By The Wiz

1. I am 9 months pregnant, ready for this baby to pop out any day and this book was EXACTLY the distraction I needed… for the 24 hours it took me to read the book anyway.

   I agree that this last book was very dark, but I expected nothing less after reading the two before, knowing what this last book would cover.

   I actually really appreciated that she didn’t make everything “shiny” in the end. I agree that life in Panem must have been improved enough that Katniss would even think of agreeing to having children. At the same time though she showed that war leaves its scars, which seems so much more realistic than “they all lived happily ever after”.

   I too appreciated that Collins wrapped up the love triangle, but still gave us cause to go back and forth throughout the entire book! I liked how Katniss approached it in the end and concluded that she had to go with the one who balanced her out, not added more fire to her already fierce personality. Isn’t that what we all need in a relationship? Someone to love and understand us, but balance us out? I thought it was perfect.

   Comment #1 by ChrissyAugust 26th, 2010 at 11:58 am

2. Agree with all your points, Chrissy. I don’t think I worded it well - I didn’t really want a shiny, happily ever after either. That would have kind of negated the whole series, I think. What I wanted was SOMETHING good to hang on to at the end, and I think she gave us that.

   Good luck with the baby!

   Comment #2 by The WizAugust 26th, 2010 at 12:23 pm

3. She didn’t make it all shiny and happy in the end the same way she not only let innocent people die but had Katniss kill some. She made it real.

   Very violent, they’re all very violent, and I’m not sure suitable for children. But I do think I’d make them required reading for high schools. All three of them.

   I loved that she loved, really loved, both Peeta and Gale and that while she did choose in the end that didn’t mean that she didn’t love Gale anymore, she just couldn’t be with him.

   There are still a few things that I’m mulling over why they were necessary. The overheard conversation between Gale and Peeta for example? Maybe just so that we weren’t so sad to see her end up with Peeta? Maybe to to show that after all this he really didn’t understand her– she wouldn’t have stayed with the guy she couldn’t live without, she would have stayed with the one that couldn’t live without her– I’m not sure.

   I actually think that killing Prim was necessary, not only because it helped out with the Gale thing but as sort of the grand irony (because I’m just twisted enough to love that stuff) she started the whole thing to save Prim and in the end she didn’t. But I’m ok with that because by the time Prim died she wasn’t a scared little girl who was forced into a situation, she was exactly where she wanted to be and probably would have been there even if she had known what was going to happen.

   Comment #3 by Alison WonderlandAugust 26th, 2010 at 1:32 pm

4. Chrissy! I am also 9 months pregnant, using Mockingjay as a distraction!

   I TOTALLY AGREE that killing Prim was unnecessary. Or at least, killing Prim, Finnick, that District 13 leader (what was his name, the one Katniss liked? Bales, or something?), Cinna (I was kind of in love with Cinna), Portia, almost everyone we cared about from District 12 like Madge and the baker, Lady, and pretty much every secondary character I didn’t name was excessive. Yes, like killing Fred in HP. At least Gale survived.

   I loved Finnick’s revelations about Snow. Totally made sense, in the context of the other two books. Also loved…er… was appreciative of Haymitch’s revelations about the deaths of his loved ones. Explains why he was such drunk loner the rest of his life, poor guy.

   I, too, really liked how the love triangle turned out. Prim’s death DID help that, at least. I also liked that Peeta wasn’t so, so perfect at the end, with his better recognition of who Katniss really was, instead of the “she’s so perfect” thing that he seemed to have in the first two books. It was more “she is a real person, and I know all about her and still love her,” which I like better.

   Comment #4 by MollyAugust 26th, 2010 at 1:57 pm

5. I stopped reading after book one.

   Comment #5 by Melissa McAugust 26th, 2010 at 2:16 pm

6. I agree with what’s been said but I found the book very unsatisfying. I loved the other two partly because they captured the imagination so well–Cinna’s costumes, the Hunger Games arena–new thoughts. This book had none of that for me. And yes, she showed how war hurts all sides, there is no easy solution, etc, but I was hoping for more. Plus I had anticipated the Coin assassination, so that was somewhat disappointing as well. At least she did tie up the loose ends!

   Comment #6 by anitaAugust 26th, 2010 at 3:09 pm

7. I haven’t read the books. But at least now inknow what mockingjay is from everyone’s fb.

   Comment #7 by KateAugust 26th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

8. Yay! Thanks for posting. I finished this yesterday and NONE of my friends have gotten half way through.

   I thought that this book was violent, but it made me realize how violent the first two are and how I justified the violence of the first two because of the motivations and compelling storylines. This storyline was straight up all-out war, so I couldn’t justify the violent images in my brain with “oh but it has a great message or lovestory or whatever”.

   I thought that the way she killed Prim was ruthless, and horrible, and I was wondering where all of Gale & Beetee’s snare trap talk was going to go in the book. I did like how the author wasn’t blatant about who did the parachute bombing, but let Kat (and the reader) figure it out on her own. I immediately thought about the 7th Harry Potter book when I got to the end and Finnick and Prim got killed…..like really? Was that really necessary? I understand Boggs getting his legs blown off as the means of catapulting Kat back into a kill-to-survive state like the Hunger Games, but I thought that the author intentionally made Kat have a huge crew of people just so they could get killed in the Hunger Games style, one right after the other. I didnt’ think that was necessary.

   And what was up with Effie Trinket turning up at the end? The Capitol executes basically everyone associated with the Hunger Games, especially associated with District 12, yet she survives? What the heck? That was unrealistic. The author should have had them run into Effie in the Capitol and have her help them and then she could have gotten maimed by the mutts instead of Finnick (and this was my sister’s idea but I thought it was way better than what happened).

   I was happy Kat and Peeta ended up together. Gale is too bent on death and revenge (and has been from the get-go) but I’m bummed that the Capitol didn’t have a antidote for hijacking like they had the body-polishing and other great medical technology. I thought that it was awesome they finally had some kids, but completely understandable that Kat had 2nd thoughts the entire time because her entire life had been spent fearing death for children. Peeta didn’t have anything except Kat….so I’m happy that he was able to have some sort of family, even if he does have to fight his own demons.

   And I’m glad that Kat did what she did at the end when she was supposed to kill Pres. Snow because she totally knew (referring to Bogg’s words) that if they disagreed with the new president that they would be killed and the Hunger Games would be reinstated as punishment anyway. I’m glad that she lied so she could take matters into her own hands.

   And is it just me, or is Plutarch a real piece of work? I think that he and Coin made sure that Prim would be there in order to break Katniss, and send her over the edge, so that she wouldn’t be able to be a threat. Ugh.

   The descriptions of the deaths in this book were awful. I thought they were on par with the mauling in the capricorn at the end of the first Hunger Games.

   Comment #8 by AmyAugust 26th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

9. oh and ps. Given what we learned about the true lives of the Hunger Games victors in this book, I just can’t see the Capitol letting Kat & Peeta have a happily ever after wedding and whatnot if the whole mockingjay revolution hadn’t happened. Somehow or other, Panem would have twisted and ruined their lives regardless.

   What does everyone think about the Hanging Tree song? Did it refer to Gale, Peeta, both, or just Katniss mourning for the dead in general?

   Comment #9 by AmyAugust 26th, 2010 at 5:33 pm

10. Ah, Plutarch. Anything for a “good set of games.” Yes, total piece of work. I mean, Coin was in it for the presidency, but him? He really just wanted a good show. Sicko.

    Comment #10 by The WizAugust 26th, 2010 at 6:12 pm

11. My thirteen-year-old wants to read this series. I am really hesitant about this because they seem violent. Does anyone have any thoughts about what age children these books are appropriate for?

    Comment #11 by ColeeAugust 26th, 2010 at 7:22 pm

12. My thirteen year old read this book while I was at work. Two evenings later I’m finally finishing it and wishing she had not read it. It was bleak…so bleak! There are quite a few things that are questionable…but tolerable with an open discussion. One that will be quite difficult is the suicide wish/attempts. How do you discuss that?

    Comment #12 by SusanAugust 26th, 2010 at 7:38 pm

13. I think that it’s appropriateness level depends on the 13 yr old. These are not juvenile books. But I know some 13 yr olds who could handle them and not be tainted….if anything they’d relate to the bleakness and find solace knowing they aren’t alone in feeling the way they do.

    Comment #13 by AmyAugust 27th, 2010 at 8:53 am

14. I don’t think I liked this book as much as the other two. I wanted Katniss to play more of an intricate role in the overthrow of the Capitol. I wanted to see her calling some of the shots like she did in the Games, but…

    I really didn’t want her to end up with Peeta. I guess it might be that part of me that knows I can’t have the love that isn’t good for me. I don’t know why I liked Gale so much. Maybe because he really didn’t get a fair chance and that makes me sad.

    There was a line that I swear Collins put in there to show her distaste for war. In fact, it made me think if she wasn’t referring to something in our here and now.

    But what bugs me the most is Boggs telling her not to trust anyone, to not go back, and to finish what she was supposed to, oh and to kill Peeta. What happened there? I was waiting for the twist and never got it.

    Shrug…

    Overall it was a good series.

    Comment #14 by SunshineAugust 27th, 2010 at 10:56 am

15. I loved this book as much as the first two. But I got a little tired of Katniss spending so much time in the hospital, on drugs, disoriented, wandering around…it happened over and over after every big climatic moment. I wanted her to be a little more assertive, and take matters in her own hands instead of always second guessing herself. But then I realize she is supposed to be 17 years old, and that’s a lot of ask in a war/revolution kind of situation. But I loved it, couldn’t put it down, and thought that although all the death of all the “good” characters made me sad, it just shows that in war, good people don’t somehow miraculously live while everyone else dies. Good people die as well.

    Comment #15 by TinaAugust 27th, 2010 at 11:33 am

16. I thought it was disappointing. I was so disturbed by Peeta being hijacked and half-insane throughout most of the book. It really ruined my perception of him as the one loving, stable, strong person in Katinss’ life. Yes, I wanted a fairy tale happy ending between the two of them and I guess what happened was more realistic. But I did appreciate that they were able to overcome all the garbage that they went through together.

    I also didn’t like that all the closure came only in the last few pages. I hate it when things end so abruptly. I would have liked a little more resolution, a little more detail about life after the war, real stories about Peeta and Katniss’ life together instead of a vague and short summary.

    It was worth reading, but it was pretty dark and depressing. I wasn’t as riveted as I was with the first two. It was a lot easier to put down. As for the age-appropriateness, it really does depend on the kid. I know 13-year-olds who could certainly handle it, but not all could.

    Comment #16 by Mrs. PottsAugust 27th, 2010 at 8:10 pm

17. Just finished the book. And I am not sure how I feel. Not satisfied at all. It was just so depressing. I know war is depressing but it just left me feeling sad. Sad for those who were killed and sad for those who were left to live. It gives me a greater appreciation though for those who serve our country and fight for our freedoms. And makes me wonder when is the cost of war too much.
    I am not sure I will allow my 13 year old to read these nor do I think this should be required reading in High School. But I do think it is a good series. I plan on re-reading the whole series again just to get a better understanding now that I know the ending.

    Comment #17 by KristineAugust 28th, 2010 at 2:36 pm

18. I’m a little let down. The first two had more uplifting moments to balance out all the gloom and violence. This one was depressing all the way until the last few pages.

    Comment #18 by Normal Mormon WifeAugust 28th, 2010 at 3:08 pm

19. I have successfully devoured the book in twelve hours. Do I feel like I’ve run an emotional marathon? Yes. Am I sufficiently more bald because of it? Also yes.
    I’m still sort of numb. I can’t decide if I liked it as well as the first two. I was a complete Peeta fan heading in. But Peeta was lost for 95% of this book. His old charm, comfort, and happiness completely gone. I appreciated that his slightly battered mentality in the end was great for Katniss’s entirely-too-battered mentality…but I missed my stable, golden Peeta boy.
    I also appreciated Gale more as the book went on, however in the end I honestly wondered where the heck he’d gone. There wasn’t even a goodbye. Regardless of the fact that Katniss held him partially responsible for the death of her sister. It’s Gale. Come on. Was this just a convenient way of cutting him cleanly out of the picture?
    And then the death. Finnick. Beautiful, trustworthy, Finnick. Why did he have to die? And Prim, of course, and people like Madge and Boggs. I liked Boggs. He was funny, and took a broken nose well. The violence was a bit extreme. I kept thinking that any film adaption of this book would have to be either super craftily done, or rated R.
    Overall, I liked the wrap up to the series. I’m glad there is are no more horrifying things like the hunger games left in their society. I wish there was more of an epilogue, just like in HP7. But that’s me.

    Comment #19 by MellaAugust 28th, 2010 at 9:02 pm

20. Even though Katniss is only 17 (turned 18?) in this book, I thought her behavior was a bit over the top. I hear you Tina when you say you realize she’s supposed to be 17, but at the same time I think about the autobiographies I’ve read about WWII underground fighters who were girls raped by nazis or russian soldiers or whatever and how they lost so much and so many loved ones, yet they didn’t lose their heads and they were in survival mode and stayed focused on doing what they could to fight their enemy. Or beat their enemy in the long run. I think that Katniss was like this in the first 2 books, but in this book she lost herself and the author lost her character. She was lost and confused and given all that went on its weird that so many characters died who were straight in their heads and she didn’t when she was all over the map. If Katniss was as focused as she was in her first and second games I think this book would have been more enjoyable.

    Comment #20 by AmyAugust 28th, 2010 at 11:26 pm

21. Amen, Amy. I think I would have liked it better if she didn’t keep “losing her head.” Good point about WWII.

    Comment #21 by TinaAugust 29th, 2010 at 12:33 pm

22. I thought the same thing, Amy. Seriously, pull yourself together Katniss. Do what you need to do and lets get on with this story.

    I’m still mad that Gale got the shaft. They didn’t even say goodbye to each other. Gale, her best friend and confidant just up and abandoned her for the sake of the story… and I just have to say it… lets stay with the abusive guy that could kill you at any moment. That’s smart!

    I wanted more, I tell ya, much more!

    Comment #22 by SunshineAugust 29th, 2010 at 8:30 pm

23. I’m so disappointed. I finally got to read this, and it was a total let down. I guess I had just built it up so much after the first two that my expectations were pretty high going in, but I was bored through most of the first 2/3 of the book, then completely unsatisfied in the end. It spent way too much time in Katniss’s various stages of depression and pain that it reminded me of Bella in New Moon, which I couldn’t stand. I didn’t like at all what she did to Peeta, though I expected that he would’ve been tortured and in bad shape. I hoped that Katniss would be involved in getting him out of the Capitol and that the love triangle would have been as fun to read as in the first two. This time it was just frustrating.

    I also hated that Finnick died, especially after you find out at the end that Annie is expecting a baby who will never know his father. I understand that that’s a reality of war, but it made me angry that she killed him all the same, just when his life was finally happy since we now know that Snow made it a living hell after he won the Hunger Games as a teen. His happiness was too short-lived.

    I think Prim needed to die in order for Katniss to kill Coin. There had to be enough motivation behind Snow’s argument that it was Coin who dropped the silver parachute bombs that Katniss would want to kill her for it.

    I think I’d give it 2 stars, unlike the first two which I’d give 5 and 4 stars respectively. Collins had the chance to really make this an awesome conclusion to the series, and it fell way short of that, IMO.

    Comment #23 by StarababaAugust 30th, 2010 at 1:23 am

24. Worst book by far of the three. Too much exposition about life in district 13. There were some missed opportunities in this book. They could have had a great adventure in rescuing Peeta and Annie, but no, Collins writes instead of hospitals. Katniss and her team make a daring approach into the center of the capitol and instead of it accomplishing anything, she ends up in a hospital (again).

    I got tired of Katniss. I stopped caring about her. The only character I really cared about was Peeta, and he spent most of book 3 ‘NOT’ being Peeta. He deserved better in the end.

    Comment #24 by Wiz DHAugust 30th, 2010 at 9:44 am

25. I agree with everything Alison said (comment #3).

    Theme of the books: Oppression sucks. War sucks. The end.

    And yet, I loved them.

    Comment #25 by cherylSeptember 2nd, 2010 at 1:20 pm

26. To anyone who feels that Prim’s death was “not necessary:” (or Finnick’s, etc.) War rarely ends with only “necessary” casualties. I think she was just making it real

    Comment #26 by KitnSeptember 3rd, 2010 at 6:56 am

27. I totally agree with Mrs. Potts. I’m still not sure how I feel about the book. Everything was wrapped up too quickly. I was very glad that Peeta didn’t die, but it was just a depressing story. I couldn’t help but feel that Katniss needed a belief in God. She had nothing as she was wandering around. No hope, no one she felt she could truly trust or turn to. I’m not sure that it would have fit in at all in this series, but at least it makes me grateful to know that I always have someone to turn to.

    Comment #27 by AndreaSeptember 3rd, 2010 at 1:39 pm

28. I’m soooo disappointed in this third book. I too was looking for a “shiny” ending as some of you had said. If I wanted realistic I would have gone to the nonfiction section. I wanted Katniss to play a bigger roll in the capture of the capital..it seems like all those deaths were useless in getting there all the way to the front to just have her end up in a hospital bed. I mean come on! I thought for sure she was just hallucinating at first, but no. I was soo disappointed with peter being the way he was the entire time too. It would have been a perfect opportunity to get him rescued and have an entire deal where the boys have to learn to work together to fight till the end. I was most sad about the horrible conclusion of continued nightmares and knowing that great characters like finnick and primrose had to die….so sad…I had such high hopes for this book…

    Comment #28 by SaraNovember 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pm

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