Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

14 reviews

leeyongjin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

loveisabird's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i’m old enough to have been in the target audience when mockingjay was released, and my main memories of the book are everyone seeming disappointed in the conclusion and after finally getting handed off a copy of the book from a friend feeling maybe not that negatively but at best neutral about it.

now to be fair, while 14-year-olds were ostensibly the target audience, how many 14-year-olds were really equipped to deal with the themes and questions put forward by mockingjay? how were 14-year-olds supposed to understand what was going on with president coin, or why katniss didn’t make her romantic choice until the last paragraph in the most undramatic manner?

so i stand by my belief that the hunger games should not have been YA books. mockingjay does tell a good story, even with all its tragedies, which is evident when you’re 27. but that good story is ridiculously rushed. so my new the hot take is that mockingjay should have been two books. i think both more things needed to happen plot-wise in the revolution, and we needed more time spent on some of the things that did happen. (admittedly an argument that could be made for any of these books).

conveniently taking this stance means the controversial stance that it was correct to have two mockingjay movies is further validated. it SHOULD have been two movies because it should have been two BOOKS!!!!!!!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

judeb0x's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mermaidsherbet's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emilywemily6's review

Go to review page

dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Reading this series as an adult is so much more meaningful than when I was a kid. My only complaint about this book is the pacing; a lot of the book felt a bit slow while certain parts in the Capital were breezed over too quickly. But the author does an amazing job at capturing the aftereffects of trauma in these characters. This book is the culmination of a series with themes like: media’s impact on public opinion, authoritative governance, the lasting effects of trauma, being used as a pawn in the plans of others, etc. I’m less satisfied with the ending now as an adult because the internal scars of Katniss, Peeta, and others are more clear to me than when I first read this book and was just happy Katniss and Peeta end up together- but war doesn’t satisfy anyone. It feels so realistic and penetrating that while there were moments of tears while reading, I am reeling in the aftermath and will probably sob as I dwell on the trauma, what it meant for the characters, and what it means in real life. Everyone should read this series.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tayler_marie_brooks's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

saskiajva's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Reading this series growing up, I really hated Mockingjay and thought it ruined the whole series. As an adult, knowing who dies and where the story goes, having experienced trauma of my own, i was able to appreciate it for how masterful it is. She describes trauma and PTSD so incredibly accurately, the types of decisions that are made and the person Katniss becomes show so many nuanced and incredibly profound experiences. Honestly, i kind of hated it a bit because of how real the trauma felt. But it’s also what makes this book incredible. This is a series you can reread 100 times and always find new meaning and understanding in.

Tatiana Maslaney is an INCREDIBLE narrator

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marthadude's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I feel like I vibed with this one less than the other two but still a worthy entry. The last line goes so hard. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tabbed_reads2much's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I cried more than expected.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

theirgracegrace's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Mockingjay completes a trilogy in a crescendo of violence and trauma. Katniss has survived two Hunger Games, but recovering from the trauma and finally defeating the Capital is a burden that she can barely bear. The frank discussion of the PTSD and mental psychosis that comes from so much death and devastation in a teenager is a breath of fresh air from how many childhood traumas are handled in fiction. The ending is bittersweet but offers hope for a future of healing. A riveting and visceral ending to a series that has changed how I see the world for the better.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings