Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Mockingjay

This wasn’t my favorite BUT I still enjoyed it despite how people are reacting. Some are saying that this felt underwhelming and that Suzanne Collins didn’t do a good job executing the ending especially finalizing the relationship with Peeta but in my opinion it was done perfectly. Katniss had just gone through war saw, death many times, and has even ended people’s lives so when the war between the Capitol and the Districts was over after both President Snow died (unknown reasons) and President Coin getting shot by Katniss instead of Coriolanus, people don’t just immediately cheer and dance around the streets. People try to have normalcy after war. They try to adapt to their new normal as well as mourn for their loved ones who died during said war. And that’s why I loved how Suzanne ended it.

I would’ve liked it if Katniss hurt Gale after the things he had done but at the same time it showed that he never cared about Katniss the way Peeta did. Gale left her after she tried looking for him so he could save him, he left District 12 instead of staying with the girl he supposedly loves after Darius’ comment. Even if Peeta’s actions towards Katniss isn’t like how it was, he still tried to fix their relationship which then lead to Katniss and Peeta being endgame and having kids together. It still hurts that Peeta was more manipulated in the book compared to him being nice towards Katniss but that’s what war does.

So why isn’t it a 5 star? Well, in my opinion, it felt a bit slow and confusing. There would be a time where Katniss was just constantly knocked out and then back into action which would leave me completely confused. Some characters that I should’ve cared about that were introduced in this book didn’t interest me because of the constant change, sometimes nothing happened and then all of sudden they’re getting bombed. I was excited to read about Tigris but she made such little impact that I became disappointed in the book after Catching Fire (my absolute favorite) I just became sad with the story but not enough to give a bad review.

Content Warnings

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

hanhantap's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

I remember first reading Mockingjay when I was 14 and being utterly disappointed. The Hunger Games with no games, just political discourse, resistance, and trauma? How boring. Especially as a follow-up to one of the best sequels of all time.

However, now my frontal cortex is fully developed and I have witnessed and participated in multiple resistance movements in the past 13 years — not to mention the past 60 days 🍉 — I feel like I can appreciate what Suzanne Collins was saying in and doing with this novel. When a symbol of a resistance movement (Katniss as the Mockingjay) becomes expendable or co-opted to repeat the evils of the past, there are moral obligations to rise against them.

Imagine explaining that to a young Hannah and expect her to understand them at a deeper level than "Why did Katniss have to start a family at the end?"

Not understanding her survival, her trauma, and her hard fought ending to even remind herself to be happy in moments of great despair. For Katniss, starting a family was not a priority. Her only priority was to survive and now she had two — three counting Peeta — reasons to keep surviving even in the hardest of days. A life without choices became a life with one choice: the choice of companionship and finding the peace she never had.

Her children, the other children of the districts, and the children of the Capitol will never experience the horrors that generations past will. The suffering of the present to provide for the future. It's a bittersweet ending that I finally understand.

Content Warnings

natalie_the_dancer's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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