A review by beckyyreadss
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I love the rest of the 2012 – 2016 dystopian books including Divergent, Twilight, The Maze Runner and the Mortal Instruments. I wish I had read these books during the hype of my childhood but I did enjoy this series overall as a young adult, but I felt like this book in particular was missing something extra for a final book of the series.  

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she’s still not safe. A revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid out plans – everyone except Katniss. And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must carry on being the Mockingjay – the symbol of rebellion – no matter what it costs her. She is trying to protect everyone she loves and take down the guy who created all the pain. 

This book was well written, and I loved the fact of the exploration of mental health especially with Katniss’s nightmares and Peeta’s flashbacks. This book is not a lovey-dovey read, it’s a gritty slow read showing the effects of a riot and revolution and seeing it from both sides of the villain and the victims. It was showing the reflection of cruelty, slavery and the horrors of war - I liked that. However, there was a lot more that could have been done to make this book five stars.  

I wanted more action within the books, as the war was taking place we didn’t see much of it. I get that we see it from the victim’s point of view, but I wanted to see it more from the general point of view. I don’t really like love triangles within storylines however being that this was released within the time period of 2012-2016 and all book series mentioned above does have a love triangle and I probably would have loved it back then but now as a young adult, I could couldn’t stand it. Gale just leaving because he thought he killed Prim and that was all he had going from him annoyed me, I wanted to punch him in the face for that comment. I would have loved to seen more at the end and the healing process for Katniss and Peeta. I feel like it was just collected and moved on especially in the Epilogue when it was to do with her struggle of whether she wanted children or not yet it seemed really forced upon. The deaths within this book were just written off rather than a dramatic death scene which I would have preferred. It took me a while to realize Prim was dead and that Finnick was dead. I don’t think Prim needed to be killed either. Katniss’s mum just leaving her after everything she’s been through also annoyed the crap out of me. 
 
I loved the Hunger Games and Catching Fire and I wanted this book to be as good as those two and it was okay. I just expected more with it being the final book of the series. 
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