Literary Thursday: Mockingjay

I borrowed, I read, I conquered. In less than a month, I read The Hunger Games trilogy. I started the series, knowing it was aimed for young adults, that it might be along the lines of The Twilight Saga... in regards to how it would be portrayed as innocent. Oh, how relieved I was to discover I was very, VERY wrong. Before I get off subject, I'm going to move forward with the review of the final book... Mockingjay.

I need to apologize on the tardiness of this blog post. Between working on the last of the Musical blog challenge, working on my weekly blogs, and developments in my personal life, I just haven't been motivated to finish this entry. Better late than never!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins



A month after the unexpected end to the Quarter Quell, Katniss Everdeen explores her home in District 12, which was destroyed by the Capitol. She, others from 12, and several rebels have been living in District 13, which was supposedly destroyed 75 years ago. They are becoming accustomed to the military-styled life, under the care of district President Coin. As many of the districts are rebelling against the Capitol, District 13 has taken charge of the ultimate goal: to overthrow the Capitol with Katniss at the symbol of the rebellion... as the Mockingjay.

When I first started reading the series, I read a couple reviews about how their government parallels to our current situation in the United States. I do recognize some of that, but the way these books are written seemed more like a caste system, with social status and occupation playing huge roles in each of the districts. This book is solely focused on rebelling against the government and attempting to overthrow them.

Compared to the first two books, this one has a completely different tone to it, but it transitions very well for the reader. The transition from innocent teen to wise young adult is remarkable with Katniss. Sure, she's still stubborn and acts out impulsively, but she's looking at the big picture with a logical, matured attitude. During the rebellion, Katniss also realizes things about herself... good and bad. Having a lot of periods of solitude contributed to her own self discovery, which has helped her focus on the tasks she will be doing as the Mockingjay. She also works on her trust issues with people in general. She needs to rely on others and work as a team to accomplish their goals during the rebellion... especially those that she felt she betrayed in the past.

One of the biggest things I have learned about trilogies (thanks to the movie Scream) is that in the third one, something is revealed that changes the course of things. Rules change. True colors are shown. This book fits that mold. I'm not going to give any spoiler alerts, but the events that unfold in the last 100 pages were things I never would have predicted... and I liked the element of surprise. It made the end of the book more exciting and interesting than I could have ever imagined. Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars