Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)

Title: Mockingjay

Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Author: Suzanne Collins

Released: 2010

Rating: 6/5

Basic Plot: Katniss Everdeen becomes the Mockingjay (symbol of the rebellion) as the war truly begins. aka Shit gets real!

President Coin vs. President Snow
Previously in the series President Snow is shown to be a very cruel bastard. He is willing to kill children (in the Hunger Games) to control the districts. So you naturally believe he'll do anything, but he does have rules. They are few and far between, but they are rules. Lines even he won't cross. President Coin, leader of District 13, doesn't have any rules. She'll kill children to win the war. I won't give away what her great plan was. So, in the end, the person who lead the rebellion was an asshole and not to be respected. While the person who was already in control was a bastard who had rules.

The Role of the Mockingjay
I give kudos to Collins for making Katniss Everdeen fucking pointless to the overall war against the capitol. Her role as the Mockingjay is as pure distraction. Plus it gives the rebellion a figure to follow. Someone everyone admirers and so gives strength to the rebellion. What makes this role sad is it's like Katniss never left the Capitol's control. She traded the Capitol designing her as a Hunger Games victor for District 13 designing her as a pure figurehead with no real power.

The Choice Between Gale and Peeta
Throughout The Hunger Games Trilogy there has been a love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. In the beginning it seems like of course Katniss will end up with Gale. But in the series all three change. Katniss changes due to her actions and what she goes through in the arenas. Gale's darker side comes to the forefront. Peeta is hijacked (a form of brainwashing) and his love for Katniss has to battle through what President Snow did to him. And, by the end, there is no doubt that Katniss and Peeta have become perfect for each other.

Final Thoughts
This book is intense. I knew it would become very dark but I didn't know how dark it would get. I got up and read the part of the book where Prim dies because I didn't believe it when I read it the first time. This is a book that has deeply affected me and that I won't be able to soon forget. For better or worse, I love this book. And would recommend everyone check out The Hunger Games Trilogy (as Mockingjay won't mean as much if you haven't read the first two books before you read Mockingjay).