 percent of the population would be ten times worse than Katniss in this situation, and I'm not saying that Katniss shouldn't break down at all, but it occurs a lot in this novel. Like, enough already, I get it. And with this comes Katniss being drugged/knocked out a lot when she can't handle something. And when she would wake up, all these things occurred and they had to be explained to Katniss. Can you say boring?

Then we get to Peeta. I am unapologetically Team Peeta, so I was looking forward to their reunion. It was really sad seeing Katniss try to be the Mockingjay while Peeta was being tortured by the Capitol. But the "hijacking"? When I read that, you should have seen my face; I was stunned. And a little upset. I understand why Suzanne Collins wrote it that way, you know, it was the one way for President Snow to break Katniss, but I don't think it was totally necessary. I'm not saying this because I'm in love with Peeta, but I honestly believe that Mockingjay could have been written without it. My big problem is that it kind of chops up the book at the end. For awhile, Peeta does not like Katniss, and then suddeny in the finale, he's practically normal. Trust me, I was overjoyed, but I think there wasn't enough transition of Peeta returning to his old and adorable self to justify that change.

So as the Mockingjay, Katniss gets to shoot video spots of her rallying up the troops and going into battle which I thought was awesome. It was so cool seeing her in action, and pretty much just seeing anyone fight against the Capitol was amazing, too. There is a lot of action in the end, so much that it starts to blur together a little, but it was nice to see some action (wow, I used that word a lot) outside of the arena. And with some violence, ultimately comes death. I was so sad when Finnick and Prim died. Finnick was becoming one of my favorite characters and Prim's death practically made Katniss entering the Hunger Games in the beginning pointless. Okay, so obviously it wasn't pointless, but that was just so sad. Even though her death was kind of glossed over I still felt bad for Katniss.

So now we're practically at the ending. I always knew something was up with the president of District 13, President Coin, when she was reluctant to grant Peeta and the other tributes immunity in the beginning, but I did not realize the extent of her maliciousness. She actually wanted to have another Hunger Games, this time with children of the Capitol. When Katniss agreed, I was shocked. Of course, I didn't realize she had something else up her sleeve. Thank goodness for that, because I was starting to think that Katniss had been hit too many times in the head. But when she assassinates President Coin, I was giving her a standing ovation in my head. That is why I love Katniss. She is one brave girl! Besides that, the rest of the ending was rushed. I didn't like how Gale wasn't in the picture anymore (I mean, they were best friends!) and even Katniss's mother wasn't living with/near her! Of course, I was estatic about Katniss's romantic choice, even though I wish there could have been a nice scene with them together (Mockingjay was lacking in the Katniss/Peeta moments, unfortunately), but the "real or not real?" was adorable!

So overall, I had a lot of complaints. But I realize that I tease because I love. I don't think Mockingjay had any major flaws and I thought it was an amazing novel and conclusion to the trilogy. I was just disappointed because the book didn't live up to what I thought would/wanted to happen. And that's okay. I know it can't please everyone entirely and I still love this trilogy with my whole heart. I highly recommend reading it and maybe you guys will love it even more than I did.

8 out of 10.

FTC: I bought this book!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. (Taken from Amazon)

I absolutely loved this book! It was just as good as The Hunger Games, and maybe even better! I had been anxiously the release of Catching Fire ever since I read the first book a year ago. It definitely reached and then surpassed my expectations. The romance with Peeta (one of my favorite parts) was still present, but the reader also gets romantic tension with Gale, which was absent in the first novel. I also liked learning about the districts and capitol and a little bit of the history about them. The president (who is more like a dictator) is even a character in Catching Fire, which is cool. I loved the twists and turns the story took and every other page I was saying "Oh my god" to something that happened. I could not put Catching Fire down and now cannot wait for the third installment. How will I survive?

10 out of 10.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Every year, the twelve districts of Panem send a boy and a girl from the ages of twelve and eighteen to the Capitol. And every year twenty-three children are killed and one is named the victor. This is the Hunger Games, where twenty-four teens must fight to the death in the wilderness, all while being filmed for everyone to see. And every year at the reaping, where each district chooses its tributes, Katniss Everdeen has held her breath, praying that she will not be chosen. But when her younger sister Prim is called to be one of the tributes, Katniss volunteers and takes her place. Now one of the contestants in the Hunger Games, Katniss must use her cunning and survival skills to endure the deadliest reality show ever.

I just finished this book and don't know what to say. It's too amazing for words. I first saw The Hunger Games on Stephenie Meyer's website, where she said it was awesome. Then other bloggers have been reviewing it, so I decided to read it. And I'm so glad I did. I love the whole futuristic dystopia type books, like the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, so I had a feeling that I would like this book, too. The whole premise of the Hunger Games, though pretty sick, was so interesting to read about. I thought it was weird that this society would send children to compete to the death, when most societies try to protect their young, but it made for a good story. The characters, especially Katniss and Peeta, were compelling, and their romance made the book even better (what can I say, the romance gets me every time) This is one of those books that you can not put down because it's so action-packed, and then you end up reading it in one day (which is what happened to me).

The only parts I didn't like were that there should have been more explanation as to how this new society actually came about. And there were some oddly worded sentences (mostly in the beginning) that made me feel like this book could have gone through another round of editing. It was no big deal, though, and the overall plot makes up for any minor mistakes.


9 out of 10.