Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (No Spoilers!)

Well here we are. The end of the Hunger Games trilogy. And no matter how it ended, it was going to be disappointing. So many people have been building up for this moment that people were going to mourn the loss of this horrible, yet beautifully vivid world that Collins created.

Which is to say that I, too, was disappointed in this final installment. While reading the first two books, all I could think about was how much I felt like I was inside Katniss's world. I followed along with her plight against the Capitol and took every step with her.

But Mockingjay felt different. Instead of being inside Katniss's world, I felt like I was floating foggily above it. Instead of feeling part of the action, I felt like I was watching from far away.

I rushed through the entire book because all I wanted to do was get to the end. Whereas with the other two books, I had to savor every moment. While I enjoyed the ending, I felt it was not fully developed. Though to quote Donalyn Miller, "I liked that the book didn't end neatly. While I was unsatisfied with the ending, it felt true somehow." Miller is absolutely spot on. Life often doesn't end neatly either. In fact, it's usually quite messy. Mockingjay imitating real life. Who knew?


Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
First published: August 2010
Number of pages: 390
Genre: Dystopian
Audience: Young Adult