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A review by tararising
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
I think Katniss might be one of the top 3 best written female characters of all time (maybe even top two). I’m so impressed with the way Suzanne Collins consistently rounds her out— Katniss has a beautiful singing voice, she loves to dance, she kisses people on the cheek to say goodbye and plays laser games with Buttercup (whose role is probably my favorite in the whole series). Fan interpretation seems to have flattened her back into the stoic rebel archetype (exactly what the Capitol did). Justice for Katniss and I hope in 15 years they decide to make some dark live action TV remake because I really want to see actual children play these characters.
It is SOO crazy that Gale and her mom lived. I 100% thought they both died but it’s so much crazier that they lived because that means Gale never got his wish to be a martyr and Katniss’ mom abandoned her again and Prim’s death is somehow worse so like Suzanne Collins was crazy for that.
My problems with the book:
- Pacing: I get the appeal of a trilogy but this series may have done better as a quartet because I really enjoyed the pace of the first half and then it got wonky. I also really enjoyed Boggs as a character and his relationship with Katniss so it would make sense to me to have the story beats for a split between books revolve around him.
- I would have liked one more moment with her dad at the end (some memory of him in the woods) to wrap up that arc and provide more certainty for the audience as to why she returned to District 12
-Finnick’s death: Obviously I’m okay with beloved characters dying (Prim always had to die (I sobbed)) but this was such a weirdly timed and written death that it left almost no impact, which is not what his character deserved. The fact that fans universally agree that he didn’t die is a red flag that his death wasn’t important to the story (at least the way it happened)
- That fuck ass epilogue
Unrelated but I believe fan interpretation that Haymitch and Effie fell in love lol
My problems with the book:
- Pacing: I get the appeal of a trilogy but this series may have done better as a quartet because I really enjoyed the pace of the first half and then it got wonky. I also really enjoyed Boggs as a character and his relationship with Katniss so it would make sense to me to have the story beats for a split between books revolve around him.
- I would have liked one more moment with her dad at the end (some memory of him in the woods) to wrap up that arc and provide more certainty for the audience as to why she returned to District 12
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- That fuck ass epilogue
Unrelated but I believe fan interpretation that Haymitch and Effie fell in love lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and War
Moderate: Torture