Mockingjay: A Book Review

I finally finished the Hunger Games series last night.  You can pick up the series here.  You can find my past reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire on older posts.  

Overall I'd give this a 2.5 out of 5 and the series the same.  Average.  I will admit that I read Mockingjay in one sitting basically.  I wanted to know how the series ended, even though much of it become obvious.  That is a good thing but...

Suzanne Collins has the abilities to make me hate almost every character in her series.  By the end of the series I liked two characters I think.  Finnick and Beetee.  By the end of the series I pretty much hated everyone else.  

From here on out there will be spoilers boys and girls so you've been warned.

I honestly don't know how Collins mapped out her characters but it must be with the idea that everyone in Panem is bipolar!  Okay almost everyone.  Finnick and Beetee are pretty much constant but everyone else flip flops sides so often I think I got whiplash a few times!  Peeta isn't too bad but his decision at the end does make me dislike him.

Lets look at the end first I guess because the idea that Katniss would agree to have one more Hunger Game makes me wish she had died even more then I had before.  It goes against everything she had been for the entire series!  She hated the game but then is willing to send kids from the Capital?  WHAT?!  She is in love with Peeta but often throws herself at Gale.  I realize she is 17 so I give her a bit of a pass on that...I guess.

I am trying to think of another series, book or movie or TV, that I've hated the main character as much as I have "The Mockingjay".  Off the top of my head I can't think of one.  I realize that the character goes through a lot in a few years and that it would mess anyone up but she is just so unlikeable!  Gale isn't much further behind although he is a little more consistent with his hatred.

Collins also didn't hid the fact that President Coin wasn't much better than President Snow.  I found it weird that her right hand man Boggs basically said not to trust her at the end since they were both from 13 and against everything and everyone else.

Overall the book series is a great idea and I am probably being a little hard on the series since it is a Young Adult book meant for a younger audience.  I just feel that just because it is meant for the youth of the world doesn't mean that it has to be dumbed down.  I feel like there was such an opportunity to make younglings think about bigger things and show that anger and revenge aren't the answer yet again and again and again its all about revenge and death.

Oh and the fact that Peeta, even though he loves Katniss, forgives her for things like another Hunger Games made me a little sick.  Love doesn't conquer all and I would think sentencing another generation of kids to suffer like they did is something you can't forgive but I guess I'm wrong.

If you want a fun-ish series that is an easy read this isn't a bad series and feel like there was a miss opportunity for more for the younglings!  Until next time...may the odds be ever in your favor....but don't be like a Mockingjay!